Singing in the rain - better weather today

Today the weather has improved a lot and it feels a lot warmer. The wind has decreased, but there still is the occasional light shower around. Tomorrow further improvement is expected. 

Below I'm posting a few impressions of yesterdays weather which failed to stop the music during the Valle Luna Festival, but a few people got wet nonetheless...

Sheltering during a shower

Another shower

Singing in the rain

One of the many rainbows

A cool and windy Sunday

Taken at 10am this morning

While here in Valle Gran Rey the wind seems to have died down considerably since yesterday, on the other side of the island a gust of 88 km/h was recorded in the capital San Sebastian this morning and the weather warnings for strong winds and heavy seas remain in place. The temperature has recovered a bit and today shouldn't feel quite as cold as yesterday, but it will still be below the average for this time of the year. Right now it has reached 16ºC and will rise more later in the day. There are some showers expected today, but not as frequent and as heavy as yesterday, when I took the picture below during one of the blustery downpours in the afternoon. The photo appears to be fuzzy but that is the rain and you can just make out the wild state of the sea on the top of the image:

La Gomera received a lot of rain yesterday. The official weather station in Agulo  in the island's north registered 82.2mm of rain, while the mountain village of Chipude which thrones over the south had 77.4mm and the second highest peak in the centre had 81.4mm. The latter station also registered the highest wind gust (90km/h) and the lowest temperature at 0.1ºC - you can call that freezing. Add to that total a power outage in the whole island lasting for about two hours, rockfalls, roads closed to traffic, heavy seas and you'll know that yesterday was an unusually unpleasant day for La Gomera and most parts of the Canaries.

There still is a lot of debris like fallen rocks and blown-off branches on the roads. Crews are out clearing this, but please drive carefully. Hiking in the mountains is not advisable today and tomorrow.

From Monday the weather is expected to improve a lot with much more sunshine, higher temperatures, less wind and a few scattered showers.

Here's a few impressions of yesterday's rare conditions:

Image of a traditional roof with hail and sleet accumulation, taken
yesterday afternoon near the mountain village of Igualero  ©gomeraverde.es

...and this impressive video of a stretch of road at about 1200m altitude (source Gomera Today):
                      

Cold front updated: Ice and snow on La Gomera

One of the many storms which have been battering northern Europe and especially Ireland and Britain has dragged down polar air in a cold front as far as the Canary Islands. There is a noticeable drop in the temperature here and heavy showers have been falling all night. More showers are expected today and on Mount Teide on Tenerife snowfalls have been reported even in the lower regions. A small depression over the western Sahara is squeezing the isobars of the high pressure in the central Atlantic, causing northerly gales over the Canaries which make it feel even colder. Warnings have been issued of winds of up to 90 km/h, heavy showers and high waves. Today is probably the worst day of this weather situation and early next week we should be getting back to the usual more settled and warmer weather. 

Taken at 8am this morning

Update at 12 noon:

It is an exceptionally cold and blustery day with very heavy showers here. There is a thunderstorm nearby it is beginning to rain again and it is only 15ºC. The worst winds are expected from later today until tomorrow morning. The sea is very rough already. 

There is ice and wet snow on some roads in the mountains above 1000m altitude and some stretches of road have been closed to traffic. Worst affected seem to be the areas around Igualero, Chipude and Las Hayas. 
Just now the main road through the national park has been completely closed between Degollada de Peraza (where the road to Santiago branches off) and Apartacaminos (above Arure). Traffic between Valle Gran Rey and the capital San Sebastian de La Gomera is being diverted via the north road through Vallehermoso and Hermigua and vice versa.

Image: gomeranoticias.com

The tree that passes water

There is a tree in the forest of El Cedro in the Garajonay national park passing water for you to drink. It is situated just beside the beautifully-located chapel of Nuestra Senora de Lourdes which was built due to the initiative of an English lady. It is surrounded by mature trees and stands just above the babbling brook which runs along the floor of the valley all year. The area around it has a few wooden picnic tables and benches and is popular with locals and visitors alike. The water it 'tinkles' is cool, fresh and safe to drink except during  rare prolonged hot spells in the area in some years, but then park rangers will put up a sign warning you of the possibility that it may not be entirely safe to sip. How did the miracle of the water-passing tree come about ? Well, come and see for yourself if you can unravel the puzzling phenomenon…

 
   

Oil referendum row hots up

IslandConnections.eu reports:

The Canarian government's decision to call a referendum on the controversial plans for an oil industry in the islands is a non-starter, according to Madrid, which says it has no jurisdiction in the matter.

