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Borrego Springs, CA

Friday, November 12, 2010

La Palma, Canary Islands

IMG_6823Just at dawn, we pulled into the port of Santa Cruz which is on La Palma, one of the seven Canary Islands.  We were up early since our tour for the day began at 8:15.

54 trans- Atlantic cruise 20104The first stop was the Santuario Virgen di Las Nieves.  This church was built in the 16th century.  One of the things that I found most fascinating about this church was it’s courtyard.  More specifically, the pavement of this courtyard.  Two designs in the pavement can be seen above.  Those are all sea rocks that make up the design.  They were all carried to the site of the church by parishioners and those making a pilgrimage to the church.  The flat round stones are set on their side and placed to create the designs.  They are quite smooth to walk on (unless you are wearing high heels).

54 trans- Atlantic cruise 20105Our next stop was the Caldera de Taburiente National Park.  Although it is called a caldera, in actuality, it is not.  The ravine resembles a caldera, but is punctuated by crests formed by erosion of volcanic materials.  It was a harrowing drive up and down in the big bus as the road is not one way, but is only one lane wide.  The tour guide suggested we write out our last will and testament as we took this journey.  :)

IMG_6875Depending on what side of the mountains you are on in La Palma determines the weather.  The national park is in the center of the island which has sunny blue skies.  When you head back east over the mountains to Santa Cruz and the coast, the skies become cloudy and the humidity increases.  You can see how the mountains are shrouded in clouds.

IMG_6876 It was pretty cloudy as we returned to the ship.  The rectangular area on the left of the picture is the swimming beach.  The beaches have black sand because of the volcanic material.

 

This evening we attended the Ice Odyssey.  There is an ice skating rink on board, and tonight professional skaters put on a very good show.  I’ve never been that close to professional skaters before, and really enjoyed the performance.  We now have six days at sea before we reach Nassau, so we’ll be investigating the ship more.  Several people have asked about the food on the cruise, so I’ll have time to talk about that in the next six days.  :)

 

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy 

14 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos as usual. Looking forward to food photos! Looks like you are on a Royal Carribean ship - my favorite cruise line. You sure are having a "cruise of a lifetime".

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  2. Perfect timing arriving at the port of Santa Cruz. What a gorgeous place.

    Be well,
    Connie

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  3. Much as I enjoyed the ports on our TA, those sea days were the best for me ... so relaxing to just sit back and watch the world go by. Here's hoping for smooth sailing in the coming days.

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  4. Sounds like a dream trip..unlike the Carnival cruise ship Splendor...We have never cruised, but your trip is very enticing..beautiful shots of the Canary Islands...

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  5. Beautiful pictures as usual, thanks for taking us along on your trip.

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  6. This is a very interesting cruise itinerary. Looks like you are having a fun time. Looking forward to the next stop.

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  7. relax and enjoy for six days!!..we are floating along with you!

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  8. Enjoy your days at sea! Is this an Escapees trip? If it is, I know two other couples that are on the trip.

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  9. I hope you weren't wearing your high heels while walking in that courtyard!

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  10. I really like the rock design in the courtyard. I would have loved seeing the professional skaters. I never would have thought to see an ice show on a ship. Have fun.

    Jeana

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  11. Those six days can be used to really kick back and enjoy good service. Treat yourself to anything you want. Great photos and good narrative.

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  12. Wow, that courtyard is unbelievable!

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  13. Such a beautiful liner! It is the Queen Elizabeth, and I and my husband went to have a look when it was in Santa Cruz. We live on the other side of La Palma and were so excited about the visit that we took a very early bus to have a look, and take some photos. La Palma really is as beautiful as the photos suggest, and I hope you can make a longer stay next time, as there is so much to see and do! (PS My name is Judy and I was born in London.)

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  14. Just found your lovely blog. How funny to think that I saw you sail past our window - we live in the north of La Palma and your cruise liner passes right in front of us - looks like a huge city!
    Enjoy the rest of your travels.
    Ann.
    www.holiday-lapalma.com

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