La Palma

Los Llanos Carnival Program for the weekend

FRIDAY, February 20Festival of Comparsas (Comparsas perform musical dance numbers)> 8 p.m. Carnival Stage SATURDAY, February 21Comparsas performance> 11.30 a.m. Plaza de España Big Talcum-Powder throwing party (NB, there’s a really good talc-throwing party in Santa Cruz on Monday)Music and Dancing with La Retranca, Libertad and Salsaludando orchestras> 1 p.m. Carnival stage More Music and Dancingwith the orchestras: Bolero, Libertad and Ricaband> 10 p.m. Carnival Scene SUNDAY, February 22 THIRD…

February 18, 2009
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Santa Cruz Carnival Programme for the weekend

Spain celebrates Carnival in the week before the season of Lent. I always say people are making sure they have something really juicy to repent, but these days most people just regard it as a darn good excuse for a party. The funfair’s already here, and the main programme starts on Friday. Friday, 20th February 6 pm. Opening ParadeChildren from the schools and nurseries will parade from the Plaza de…

February 17, 2009
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Carnival Murgas

What are murgas when they’re at home? Well, they’re not murgas. They have to go out to do that. And they usually go out during Carnival. A murga is a large, costumed choir singing a medley of popular tunes with their own lyrics. The costumes can be quite elaborate, and run from clowns, demons, big, hairy blokes dressed as schoolgirls, Arabian princes, or fairies (usually the big, hairy blokes again.)…

February 14, 2009
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Rock slide

Most of the snow has melted, and the road from Santa Cruz to the observatory is open again. But there’s a landslide blocking half the road above the treeline, somewhere near the rock formation that looks like a red submarine.

February 10, 2009
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Coochi-coo!

It’s a good thing I love La Palma, because I get off the island once or twice a year. But last weekend was my great nephew’s baptism, and we hadn’t even seen him. So, although we absolutely didn’t have the time, we went to Tenerife for the weekend. Getting up at 4:30 am for the 6am ferry was a killer, but we had a great time. We stayed in a…

February 10, 2009
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Snow at the Roque

  La Palma has a lovely sub-tropical climate. It’s called the land of eternal spring. But today the top of the mountain is covered with snow. Of course, we only ever get snow at high altitude, and these days, we don’t get snow every winter. But when it snows, it can dump several feet in one night. The Roque is one of the three best sites in the world for…

February 6, 2009
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