Fufo horses in Tazacorte. Today (Monday 29th) is the feast day of St Michael. Since he’s the patron saint of Tazacorte, last night the town celebrated with their famous dancing horses. Famous on La Palma, at least. Would you believe, it’s the first time I’ve seen this in almost 18 years of living here. The crowd following the fufo horses. Well, it’s fun. As you can see, a horse-shaped frame…
Monday is the feast day of St Michael Archangel. Although he’s the patron saint of the whole island, shops will be shut only in Santa Cruz and Tazacorte – that’s the main town, not Puerto Tazacorte. It’s traditional to hold the best bit of a fiesta on the night before the public holiday, so you can party half the night without worrying about the alarm clock drilling into your hangover…
After three weeks of being responsible, helping friends (which I was glad to do, don’t get me wrong) and bashing on with the current translation, something snapped yesterday morning. So I went out. I told myself I was getting material for the blog, but to be honest, what’s the point in living on a paradise island, and then spending all day in the house? So I went to Belamaco cave,…
Salermera from the road above: the beach is in the inlet at the right. La Palma has lots of little beaches tucked away here and there, like Salemera. You take the main road from the airport to Fuencaliente, and just south of Mazo, follow the marked turning off. After four twisty kilometres, you wind up at the little village. It’s easy to park. The beach itself is tiny, but very…
Friday morning went on helping Helen and Theresa with paperwork, which gave us all chance to catch up on the chatting. A friend of mine’s gone to work on another island. Since she was leaving on the Sunday afternoon ferry, she stayed with us on Saturday night and on Sunday we hosted a small leaving party at lunchtime. Helen and Theresa promised to bake a cake, which they did. Shame…
There’s an alternative kind of accommodation aside from the obvious hotels and pensions on La Palma, and that’s casas rurales – country houses. As the name suggests, these are houses for rent in the countryside. It’s self-catering accommodation, which is, of course, very flexible, and tends to suit walkers. The local government has a registration scheme, and they have a reputation for being demanding, which is good news for tourists….