BonVivant

It's the final walk and we decide to take the road (the main road in this part of the island that links cities and towns). Nice that they have added a new path for walkers and bikers, though it disappears in some parts and not nice to be walking soooo close to cars. Photos taken along the road on this walk. Land of wine between the volcanoes. A tree as a roundabout. At home they would never have it. They take pleasure in getting rid of trees. Contrasting colours Some people don't make a big effort to have a quaint garden. I always notice this border colour, it's the same colour as the roof tiles and windows. Tomato seeds for sale in various languages. So many carrion crows in a graceful dance. One of the reasons is socialising and exchanging information. Petrol prices. Still cheaper than at home (almost E. 2,10/L) The clouds rise from below much of the way. The most "atmospheric" walk so far. Stop sign at a junction. We are engulfed in clouds. But not this lone house. Back at the goat's cheese farm where we take a break to eat our packed lunch. Too bad it's their rest day so no cheese purchase for us. Nice of them to have a bus stop near a trail start/finish point or a junction. You can always take the bus back and walk the second part on another day. Jenny the donkey comes running again, and making very loud noises at the same time. She doesn't know it's the last time we see each other. As Weinoo says, donkeys are intelligent and gentle. They are also social creatures. Stay gold, Jenny. Thanks for your kindness and gentleness. Back in our base village. The last look at Volcan Antonio, pine trees and vineyards we see on our walks every day. We have the greatest luck with the weather. The sun god smiles on us most days here on La Palma. Everything has to be eaten and finished today. We will make it to the north of the island in the future, but for now we are curious about this type of wine that is typical there (in the north). Nothing to do with "tea", though. The wine has been aged in Canarian pine barrels which impart a specific taste. It tastes very piney! Medicinal, even. A bit of an acquired taste for us. And speaking of pine, its needles, birch sap etc that also find their way into craft beers. I don't like those beers but this wine is not that bad. Last of queso fresco I mix with avocado and raw minced garlic. Beef steaks Information and cooking instructions on back of the package. Wish I had this picture of steak doneness when I was travelling in big meat eating countries where they only do "well done" Next time I will. We move on to another place next (the second part of the trip).

Another easy walk but the last part is only suitable for mules or ponies. On this street that leads to the start of a few trails you might notice these signs on the foot path, some are deliberately painted a little on the side so you can see them from the other side of the street. And some are painted completely on the kerb like this. Easy to spot. The terrain changes all the time. This is a big mass of lava, a big chunk of it has been removed so you don't have to climb over to the other side of the trail. Many people have this pretty, bee-attracting plant in their gardens. They are also everywhere in the wild. Almost near the end now. I put the camera away and give all my attention to the walking. Tiny, rough trail completely covered in pine needles. The needles are slippery underfoot, especially when going down. Using my walking stick I can brush some needles aside to find a firm rock to land on. It goes pretty much like this all the way down. And across the street from the bus stop... A cheese maker with own goats. Unfortunately, I can't risk missing the bus back to the village, which comes in a couple of minutes. Back in Los Canarios village. The town hall. The main street. Traditional balconies are all made of wood, and wood ceilings inside the house. The 2 main construction materials that are readily available are lava and woods. Across the street from my lodging. The owners' traditional Palmeran home. The little roof with tiles is actually the air vent directly above the cook top in my kitchen. I see that pine tree every waking hour in the house. A cat comes round every morning. She likes to hold a staring contest with me. She comes running and meowing when I go outside. Likes to press her head against my hand. Not sure if it's a sign of affection or just spreading scent. The only sparkling wines here are Codorniu and Freixinet... Linguine with chickpeas and chorizo @TdeV, I'm also afraid of height, but guess not as much as you. I've enjoyed jumping out of a plane a few times, strapped to a professional, of course. (Thanks!)

We have done all the possible walks in the area, but this one takes the biscuit. Would not recommend it to anyone. Starts out easy and nice, going down and down most of the time. Then the part where we have to leave the easy path and hit a rough trail it all goes to hell from there. A hamlet on lava rocks Near vertical vineyards Lots of new vineyards in this area. (Might want to zoom in to read the texts) That long line that looks like a path through the vineyards is actually an irrigation channel. I've seen photos online of idiots walking on top of it. It's not a walking path! I don't like landscape photography, unless it's some kind of magnificent isolation, without a human face in it. A road through the bad land ("Malpais"). Native to Canary Islands. I buy some other sub species of daisy in the summer, here they grow everywhere like a weed. A big hawk moth warming up its wings before taking flight. No neighbours La Gomera island is visible on the horizon. It's between Tenerife and El Hierro, both are also visible. My favourite photo on this walk. Miminalist landscape is my style. (Or minimalist anything, really.) Considering turning back at this point. It gets exceedingly precipitous and rugged with each step. I keep thinking maybe after this point the path will be less dangerous. Vertiginous slope below. Nope, wrong. That's where the route ends, the black lava way down there. Trail becomes very small and perilous. The wind picks up fast, and no shade anywhere, nothing to grip or hang on to. We start to doubt if it's even an official walking route as there's hardly any marking, at least very minimal, or they are faded/hidden from view. Finally, the trail marking. It's an official route after all. All the while seeing no other walker. It's not a popular walk and now we know why. I abandon all interest in photography here. Put the camera away and concentrate on where I have to put my feet. It's not worth risking one's life walking this route. We walk 5 hours non stop in the baking sun. But guess what, the worst thing is not the way down, it's that you have to walk all the way back up. No option but to back track as there's no road and no transport. Luckily we remember seeing a path with tyre tracks on it somewhere along the way. We take this path and walk all the way back to the nearest sealed road. Turns out, farmers use this path to reach their farms or where they have beehive boxes. It takes longer than the steep, dangerous trail but we can walk faster without fear. After what seems like a long time we finally see a house. The area is sparsely populated. Later we tell the lodging owners about the walk they know it's horrible, too. They are avid walkers themselves and won't walk this route again. Good to have some wine and food to calm our nerves. Leftover octopus and prawns in mojo picante (spicy sauce). Pickled beetroots/carrots. Watching the glorious sun go down

