New Year in La Palma

It's almost bewitching hour!  The year with all its ups and downs is almost at a close and very soon we shall have a bright and shining star in the form of a new year.  I wonder what it will bring?  Hopefully a holiday on La Palma!
It's always a good time though to reflect on what the past year has brought and we feel that we have been incredibly lucky to be living in such a beautiful place as La Palma and on a finca where the views - even for La Palma - are simply outstanding.  Even today, I was taken by surprise as I came up from the barranco and the house came into the sight.  The whole house looked like it was floating on the sea!  But luckily it wasn't.
We also feel incredibly lucky to have had so many wonderful guests from so many countries which include those from far, far away from La Palma such as from America, Scandanavia and Latvia.  And of course visitors come to La Palma for all sorts of different reasons - those who come for a love of walking amid nature and tranquility or those who take up the challenge of walking the GR130 right around the island.  Or guests who are amateur astronomers and even bring their own telescopes ... or to paint or finish that final draft of their book.  And those who want to relax and recharge their green batteries.
Whatever the reason, we are so pleased that people choose La Palma as their holiday destination.

And so we would like to say a huge 'thank you' to all our guests from the past year and also to look forward to welcoming new and returning guests.  Thank you!  And we wish you a wonderful New Year in 2012.
Ann and David.

The good old days in Garafia

The small town of Santo Domingo lies in the far north west of La Palma and is the capital town of the municipality of Garafia.  It is a very quiet town, what you might call a back-water, but a peek behind the main street will reveal the intriguing old quarter with cobbled streets and an abundance of historic houses and quaint cottages.

However, it is in the main street of the town that you will find the 'Centro de Interpretación Etnográfico de Garafía.'

In the interests of brevity I call it a museum although there are no artifacts such as ancient handtools or pottery - best go to the museum in Santa Cruz de La Palma for that as they have amazing displays which fill vast rooms.  No, the Ethnographic Centre is a pictorial display of how people lived on La Palma - and not so very long ago.
The photographs are mounted on large fibre boards with the result that you are face to face with the indigenous people of La Palma, their lifestyle, hardships and culture.  

How about this for a thatched cottage? After all, Garafia was known as the threshing floor of La Palma so straw was a commodity not just for animal fodder and grains but also as a building material. Pretty useful when roofing tiles were the reserve of the rich.
And as for the traditional dress, these days we only see it worn at fiestas and special celebrations.  It's lovely to see both from the old days and the new!

Probably the only place you will see oxen in harness is at the annual San Antonio de Garafia show which is held around the 12th June every year.  It's a hugely popular event and if you are on the island, it is well worth a visit.  

And what about this bus that operated between Barlovento and Santo Domingo?  It is what my grandmother would have called a 'Charabanc' or carriage with benches. Apparently, the three tunnels just north of Barlovento were dug out just big enough to accommodate this bus.  There must have been great whooping and cheering from both those who dug the tunnels and those who could travel between the two towns by public transport for the first time. 
I presume it must have been somewhat uncomfortable and rather slow - but even so, much quicker than shanks' pony (on foot).  Whether or not the passengers would appreciate the beautiful scenery - history does not relate but it certainly makes us appreciate the modern bus that passes along our village road here in Franceses every two hours!
Opening hours of the centre are Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11.00 to 14.00 and Tuesdays 15.00 to 18.00 hrs.
It is absolutely free, there are plenty of brochures to help you on your way to discover what La Palma has to offer and the assistant who works there is super-helpful.
Enjoy!

Keeping your hat on

La Fajana (pronounced Fahana) is rather a popular name here on La Palma and if you study the map you will doubtless notice several La Fajanas laid about.  In fact, we have two near us – La Fajana de Garafia which is the little port village and beach just below the finca in Franceses and La Fajana de Barlovento which is located by the sea between the towns of Los Sauces and Barlovento. 

So whilst they might share the same name, they are certainly different places with La Fajana de Garafia being our favourite spot for beach-combing, picnics, a walk and a swim or snorkel when the sea is calm and La Fajana de Barlovento our favourite for swimming, snorkeling or even just stopping off for a coffee or light lunch. 

So what can you expect to find there?  Well, the main attraction is the sea pools.  There are various sets of well-made steps that lead down from the car park to the pools and from there you have your choice – a shallow pool complete with handrails which is great for children and those not keen on getting out of their depth, a second pool which is a little deeper and at the side has an intermittent waterfall you can walk under and a third, large pool which is around 3.5m deep in places and also has an intermittent waterfall you can swim under and get a back massage at the same time.  All three pools are beautifully clear and teeming, yes teeming, with multi-coloured fish and whilst we have been SCUBA diving in the pools, you can enjoy seeing the fish by snorkeling too.