 Deputy prime minister Soraya Saez de Santamaría attacked the announcement by Canarian president Paulino Rivero on Monday that the people of the islands would be consulted over whether oil giant Repsol should be allowed to carry out exploratory drilling off Lanzarote and Fuerteventura later this year. "The Constitution makes clear that the Canarian government can call a referendum only on matters over which it has jursidiction and this is not one of them. Madrid has acted within the law at all times in issuing the licenses, as several court rulings in cases brought by the regional authorities have proven" said the deputy PM yesterday. Here in the Canaries, opponents of Rivero say he is "misleading the population" into believing they have a say in the drilling. However, the government says it fully intends to proceed with the referendum and has followed the correct process to seek leave to hold it.

5th Valle Luna Festival 2014

Despite all the odds and the total lack of support by the authorities, this year's edition of the Valle Luna Festival has attracted many musicians and visitors. Most accommodation in Valle Gran Rey is completely booked up for the duration of the festival. The popular event is on a much smaller scale this year, but music can be enjoyed free of charge in many places. Below are just a few impressions.

Top spots to watch sunsets - Part 4

Valle Gran Rey is the 'sunset capital' of La Gomera and I want to introduce you to some of the best and most popular locations from where to watch the spectacle over the Atlantic ocean with a cool or hot drink in your hand. The order in which they appear does not intend to give a ranking and my suggestion is that you'll try them all for the sake of variety. If you've got any further proposals please let me know, or even better send me your own post with your snapshots.

Another one of my favourite spots to watch the sun go down is in the harbour village of Vueltas in Valle Gran Rey. It can be reached through the pedestrian lanes of the town or up a few steps from the pedestrian crossing on the harbour side of the roundabout with the fishing boat. It is a small bar and restaurant called Tambara and offers a panoramic view across the Atlantic from the harbour out to El Hierro in the South and as far as La Palma in the west from the just recently extended terrace. The interior views are just as spectacular as the whole decor is of handmade mosaics and furniture in the Moorish style and transports you to Marocco just a few hundred mile to the east of where you're sitting. It was all painstakingly done involving endless hours of labour by the previous local owner, who has now handed it over to his sister and her Italian husband who is also the chef.The great relaxing music coming from the sound system often takes you on a journey around the world with frequent stops in North Africa. The food is excellent offering the best and most interesting tapas on La Gomera and tends towards Italian food with distinct North African influences. Great cocktails, fruit juices and teas as well as good wines are on offer,too, as are homemade cakes. All in all Tambara is one of the most beautiful bars in the Canary Islands.

Top spots to watch sunsets - Part 3

Valle Gran Rey is the 'sunset capital' of La Gomera and I want to introduce you to some of the best and most popular locations from where to watch the spectacle over the Atlantic ocean with a cool or hot drink in your hand. The order in which they appear does not intend to give a ranking and my suggestion is that you'll try them all for the sake of variety. If you've got any further proposals please let me know, or even better send me your own post with your snapshots.

Today it's the turn of La Puntilla, the area around the statue of Hautacuperche. It is situated about halfway between La Playa in the west and Vueltas harbour in the east of lower Valle Gran Rey. There you'll have a fantastic view across to El Hierro and even the southern end of La Palma can be seen. Sometimes there are parties on the beach behind the statue and irregularly there's live music outside Manolo's Bar Teguerguenche in the large blue building across the road from the statue which houses several more inviting bars and restaurants. For a special treat you could go to Hotel Gran Rey, take the lift up to the top floor and sip a cocktail in the rooftop bar or on the terraces from where you can not only observe the sun going down over the horizon but also enjoy the view to the north up the green valley to the mountains. 

Top spots to watch sunsets - Part 2

Valle Gran Rey is the 'sunset capital' of La Gomera and I want to introduce you to some of the best and most popular locations from where to watch the spectacle over the Atlantic ocean with a cool or hot drink in your hand. The order in which they appear does not intend to give a ranking and my suggestion is that you'll try them all for the sake of variety. If you've got any further proposals please let me know, or even better send me your own post with your snapshots.