A new walking route today and it's an easy one to El Charco village. The village life round these parts. Along our daily route. Takes half an hour just to reach this point because it's so steep (by car only 5 minutes or less). After this it's another 15 minute climb to the next village's centre. To walk on the rim of Volcan Antonio's crater it costs E.8,00. Another half an hour walk steeply uphill to the mirador and you can see the crater from there. Jenny the donkey comes running again. She looks at me directly and observes me for a long time every time. Never aggressive in any way. Sweet creature. There should be a law that you must keep at least 2 animals so that they can be friends and have someone to interact with! Also along my daily route. Too bad we are unable to eat anything here. Looks like they are closed for the holidays, or only open in high season. Lanzarote has strict regulations regarding the styles of architecture, height of buildings/houses and colours you can use. La Palma apparently doesn't. New houses and flats can be in any style and have any colours, so I notice. In this case I support those restrictions imposed by the government of Lanzarote. I find it more beautiful there to photograph the houses. Stark white, traditional-style lava stone houses. It's like going back in time there. Yes, it's a vineyard on La Palma. Another vineyard in the area. The photo does not convey the steepness of the slope. Now seen from the side Taking a break after almost 3 hours of walking, to eat these biscuits (almonds and raisins, from the little bakery in town. Everything looks home-baked, small-scale productions). Farther along the route on the way down, at this point one can see Los Llanos and the town before it and the black lava flow path. After reaching the end of the route we don't want to wait 1 and a half hours for the next bus so we walk all the way back, taking the new and safe path next to the road. The partner's phone records 30 thousand steps from start to finish (from the time of leaving and returning to the house). Apparently, that is about 22km/13,6mi. And as soon as we get back.... beer. "Dunkel Bock" (dark bock style beer) "Ungrafted bush vines. Vocanic sand, silt, and clay." Dinner is a big pot of lentils with mince and vegetables. Thank you, Shelby and TdeV! (I have the next day photos ready, for tomorrow.)

Partner wants to visit the craft beer brewery in a village a little farther up on the west coast. But first we need to catch the same bus to Los Llanos like the other day. Have 2 hours to kill before taking another bus to the brewery so we buy some lunch stuff and eat on a bench. My favourite, and I don't like sweets. Make an exception for flan (in Spain only, Mexican flan is too firm, probably won't break if you drop it). Spread avocado on bread just like butter. Corn bread is bright yellow on the inside. Some pastries, too. Brioche, ham & cheese, chicken empanada. The bus to El Jesus village is horrible. Up and down, round and round. Why don't they build a bridge somewhere on the lower level, though. But the views are nice. If there's a suitable surface they will surely turn it into a banana plantation. From this side you can also see the smouldering crater and the lava flow path. It's a tiny, teeny brewery housed inside this former small house. Finally, craft beers on taps. The "trappist"-style glasses are not of good quality. Very light and each one is not exactly the same. Looks like lens distortion but it's the glass. 5 glasses of craft beer from taps cost me E.10. Gobsmacked again. The beers we try. None "great" tasting but not totally crap, either. Wouldn't take a nauseous bus ride here to drink the beer again, though. The island wines are far more superior. But glad we give it a go, so now we know. Small bakery (we buy their Pan de Jamon and other baked goods). Reminds me of Mexico. Hand-painted everything. Jenny the donkey and her eye lashes. Food back at the lodging later.

The walk today is to Volcan Martin. Nice walk in the cool Canarian pine forest, away from the sun. Going up and up and up much of the route.The start is right in the small town (in another municipality) from where we catch the bus to other places. I've mentioned before, La Palma appreciates the tourists who have come to walk. Thank you for choosing La Palma. Thank you for preserving this natural beauty so we can enjoy. (A feral cat already gets a head start.) It's cool and quiet in the pine forest. But make no mistake, the terrain changes all the time. Also, the long Canarian pine needles can be slippery underfoot so you must be careful. Almost every pine tree has a scorched trunk. As if there has been a fierce fire. Fierce enough that the char reveals how thick the barks are. Some trunks have turned into coals completely, like the kind you use for bbq'ing. Chatted with a young Vietnamese-French outside a supermarket on a previous day about his cycling tour. He left his home town Paris in October and has been biking through Spain, Portugal, Tenerife and now La Palma. He will return to Tenerife soon and somehow must make it to Morocco. Ran into him again twice on the trail. He thought the path would be OK to bike on. Big mistake. He had to push his bike all the way. I said to him "it's the best time of your life right now. Being on own, no wife, no school, no worries. Enjoy!" People who bike on La Palma are hardcore. It's windy and crazy steep. Walking and taking the bus is enough of a challenge for us. Volcan Martin... Back in town now. I like to check out what kind of seeds are for sale, wherever I go. Just looked this up. Don't think I would enjoy eating this giant pumpkin. Traditional wine press. Still being used on this island. Too bad about the many fruit trees in abandoned gardens. Dark blue, light blue, and white. This donkey always comes running every time I pass by. I make a clicking sound with my tongue and she remembers. She makes a very loud sound whilst running towards me. Why is that? She's very sweet, lets me stroke her thick fur and then I must be on my way again. She's warm (as in temperature). I enjoy our brief encounter every day on the way to the trail or the town. 2 new craft beer from La Isla Verde brewery. Tomato sauce with prawns and hake with pasta for golden hour dinner. Thanks, @TdeV. Happy new year to you and eG members!