The facilities are excellent too and arguably the best on the island.  The toilet and changing block is completely free and every time we have visited, and that is often, they have been impeccably clean.  Outside there are a couple of showers which operate with a 50c coin. 

There is also a very small swimming pool for the disabled or elderly with a seat lift, although I can’t promise that the seat always functions (or there is water in the pool).  And as yet, there is no wheelchair access down to the pools.

But once down the steps to the pools, there are lots of flat spaces where you can lay out in the sun. Picnics are not allowed at all but a little further along from the swimming and sunbathing terraces, there are two bar/restaurants.  

Confident swimmers might also like to take the opportunity to swim in the sea during the summer months when a ladder is provided for access.  Always use careful judgement though as the sea can be rough at times and be aware that there is no life guard.   If you do decide to go in the sea, it’s a different experience altogether and the underwater topography is absolutely outstanding - and beautiful!

Conditions permitting then, there is  no excuse not to strip off and leap in - although of course you can always keep your hat on.  

El Bernegal

Any business person will tell you that the key to a successful restaurant is location, location, location. In that case, El Bernegal in Santo Domingo has thrown away the rule book.

Located on a semi-industrial looking road leading out of sleepy Santo Domingo, a town divorced from the main road by many kilometres and already out on a limb in the north west corner of La Palma, El Bernegal sits cosily between the fire station and health centre.  It’s hardly a promising start.

But the first glimpse of the restaurant will give you hope, not just by the number of cars parked on the piece of rough ground opposite, but by the façade of the building which looks temptingly interesting.  And you’d be right for just inside the main door, you will already see the central courtyard eating area with its bright blue Moroccan wall tiles, enormous ferns hanging from the high ceiling above and three small restaurant rooms and bar leading off. 

Apart from the current lovely décor, it is easy to see that El Bernegal is a historic house of some note, beautifully restored to the highest standard.  The menu is not however set in the past because, whilst it might look relatively simple, the presented dish really is about as cosmopolitan and carefully crafted as you will find on the island. 

 Starters include such dishes as grilled goats’ cheese with traditional mojo sauce, avocado with shrimp, chef’s own fish pate and mushroom with garlic and range in price from 3.00 euros to 7.50 euros.

The salads which, no matter how theoretically simple, the chef manages to turn into  exciting and beautiful platters, include tropical salad, roman salad, salad niçoise and tagliatelle with pine kernel and goats’ cheese and range in price from 5 to 7 euros. 

There are three types of omelettes to choose from – including banana omelette - and soups including courgette soup and a wholesome and filling Canarian soup.

If you manage to reject the famous ‘Bamy’ (tagliatelle with vegetables and shrimp at 7.00 euros – I think I’ve had it three times now and it’s delicious) then maybe fish is your fancy.

You can choose from fried squid, fresh tuna, perch with caper sauce (another favourite of mine) and grouper priced between 6.50 and 9.50 euros.

For the meat eaters, this is probably the main event and dishes include tournedo chasseur or béarnaise, half chicken, peppered steak, fresh pork chops or pork loin with chestnut cream - and once you’ve tasted pork from La Palma, you’ll know how tasty and moist it is compared to factory reared pork.   Prices range between 6.00 and 13.00 euros.

And then of course the desserts – home made peach sorbet, nougat glacé, crepe with chocolate sauce … If you don’t have room for any more at this point, share a dessert with some else – anyone else - or run around the block until you do!  Prices are 3.00 to 3.75 euros.

 Every single dish is presented with an artistic eye to detail and, with such a tempting menu and delicious food at a price which is more than fair on the pocket, be warned – it’s popular.  In fact, it’s so popular that they don’t even open in the evening and at weekends, reservations are highly recommended. 

I suggest you arrive no later than 5pm and don’t forget to leave room for that dessert.

Living on La Palma - here's an offer!

