A very pretty town

---

Geo: 41.6676, 2.23733

La Palma, officially known as San Miguel de la Palma is the most north westerly of the Canary Islands. It is a beautiful green island, the capital of which is Santa Cruz de la Palma, which is where we docked. It is only a short walk from the ship to the town which is a delightful place to stroll. There are lovely houses with balconies and beautiful wooden doors all along the Avenida Maritima and along the small cobbled streets behind the front. It takes a maximum of 2 hours to stroll around and see all the sights. At the end of the esplanade is the Castillo de Santa Caterina, a 17th century small fortress. From here you turn up into the town to see a full timber replica of Columbus 'famous ship, the Santa Maria, known locally as the Barco de la Virgen. Below this is the Maritime Museum. From here you stroll back along the cobbled streets lined by the pretty houses. There are lots of small shops, boutiques and bars along the way so lots of places to stop and watch the world go by. One church on the way is the Iglesia de San Francisco which contains a beautiful Madonna statue clothed in a lovely black dress. The Spanish change the clothes of these Madonnas throughout the year according to which ever festival is happening. We saw the silver barque upon which she is carried through the streets at certain times. Further along the road there are lots of lovely small shops with very good value clothes etc for sale. At the end of the cobbled street is a lovely square with bell tower and the church of El Salvador, which is dark but has some beautiful paintings. Even the Town Hall has a lovely stair case with a huge mural on the wall. We both agreed that this was the prettiest Canary Island we have visited so far.

---