Canary Islands- brief visits to Gran Canaries and La Palma

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We are so lucky to be in the Canary Islands in November. The sun is shining every day while back home in London it is dark and rainy! Our ship docked in Las Palmas and from here we were taken by coach up into the mountains through lovely green ravines which have the benefit of rainfall which the islands further East do not have. We stopped in the town of Teror which is a very pretty town with a lovely church dedicated to the Madonna of the Pines, and old streets of houses with the lovely wooden balconies. There are good souvenir shops here too and the local rum is Honey Rum is worth a go. Onwards we travelled to Arecas, a town further north and lower down. It has the most amazing Cathedral which is Gothic in style but was only built in the 1900s. I was impressed that they managed to find the stone masons to craft all the details of a gothic cathedral. This is also another place with narrow streets and pretty balconied buildings. It also has a pretty Municipal Park with examples of the Dragon Tree, which is peculiar to the Canaries. It also has a carved elf in a tree, which brings good luck if stroked- we shall see!

Meanwhile, on the ship (The Silver Dawn), we continue to play Trivia every day and so far, our team has come 2nd or 3rd. Must do better! Another night sailing but the sea is calm, and you would hardly notice we are moving. Onto the next island of the Canaries of which if you didn't know there are 8. Santa Cruz, which is the capital of La Palma is another volcanic island which had an eruption as recent as 2021. It has colourful cobbled streets and the old colonial buildings have been well maintained. It was one of the bases for sea routes to the New World in the 15th century. There is even a replica of the Santa Maria at the end of the long main street.

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