A small rock in the Atlantic

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Monday, 7 April 2008

Argual Flea Market

The flea market in Argual, just outside Los Llanos, takes place every Sunday from about 10 am to about 2 pm. It's smaller than the monthly market in Santa Cruz, but it's a much nicer situation. I think it's been a market square for a very long time. At any rate, it's surrounded by beautiful old buildings and has trees growing in the middle (which must be really nice on the hottest days).

Yesterday it was rather a small affair. This was partly because it clashed with the market in Santa Cruz, but mostly because the forecast was rain.

Even so, it was enough to see that this market has a slightly different flavour to Santa Cruz. It has a much higher percentage of German Hippies selling New Age things like Tibetan singing bowls.

I only saw two stalls setting plants. One also sold vegetables, and I bought some really good broccoli, plus sage and dill for the garden.

And one man was selling Palmeran cigars. Now I don't smoke, but I believe Palmeran tobacco has a very good reputation.

But perhaps my favourite bit was the dreamy live music. I haven't seen these two before. The instrument onthe left is a digeridoo. If anyone knows the name of the instrument on the right, please let me know, because I haven't seen one before.

Labels: Canaries, Canary islands, La Palma, Los Llanos, Shopping

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Tuesday, 1 April 2008

Artesanía Christina

I love Christina's shop. She started off in the local flea market, selling fancy knitting yarn in the most wonderful colours. I always wanted to buy the lot and spend the next year knitting. Now she has a shop on the Calle Real, still selling the yarn, but also finished knitware and costume jewelry which she makes herself out of local lava and coral, with silver or gold-plated silver mountings.

Knitters: the yarn is best knitted on 10 mm needles (also on sale) so you finish quickly. And she has free pattern booklets.

She opens mornings from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm, and Monday to Friday afternoons from 5pm to 8 pm. She speaks good English.

Everybody calls the main street in Santa Cruz de la Palma, "the Calle Real", but nowhere along it's length is there a street sign with that name! I used to suspect that the whole thing was invented to confuse visitors, but now I know better. It's called the Calle Real (Royal Road) because it's the one the Kings come along to visit baby Jesus each January 5th.

The southern end of the Calle Real (from the post office to Avenida El Puente) is called Calle O'Daly, and the northern end (Avenida El Puente to Plaza Alemeda) is Perez de Brito. Christina's shop is at Perez de Brito, 28, just south of the Placeta.