Next year, it will be our tenth anniversary of moving to La Palma.  Ten years sounds like a long time but to us it only seems like ten minutes.  I suppose though I must admit to that warm, comfortably feeling of having nestled into our home in Franceses and La Palma in general to the point where our nearest neighbours feel like they really are family and I am a fervent supporter of all things La Palma (nearly).
We take it as a compliment when neighbours ask us to help prepare the pig for the bbq or crush the grapes by treading and when villagers ask us if I can help their teenage children work through the maze of English verbs or read to the children in the village school.  It's what makes us feel like we belong.
And then further afield on the island, when people mention to us that they would like to sell their house as in the case of an English friend and do we know of anyone who would like to buy - and then of course people who ask us if we know of a property to buy.  Naturally, we are happy to introduce the two parties and they can hopefully live happily ever after.
At the moment though we have an interesting situation where our English friend really does need to sell his property and we are happy to try and spread the word for him.  For many years he enjoyed his visits to La Palma but now, due to his age and ill-health, there are no more plans for him to come to the island.
The property that is being sold is in fact a small complex of four apartments set in a village location.

 Originally, it was an old two-storey village house and this has been extended to provide two more apartments with central courtyard.  The old house, now two apartments but could be converted back, has original features with tea wood ceiling and floorboards.  Two of the apartments are completely furnished (most of it as new) right down to cutlery in the drawers and the four apartments all have balconies plus fitted kitchens and bathrooms.

There are also two large storerooms under the apartments, several seating areas around the complex and off-street parking.  They offer numerous possibilities to either keep as four apartments, convert back to a house and granny annexe or apartment to rent out.
The asking price was 175,000 euros but our friend is now willing to accept just 146,000 euros - and that is for all four apartments.
If anyone is interested in this amazing offer we are happy to provide more details and show you the apartments, inside and out.  Meanwhile here are some photos.  Someone, somewhere is going to snap up a complete bargain and there's not too many of those about! 
Next up on the blog - La Palma's natural phenomena, the sea of clouds.

Reptile, anyone?

If you are coming on holiday to La Palma then one of the things that might interest you apart from taking in the culture, views and tranquility is reptile spotting.

 There are two main sorts on La Palma, those being the lagarto lizard and the gecko. Broadly speaking the lagartos are the ones that you will see during the day as they peak out from rocky walls or sprint across the road or path with the impressive speed of a clockwork toy or nibble at your banana when you're not looking. Geckos on the other hand are altogether more demure generally sticking (literally) to walls and ceilings and prefer evenings when tasty moths are about.

When you first start to spot the lagarto lizards you will quickly realise that there are two distinct groups of these - the larger, blue-cheeked variety with a head resembling a miniature dinasour -

 and the smaller brown lizard who dresses in stripes. Yes, you guessed it - blue for a boy and, well, brown, for a girl.

If you absolutely hate reptiles though or have a phobia about them, then don't worry because they really won't bother you or even eat you alive. Mostly. They only measure around 20cm in length which includes the tail, so not quite of the mammoth proportions of the Komodo dragon at around 3 metres. Now the Komodo's have been known to attack and devour a person. Raugh! Just fooling.
However, whilst the lagartos have many plus points from an interest point of view, such as their ability to jettison their tail in an emergency (cats like lagartos) the geckos win hands down for me.

 Not only are they gravity-defying with their amazing sticky little hands and a much calmer character than the lagartos but they have the kind of perpetual wide-eyed look of the innocent.  They seem to say 'Who?  Me?'  You've just gotta love them!

Charco Azul - Blue Lagoon

When it comes to a drop of the wet stuff our favourite haunt is located at La Fajana de Barlovento.  Yes, it's a great place for swimming and snorkelling!  However, by way of a change, we decided to go for a swim at Charco Azul, the Blue Lagoon as I call it, which is near the picturesque village of San Andres, below Los Sauces on the east coast of La Palma.
The Charco Azul has in fact only just recently re-opened after a rock fall and I am pleased to say that it has been restored back to its former beautiful self.

 

It's a great place for people of all ages as it has a large children's pool complete with a couple of seawater pools, sea water fountain, changing rooms and plenty of flat space for sunbathing.  So, if you are heading that way, don't forget to take your cossie and you can look forward to a dip in the blue.

And don't worry about how you are going to replace those used-up calories after all that swimming as there are also a couple of restaurants handy.  One overlooks the pools and the other, called Romecabezas (either meaning 'brain teaser' or 'headbreaker' I'll let you take your pick) is just around the corner.   Mmm, wonder if the 'headbreaker' reference is anything to do with the rockfall which did in fact submerge the other restaurant!  Either way, the cliff wall has now been impressively and securely netted.  Yet another feat of engineering for La Palma!
However, no matter how attractive Charco Azul is, I think our favourite will continue to be La Fajana de Barlovento.  It's not just the choice of pools, abundance of fish, fantastic underwater topography in the sea, but it's nearer to our finca.  And that means it's also nearer for guests staying at their rural accommodation to rent in Garafia!

