A small rock in the Atlantic: 12/06/2011

Friday, 17 June 2011

Fiesta in Puntallana this weekend

Poster for the fiesta in honour of St John the baptist, Puntallana, La Palma

Most villages on La Palma have an annual fiesta in honour of their patron saint. (They've all got patron saints) Most weeks in summer see a fiesta somewhere or other, and this weekend it'll be Puntallana, in honour of St John the Baptist.

On Saturday there's a livestock fair from 10 am to 5:50 pm, the usual farmer's market from 10 am to 2 pm, bouncy castles and other kids' activities from 11 am plus various porting events: a hike, dominoes, baseball, dog trials at 4 pm and at 7:30 pm there's a horse race, along the LP102 from Martin Luis to El Tejal.

On Sunday, there's paint ball at 10 am, more bouncy castles and,I think, a water-fight at 11 am, and folk music starting at 6 pm.

On Monday and Tuesday, kids' football. On Wednesday they've got rhythmic gymnastics and more football.

While you're in the village, it's worth seeing the particularly nice church , the springs, and the museum at Casa Lujan.

Labels: fiestas, puntallana

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Thursday, 16 June 2011

Blood red moon over La Palma

Total eclipse of the moon from Llano de la Venta viewpoint

A Blood red eclipse of the moon from Llano de la Venta viewpoint

Last night, La Palma saw a total eclipse of the moon. Well, a large part of planet Earth saw it, of course, but since La Palma has beautiful dark skies, we saw it better than most places. In fact La Palma has a set of viewpoints upgraded for astronomy. In practice, this means parking space, level ground suitable for tripods, a signpost pointing to the pole star, and an information panel.

Signpost to the Pole Star, Breña Alta, La Palma.

How far to the Pole Star?

I went up to Llano de la Venta viewpoint, where Astrotour was offering free stargazing, courtesy of the island government. These viewpoints can be pretty cold in winter - this one is at 1,300 m - but last night it was quite balmy. We got a splendid view of the moon, followed by a splendid view of the International Space Station zooming overhead. (Every time they add more solar panels, the ISS gets brighter and brighter). And to round things off nicely, Astrotour pointed their 10" telescope at Saturn, so we could all see the rings.

You could say it was a heavenly evening.