Our three days in La Gomera are done, and we find ourselves in the queue for the ferry before 07:00. It’s a little crazy that we have to go all the way back to Los Cristianos, before the ship then turns around, drives back past La Gomera and on to La Palma, but I suppose there’s not enough custom to warrant a dedicated ferry – in fact it’s just us and two other couples, identified by being required to have our hazards on. The car-jockey then instructs us three to park right in the bowels of the ship, out of the way of the others who will all drive off in Tenerife.
The first leg passes quickly, and then more join who are also going to La Palma, but still it’s a very quiet ship. The weather rapidly deteriorates and soon there are crew wandering round with handfuls of sick-bags, thankfully not for us. The next three hours are quite rocky! Happily the Parador gave us a picnic breakfast selection which is lovely – ham bagels, cheese bagels, biscuits, apples and several tetra-packs of fruit juice.
On time we arrive at Santa Cruz de La Palma, it’s a little bit confusing having two capitals of the same name, but at least one can understand why they get their full handle at all times. We see another Mein Schiff – It’s number seven today.
We spent a day here in February, so decide to recap on the capital first, enjoying the beautiful buildings, revisiting the market, and doing the naval museum this time, which is built in the image and scale of Santa Maria, Columbus’s flagship on that famous voyage.
Next we head to the nearest resort to eat lunch, we park up at Los Cancajos to enjoy our picnic lunch, again cheese and ham, albeit different ones than breakfast! The area is a bit faded glory but nice enough for a pit-stop.
Then we visit the visitor centre for Vulcan de San Antonio – this wonderful place is all about the second and third most recent eruptions, those of 1971 and 1677. It’s a very well curated museum on the edge of the 1677 crater, and one can walk roughly halfway round it, being very careful not to fall to one’s death, always an available option in the Canaries.
From the rim we can look down and see our next destination, our hotel for the next four nights. The La Palma Teneguia Princess Esencia is built on the flow of the 1677 eruption.
So a quick sidebar on matters Vulcan, not of the Mr Spock kind, although he would have approved. All the Canaries are volcanic, because we sit on a fault line which keeps on farting islands. Some are really old, but still below sea level, the seven that made it started over 20 million years ago and the first are Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. Another five million goes by before Gran Canaria is born, and several more millions before Tenerife and La Gomera turn up. The most recent are La Palma and El Hierro, both less than two million years ago. They are considered juvenile and still growing.
That’s exactly what happens each time there is an eruption – new land-mass is created and the island grows a bit. There was a recent episode in 2021 which we will deal with more in two days.
Meanwhile, we descend to our hotel, check in and find our lovely room. The hotel is a huge complex, certainly the largest we’ve ever been to, so we wander around for ages checking out the different pools, bars, spas and other facilities we probably won’t use. It would be possible to walk miles around the grounds if necessary!
Sunset drinkies on our balcony are gorgeous, as we read and write whilst the colours change.
Later we shower and dress, then find our allocated restaurant, down by the pool area. Let’s just say we’re not amused and leave it there.
