All posts by Katja Henke

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Freeze again under water

13. April 2015Katja Henke

We had arranged our first dive for Sunday morning and we met about ten o'clock at the diving base. From here we wanted to Divemaster Steffi with our together at the house reef “To the claw” dive, a particularly striking rock formation, the (amazingly) what looks like a giant claw.

After we had prepared our equipment and assembled, We marched down to the beach. After the long break of the diving, the unusually high weight of equipment pushed hard on our shoulders. It comes up quick with bottle and weights 30 Kilogram. But when they finally made it into the water, the weight is easily vergessen...bis it then after the dive back uphill to the dive goes :-).

The island of La Palma offers really beautiful and interesting dive sites with lots of different fish and other living things. Unfortunately, the water temperature is still quite sporty in the moment with 17-18 ° for my circumstances. The first steps in the water are the worst, wenn sich das kalte Nass den Weg in den Neoprenanzug sucht und findet 🙁

But the underwater world compensated us rich: A somewhat shy Burrfish (Emil), We have seen two beautiful moray eels and many other animals. Back on the beach, we found another one “Physalia”. Good, that we had not taken under water, This type of jellyfish caused the unpleasant and very painful nettle foundations.

It declined after the dive and the cleaning of the equipment for the first time on our SUMMER, denn Tauchen macht hungrig 🙂 Obwohl es sicher eine der wenigen Sportarten ist, When it freezes rather than sweating.

In the afternoon I was again alone in the city, We don't so much had considered by. On this gloomy afternoon, the shopping streets and squares were extinct as.

Everywhere in the streets, the posters already hung, them to the “Bajada de la Virgen de las Nieves” (the descent of the Virgin of the snow) pointed. This Festival is celebrated every five years on La Palma. 2015 was it again.

To the history:

1676 the island was ravaged by a drought. In that year the wore Palm Eros the portrait of Marie of Las Nieves in the city down, to implore the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. The religious zeal of the population saw the Bishop Bartolomé García Ximenéz, He ordered, that the procession off 1680 to repeat every five years.

On the last Sunday in June pilgrims in traditional costume wearing down the parts of the two-ton Silberthrones of the statue in the Church El Salvador, where the Virgin resides during their stay in the city. It begins with the Bajada of the throne in Santa Cruz Semana Chica, the small week, also a night parade is one of the, colorful at the children accompanied by a band and colorful lanterns through the darkened city wear.

On the second Sunday in July starts Semana Grande with the move of the mascarones, the Giants and convince, the well-known fairy-tale characters and cartoon characters represent. Since 1945 focuses on the Wednesday the Minuett, on Thursday, the indisputable highlight is on the agenda: La Danza de los Enanos, the famous dance of the dwarf.

The origin of this dance goes back on the Corpus Christi celebrations, the oldest known mention of dwarf dance of Santa Cruz de La Palma dating back to the year 1833. Don Manuel Díaz (1774-1863), Pastor of the Church of El Salvador, for his era a liberal-minded man and lover of the arts, made for the dance masks from paper mache. 1905 introduced the Miguel Salazar charge in that year for the dwarf dance, the transformation of people dwarfs. In the first part, the dancers occur first in an any Panel (as monks, Sailors, Japanese, Greeks, Astronomers, Pilgrim, Old, Students). In just a few seconds, the dancers are transformed into Dwarves and begin to dance the quick and rousing polka in the same moment, the since 1925 is played unchanged. Plaza de Santo Domingo from the pull the Dwarves and their Entourage through the crowd-lined streets of Santa Cruz, where they continue to dance throughout the night, seem to the rays of the rising sun on the masts of the vessel of the Virgin at the Plaza de la Alameda, the last scene of the dance to in 5 Years.

On the next day, Friday, in the performance of the Carro Alegórico (Car of the allegories) staged various Marie themes.

The Virgin of snow embarks on Saturday then, a terracotta figure from the 14. Century, from their about six kilometres away sanctuary in the city down. It appears ready to go in her litter and done with the most beautiful robes after pilgrims mass in the Renaissance portal of the Church in Las Nieves. On the Royal Road of El planto, the train first leads up to the Church of la Encarnación at the City entrance, where the flock of the faithful the night rests and celebrates, to continue the journey in the El Salvador Church in the city centre on Sunday.

