Twin peaks and a giant's organ

Tenerife's Teide mountain, at more than 12.000 feet Spain's highest peak, seen in the background left with a rock of similar shape at La Gomera's most north-western point near the famous landmark cliffs of Los Organos. These spectacular basalt formations (below) can only be seen from the sea and a trip to Los Organos from Valle Gran on an excursion boat is highly recommended, but the seas can be rough in this windswept remote corner of La Gomera.

Partial view of Los Organos. The whole cliff, resembling a giant's church organ, is about 600ft wide and rises to 250ft tall, with enormous prismatic columns of basalt that drop down the cliff face into the sea and continue under water, all visible only from a boat in the clear Atlantic around La Gomera.

The lighthouse of La Gomera

La Gomera's lighthouse Faro San Cristobal, situated a few miles north of the capital San Sebastian de La Gomera seen at sunset, with Tenerife's Teide mountain top towering in the background on left.

Cold spell in Canary Islands set to continue

Icicles on a special carnival edition Dorada beer bottle. Well, the ice wasn't  due to the weather...

The cold spell which lasted all week in the Canary Islands is set to continue well into the coming week. There was some snow in the mountains of Gran Canaria, and the peak of Tenerife's Mount Teide is wearing a white winter coat. Even lower areas of Lanzarote had a sprinkling of soft hail, leaving the black lava with a white dusting just briefly. The fresh to strong northerly winds are continuing to bring cold air down over the Canaries with some days a bit warmer than others, but generally the cold airflow with spells of scattered showers is set to continue according to forecasts. 
In La Gomera's mountains above 3.000 feet the temperature stayed in single figures all week and the lowest recorded at the weather station on the second-highest peak here, the Alto de Igualero at about 4.500 ft, was only 2ºC while the highest temperature there during the week just briefly reached 6.1ºC. It is a different story down by the sea in the southern resorts of La Gomera where the temperature can reach 20ºC, but only in sunny spots sheltered from the northerly wind which blows down from the cold mountain regions. Nights are colder than normally, too, but the sea temperature will be around 20ºC keeping it milder near coasts even at night and making an ice cold beer a feasible option.
Daily weather updates on top of right sidebar >

Sensationalism: Accident forces hikers to WALK home tonight, possibly due to NO major minor earthquake !

Buses delayed by the accident having discharged hikers, forcing them to go home the last bit ON FOOT !

Scene of the ''sensational'' car crash a short time ago, which led to delays on the main road into Valle Gran Rey just a while ago. There were NO injuries, but the first car is a hired car whose occupants wanted to adhere to the rules of the hire contract before moving out of the way. ''Where's the cops when you need them'' was the local comment. What caused the accident is still under investigation, but I'm sure the Express.co.uk will blame it on the 'swarm' of extremely minor earthquakes on Tenerife soon, just to show how dangerous it is to live or holiday in the Canary Islands and quoting German scientist-cum-doomsayers again (we do get our fair share of them here, too). The printing presses may even erupt from a bullshit overload. The MEGA SENSATIONAL HEADLINE I'd propose: ''Shaken hikers forced to abandon buses  and walk home amid traffic chaos due to breaking, shaking earth - amid traffic chaos in Canaries. Officials in fluorescent vests barely coping while trying to control the fleeing masses' with my image above to prove it.  Anyway, it's all over now...

Trapped on freezing Teide

Mount Teide seen from La Gomera recently

More than 100 people had to spend last night in freezing temperatures at about 11.000 feet near the top of Spain's s highest mountain after the cable car to the top shut itself down at around 2pm yesterday, apparently due to a fault in its safety system. 

All afternoon until nightfall the 35 people in each of the two cabins were rescued first, after firemen, police, park rangers and helicopters had been called in to help with an abseiling system to get the trapped tourists down from the cabins suspended at about 150 feet above the ground.

One by one tourists were lowered to safety during a four hour rescue operation. Each one was placed in a harness and then dropped through the hatch of the cable car. There were no injuries but some of those rescued needed treatment for shock and altitude sickness.