Sitting Ducks (and chickens)

What a fun and busy time we are having.  A couple of weeks ago, we got four new chickens.  Here's a photo of two of them wondering where on earth they have come to and what they are doing being transported in a pet carrier.   Come on - time to get out now!

Well of course the chickens aren't a problem as they can just go in the existing hen house with its own run and tree for them to jump into.  But then we were asked if we would take a couple of ducklings.  Help!  We know nothing about ducks!
So that required some very serious thinking about.  What would they live in - oh, they don't need a special house, we were assured, they can just wander about.   Mm, not sure about that and trying to fence in almost 8,000 sq.m. of land is very trickly as most of it is in terraces.   And what about water - don't ducks need a pond?  Oh no, a children's paddling pool will do or an old bucket sunk into the ground.
We were not convinced.  And what is the point of ducks anyway?  They don't even lay that many eggs.  So that was it - zero votes for keeping ducks.  But then, our home farm handbook declared that they would 'delight and amuse us.'  And that we could believe so now we just needed to make a home for them.  And a pond. Bucket, indeed!
Once the little guys arrived, we unfurled them from the sack they had been transported in - the pet carrier having been rejected by the farmer.  And of course we had to give them a proper welcome from the comfort of the kitchen.

Ooh, a little bigger than we were expecting but still decidedly cute.  And probably a very good thing they weren't tiny babies because they would need too much looking after and I wouldn't get any work done for coo-ing over them!
So - time to show them their home and their little pond.  At first, they were rather reluctant to get their feet wet and preferred to sit down at the edge of it.

But once in, they really took to it like, well you know, with lots of duck-diving and even swimming underwater.  This was great for us spectators!  And the ducks looked as if they were really enjoying it too, until that is, they scared themselves silly by splashing and that's when they really did delight and amuse.  If you would also like to be delighted and amused - here is a You Tube video of them.  It's really quite funny and whilst we doubtless still have lots to learn, we are really enjoying these new additions to the finca.

Aloe, aloe.

In Thailand, it's called Crocodile's Tail.  In Indonesia, it's called Crocodile's Tongue.  We know it as Aloe Vera.
Whatever you call it, the plant has a list of cosmetic and reputed medical uses as long as your arm. 
And we are lucky enough to have it growing here on the finca. 

 Whilst the use of natural remedies is going through quite a resurgence in recent years, in the rural north of La Palma it's use has never really stopped.   Just the other day, our neighbour called by to ask if she could have a piece of aloe for her husband who had cut himself.   It's second nature to country people. 
And the other good thing about aloe vera is not just that it's the magic medicine plant, it also does a pretty good job of looking after itself too! 
Just watch out for the sharp crocodile bits.

Taking time out in Tazacorte

Contrary to popular belief, we do sometimes wrench ourselves away from the finca - although admittedly, not often.  But if we do happen to find ourselves out and about, then Tazacorte in the west of La Palma is an old haunt of ours.
Tazacorte is an interesting place really, no matter how you look at it, because it is split into two main parts comprising Tazacorte town sitting almost one kilometre away from the beach-side resort of Tazacorte and the marina.  These days, much of it has changed and somewhat for the better.
Up in the town for example, what was once a banana plantation is now home to a new and spacious supermarket with a very pleasant plaza and outdoor cafe alongside.  Being right in the centre of the town where four roads meet, it really is a great place to sit and watch the comings and goings of everybody.  Ah, how easily pleased we country folk are!   Nearby is a walkway with fabulous columns covered in intricate mosaic.

Just around the corner, the public swimming is now open for business and when we visited, swimmers were putting in their strokes, length after length.

Down at the port, yet another development was under way to modernize and extend amenities, turning it into an increasingly attractive marina.
But down by the sea, life was going on much as normal.  The restaurants were busy with customers being served anything from coffee to goats cheese with Canarian mojo suace and hugh bowls of salad, fresh fish with papas arrugadas or one of the favourite Canary desserts such as Bienmesabe made with almonds.

 And, rather fortuitously, Tazacorte is also the start of the GR131 La Palma walking route (and with the GR130 handy) so you needn't worry about piling on the pounds!

Yes, it's not a bad place to be.  Speaking of which, for anyone interested in renting an apartment in Tazacorte, possibly as part of a two-centre holiday on La Palma or walking holiday, you can now find details on our website here.