Even before the Virgin of snow reached the city, the procession makes a stop in the Barranco de las Nieves, where the dialogue between El Castillo (the fortress) and la nave (the ship) takes place. The fortress rises above, on the left side of the Gorge, the ship of the Blessed Virgin (a replica of the Caravel of Columbus directed 1940) below is located in the Plaza de Alameda and the permanent symbol of the celebrations.

At the 5. August the Virgin in a pompous parade is brought back again until the next time in 5 Years.

It would have been definitely interesting, aber wir haben ja für den Juli bereits andere Pläne 🙂

On the Monday we agreed us first in the afternoon in the South of the island for scuba diving. On our way there, We visited yet the Cueva de Belmaco, a cave with engravings of the Guanches.

Arrived in Las Cabras we encountered Caro and Ronny of La Palma diving and also on the two other divers, that had made a dive in the morning. Johanna from Passau and guy from Belgium. We had decided against two dives a day, because it is really uncomfortable, to rise again after the break in the jerk and ice-cold wetsuit. It does so on the quantity, sondern auf die Qualität an 🙂

The dive itself was a pleasure again, only the one- and exit over the stony Beach was pretty tricky and slippery. Diving from the beach one has after whatever the problem, the sand, He sticks to the entire equipment, rid of them again. Since we rinse our equipment on the bridge before the boat with fresh water and then dry on the buzzer, is this sand Dietmar a particular thorn in the flesh. The when it comes to our SUMMER, ist Dietmar wirklich sehr penibel 🙂

At the end of the day, we drove together to the best "Hamburguesta"-Bude of La Palma and talked a little while before we let cozy bar.

Back on La Palma

11. April 2015Katja Henke

This time we were so landed in Santa Cruz / La Palma. The first night with slight rocking (because of the persistent swell in the harbour basin) had we survived. But this morning, we had to find, that there is a particularly telling argument for the harbour of Tazacorte, on the other side of the island: Dort scheint eigentlich immer die Sonne 🙂 und hier leider nicht 🙁

The day greeted us grey in grey and therefore we were until quite late on the way to Los Cancajos to the dive “La Palma diving”. The bus was easily and quickly there and shortly afterwards we were warmly received.

Vero was already on the go in the holidays, yet still some time for a common Cup of coffee was. The operation continues as usual of course during their absence, and so we arranged for the next morning the first dive on La Palma. Here, I wanted my new finally “Buoyancy compensator” inaugurate, I had bought in Tenerife. Annoyingly it had sold me in Germany a much too large jacket, that was me diving problems. Because when the steel cylinder (as. 18 Kilo) under water can make on your back, What does she want, is it not so easy, Depth and direction to determine reliably :-).

In addition we organized a car for the next days, to undertake further trips on the island. This time, we would explore extensively not only the underwater world, but also on land is still taking a few trips.

But haste with while :-)…. Once it went back to the boat. I tried to get my camera only, but Dietmar had probably already something else planned for the afternoon. Already this morning he had been conspicuously long on the first bridge. There is SY SOUTHERN CROSS:. A very nice and original traditional Sailer by 1930, on the road is under a German flag on the seas. So far he had can spot anyone on board, aber jetzt am Nachmittag war Leben an Deck zu sehen 🙂 Nichts wie hin 🙂

A little later we sat on deck and got a very interesting tour on the historic ship with gaff rig. Giselher and his Italian wife Alba have the spent winter in the Canary Islands, are at the moment on the way back to her residence on Mallorca. Die Beiden hatten wirklich viele interessante Geschichten zu erzählen 🙂 So ging der Nachmittag schnell und kurzweilig vorüber und nach einem leckeren Abendessen kehrten wir gut gelaunt auf die SUMMER zurück.

Here the diving equipment for tomorrow had to be prepared yet. Finally everything was packed on the deck it was already too late, anything on land to company. So we watched a video from our collection, before we passed us by this day in the bunk.

