Friday is Canary Day. It’s a big thing here, and the celebrations have started already. On Wednesday evening they had bouncy castles in the port car park. This was shortly followed by a foam machine. The kids loved it. My son was so delighted that he dived in with all his clothes on. I’d have been seriously tempted to join in except that I had my expensive camera with me….
There are lots of good viewpoints on La Palma, but one of my favourites is Los Andennes, where you get an amazing view into the Caldera. The viewpoint is between km 32 and 33 on the road from Santa Cruz to the Roque de los Muchachos, and there’s parking for several cars. Most days of the year, you’re well above the clouds, often looking down on them. Soemtimes the Caldera…
Like a lot of places, San José in Breña Baja celebrates Corpus Christi (the body of Christ) on the Sunday ten weeks after Easter Sunday. Traditionally, they make carpets out of coloured salt, like this one from 2006. (You can see more at https://sheilacrosby.com/fiestas.php .) The most famous of these carpets are in La Oratava in Tenerife. This year they’ll be making them on Thursday, May 29th. This year’s carpets…
Corpus Christi (the body of Christ) is a big festival in Mazo. They decorate the streets with spectacular archways and carpets covered with flowers and seeds. The main feast day is ten weeks after Maundy Thursday, so this year it’s very early. (In 2009 it will be on the 11th of June). People collect the materials and work on the pieces pretty much all year, but it all comes together…
Don’t. You can’t. And it’s dangerous to try. And anyway, you’re on holiday, aren’t you? Relax, take it slow, and enjoy the spectacular scenery. After all, that lovely scenery is the reason for the twisty roads. And if you get stuck behind an old man driving at 30 km/h, count yourself lucky. I seem to get constantly stuck behind one who drives at 25 km/h.
We have five different poppies on La Palma. Papaver rhoeas The red poppy. The Corn Poppy, Field Poppy, Flanders Poppy, or Red Poppy is easily the commonest. This is the poppy that mostly grows wild in fields. Eschscholzia Californica , the California Poppy. The next commonest comes from California, which has a similar climate. Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy. And then there’s the opium poppies, which are presumably garden escapes….