21 November, 2017 Santa Cruz del La Palma, Spain

We departed last night at 11.00PM and had a very smooth night's sailing arriving here at Santa Cruz de La Palma at 8.00pm.  This is an interesting Port, with several ferry lines using this as a stop over for transport of goods and services to Teneriffe.

This is a city located in the east of the island of La Palma, the Capital Santa Cruz is a city with an illustrious past.  founded in 1493 by Alonso Fernandez de Lugo, it was an important port on the route between Europe and the Colonies in the Americas.   The city reached its height in 16th Century and became the third largest port in Europe between Antwerp and Seville.  A site of both historical and artistic interest.  The towns significant Architectural heritage  can be seen in its many stately colonial-style houses set on Cobblestone streets.  There is a sense of history and beauty here based on the riches of the island trades returning to Europe.

Exploring Santa Crus is like walking through a paint chart, with extraordinary colours of burgundy, apricot , ochre, olive.  Every house is a different shade.

La Palma is stunningly beautiful with amazing scenery and reflects the environmental health of the island.  

Food changes dramatically over this island with the Spanish saying.." The south fries, the centre roasts and the north boils" is reflected in the food styles and types of this island.  But La Palma is also open to immigration and emigration, so it is also open to the food styles and types of its many emigrants and colonists.  Desserts, liqueurs, fruits, dried fruits meat and fish all found their place in this diverse community on the island .

Its sugar cane and unique wines are its greatest epicurean treasures.    The acclaimed wines of La Palma obtained literary immortality through the pens of William Shakespeare, Walter Scott, Lord Byron and RL Stevenson among others.   This in many ways reflected the ideal climate for wines and sugar cane on the route fron / to Europe from the Americas via the Islands.

We enjoyed out time here, a worthwhile and interesting stop-over.

Dinner tonight in the Italian specialty restaurant with new friends. Having a drink beforehand and then a good bottle of Chilean Red. Then a comedian, Martin Beaumont, is performing in the Theatre.

Following this we listened to some music on the 15th floor lounge, before retiring at 11.25PM.

Just a terrific day.