Bye-Bye La Gomera

10. April 2015Katja Henke

Amazingly we both had slept badly. When we heard the alarm clock, the US should sound at seven out of bed, were we already late. Somit waren wir auch um acht wie geplant startklar und machten uns auf die Socken 🙂 Wie erwartet waren Wind und Strom die ersten Seemeilen gegen uns und unser Motor musste wieder einmal kräftig arbeiten.

But we had hardly left the country coverage of Tenerife, an and our SUMMER turned a wonderful half wind ran over seven node direction La Palma. Once a school crossed our course far dolphins.

Also, I saw even a Physalia, a really fascinating animal.

Briste it until an hour before arriving at the port on and we recovered the mainsail, What did not diminish but our speed.

Thick clouds hung over Santa Cruz and a strong wind swept over the Harbour. Was für eine Begrüßung 🙁 Im Vorhafen machten wir die Leinen klar zum Anlegen und hatten dann auch im Yachthafen schon einen guten Platz anvisiert, as the harbour master cross back whistled us over the Harbour. Although we had written an email to the port in the morning and also via VHF on channel 09 called, only we but got no reply both times. But now he quoted us at the reception bar back. Bei dem Wind wirklich unnötig und kein Vergnügen 🙁

After the registration we got assigned to a box in the nearly empty Harbor and moved our boat. Since the port through the permanent existing swell is quite restless, were this time two shock absorbers used in addition. When we finished our SUMMER rocked out quite smoothly and peacefully on. So that we could live well. As the weather today not could motivate us to a further trip, There was a delicious dinner on board. Morgen ist ja auch noch ein Tag 😉 und da sind wir bereits mit Veronika von La Palma Diving verabredet.

Waiting “La Palma – Weather”

8. April 2015Katja Henke

Actually Dietmar wanted to keep our time in La Gomera as short as possible, but he had made his statement without the wind and that is it crucial for us. Yes, our next shock should go West towards the island of La Palma. Because we want to sail further from there directly to Madeira or Lanzarote to Madeira, had we decided with a heavy heart, not to sail to Tazacorte. Tazacorte is situated in the West of the island and would be a strategically awkward port of departure. That's why we wanted to control this time de la Palma Santa Cruz, this as you know is on the East side. Even though the city was very liked us, the Marina is missing but any charm. Also was always swell in the Harbour and the boats rocked even on windless days vigorously back and forth and pulling on the lines.

Die ungünstige Wettervorhersage bescherte uns noch drei weitere Tage auf La Gomera 🙂 Dietmar hatte sich schon morgens darauf gestürzt, all to clean out lockers, clean and reorganize. Loomed around noon, that I could probably no longer hope, to convince him to a trip, I set off alone. I had picked me out two hiking tours on the Internet and decided, the longer of the two tours today alone to undertake. Maybe I could convince Dietmar on next Thursday, to accompany me. Und da wäre eine kürzere Tour bestimmt ein gutes Argument 🙂

Since I had already missed the 12-o'clock bus, I promised myself a taxi to the starting point of the tour, the Roque de Agando. It is located right in the middle of the island. From here I wanted to run back La Laja above the village of San Sebastian. Tried the Canary taxi driver in polite small talk during the twenty minute taxi ride. He was totally unmoved by the fact, that I understood not even every 20th Word. I would really like, What a life story he himself had put for me together. In any case, a boat came, My husband as the Kapitan, but person even eight more in it before. Sehr merkwürdig 🙂

Once at the top but something was me queasy to mute. Good 1100 Altitude is below me San Sebastian. Hoffentlich hatte ich mich nicht wie beim letzten Mal auf La Gomera bei der Auswahl meines Wanderweges total verschätzt und würde mich morgen vor lauter Muskelkater wieder nicht mehr bewegen können 🙁 Aber jetzt konnte ich sowieso nichts mehr ändern. I marched so go and enjoying the great view. The path went though quite steeply downhill, but with the climbing Hermigua not to compare.