We take one day break from walking to rest and to have a look at another town. Los Llanos is the most populous city on La Palma and only 45 minutes by bus (but first we will have to walk sharply uphill for 45 minutes to catch that bus). The mountain road is in good condition but the young driver drives much too fast. Vertiginous, plunging ravines and the bus going right through lava from an eruption 2 years ago are the "fun" stuff on this bus ride. Heavy duty construction vehicles are still hard at work 2 years on. They managed to clear the main road and repaved it like new, plus a lot of new lava has been removed. Local and intercity traffic was back to normal only months ago. I was told it took so long because the lava was still hot to do anything. Some photos I've seen the lava and ashes reached the top of the front doors of houses. Photos taken from the bus. It's about twice the height of the bus! All the black stuff is new lava. The crater is still smouldering. The surface area of new lava is 3km wide and 5km long (iirc). The bus ticketing system is efficient. Taking the bus is cheap but departures are not every (half an) hour. Infrastructure is good. 45min ride costs E.2,60. Los Llanos is a nice city with good (food) shopping options (but still, just keep in mind that this is a small island). Single benches I enjoy finding new and interesting plants in a new place. A tree with big, dense flowers that hang upside down. The bloom clusters look a lot like hortensia. Very pretty, especially in pastel pink. Not as common as the usual green/yellow kind. Returned 2 days later to buy them but they were all gone. For roasting chestnuts. This one has a very long handle. There's another one with a short handle. Some beer before catching the bus back. Gobsmacked when it's time to pay the bill. E1,50 a beer. At home you can't get anything for 1,50 in a sit-down cafe with service. Maybe you can have some hot water but no tea for 1,50. I didn't bring any cooking equipment on this trip ((a mistake, also decided to leave the sous vide stick at home at the last minute). Well, I'm using these now. Every. day. It's middle of winter and miserable at home. Malvasia aromatica from a local bodega. They don't send wines in these non-standard bottles to the supermarkets. They all cost over E20 so are considered "expensive". Poached tuna, spicy mixed vegetables and wrinkled potatoes. Los Llanos, my base village and the capital Santa Cruz. Red area is the lava flow path. (Photos found online) The map of La Palma has changed. People and businesses that were affected are still suffering 2 years on. They are living in temporary housing. They have lost everything. There are foreigners who live here (including German transplants or long-termers) who have also lots everything. Danger in paradise is never far away. So eerie La Palma is full of volcanoes and is the most seismically active of all the Canary islands.

Doing some local walks today to 2 villages in opposite directions. Streets are so crazy steep everywhere in the villages it's not really a good idea but we still want to do it. We can see more by walking. You don't usually see villagers walking up and down these steep streets to exercise or for fun. They all drive or being driven. DIY wheel choke. I can imagine you also need regular brake maintenance here. A steep drop behind the palm trees. There's a house behind the big tree, no neighbours. There are a few abandoned houses/vineyards/vehicles around. A rusty classic Rand Rover. A quick search tells me Santana was around in the 80's. It's quite OK that garden plants lean into the walking paths or road here. In some countries you might be told by your neighbours or the municipality to do something about it. This interesting tree and its flowers or seeds. Growing fruits and vegs like bananas and squashes in own gardens is normal on these islands. I just never can tell the types of squashes. Some houses are far away from the street. You don't see the houses anywhere nearby but you see letterboxes. It's a long way down and steep. You are looking at banana plantations (some have covers) and a huge hotel complex with multiple outdoor pools. If comes down to fruits and flowers then Madeira wins big time. But then again, it's not for nothing Madeira is known as "flower island" or "flower garden in the ocean". But, I don't remember seeing these eye-catching aloe blooms on Madeira. Like most big flowers here, this is buzzing with bees. A few steps from my lodging Back at mi casita for a break and lunch. Pan de jamon, filled with smoked ham, olives, raisins and cheese. Available in the last week of December only. After a rest and lunch we walk to another village but most of the photos in the second set are taken in my base village en route. Bird of paradise are super common on Madeira, here they are a bit rare. Firm exterior and unopen, like a capsule, you can see moisture inside. Volcanic Malvasia grapes. This part of the island grows the most Malvasia. However, it's the first time seeing them still on the vines here so far. As if the harvester had left them behind on purpose. Another uncommon sight: vertical rows of vines. It does exist after all, on my street no less. La Palma (LP) motorway number/code and vertical rows of vines. (Also on my street.) Big La Palma style houses amongst the vineyards. We walk to the next village using this volcano route. No new photos as we have done a walk to this volcano the other day. On Lanzarote every municipality has its own style of bus stop. On La Palma they are all the same. Volcanic rock construction with La Palma style tile roof. Check out this genius' own vineyard on his/her shed roof(s). Seen from the side. All white house, unoccupied. I couldn't have picked a better island (to walk), a better village, and a better lodging. Some locals stick their hand out the car window to give us a thumb up as we walk slowly up these steep streets. This is the kind of steep streets we walk up and down every day. You only see the sea from some distance away because the incline is stupid steep. A simple dinner when we are back at the lodging. Beef with potatoes and roasted vegetables.

