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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Jan 18, 2022 10:00 PM In the capsule!
Today I arrived to the third of the Little Canary Island - La Palma. I was shocked, because it is completely different to Gomera and Hierro. Santa Cruz - the capital is elegant, crowded and has a lot of old, historic houses. In the past Santa Cruz was the place where every commercial ship going to/from discovered America was registered and charged. This was the source of wellness.
I spent afternoon walking around the old town, enjoing the atmosphere and architecture. The ocean was rough and it was little foggy on the mountains. La Palma is also well known of the fresh eruption of the volcano last year. Now the volcano already sleeps again. I was planning for tomorrow the self-excursion to the volcanic activity area. But in the forecast I see the rain. We will see!
Looking for the accommodation in Santa Cruz I came to the conclusion that the cheapest solution will be capsule hostel recently opened in the center of the city. I will be sleeping in the cramp capsule for hefty 35 euro with breakfast. But the location is perfect!
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Jan 17, 2022 10:00 PM Around El Hierro
Weather was much better in the morning, I started early! El Hierro has a shape of triangle or a boot. Western corner of the island is completely deserted with the great nature. UNESCO qualified El Hierro as Reserve of Biosphere - there you will see why! To get there I took the little guagua to the farthest point - Pozo de la Salud and then started a lonely walk along the coast.
There were nice wiews pf the volcanic rocky coast and further - on the "nose of the boot" - the only white snd beach Arenas Blancas. Walking onward soon I started the climb by zig-zaging road to the Sanctuary Virgen de los Reyes - the patron of the island. In fact it is a little white chapel on the middle of Nowhere, but very atmospheric place. It was sunny and I had a rest there. I met there only two people! Orchilla lighthouse was visibe down in the distance. Then the windy, mountain road took me through beautiful pine forest to the township of El Pinar. Foggy here. It was posible to take a guagua from El Pinar to La Restinga in the southern corner of El Hierro. Sorry - no sun here. Next guagua took me to Valverde and Frontera - the tour around wild island was completed! -without renting a car!
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Jan 16, 2022 10:00 PM El Hierro in the mist
To get from Gomera to another little island - El Hierro I was forced to fly on the little turbo-prop plane: first to Tenerife North, then to Valverde - the capital of El Hierro. Already on the connection on Tenerife I experienced the rain - rare case on Canary Island! When I landed in the dramatic landscape on El Hierro is was not raining, but the upper parts of the mountains were covered by clouds. They are well-organized here. Already in the little airport I received two good maps of the island and the optimistic information that they have poblic bus (guagua) network on such small and remote island. They provided timetable. My first guagua was waiting in front of the terminal an took me up - to the capital of the island -Valverde. This little town with the Concepcion Church in the middle (left on the picture) is located on the hills. Today it was touching the low clouds. I took another guagua for 1,18 euro to Frontera - another picturesque township on the mountain slopes, where I have accommodation. I expect better weather tomorrow to go around the island. Keep your fingers crossed, please!
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Jan 15, 2022 10:00 PM Blowing strong!
I slept little in the night because the very strong wind opening and shutting the door and windows of our old house... But after breakfast sun was shining and I decided to hike the mountain overlooking Valle Gran Rey.
The trails here are well marked ( this one in the patriotic for Poles white and red colors) and well maintained. You czn spetd on Gomera a week walking different routes. My hike gave me great views of the valley and surrounding peaks. Doing many zig- zags I climbed to the level around 500 m above the ocean where the wind became so strong, that I decided to go back. This was already near the picturesque orange and brown rocks and pillars. 500 m up, 500 m down - good exercise for my knees! I didn't want to beat any record - just to enjoy new perspective of Gomera!
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Jan 14, 2022 10:00 PM Playa Alojera - the nicest on the island?
I was reading on the guidebook that Alojera is the nicest beach on Gomera so I decided to go and see. There should be guagua going from Valle where I stay to Villahermoso at 11 am. When I arrived at guagua station the driver told me that I have old timetabe - it goes now at 12.30!! They gavee old timetable in the tourist office - shame on them!
Guagua left me at the junction 7 kms from the beach. I was hitchhiking. After 10 minutes nice French couple gave me a ride down to the coast. Thank you! After many zigzags we entered nice village dotted by picturesque palms. But the playa is further down!
Driving down we saw finally little nay framed bu high mountains
onthe bank in the bay I saw maybe a dozen squized white joused accessible only by stairs. Two of them house seafood restaurant. But where is this nicest beach!?? There is an empty stretch of black sand dotted by stones on the side of the houses
. But what a disappointment! Do not trust the guidebooks! I returned by guagua and hitchhiking. It was still an interesting experience. Strong wind is blowing. They say we can expect the rare rain on Monday!
