For years I’ve taken bus-loads of tourists to the viewpoint at San Bartolome and every time I’d see the signpost for the “Mirador de la somada alta” (Viewpoint of the High Lookout) on the other side of the main road, pointing up a steep track. On Thursday I took a day off writing and finally went. Did I mention that it looked steep? It didn’t feel any less steep walking…
It’s been a busy week. I finished the translation and signed off as self employed. My husband finished repairing the business end of my old laptop which is now in my friends’ office, connected up to a keyboard, mouse and monitor. It was really nice to stop lugging my laptop backwards and forwards, particularly since I have to park some distance away. I’ve got a vague idea for a short…
Traditional embroidery, Casa Lujan, Puntallana, La Palma There’s a shop of crafts from La Palma beside the museum at Casa Lujan in Puntallana. It sells things like traditional embroidery and ceramics. In the centre of the room, there’s a traditional loom, although they didn’t have any rugs for sale when I was there. (Palmeran rugs are made with a linen warp, and rag weft. If you order one, you generally…
Courtyard of Casa Lujan, Puntallana Casa Lujan is much more fun than you’d expect from the brochures, which describe it as an “ethnographic museum”. But it’s not a collection of stuff in dusty display cases. It’s an 18th century house, with whole rooms restored to show how the comfortably-off lived between about 1920 and 1960. Even better, there are people “living” in the house. And rather than use shop mannequins,…
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…
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,”…