Another nice walk today to Volcan Teneguia. A hairy, velvety succulent that grows like a huge dandelion. (There's also giant dandelion that grows as big as a tree, btw, but that's something else.) Beehive boxes surrounded by vineyards. This whole area is full of vineyards as far as the eye can see. The ash path is between the vineyards (visible on the right) and the vines on the ground are next to the walking path. Because of the strong winds they don't use vertical shoot positioned trellis systems like in many other places. We are happiest when in nature, alone. Volcan Teneguia. Last eruption was in 1971. Standing next to the rim of the crater. A smaller crater nearby but not really visible from the lower walking path. The wonders of nature. Back in the village, always going uphill. Does not look so steep in the photo but it is. Wild flowers on the road. Wine from Bodega Teneguia a few kilometres from here. There's nothing on the front label. Palmeran-style spicy chilli paste. We like it more than the red mojo on Lanzarote (not spicy enough). The chillies grown on La Palma are one of the factors that makes the mojos taste good. Fish (merluza/hake) Weinoo, wine is cheap here. Must be ridiculously cheap for you New Yorkers (sorry, yes the markup probably is huge. Ouch). Small-scale productions, high quality, manual work. Shouldn't be this cheap. We are enjoying the wine verymuch. Never see it again at home. I forgot, there's a slice of onion buried underneath it all. But it's not sweet onion, I limit myself to 1 single ring.

First real walk today and it's to the southern tip of the island where a lighthouse and the salinas are located. It's one of the most popular walks. Rightly so. It's a beautiful walk. Nice that we can start walking directly from the front door. Takes 2 hours walking leisurely and me taking my time making photos. Vineyards in my village, on the way to the start of the walk. Notice the vines are very low-laying hanging over a support frame with wires. But not all vines are grown like this. Also common is having no support at all. They all lie on the ground and spreading in all over. On Santorini they bend the vines as they grow into the form of a round "basket". I don't see that here. More about wine production in this part of the island. And FYI, Malvasia ("Malmsey") was brought to many islands from Crete. La Palma is a walker's paradise. The first of the Canary Islands to implement standard European system for signposting and waymarking routes. Always good to see these markings, confirms that you are on course. The island realised there's a large number of tourists arriving here on walking holidays so they set out to clear, improve and signpost many routes. This is how you attracts the walkers. Indeed. Now they come in droves to walk, and the reason we are here. Many routes are centuries old, they link villages that islanders used to use. I like this one. On a chunk of lava rock. Has been here since 1677. This looks like a pile of... Finally, the lighthouse and the salinas (saltworks). La Palma produces its own salt. A family business, the work is all manual. This is the last stage, crystallisation pools. Right next to the wild Atlantic The island produces a lot more white wines. This local winery currently has a shortage of red wine due to the volcanic eruption that devastated not only banana plantations but also some vineyards. We eat left over pasta with this lightly smoked young cheese given by the owners of our lodging. Firm like hard tofu and a little squeaky. And new 2 beers. Finally, an IPA. Piripi is a "tripel", strong dark ale. This morning, seen from my balcony.

We are leaving the capital Santa Cruz and moving on to the southern part of the island. Santa Cruz (photo found online) We are now in a village (population just a little over 200) in the mountain. It's a dizzying, steep ride to reach the village from the capital Santa Cruz. The village has one restaurant (not sure it's even open, and even then surely not for lunch) and no shop here so we need to take the first walk to the next town called Fuencaliente. All doubts about La Palma being the steepest island in the world are instantly vanished as soon as we start walking. The climb starts literally across the street from our lodging and it doesn't stop until we reach our destination. My favourite exercise in the gym in the stair machine and it's clear it's absolutely no match for this! I enjoy walking on inclines but this is just brutal. Our base village, basking in Canarian sunny splendour. One will quickly notice the common/popular plants in people's gardens. One of them is these heavy flower heads, sweet smelling and thus attracting lots of bees. Fuencaliente is a small town, it has 2 supermarkets, 2 cafes and 2 pizzarias. A roundabout is this tree in the middle of the intersection. Big bags of Palmeran chillies for making mojo rojo (not spicy kind) sold at a butcher's shop. One of the things we pick up is potatoes. For papas arrugadas you use this variety only. It's either half waxy or very waxy (at least in my experience). Most Canarian islands grow their own potatoes but Tenerife is the biggest producer and their potatoes are most commonly found in supermarkets. We also make a quick visit to a local winery to pick up a few bottles. I get to taste a few wines, too. Malvasia is mainly produced in this southern part of the island. I also have a taste of the sweet wine (background, in the middle) but not sure if I want to buy it. Mayby KennethT would, though. Want to buy this one but it's not possible. They harvested the grapes during the most recent volcanic eruption, enough to make about 1 thousands bottles, which were sold out quickly. This is the last bottle just for show. Looks like a giant tin Wineries here are small, nothing on a massive industrial scale like in some countries. Lunch at a bar-cafe that also serves simple home-style (Canarian) dishes. For the first plate, I have "Bratwurst" in mind when I see "salchichas", but what's in front of me is actually something a lot like hot dog. (I don't recognise names or some dishes here, makes it a quite a bit harder to order). Anyhow, I try one piece just to make sure. Yep, it's hot dog. The partner has to eat it all. So now I know when it says "ensalada mixta" it's this. Lettuce, sweetcorn, pickled carrots and pickled beetroots. At least it's not doused in a mayo based dressing (I would not touch it in that case). Vinegar and olive oil on the side if needed. Very nice braised beef. The meat shreds like threads, how we like it. The beef has a strong beefy smell. Beef at home they make sure it doesn't smell. Many people have citrus trees in the garden and they are full of fruit right now. That's the bus stop steps from my lodging. Someone's little garden is next to it. I see a citrus tree, squash/pumpkin plants, peppers (capsicum) and other vegetables. On left with white walls is lodging owners' house (right across from my place). Very typical La Palma style. Mine is also Palmeran in style. It's small and cozy. We like it. The photos show you what a little house on La Palma looks like inside and out. The kitchen looks OK but can't really cook anything other than simple 1-pot meals. First wine from the winery a few kilometres from here that we visited earlier. I have 2 pots at my disposal, only 1 has a lid. You'll see something simple like this pasta with red sauce for the rest of my time here so don't have high expectations. Golden hour pasta and a local wine. So that's my first home-cooked meal since I got here. How happy we are to be here on La Palma!

