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…
Today is Canary Day, a local holiday in all the Canary Islands. Expect to see folk musicians and dancers, and lots of traditional foods on the menu. Most of the shops will be closed. This year, it’s also Corpus Christi. (The Corpus Christi fiesta is ten weeks after Maundy Thursday, so the date moves about to follow Easter.) If you’re on the island, I strongly recommend a visit to Mazo…
Today is mother’s day in Spain. Or rather, everywhere in Spain but here. And to the best of my knowledge, the first place in Spain to have an official Mother’s Day was Breña Baja. The local poet, Félix Duarte Pérez , left home for Venezuela at some horrendously young age (fifteen, I think). Not surprisingly, he missed his mother a good deal, and they sent each other lots of letters….
San Jose has a temporary exhibition of 12 steel sculptures in the Plaza de Las Madres by the artist Pereda de Castro. The sculptor says he gets his inspiration in “mythology and the sea”. They’re next to the new kiosk, so you can get some refreshment while you admire the art. I don’t know how long they’ll be staying there, so if you’re planning to go, I suggest you do…
Today’s still windy, but the rain’s stopped, and I think every photographer on the island’s been out, taking advantage of the wild skies. The huge swirl of clouds is caused by colliding masses of air, which is what’s causing all the wind. It’s very gusty, and it’s actually rather useful to be a hefty person for once. I’d have felt very unsafe on top of walls if I’d been petite….