Balconies in Bloom

I have to say that our wonderful and historic capital of Santa Cruz de La Palma is looking especially beautiful at the moment with its balconies in bloom. 

 If you didn't know it already, La Palma is famous for its traditional wooden balconies which adorn not just the impressive mansions of the city but also the cottages jammed in amongst them.  

And of course restaurants such as La Placeta are no exception but this particular restaurant treats us with flower filled balconies both at the 'front' facing the sea (which historically is the back as the balcony was a lookout point for checking on the advancement of pirates) and the 'back' which is where you can eat al fresco from a pretty plaza. 

One of the main places to see balconies is Avenida Maritima which runs along the seafront where flower-festooned balconies lie in an impressive row.

But if you slip up one of the cobbled side streets, although you will find more balconies hanging from various buildings, everything bursts into flower again as you come into the main shopping streets of Calle O'Daly and Calle Perez de Brito.

Really the treats just go on and on ...

And on ....

And on ...

And on!

Flower Power

This is the time of year on La Palma when wild flowers are popping up everywhere in all colours.  April is when the action starts to get going (if you don't count the months building up to it) and nature is still on a roller-coaster of colour as we zoom into May.
Whilst each year is a little bit different with certain flowers being more prominent, a good old faithful is one that never ceases to amaze me although I guess it is not strictly wild. I see that I wrote about it last year as well - little wonder with its perfect little parasols of shocking purple!

 

Another plant that I really appreciate grows steadily throughout the year, slowly and silently spreading itself across the ground or down a wall, all along hoping you won't notice. It's a succelent plant which means that basically it doesn't care if it gets water or not.  This is my type of plant.   It then produces wonderful pale lemon flowers seemingly from nowhere and then of course it's too late to cut it back because you can't bear to cut the flowers off. 

Then there is a variation of the sweet pea.  My previous experience of growing them in the UK was that it took plenty of patience to first get them growing and then make sure they followed the appointed path up bamboo canes.  From there, with luck, they would make a colourful show.
Here on La Palma, they grow like plants posssessed!  Great tumbling and billowing clouds of them line the donkey path at the side of the finca but - to be honest - they don't do much harm there.  However, they are not content with that but want to envelop anything else they can find such as our lovely white wild rose which is in full bud at the end of the path. 

But my final salute is to the wild poppy.  It strikes me as being such a brave little flower with its 'hey, here I am' bright red colour.  And yet, when you come to inspect it more closely, it is in fact the most delicate of flowers with not a robust petal to its name.  For sheer simplicity, to me, it's a winner. And that's my reason for letting it grow (almost) wherever it likes on the finca here in Franceses.

Ruta de las Cruces

The 3rd of May is cause for celebration on La Palma - yes, something of a fiesta you might not be surprised to hear. However, this one is particularly important as it celebrates the founding of Santa Cruz de la Palma, which took place on 3rd May, 1493.   Like many fiestas, it starts rather late at 22.00 hrs and continues through the night.  The difference with this one is that it is in fact an excursion on foot - the Ruta de las Cruces - to see the decorated crosses to celebrate the event. 
If you are already on the island, you can enrol for the walk by ringing 603850336 and ask for Esther.  Don't worry, it won't be a dull half-dozen of you out for half an hour - it seems like half of La Palma go and it lasts approximately eight hours.  Or just turn up and follow the crowds.  You will find impromtu bars open, bands playing and singing and in general a great party atmosphere.  Oh, and the crosses are rather amazing too, decorated with jewellery, silks and flowers and many with huge but intricate backdrops made of tiny seeds.  And of course you can go and see them in the day too.

  Meet at 22.00 hrs in San Pedro and bring a coat, torch, walking pole or stick and reflective tabard or similar.
It'll be something of an eye-opener, even in the dark!

Land of the Landy

If you are a lover of good old-fashioned 4 x 4 vehicles, you're going to feel right at home on La Palma.  And if you are driving around the rural north, it seems that almost every car apart from hire cars are 4 x 4's! 

In the old days, mules were used to transport goods but then the farmer's friend and trusty steed became the Santana Land Rover.  Still chugging along the roads after 20 plus years of faithful service, the Santana is probably about as stuburn as a mule - and possibly about as comfortable.  But of course, you can cram a lot more on, in and around them than a mule. 

Then there are the baby pick-up's.  There are still a few of those about - they remind me of Matchbox cars that you really could 'pick up' and put in your pocket!  

And then the modern day Land Rover, still built from the same design and about as aerodynamic as a brick.  But it really is some workhorse!