Back to the market because I need more cheese and fruits. I notice many cheeses are lightly smoked, also the young kind. Cheeses produced on other Canary Islands are common on La Palma, especially from Gran Canaria, and some from Lanzarote that I recognise. Good looking island grown beans New potatoes (La Palma grown). There are specks of rosé on the peel. Winter tomatoes A tight passage to some houses. The front doors are half the size of our doors at home. A few hundred years ago many things were small, people included. Stones on a footpath are meticulously arranged in a certain pattern. I'm glad I have no one to think sweetly of. One of many typical steep streets in the capital. The best beach is an empty one. Every morning I eat half a papaya and 1 big avocado (plus other things). Then another avocado sometime in the afternoon. This island produces a few fruits such as papaya, avocado, banana (most important), mango, guava, citrus, loquat, fig, prickly pear, apples, pear, cherry and many more!). But let me tell you about the avocados grown on this island... it's literally like eating a block of butter. So creamy, so dense, so rich you need to take a pause half way. On par with high quality Mexican avocados that I enjoy eating so much there. Also, islanders want you to know they eat lots of avocados, long before the hipsters. Chileans told me the same. They even put avocado in fast food in Chile. I'm taking some La Palma avocados home. Originally I had planned to bring goat cheeses back but now also avocados. 2 new goat's cheeses. Left is strong and hard, right is rich and creamy (firm). The middle sardine is huge. All 3 have roe. Another golden ale, from island's own craft brewery La Isla Verde. This other island craft brewery hardly says anything about their beer. Very little information is provided, even on their website. The last beer and in the background are all the beers we drink thus far. Moving on to a small village in the mountain in the south of the island the next day.

You see this cover every few steps. There are really a lot of these in the capital. Drivers here are skilled at negotiating the many narrow stone roads. I must step to the side when a car approaches, the width of the road is barely wider than the car. Also, if not used to walking on stones (and going uphill at the same time) your feet will be sore at the end of the day. The many small stairs and passages that link the steep roads. Elderly people and everyone else just get on with it. Knocker Lunch in the rain. Just want a simple salad but order the "loaded" one by mistake. Papas arrugadas (potatoes cooked in sea salt and left to dry out a little). Always eaten with a sauce ("mojo"). Very typical Canarian. Very nice spicy sauce. Another Canarian classic is morena frito (deep fried moray eel, with bones and skin). I don't make rice at home, the partner has to order rice elsewhere... We eat some of the paella and take the rest back for the next day. There's a beeeeautiful classic BMW parked steps from my building. Rare to see such a beauty. Cool windscreen wipers. Thanks, Jo!

Didn't see that book when I was in Sicily but I got 2 good ones. I actually wanted to go to Sicily (again) for this holiday but we had waited for La Palma to open again after the spectacular volcanic eruption a couple of years back. So that's why we are here right now. An employee at at winery in my new area in the mountain has just told me they were finally done clearing the roads and things got back to normal 4 months ago! We will return to Sicily sooner or later BUT.... we are so glad to be here on La Palma.

Canarian bananas have PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status in "Europe". They came to the archipelago from Equatorial Guinea via the Portuguese. Madeiran bananas are smaller and came from Macau, also brought by the Portuguese. Interestingly, Madeiran bananas are refused protected geographical indication by the EU due to the size. Madeirans think it's utterly ridiculous. Canarian milk kefir and yoghurt. All the 3 fruits are grown on La Palma. I also brought my Lebkuchen and chocolate from home. Hard to find 99% chocolate in many countries so I have to bring it myself. First thing in the morning we check out the city's tiny market today. These dried peppers are used in Canarian mojo roja (red sauce). But these big ones are not hot. At the next stall they have the real deal, for spicy "mojo picante". Palmerans are proud of their spicy sauce. Whilst these sauces are very Canarian (appear at every meal on all the islands), the Palmeran chillies are what make it a bit more special on La Palma. However, the much smaller bag contains the spiciest chillies. The seller stresses "muy, muy picante!". I have to buy both. Can't be hotter than Mexican chillies. As mention, the market is tiny, there's no mounds of fruits and vegetables to draw your attention. I find out it's a kind of gingerroot but very bitter and very medicinal. I buy a small piece of this young goat's cheese for later. Painted sign on footpath. Arms and legs are open wide. Next few photos are of typical streets in the capital Santa Cruz La Palma is known for its pretty balconies (and many goat's cheeses, bananas, volcanoes, and more). Before I forget, apparently, I stress apparently, La Palma is the world's steepest island. Others say "steepest" is debatable. But for now it is the steepest, officially. Walking anywhere just here in town and you go up and down all the time, but mostly up and steep, indeed. Some streets are so steep I have to use force to grip the surface by pressing my feet down firmly. Wouldn't want to go out in the rain here. Roofs with wild plants on them the houses are usually abandoned. Some are hard to tell if they are occupied or not, though. Like this one. Empty winter beach. It's a volcanic island. The sand is completely black everywhere. Hotter in the summer then? A small area for wheelchair users. I support changes to accommodate wheelchair users. It's a city beach. The town is directly behind the beach, separated by the main avenue. I like the breaching whale. I notice a fortress-like construction in my immediate neighbourhood. The barbed wire rig on the very high surrounding walls is quite serious. Then I look up at the windows and they remind me of prison windows anywhere. So we have to find out... this is the front of the building. It's a prison after all, and right in my neighbourhood. Pick up some food to eat back in the flat. Octopus salad in vinegar. Jamon Iberico Young goat's cheese, mildly smoked. I should change the thread title to "queso de cabra" (minus "papas arrugadas"). La Palma has many types of goat's cheeses. I'm in goat's cheese paradise. (If @Smithyreads this, can you please change the thread title?) La Palma has 2 craft breweries, this is one of them. The other Palmeran brewery From Gran Canaria, widely available in the archipelago.

