A small rock in the Atlantic

Christmas Market in Santa Cruz de la Palma

Tall ships in the harbour at Santa Cruz de La Palma 2008

One of the tall ships in Santa Cruz de La Palma last year

For several years now, Santa Cruz de la Palma has hosted a Christmas market and a meeting of tall ships. This year, there are sadly no ships, but there'll still be a flea market on Christmas morning, from 9 am to 2 pm.

And a very Merry Christmas to all my readers.

Here on La Palma, it's been pouring with rain for days. At this time of year we expect it to rain sometimes, but we've had about three depressions roll over the island with scarcely a pause between them. The Taburiente river is in spate, and the road is closed where it reaches the sea at Puerto Tazacorte. And the road to the Roque de los Muchachos is also closed - this afternoon, the staff came down the Garafia side in convoy.

Labels: Christmas, Santa Cruz de la Palma, Shopping

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A Craft Shop with a Difference

La Distiladera in Breña Alta sells a variety of crafts from La Palma. The big difference is that most of the products are made by mentally handicapped adults in the special Employment Centre in the same building. This gives them the dignity of supporting themselves, and you a chance to buy good quality souvenirs at a fair price.

They stock a good variety of crafts, from papiere mache wall decorations to beaded keyrings to embroidery and mojo (a Canarian sauce, something like ketchup). I liked the jewelry, but they're best known for fruit liquors (€10 a bottle) and cigars.

They open from 8 am to 3 pm. To find them, take the road from the centre of San Pedro towards La Grama, and turn uphill just below the health centre.

Labels: Breña Alta, Shopping

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Lujan Crafts Shop

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 have to prepare the weft yourself. That means cutting the old clothes into strips 1 cm wide and sewing the ends together, and winding it into balls. You need patience.)

Traditional rug weaving, La Palma island

Traditional rug weaving, Casa Lujan, Puntallana, La Palma

They also have more modern arts and crafts, like this mobile by Rosa Vidal.

Open Monday-Saturday 10 am- 1 pm and 4 pm - 7 pm
Google map here.

Mobile, by Rosa Vidal, Puntallana, island of La Palma

Modern mobile, Casa Lujan, Puntallana, La Palma

Labels: art, crafts, puntallana, Shopping

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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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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.