Of the couple of hundred people at the top station who had been waiting to come down many were able to walk down the steep rocky slope to the base station with the help of the emergency services, but many elderly and families with children had to face a very cold night near the top at about 3.500 metres altitude as night was approaching. They were supplied with warm clothing, blankets and food. About fifty members of the emergency services including psychologists stayed with those trapped at the upper cable car station overnight. At first light today the rescue of the 103 adults and 8 children has begun with those able to walk being guided down the mountain, and the remainder being flown out with helicopters.

The reason why the cable car system's emergency stop was triggered automatically is not known yet, and as initial inspections have not revealed any mechanical faults, the company operating the cable car has stated that the cabins had not been in danger at any time.

Cable car now under construction

Did you ever wonder, like myself, why the beautiful new 'road to nowhere'  (click for more) with park and playground was built from the central La Calera roundabout down along the barranco in Valle Gran Rey on La Gomera island ? 

Well, now we now the reason. All was done to serve the planned cable car for which construction work has already begun. Just near the end of this new road the ground station for what will be the island's first cable car will be erected and from there the new attraction will travel up the spectacular mountain cliff of La Merica. Many thousands of walkers climb the steep mountain track to continue to the village of Arure and often the rescue helicopter has to be called out as some tourists overestimate their physical condition and underestimate the dangers of this path. In future they can avail of the comfort of a cable car for the way up or down, and people who would never have attempted to scale the cliff can soon enjoy the spectacular vista on the top from the planned viewing platform with a return journey by cable car. 

The journey up the 1500 ft high cliff will only take 17 minutes, as estimated by the German promoter behind the project, who is a resident of La Gomera and has stated that he was inspired by the success and design of the cable car up Mount Teide on Tenerife. His newly formed company called 'Experiencia Merica S.A.' will be relying on Swiss technology and expertise to finish the project on time. If the speed with which the first support masts for the cable car went up recently at the foot of the mountain is anything to go by then they will certainly succeed.

The official opening is planned for April 1st next year with 'a major music event' on the top to mark the occasion.

...and there was snow

When I left La Gomera two weeks ago there was snow on Mount Teide on Tenerife which is Spain's highest mountain (above image taken from the ferry), and when I was back  in Ireland there was dusting of snow on the mountains here, too.

Now it is getting warmer and spring is in the air...

Tenerife supermoon in Wall Street Journal

Islandconnections.eu reports:
''A spectacular photo of the moon taken in Tenerife has made the Wall Steet Journal's album of Pictures of the Year for 2014.

The picture was taken by astrophysicist Daniel López at the Canarian Astrophysics Institute's Observatory at the foot of Mt Teide on a night that attracted a host of photographers and astronomers given the likelihood of a so-called 'supermoon' phenomenon as the moon reached its closest point to earth during orbit and shone 30% more brightly than usual, while also appearing significantly larger.  The spectacular shot, which has made the national headlines in Spain, was taken on the night of 10 August and shows the moon against the silhoutettes of two solar observation towers at the Observatory.''

Last snow on Tenerife slowly melting

Spring has arrived in the Canary Islands but there's still some snow on Tenerife high up on Mount Teide. Its 3,718-metre (12,198 ft) summit is the highest mountain in Spain. In winter the top of this still active volcano is  covered in snow at times while far below the peak at sea level it is very warm and people are out on the beaches sunbathing and swimming in the sea. I took these photos  a couple of days ago from La Gomera and they show the southern slopes of Teide with the remnants of the last snowfalls on its summit.

Mount Teide's southern slopes just one month ago (above) and now (below and top)

White Teide

Tenerife's Teide peak seen from La Gomera yesterday

Mount Teide on Tenerife is Spain's highest mountain at more than 12.000 ft, but given the benign Canarian climate with many visitors getting sunburnt below the peak on the beaches of Tenerife, the past weekend was exceptionally cold and left a rare white mark even on the lower slopes of the volcanic cone of our neighbouring island. They even have got  snow-ploughs to deal with the white stuff over there. On your upcoming trip to the Canaries don't forget to pack your skis along with your trunks and bikinis.