Passing through Tenerife South airport. Glad I am on my way to somewhere else, though. Airport is much too busy for an island. Tells you enough about the high volume of visitors. Millions upon millions of sun-deprived northern Europeans descend on Canary Islands annually for the sun and beaches. Here is a tour op's personnel waiting for another plane to land bringing more (northern) tourists. Below the rows of palm trees one sees (probably) hundreds of coaches from holiday resorts parked outside the airport's entrance. The coaches are not really visible on purpose. Glad to be going to somewhere else! Tenerife is the most developed, busy and full of packaged tourists. Very dark now. Waiting to for clearance to take off. It's a short flight (30-40minutes, methinks). Only have energy and time for beer when we get to our lodging. Tenerifean beer. Available on all Canary islands. From Madrid but owned by Heineken From 1 of the 2 craft beer breweries on La Palma. "La Isla Verde" is the name of this brewery, but La Palma is also known as La Isla Verde (another one is La Isla Bonita, nothing to do with that Madonna song). The amazing Canary Islands! Physical map of La Palma. It's the most seismically active in the archipelago.

Si! Mi gusta! Just got in last night and exhausted, only had time for beer. Just putting this here now, more later of course. We are going to do some walking on La Palma but it's winter and can be wet so we are at the mercy of the weather god here. But first we feast!

Thank you, everyone. I'm only half way through the trip. 😆 Doing everything on the floor, without having been trained since childhood, is painful. Low tables with a recessed floor underneath for the legs are a bit better but those are not so prevalent. We watch in awe every time, how Japanese people of any age do it with SUCH ease. They can also sit on their calves for a long time. They have shown us how it's done but we just couldn't do it! Might be easier if one isn't fat but we are not and still it's near impossible. They laugh so much at the partner's height (almost 2m/6.4f) and long legs that don't fit anywhere in Japan. Hard to see the leg space but it's there. You can at least stretch your legs. Our table doesn't have leg room, the partner sits to one side to be able to stretch those super long legs all the way past the table. Painful but so worth it and will do it all over again. I saw more middle-aged and elderly people (and many are very elderly) than younger ones everywhere in Japan. And what else? They are healthy, and are still working, even past their retirement age. It's a wondrous thing to see.

Last breakfast at the hotel. An employee was surprised to see us again. Everybody gasped "huh, so many days? There's nothing here". (Well, exactly why we liked it.) For the last look... wonderful island for a quiet holiday. We'll miss it. Nothing happens here, small enough to bike, a tiny population, nobody wants the hustle and bustle of Okinawa or elsewhere in Japan, most islanders are farmers. Welcoming and friendly, too. Picnic table we liked to occupy at the coral lagoon beach. The last goodbye This is the style of earlier type of stilt house in the archipelago. Nowadays they use this design for many things. Here at Kikaijima airport it's a place where you wait or pick up/see off family/friends. It's big. The actual stilt house is much smaller and has a thatched roof. Have landed back on Amami-Oshima island after a very short flight (10 minutes?). There's that stilt house again. One can rest or shelter from the sun. I call it a gazebo. Finally had to try this fast food restaurant in the centre. First time trying Japanese-style "hamburger". There's cheese inside. Without cheese Check out the knife handle. Felt very odd holding it at first. There were servers but also this robot server zooming round, all the while making loud sounds, too. Just for fun I looked at the children's menu: It's a nice fast food restaurant. Price-quality ratio is good. Lots of locals take their time eating, drinking coffee, meeting up with friends/family. First time eating Japanese fast food. We plan to do more of that on future trips. Kikaijima was very nice but it's also good to be back here on Amami-Oshima. Spent the afternoon walking and checking out supermarkets to make an assessment so I could decide what to buy to take home, and how much room left in my rucksack. Dinner at a local place in the neighbourhood of my lodging. Strawberry conch again. I had missed them. Another southern islands' favourite. Stir-fried bitter gourd with eggs and tofu. Amami somen. Every cook make it to their taste. Seaweed soup A counter for lone diners and a few low tables for party of 2 or more. Very small, very local. Mother cooks, son takes care of the front and takeaway. Daughter(-in-law?) works in the kitchen, too. Half an hour after we arrived the place was full, clientele of all ages. A good spot for home-style (island) food and to see the dishes local dinners order. Unfortunately, today was the craft beer bar's rest day so we had to get their beer in bottles. Good to put our feet up again after a long day.

Braised meatball with root vegetables. No problem at all getting more vegetables. They start eating them already at breakfast. Duck breast (surprisingly, but not the first time eating it so early in the morning) Love these savoury breakfasts in Japan. Finally, the nice weather returned. A paradise for butterflies Some snacks at the beach later, where we spent the whole afternoon, for the last time. Had to look very hard to find any. Not many of these hermit crabs on Amami islands, which is a stark contrast to Okinawan islands. Back to the same restaurant, for the last time. 1 of the 2 private low-table rooms for families or groups. Crockery shelves behind the counter. The mother and daughter who run the front of the house also get other parts of the dishes ready. The father does the cooking behind the curtains. Not sure what this was. To me, it tasted like meat or tuna escabeche. Must have the super fresh big clam and assorted sashimi again. Fluffy tempura of chomeiso. A type of plant, only the tender young tips are used for tempura. Our favourite. It went fast so we had to order another plate. Goat sashimi, again. Prawn tempura And the excellent somen in dashi Goats on Kikaijima. They are kept in the garden and usually tethered. I couldn't find anything about the milk being used for drinking or making cheese, though. Besides, they don't exist on an industrial scale so maybe that's why. Islanders like to eat it in various dishes, soups and of course sashimi. Also, I noticed "mainland" Japanese tourists ate the same dishes and more, all alone. We were full splitting the dishes right down the middle. @MaryIsobel: it's an adventure in eating on the islands. Menus don't have photos like in most places in Japan, and the phone app translates funny things into English. Our MO is never pass an opportunity to indulge in local fare!

