Carnival 2014 is starting
Carnival is starting! Here are some photos from the schools’ procession in San Pedro (Breña Alta) this evening.
Breña Alta
Where’s the village gone?
Tourists sometimes go nuts trying to find the village of Breña Baja, or Fuencaliente. There’s a really simple reason why they can’t find them. They don’t exist. Breña Baja and Fuencaliente are municipalities, and their town halls are in the villages of San Jose and Los Canarios, respectively. It like driving all over the south east of England, looking for the town of Sussex. The map shows the 14 municipalities…
Imposing Gateways
In the 17th century, landowners in La Palma got rich on sugar cane. These rich families used to leave the heat of Santa Cruz de la Palma and spend the summer on their country estates, particularly in Breña Baja and Breña Alta. The houses are still private, but in some cases the gateway is clearly visible from the road. It’s a social symbol of wealth and power. These old families…
San Isidro Cattle fair 2013
This weekend they’re holding the second biggest livestock fair on the island, at San Isidro, in Breña Alta. (The biggest is San Antonio del Monte, in June). People bring their animals, and there are prizes for the best milk cow, best bull, best goat, etc. Most of the animals are tied up in big field while they wait for the judging, and you can go around admiring them. (I hope…
“A Breathtaking Window on the Universe” on sale!
“A Breathtaking Window on the Universe” has arrived on La Palma, and is on sale at the following outlets: Santa Cruz de La Palma: Librería Trasera (Calle Trasera) Papiro Libros (Calle Real) Molina Artesania (Calle Real) The Best of La Palma (Calle Real) Los Llanos María Luasteida Rodríguez Cabello (The souvenir shop at the bottom of the church square) Breña Alta: Museo del Puro I hope to arrange more outlets…
Dragon Trees
The north of La Palma is one of the best places to see dragon trees. These exotic-looking plants grow throughout the Canary Islands, and also in Cape Verde, the Azores, Maderia, and western Morocco, but on La Palma, they’re still reproducing naturally. The Canary Islands used to have a large, flightless bird, something like a Dodo. This bird ate dragon tree fruits, so the seeds evolved to have a hard protective…