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Our fourth and final Canary Island port was the capital of La Palma. A green land rising steeply from the sea with a large caldera at it’s heart. Santa Cruz was also the smallest and most beautiful of the Canaries ports. In fact, port probably isn’t the best description, because with the Ventura at its mooring, there wasn’t much room for anything else other than some small yachts.
Walking through the town I’d challenge anyone not to be impressed by its elegance. Colourful buildings with wooden balconies overlooking cobbled streets, winding up and down hill, broken up by some small squares, the best of which is Plaza de Espana. This triangular square is overlooked by the Iglesia de El Salvador, a church built in 1503 with an impressive painted ceiling. Another side is dominated by the town hall building that dates from 1569, also with an impressive interior.
Although not as popular as its neighbouring islands, La Palma clearly welcomes tourists, but it has resisted the big hotel and resort approach. Indeed, the island’s topography probably acts as a deterrent; and certainly I think mass tourism would spoil the relative serenity of this lovely island.
Unusually for us, we only sampled coffee rather than wine, but sitting outside a bar in the main street we both agreed this was our favourite of all the Canary Island towns and cities we had visited.