Germany meets Spain/Greece/Italy. Winter "tapas"/"Brotzeit. Artichokes, preserved tomatoes, silverskin pickled onions. Cream with 2 types of roe. (To be mixed well when ready to spread on bread) Burrata and assorted German Mett/Blood sausages. Last week's bread was very chewing intensive but this one takes the biscuit. A very small but heavy loaf with whole wheat grains in it, and they are hard. Sardines and mackerel filets (brought back from Spain). -------------------- Just cooked this small squash. Sweet flesh, bright orange, but fibrous. The pits are nice. Plump and nutty. ---------------------- Grated "mountain yam" (yamaimo in Japan). Hard to photograph white without contrast or texture. Udon with grated yam and roe King trumpet mushroom "scallops" in duck yolk sauce. Soft tofu in dashi. (North Sea shrimp on top) Small portions, like how I enjoyed eating them in Japan. @Kim Shook, doesn't some of your food go missing sometimes? It only takes that 1 second you turn your back... Or even when your back is not turned...

Duvel, not sure. These are big. I'm reading about citrus cultivars on Kikaijima. The five major citrus cultivars are ‘Shiiku’ (C. sp.), ‘Keraji’ (C. Keraji hort. ex Tanaka), ‘Kunenbo’ (C. nobilis Lour.), ‘Fusuu’ (C. rokugatsu hort. ex Y. Tanaka), and ‘Kuriha’ (C. Keraji hort. ex Tanaka var. Kabuchii.

Not much happening on our final 2 days here. We only wanted to go swim in the coral lagoon and walk. Covers on Kikaijima. Fish, corals, seaweeds etc. Every single day on Amami island and here, 24/7, you'll hear this super loud, skull-piercing racket. O.M.G.! Once your brain gets used to the noise it ignores it. Their lifespan is the length of summer. Finally, saw one cicada in the open where I could easily make a photo of it. If somebody has never seen one... it's huge. Fun with macro photos of some tiny, teeny corals at the beach. Then I dropped a pinch of sand on the "craters". The grains of sand are barely visible and now in super macro mode you can actually see individual grains. All the tourist attractions on this island: Sugarcane road (only sugarcane fields in this area), huge banyan tree, butterflies, and flora. There are butterfly colonies in the woods at highest elevations. Found a good photo online taken using a drone. This is the natural coral lagoon we came to swim every day. Kikaijima is a 100% coral island. The second fastest growing. The "fastest" is somewhere in the Bahamas. Typical citrus tree common in people's gardens. Thick-skinned and green. In Japan you put household waste in this cage to be collected (on a certain day of the week). No tall containers with wheels. Japan has strict and complicated rubbish disposal rules. If you don't separate your rubbish correctly it won't be collected and you might be fined. Has to be in (semi) transparent bags (rubbish collectors and your neighbours should be able to see the contents!). Sooner or later we had to hit the supermarket for beer and new snacks. Fried chicken wing flavour and "4 cheeses". Can't you really taste Gouda, Cheddar, mozzarella and Camembert at the same time, though. "Fried chicken" and Takoyaki (octopus balls) Interesting that on this small island far away Mutti tomotoes cost so little ($0.87), at home it's $2.70. Suggestions for eggs. But in the photos they are fried and topped various bowls. Snacks at the beach (brought with us). No taste of spicy roe. The mochi on skewers were a mistake. I finally got over texture of mochi but it's the small balls like these trigger my sensitive gag reflex and bring back childhood trauma. The small balls have no filling, just pure dough. The partner ate all of it, I ate the big balls with bean paste filling. And breakfast earlier today. I wanted to try the hotel's "Western breakfast", the partner said I would regret it. Back to Japanese breakfast again tomorrow. Partner's breakfast. I like to make photos of the side dishes. They are quite fascinating. There are established standard side dishes and there are ones that you only see/eat if staying at a private guesthouse. (Home)cooks combine any ingredients and flavours they find tasty. FYI, there are small shops that sell only side dishes. Supermarkets have a big section for just side dishes and condiments with which to eat alongside. Dinner at a restaurant just a few minutes on foot from the hotel. Had to check and check again on 2 maps to make sure it's the right place. Looks like a house in this residential neighbourhood. Well, it is a house that's also a restaurant. We had a reservation and were the first to arrive. Lone diners and pairs sit at the long counter. 2 straw mat rooms for families or groups. Directly in front of me. Behind the curtains is the kitchen. Some type of big shellfish. Very good and meaty. Big clam sashimi. after 3 days it's clear this clam sashimi is typical on Kikaijima, whereas on Amami it's strawberry conch. People usually order both big clam and assorted sashimi so they serve it on the same plate. The big clam shell makes even middle-aged males pull out their phones and snap some photos. Besides fresh (shell)fish, Kikaijima also has a goat cuisine. This restaurant is one of the few that are goat sashimi specialists. Islanders go to a specialist they trust. This restaurant is popular with locals and tourists alike, in high season it's harder to get a seat but in October it's quiet again. Anyway, first time goat sashimi for us. As sashimi it's always sliced from frozen.. All the tourists order the big clam sashimi and this goat plate. We actually ordered 2 plates. The daughter of the owners showed us the "island cuisine" section on the menu. Our phone translated one of the items called "mountain yam somen". When it came out we looked at the bowl in silence, thinking wow, nice, and where's the yam or somen? The "somen" was the shredded yam. They must have a very good mandoline to shred the yam so perfectly and finely. This yam is notoriously slimy. A simple dish beautifully presented. Daughter behind the counter told us the broth is dashi. We absolutely loved this dish. Rolled omelette in dashi. Another nice one. So fluffy and moist. No wonder Japanese food taste good to me, I think it comes down to dashi (and bonito flakes) and seaweed. In many cuisines, before you start cooking anything you slice/fry onions (and garlic, too). Here you probably get the dashi prepared/ready and then whatever else comes next. Amami-style somen. It's different at every restaurant. I may also contain more vegetables and/or tiny dried fish. The somen is nicely al dente. Half submerged in liquid that's dashi again. This restaurant makes exquisite dashi. Btw, every dish comes with its specific dipping sauce or condiment and they insist that you use which sauce for which dish. The counter was soon full of small dishes of sauces. When we were not eating we answered questions or asked questions. It's easy to them to speak into their phones and get instant English translation. They said something into the phone and then showed the translation to us. Only possible when online, though. We had to type using a translation app. The restaurant phone rang constantly. It's a popular restaurant. Daughter and mother run front of the house, father is the cook. He came out to say hi to us and bowed. Lots of smiling and more bowing on our way out. Kikaijima is small and has only a few restaurants. We picked a good one. What a nice experience this was. Thank you for not having a tipping system. Many businesses still have these landline coin operated phones. Maybe some people still use them. They take up space and everyone has a cell phone nowadays. Still can't forget the yamaimo/mountain yam "somen" dish! ----- Liuzhou, thanks! There's another type of stilt house on these islands. I shall get to that very soon. Also thanks to OkanaganCook and LindaG. The bikes are old and wobbly. We tried to change the speed when going up or down but they made some bad sound so we didn't touch it again. Have never used good bikes on Japanese islands. Ones on Okinawan islands were even worse. I have been to "only" a little more than 40 countries (some multiple times). Most European countries no longer give me visa stamps. Japan issues a beautiful visa sticker with Mt. Fuji on it.