Part of the panorama at the bus station bar

Today I want to give you some impressions of one of my favourite places for watching the sun go down. It is the bar and terrace at the bus station near the petrol station across the bridge in La Calera. The Bar Estacion de Guaguas as it is called in Canarian Spanish, because the Spanish word for bus, which is autobus, isn't used in the Canary Islands where a bus is called a guagua instead. The small bar and its large inviting terrace are on an elevated site offering spectacular views over banana plantations all across the bay and over to El Hierro island and the sunsets can be enjoyed taking in the full panorama.

The bus station bar is popular with locals and visitors all day on their travels in and out of the valley, with people waiting for the buses, and with hikers on their way up or down the mountains. Ramiro, the friendly host has a wide variety of drinks on offer, including some genuine Irish whiskeys, and supplies snacks and ice creams. As he is fond of live music, musicians are welcome to play a few tunes and local regulars sometimes have a lively session and sing-song, called a parranda. There's even two guitars and an Irish bodhran hanging on the wall waiting to be used...

 

Top spots to watch sunsets - Part 1

Valle Gran Rey is the 'sunset capital' of La Gomera and I want to introduce you to some of the best and most popular locations from where to watch the spectacle over the Atlantic ocean with a cool or hot drink in your hand. The order in which they appear does not intend to give a ranking and my suggestion is that you'll try them all for the sake of variety. If you've got any further proposals please let me know, or even better send me your own post with your snapshots.

Today I'm starting with the spot that pulls in the largest crowds by far year after year since the 1960s when young Americans avoiding the Vietnam war, world-travellers, hippies, artists and intellectuals began to gather on La Gomera and met up to watch the sunset in Valle Gran Rey. The place is the legendary BAR MARIA aka Bar Las Jornadas aka Casa Maria at the western end of lower Valle Gran Rey known as La Playa. Even though the sunset can be seen directly over the sea only during the winter half of the year from there, today it still is the main meeting point at sunset time for everyone. 

People stand around outside the small bar and restaurant and even bring their drinks across the road to sit on the beach. As the sun goes down drummers start their rhythms, sometimes joined by various other instruments, and pass the hat around the mixed crowd who are sipping their drinks. Local artist Pero often shows his smaller cARTon works on his ingenious exhibition cart, itself a work of art. When the sun has set the dusk often brings fire-eaters and -jugglers to the beach to join the drummers and dazzle the crowd.

Bar Maria often hosts live music and Canarian music sessions when the spectacle on the beach is over, and keeps the guests  entertained from 9 to 11pm. The building also offers simple 70's style reasonably priced accommodation even if it is for just for the night. The bar's very old wooden fridge with its large electric motor on top is lovingly maintained in its original condition and the adjoining large 70's-furnished dining room offers simple home-cooked local dishes which can also be ordered from the terrace on the pavement. Open all day until 11pm, but closed on Tuesdays. 

The dining room

Maria

Many years before La Playa became the built-up small tourist resort it now is, Bar Maria was already the focal point for the population and visitors down there as it also housed a general store and a post office, and there still is a letter box mounted above one of the benches. Maria, the cordial old proprietress now in her 90s is still alive and well and she still sits outside the bar regularly enjoying the scene and meeting old friends. You never know who you'll meet and what might happen at her legendary establishment, but a jovial bohemian atmosphere is always guaranteed.

3-D model of La Gomera

                                                                 ^   Valle Gran Rey   ^       

There is a large model of the island of La Gomera at the very informative visitor's centre of the national park. This interpretative centre also has a smaller model on show, besides explaining flora, fauna, geology, history, culture, crafts, customs, etc.. There's also a small museum cottage, craft shops, a garden with labelled plants and more. The centre is located at Juego de Bolas above the village of Las Rosas and is called Centro de Visitantes del Parque Nacional del Garajony (click for more info), but is just outside of the park itself. A definite must-see for visitors and fortunately still free of charge.

Donut Cloud

There was great variety in the skies yesterday. The day started with almost completely clear blue skies (as it did today) and ended with rainbows to the north while interesting cloud formations alternated with sunshine to the south. See for yourself:

Blue skies with Portuguese TAP Airbus A330  en route from Porto Alegre
 in Brazil to Lisbon approaching La Gomera at 39.000 feet.

TAP 46

The late afternoon sky looking north brought drizzle in the upper valley and rainbows...

…while looking south-west brought this donut-shaped cloud (right)