A cultural holiday on La Palma

‘La Palma is an island of contrasts’ is a phrase that many people (including me) use to try and describe what an amazing island La Palma is. Yep, it’s got it all from forests to beaches, to lava fields, gorges and more besides. So nature has pretty much got all angles covered!

But what about man's attempts? The buildings and architecture?  Well of course you won’t be surprised to hear that on La Palma you can find everything from historic mansions to humble cave dwellings.
Some of the best examples of architecture are in the historic capital of Santa Cruz de la Palma where the main street is literally lined with fascinating buildings, many dating from the 16th century. There the Town Hall for example, whose facade was built in the 1560's, is not only a beautiful building but also happens to be the most important Renaissance buildings in the Canary Islands.

Town Hall in Santa Cruz de La Palma

But not everybody on the island was rich – far from it.  In the rural north of La Palma people lived in caves until relatively recently and even sixty years ago, caves were being lived in as a permanent residence rather than just a weekend retreat. If you take a walk along the GR130 Camino Real, the old donkey trail around the island, it's not hard to spot the caves that dot the hillsides. In one place at least, they are stacked on top of each other.

Caves of the north

Of course, there are many points in between caves and mansions. Again, in the north and following on from caves, were the small stone dwellings with a wooden roof. Later came what are now known as traditional Canarian houses with two-foot thick walls, built into the hillside and with the hip design of roof, or 'cuatro aguas' (four waters) so called because of their four sides. The first roofs of this design had clay Arabic roof tiles which were formed, as the story has it, on the thigh. Later the tiles were from France, flat in design and literally tied onto the roof laths.

Clay Arabic tiles far right, French tiles centre near

In recent years, with a sense of humour never far away, La Palma has livened things up a little.

For anybody with an interest in the history of La Palma, then we are pleased to offer a three-centre cultural holiday to include visits to museums, churches and other places of special interest.

Enjoy!

The balconies of Santa Cruz de La Palma

I love the balconies which iconically adorn so many of the houses and public buildings in the capital of the island. Some are simple in their design though none the less pretty for it while others seem needlessly ornate with their intricate wood carvings. Some are smartly varnished sturdy constructions while others are so dilapidated, they defy gravity as they age into mellow state of ‘not quite level anymore.’ Some are so tiny, you would have to operate a ticket system to take your turn at standing out there whilst others beg for large group gatherings to help fill their ample proportions. But all could tell a tale or two.

In fact, we can thank Andalusia for the balconies as it was migrants from that country who brought the style to La Palma. Later, the Portuguese had an influence on the designs and these ideas were then taken by the Palmerans to Venezuela and Cuba.

But the balconies were not simply there to adorn a building or to while away the time topping up the tan or doing the equivalent of the Daily Telegraph crossword. One of their main purposes was to keep an eye on movements at sea and to this end, some of the balconies are curiously fully enclosed with a small sliding peep-hole from where to watch – unwatched. . For it is from these balconies that there is an unhindered view to the horizon of the Atlantic Ocean. At one time they literally bordered the shores though nowadays, having reclaimed a section of land, there is a wide, mainly dual carriageway road and a car park in between. Maybe not an improvement in some eyes but it would certainly tend to stop most pirate ships dropping in for tea.

Knowing La Palma, you would not expect the curiosity to end there. Like any good tale, it has a mysterious thread which runs through it. For some reason best known to himself, King Felipe II took a dislike to balconies. Maybe he thought they put a chap at a disadvantage because you see, the balconies are actually at the back of the house. Therefore, on seeing a ship on the horizon that he didn’t want to see, this would leave the occupant ample time to pack, say a lengthy farewell to friends and family and bake a final loaf in the oven before fleeing out of the front door into the myriad of narrow streets. But whatever reason, the order was sent by ship that all balconies on La Palma and other Canary Islands should be torn down.

And the best bit of the story is that the ship, along with its order, never actually arrived here on La Palma.

Curious.