Simple dumplings with pumpkin filling. Very pungent aged Lanzarotean goat's cheese. Used the squash on left in the dumplings. Not sure about both their names at all, though. ------ #2 Bought a pack of duck yolks to test. Went back the following week to get 2 more. I've only used them to make a thick sauce for various (non-recipe) dishes as baking is not really my thing. Octopus tentacles with tofu puffs in duck yolk sauce. Eaten with udon noodles. The next one doesn't contain any duck yolk sauce. Finely chopped tempeh with lemongrass and chillies. ------------------- #3 Have been eating Amami grain miso I brought back from the island. Cook any vegetable and/or meat till done, turn off heat and fold in the miso, together with some bonito flakes. Glad I brought 3 packages with me from Amami! Pea shoots and a mix of various types of seaweed. Soft tofu and roe Omelette drenched in dashi Have been eating meals like this ever since I got home from Japan. Trying to obtain a variety of nutrients in small portions. Distressing news round here in the last few weeks. She was always kind and helpful. Bow. @Kim Shook You got the book! Looks in good condition. The shipping cost to another continent is ridiculous (it's a large and very heavy book). The books in this series were originally in German and published by a (now defunct) German company. You can tell they put a lot of resources into it, including the very good translation work. Exhaustive research, nice professional photography and beautifully put together. There's a bunch of recipes so have a go at making them if you can obtain ingredients. Have fun reading! You will learn something new/interesting from the food and their (historical) back stories in this book. I find that they have enriched my food knowledge much more (and also inspired my travels). PS: one of the New Year dishes is carp (there are several ways to cook them). Get there soon!

Winter has finally arrived here this week. The temperatures plummet sharply. Time for soup. Seedy rye bread to eat with squash soup. (Hard Mettwurst, Tyrolean Speck and Swiss Emmental) Trout roe "Blue ballet" according to the label in the shop but I couldn't find a photo on interweb like mine. They were all Blue Hubbard form. Anyway, tastes sweet and fresh is yellow but it's "strand-y". OK to eat but would rather not buy again. I only like dense, potato-like kind, ie kabocha etc. Used leftover beef braising liquids with fresh turmeric roots (pounded with some coarse salt) to flavour the soup. The squash was already previously cooked in the oven so the soup didn't take long to put together. If dart throwing can be a competitive "sport" so can chewing German rye bread! The loaf is small but heavy. Needs to eat slower than normal, makes you think about stuff while eating cuz it's no normal rye bread. Substantial bread, makes one feel full for a very long time. Thanks, farmers and bakers! ---------- Another lunch: Asian supermarket in the big city near me has "sashimi grade" salmon which I buy once in a while. (There's soy sauce underneath.) Quinoa and nori flakes Also, soft tofu and a nice beer. Finally ate the black seed squash. It's worthless but absorbs sauces well. Still so not going to get it again. And lastly, my long time garden boss robin met his demise this summer. It appeared he had an illness, could not stand on his own legs and things went downhill fast for him from there. This new robin came to the garden from time to time but was chased off by the garden boss. He started coming again early this autumn and decided to stay. He's still timid but knows his way round the garden now, and where he stands with other resident birds. He's nobody's boss at the moment but we shall see. It's the first time I made photos of him (today). I miss the old robin so much. Here's the new robin. Welcome to the garden, little darling!