Skip to main content

Santa Cruz de la Palma / Mon Apr 1

Santa Cruz de la Palma is the capitol city of the island of La Palma which is part of the Canary Islands. It's located along an old lava flow coming out of the Caldereta - a volcano located just south of the city. The island is the most north westerly and 5th largest of the main Canary Islands.

We were going to hike today but the forecast was for rain so instead we took a VIP motor coach tour of the island. 

Our first stop was at the Santuario de Nuestra Senora de Las Nieves or the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Sorrows. It's home to the Canary Islands' oldest religious icon - the Patron Virgin of La Palma. The religious image is made with terra cotta and dates to the 14th century.

The priest is the person who can open the church but unfortunately he was late so we never got inside.

 

 Oranges
 Avocado tree with an avocado



Next was a stop at La Concepcion viewpoint where we had a good view of the bay. 



 We then drove through the dorsal mountains via a 1.5 mile long tunnel which brought us from the east side of the island to the west side which has a very different landscape.


Just before going to the Taburiente National Park to see the huge Caldera de Taburiente we stopped and had snacks and champagne that our hostess had set up for us. 


Af We had a brief stop at the Visitor Center at the National Park before 
driving to La Cumbrecita viewpoint to see the Caldera de Taburiente.


 





Next stop was at a local hotel  - Parador de La Palma - where we were served lunch. 



LeThen we were off to Fuencaliente to walk along the edge of the San Antonio
crater. 
There was an exhibit there where you stood in a specific area and you could feel the ground shake as if it were a magnitude 5 earthquake.





This was also the location of Cumbre Vieja which is one of the most active volcanoes in the Canaries. It last erupted in 1971. 
Our last stop was at El Molina Pottery where we saw people making pottery in the same way the natives made it years ago. We also saw a Dragon Tree which is actually a plant that is native to the area.






More champagne was waiting for us as we left the pottery workshop. We then boarded our luxury motor coach and headed back to the ship.

 Tomorrow is a sea day. We arrive in Malaga, Spain on Wednesday.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hobart / Mon & Tue Feb 12 & 13

We're docked in Hobart for a day and a half. Hobart is the capitol and largest city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. It's also the second oldest capitol in Australia. Yesterday we went on a private tour with Karin and Joe - a couple from Georgia that we've gotten to know. We took a hike in beautiful Mt. Field National Park, went to Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and saw a number of other scenic and historical sites.  To get to Mount Field National Park we drove along the Derwent River. The National Park was quite scenic. We took a long walk and saw some beautiful waterfalls, huge trees and the random wallaby (small kangaroo).   Russell Falls   After Mount Field we had lunch at a cute local restaurant located on the river. Our waitress had an interesting story to tell us about a Zombie Run she'd taken recently in Auckland. Crazy! After lunch we spent a bit of time looking for a platypus. Our tour guide found one in the river n...
Post a Comment
Read more

Monte Carlo / Sat Apr 6

This afternoon we docked in Monte Carlo. We'll be here this evening and all day tomorrow.  As we left Barcelona yesterday the wind picked up and it started to pour. The weather was foul all night and even this morning but as we got closer to Monaco the rain stopped. It's cloudy and chilly (high in the 50's) but it was worth going out on our balcony to watch our arrival. Here are some photos as we pulled in. The Oceanographic Museum The casino Sunday we were in Monte Carlo all day so we spent several hours walking around this amazing city. We saw all the highlights including the Oceanographic Museum, the Cathedral where Princess Grace was married and is buried, the Casino, the Palace and the changing of the guard at noon, some of the gardens and statues and the Market. We had a small bite at the Cafe de Paris and saw where the Grand Prix will be held next month. The Oceanographic Museum Jacques Cousteau was Director of the Ocean...
Post a Comment
Read more

Farewell / Sun & Mon Apr 7 & 8

Three  months have flown by and we've had the most incredible experience. Hard to believe it's time to head home. Crystal did everything in style for our farewell - from the entertainment to saying good-bye at the airport. The singers, dancers, musicians and acrobats that performed on our last evening were amazing! Crystal flew in performers from around the world and the show was outstanding! They even had two people who did a Cirque de Soleil type act. We were in Monte Carlo so the show had a James Bond casino theme.   All the performers on the stage at the end There was a balloon drop to start our journey and another one at the end. It was a very festive way to finish our cruise.         On the day of our departure Crystal provided a private car and driver to take us to the airport in Nice. It was a pretty drive with beautiful views of the Alps. As soon as we got to the airport, a Crystal rep met us and took us to their privat...
Post a Comment
Read more