Wednesday was the Fiesta del Carmen, which is celebrated in Santa Cruz and Puerto Tazacorte. They have a special mass, and then they take the statue of the Virgin of Carmen out for a procession. So far, so much like most fiestas on the island. Only in this case, they take the statue of the virgin out on a boat parade, to bless the fishermen.These photos are fromPuerto Tazacorte. The…
Traditional roof with a space to view the port. These days, Santa Cruz de la Palma is a bit of a backwater. But three hundred years ago, it was the third biggest port in the Spanish Empire. Almost every ship traveling from Spain to the Americas stopped here. In the 19th century, it was still a major port, and many of the inhabitants waited anxiously for a ship bringing their…
I love La Palma, and I believe that most British tourists who come here love it too. But you know, you can’t please everybody all the time, and I occasionally hear of people who were very disappointed. That’s a shame when you’ve saved all year for a holiday. So who shouldn’t come? Well, the weather isn’t quite as hot as the bigger Canarian resorts. You don’t get much in the…
Replica of Columbus’s Santa Maria in Santa Cruz de la Palma Back when I worked for the observatory, we ocassionally gave visiting astronomers a lift up to the mountaintop. I always enjoyed detouring past the replica of Christopher Columbus’s ship, the Santa Maria, partly to see the visitor’s reaction. Astronomer: “What on earth is that!?” Me: It’s a concrete ship in the middle of the road. What’s it look like?”…
Christmas trees are a newish thing here, although probably most houses have one now. The main traditional decoration is nativity scenes. Some just show the stable, but some public ones are so elaborate that they include the whole village, and it’s always a Canarian village. Obviously that’s historically inaccurate, but no more so than all the English nativity scenes where Mary and Jesus are blond. This one was on display…
I had an email asking me to recommend the top ten things to see and do. It was actually quite difficult to decide, because tastes differ so much. So this is a purely personal top ten. Your mileage may vary. 10. The ObservatorySee The Observatory and Visiting The Observatory. While you’re there, be sure to go up to the highest point of the island, the Roque de los Muchachos, and…