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Jan 13, 2022 10:00 PM High cliffs, black beaches...
The city I stay has very spectacular location at the bottom of steep, high mountains. The stretch of the low coast around Valle Grand Rey has only around 3 kms. Starting from the left (north side) there is a little port for small tourist boats and fishing. This part ot the village is called Vuelta because the road ends here. There is miniature beach in the port. Then going south I passed banana plantations - very popular on Gomera, Next were Puntilla beach and Calera Beach - the last one is close to the hotel & shops quarter. All this beaches are black sand beaches, offering volcanic sand. One km further you will see secluded Playa los Ingles located at the bottom of the high mountain. This is very picturesque place, occupied by nude naturists, but not only... People were swimming there despite the high waves. Sun is shinning, but stormy weather is coming. The captain of the tourist boat asked about possible tours said -Only on Sunday, maybe! Let's hope!
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Jan 12, 2022 10:00 PM Gomera - so different!
From the ferry approaching San Sebastian Gomera looks like huge muffin with high. Rocky coast on both sides. San Seba is a little, charming town with a breakwater protecting marina and two ferry docks. I was walking to the nice coastal promenade looking for reliable info, but the tourist office is far away - near the church. Columbus was here on his voyage to discover America!
They surprisede on the office - I got for free the road map of the island, 25 kms wide and a map of the walking trails. But the best news was that they have public guagua network. I will catch the linea 1 bus to reach my accommodation on the other side of the island - 49 kms away! Paying only 5 euro!
Linea 1 timetable shows 5 departures per day. If you go straight from the first ferry to the guagua station you will catch the first guagua at 10.30. I didn't, so I had enough time to photograph the best know monument of San Seba - stoney Conde Tower...
Just before midday I boarded green bus and we started to climb the mountains. If you sit just over the driver with the map such a 1,5 hours journey is like cheap excursion across the island. You will pass canyons, gorges, rain forest and little villages. The views are gorgeus! Gomera is so different! After almost 2 hours I reached my hostel Casa Escuela in Valle Gran Rey on the black coast. Very interesting day!
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Jan 11, 2022 10:00 PM Guagua to the ferry
Wake-up in the darkness. At 7 am I was alreadu marching to the guagua stop "Casablanca". For the historic reason Canarinos call the bus "guagua". So from the south airport area guaguas no. 111 and 450 goes to Christianos - a quite big city in the southwestern corner of Tenerife. I paid 2,20 euro to the driver for the 20-minute ride. He left me at the guagua station - quite far from the port and ferry dock. I was walking about half an hour with all my stuff - good morning exercise! Ferries (for foreigners) are expensive on Canary Islands. Imagine that for one- hour sail on the junk ship to Gomera I paid online 32 euro with a senior discount! Locals pay only 7 euro, and this is the honest price...
Sun was rising when I was embarking - they scanned only the number of my passport. The view from the deck was great: the port and Christianos town were bathing in the strong morning sun. Soon we departed enjoying the view of Mt Teide and jumping dolphins. Gomera was hardly visible in the mist on the horizon.
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Jan 10, 2022 10:00 PM Climbing Montana Roja
I started my long walk just after sunrise - at 8.15. Blue sky, no clouds! Using GPS I walked mostly on empty but bumpy gravel roads, passing many cacti and euphorbias. There were nice views of Mt Teide -the highest peak of Spain. On the southern side I saw Montana Roja - Red Mountain raising up to some 200 m just on the coast of the navy blue ocean. I reached the parking at the bottom at 10.30 and then the hike to the top took me another half an hour. What a view! Beaches on both sides. Looking east - coastal town of Medano - the capital of kitesurfers. Looking west - wide beach and fishng town of Abrigos. And the airport if looking inland.
I returned to my pension tired but happy (I did some 18 kms in total)
Great, sunny day!
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Jan 09, 2022 10:00 PM Tenerife Sur
The name of this pension is a bit strange: WiFi Tenerife Sur. It is inexpensive: 18 euro per room with shared bath and kitchenette. It is far from the beach but close to the Tenerife South Airport - walking distance 2,5 kms. So who stays here? Budget travellers like me, people who do not like the crowd and those from late arriving flights or departing early. But I met here also veterans: long-staying elderly, retired guys from Fance and Norway paying reduced rates.
The pension is located on the slope -with the nice view of the airport and the coastline. I can see many cacti covering the slope. There are other houses around - some of them surrounded by nice flowers.
What a difference comparing the snowy Europe! Today it is cloudy and about 19 deg Celsius. I expect sunny day tomorrow. :)
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