The Convent of the Holy Trinity in Breña Alta

The Cistercian convent of the Holy Trinity at Buenavista in Breña Alta is surprisingly new. It was founded in 1946, and it’s the only closed order on the island. I was surprised to find out that there are only ten nuns who live there. The convent has a small shop. I first went there about ten years ago, in search of a rosary made of dragon-tree seeds, for a Catholic…

March 25, 2012
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Photos of El Llanito’s Sardine’s funeral, 2012

Here are some photos of the sardine’s funeral at El Llanito. As you can see, the sardine itself is much smaller than the one in Los Sauces, but I love those bee-stung lips! Unlike most places, the bier was carried by the sardine’s widows. Like most places, the widows were very tall and muscular. There’s a long tradition of political protest at carnival. This placard is in support of the…

March 12, 2012
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More sardine’s funerals

  Here’s a short video of Los Sauces Sardine’s funeral, 2012 It’s not a properly edited video, but if I wait until I’ve had chance to do that, I might be waiting forever. Enjoy! On Friday night, El Llanito in Breña Alta (between San Pedtro and Las Ledas) will be holding their sardine’s funeral at 9 pm. And on Saturday at 9:30 pm, Los Sauces will be holding their sardine’s funeral, with a…

March 8, 2012
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Acropark

A new adventure playground has opened quite close to the barbecue site at El Pilar in Breña Alta, up in the pine forest. It’s called ACROPARK, and they have three different circuits for different ages and daring, from the kids’ circuit with 13 activities, where you’re never more than a metre off the ground, to the senior one with 20 activities, where you get as much as 7 m up….

November 8, 2011
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La Palma celebrates St Michael’s day

Tazacorte celebrates its main annual fiesta this month, since its patron saint is St Michael the Archangel, who is also the patron saint of La Palma. There’s something happening most days, but the famous bit is the dance of the Fufo horses on Wednesday 28th at 9:30 pm. While you’re there, you might want to visit the exhibition in a restored mansion called Casa Massieu, which is open from Mondays…

September 24, 2011
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San Isidro Livestock Fair, 2011

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). It starts off with a procession which brings the statue of the saint from the church to the fairground at 9 am on Saturday. People bring their animals, and there are prizes for the best milk cow, best bull, best goat, etc. Most…

May 13, 2011
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