The feast of San Juan (St. John the Baptist) is June 24th. Many people light bonfires on St John’s Eve. In the days before municipal rubbish collection, it was a practical way of having a clear out. But in Puntallana, there is a long-held folk belief that the bonfires keep away witches. Jumping over the fire is supposed to protect you from disease and the Evil Eye. It’s also a…
A long time ago, a young goatherd in Puntallana fell in love. Nothing unusual about that of course, especially since the girl was very beautiful. The trouble was that she didn’t feel the same way. He was tall, handsome and athletic, but she hoped to marry someone richer. After all, a goatherd’s wife worked fourteen hours a day and went hungry in the bad years. But he wouldn’t take “No,”…
GranTeCan, the huge new Spanish telescope La Palma is home to one of the three most important astronomical observatories in the world. (The other two are Hawaii and the Atacama desert in Chile.) The observatory sits at the top of the island, at the Roque de los Muchachos. It’s a fascinating place to visit, but it’s not normally open to tourists – they’re too busy doing science. You can visit…
When I annouce that we’re having green beans for dinner, our 11-year-old usually says, “Thank you, Mummy!” I don’t think I’d get that reaction with plain boiled beans. Of course, it helps of the beans are really fresh. These came from Puntagorda farmers’ market. Serves four polite people or three hungry ones as a main course. Ingredients:About 700 g of green beans150g bacon (in narrow strips)2-3 cloves garlic1 red pepper1…
You see a lot of flags on La Palma. Most English visitors will recognise the flags of Spain and the European Union. But the Canary Islands are an autonomous region within Spain, and they have their own flag too. You see it a lot, especially around May 30th, which is Canary Day. And then each island has its own flag. Here’s the flag of La Palma: And as if that…
Puntagorda is a village and municipality in the north west of the island. Every Saturday and Sunday, they have a farmers’ market and craft fair in the Mercadillo, which is at the north of the village, near the Fayal picnic area. Like most farmers’ markets, the vegetables are fresher and cheaper than most supermarkets. There are also stalls selling organic wholemeal bread, sugar cane juice (with or without rum) cakes…