SANTA CRUZ DE LA PALMA
A degree of uncertainty surrounds the question of when we were here last. It seems neither of us was sure that we could remember it. Little bits did keep flooding back, though, as we headed ashore after a relaxing breakfast. We only have one more port stop after today before we’re at sea (and at work) again, so we wanted to maximize on our opportunities to lie-in and not set the alarm.
The first thing to note is that La Palma is quite small. It was also Sunday, and we’re pretty sure the last time we came here it was also a Sunday… how spooky is that?
It being Sunday just meant that it was quiet. We walked along the seafront, taking a diversion across a wooden walkway on the beach, and to the end of a small quay. The sand on the beach is black, which would account for the wooden walkway; I should imagine getting caked in black sand probably isn’t the greatest of experiences. Once back on the promenade, we continued walking, pausing to photograph some of the interesting, ornate-looking balconies, and stopped when we got to the old galleon at the far end, that is now a maritime museum, before turning round and heading back towards the ship, through the town.
Not a lot was open, and the cathedral in the centre had a service in progress, so we mooched around the tat shops. We found a great t-shirt shop, which appeared to feature lots of unique designs not found anywhere else. There was so much choice, I couldn’t quite decide which one to buy. The one I liked, and kept coming back to, wasn’t in my size, so we asked, and the lady in charge asked us to wait…
As we waited, I perused the shelves again, and came across another design that I decided I liked more – it was also available in my size, so we took it to the counter to buy it. At this point, a young chap bought a shirt out from the back; it was the first design that I’d said I liked, but this one was in my size… and it was still warm from having been just printed.
We were impressed with the efficiency and resourcefulness, but I decided to stick with the second shirt I’d found, apologising for any trouble we’d put them to.
In the evening, we were entertained by Peter Howarth, the lead singer of The Hollies.
