A thorn by any other name

Walking through the village of Franceses today, it was great to see all the tunos, or prickly pear as some people call them, out in flower. Red, pink, orange, peach and yellows - a whole array of sunny colours.

So how can something so pretty and innocent looking be mounted on an armed weapon such as the cactus?  Innocent looking enough but touch one at your peril - they are covered in spines, the majority of which are so fine as to be practically invisible. Added to which they act like folding anchors so that they pierce and enter the skin with remarkable ease but refuse to come out again until days later by which time they have done their utmost to irritate and annoy. Oh, and hurt a bit too.

However the fruit of the cactus, the tuno, is a delicious fruit and Palmerans from the country are adept at picking them with a couple of random twigs, using them like chopsticks. Or alternatively, there are purpose-made sticks rather like long tongs which are sold in the hardware shops for the very purpose.  At least then you can reach into the clusters of cactus, standing at what is hopefully a safe distance.
But of course as always, what is one man's poison is another man's meat which means that whilst we might not exactly enjoy direct contact with cacti, for something else it's their idea of heaven, and those little follows are the cochineal.
Most people will associate cochineal as a red food colouring but in fact it is an insect which lives on cactus.

A bit of a surprise then to see that the cochineal on the cactus look white as if it has been covered in talcum powder.  That's just their way of protecting themselves from drying out or excessive sun and is in fact a waxy substance.  It doesn't however protect them from their predators - man.

Whilst the cochineal dye, carmine, is used for the colouring of garments and food, it really does take an awful lot of them to produce any substantial amount - about 150,000 insects are needed to make one kilo. Understandable then that synthetic dyes became popular, that is until people became concerned about artificial food colourings and now there is a resurgence into the production of natural dyes.  In  2005 the Canary Islands produced 20 tonnes of cochineal dye - so it's not just bananas that come from la Palma!

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!

Hidden treasures of Puntallana

Puntallana is one of those funny villages that you drive by and think there is nothing there.  Part of the reason for this is that you do just that - drive by - and since the bypass is a wide, clear road bordered only by suitably boring-looking buildings, there seems little reason to make a detour into the village itself.

Lucky old Puntallana!  The result is that it doesn't have to suffer a steady stream of traffic as cars make their way between the capital and the north of La Palma and can pretty much get on with life on its own, which includes keeping its treasures to itself.

However, you really don't have to go very far into Puntallana before you start to realise that perhaps there is more to discover than initially meets the eye.  In fact one of the most impressive buildings that you will come across is the church of St. John the Baptist, built in the 16th Century and which has been declared a cultural monument. It is well worth taking a moment to stroll inside.

A little below the church lies the spring, or rather the Fountain of Saint John.  It is a peaceful corner, reached by a little cobbled road and each year as part of the fiesta of Puntallana, the holy patron is carried to it in gratitude for the precious water.

Another treasure of Puntallana is Casa Luján, a large colonial style house which dates back to the 17th/18th century and now houses a museum and handicraft centre. 

At the other end of the spectrum and located down a narrow lane off a slightly less narrow lane, you come across 'La Fuentiña,' which are a series of stone basins. This was the original washing place where villagers would come and use the facilities to do their laundry.
Puntallana is also the gateway to the beach of Playa Nogales and the GR130 Camino Real walking around La Palma passes through. Nearby there is more walking at La Galga and Los Tilos and the historic capital of Santa Cruz de La Palma just 10km away.

Of course no self-respecting village would be without a bar and Puntallana does not disappoint with approximately four bars which include two stalwart bars almost always open and several others depending on the time of day and fiesta schedule.

Well worth a visit and if you would like to spend a little longer there, we can certainly recommend a beautiful and traditional holiday house to rent. Then you too can enjoy the hidden treasures of Puntallana.

Bear's Wild Weekend La Palma

Here we are on La Palma and it seems that we are not alone.  No, we have been joined by one Jonathan Ross.  OK, so I can't claim that he is exactly staying at our bed and breakfast or one of the holiday cottages .... and nor, to be honest, has he even called in for a cup of tea even though we do have a small stash of the finest tea blended in Yorkshire.
He has however been sampling the delights of La Palma.  I knew it!  After all, it was only a matter of time before even Jonathan Ross realised what a great island La Palma is and not only that but Bear Grylls and his scouting knife get to come along too.
You can watch what he got up to on the island on 'Bear's Wild Weekend with Jonathon Ross.'
Here's what Channel 4 had to say about the show:

Bear Grylls helps Jonathan Ross to discover his inner Tarzan on a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to the magnificent rainforests on the volcanic island of La Palma, one of the least-known of the Canaries.
Bear challenges novice Jonathan with a series of exhilarating adventures during an intense two-day trip, including trekking through dense jungle with machetes, SAS-style fast-roping from a helicopter, a walk down an active volcano and sleeping in a cave in a steep cliff face.
Bear and Jonathan have to fend for themselves, including preparing wild animals for food.

And you can watch it by following this link: Jonathan Ross and Bear Grylls on La Palma, Canary Islands
Enjoy!