The weather was hot and dry and I progressed well in the sparse pine forest. The climbing on the uneven path awaited me this time at the beginning of the tour, later I would continue on a small country road. Das kam meiner Kraft und Kondition sehr entgegen 🙂

After nearly one and a half hours, the village came into view La Laja. Now, I could continue on a flat road. During my entire trek to San Sebastian, I not once met twenty cars. Over several reservoirs, Fields and lush gardens I came slowly back to civilization.

I found also this handsome detached house on the edge of my trail. Geschickter Handwerker gesucht 🙂 wäre wohl ein passender Titel auf der Verkaufsanzeige. Maybe I Dietmar should even suggest this new challenge.

After over five hours and strenuous 15 I arrived again kilometers at the buzzer. Dietmar had accomplished during my absence of miracles and vorbildlichst on front man brought back boxes. As a reward, I conjured up still a delicious dinner and then put the feet up in the Salon.

The next morning the drive I was missing something, very enterprising looked over the breakfast table while Dietmar. Spontaneously we decided, that he now would go diving with Andi, while I a domestic- and would insert the Office day.

Our last day on La Gomera we wanted to go hiking together. This time, with the 12-o'clock bus in the direction of Hermigua, we chose the first stop. Irgendwie ging es hier nur bergauf 🙁 – No matter where I looked. Well, now I wanted to show no weakness and strode briskly forward.

The route took us from a stunning vantage point to the next, Right at the beginning to the Roque Jaragan uphill and later San Sebastian neatly downhill.

Auf unserem Weg wurden wir genau beobachtet 🙂

As we in the afternoon after 11 Km in San Sebastian were on the marketplace, hatten wir uns den anschließend großen Eisbecher redlich verdient 🙂 Jetzt mussten nur noch die Wanderschuhe verstaut und das Boot seeklar gemacht werden. Tomorrow morning we wanted to go early, order to arrive more easily during daylight hours in Santa Cruz on La Palma.

Bye-Bye Tenerife

6. April 2015Katja Henke

It was somehow a funny feeling, today's tomorrow going to throw the lines and to leave the port. Because this time we would come back again. About La Gomera, La Palma, We would continue sailing Lanzarote and Madeira in North direction to the Azores. Hier wollen wir unsere Sommermonate verbringen 🙂

The Marina of San Miguel has become our home in recent months over a long period. A fixture, from which we had undertaken many of our island tours and traveled to Germany. Hier kannten wir uns aus und auch uns kannte man hier 🙂 Heute morgen hatten wir sogar unseren Reserve-Toilettenschlüssel, the we the last months just had remained on board, an dem Marinero zurück gegeben 🙁

Even the Atlantic showed that day once from its best side. Because after we were motort around the southern tip of Tenerife around, We had pleasant and also constant sailing wind from North-East between 15 to 20 Nodes all the way to Gomera. Ein wunderbarer Segeltag 🙂

Already at three o'clock we arrived in San Sebastian and made a short time later at the pier 1 fixed. This time we had a special reason, to sail to San Sebastian. Last week, just before Dietmar flew back to Germany, had he been wearing new glasses in order here. Or more precisely, even two. Because the optometrists currently has a very special offer: Eine Brille kaufen und eine zweite gibt es gratis dazu 🙂 Heute sollten die beiden Brillen also fertig sein. Let's see, whether the date despite Semana Santa would work.

But once we were faced with a closed door. The Canary shop opening hours are some getting used: 10:00 to 14:00 Watch and 17:00 to 20:30 Watch stood at the door of the optometrist. Until then we went to have a quick coffee.

Our second visit was much more successful. A pair of glasses was finished and was adapted from a fellow really very conscientiously to Dietmar nose. It took almost 20 Minutes: Put on – drop off – turn – put on – check – drop off – turn………..At some point she was then pleased with your work and we were allowed to go. Tomorrow in the afternoon the second glasses would be ready and could be picked up.

In the evening, finally succeeded Dietmar, to meet with Andi of the diving school. He had offered him in January, our two aluminum tanks to Exchange two spray bottles. While I peacefully stood under the hot shower, hatte Dietmar allein die Flaschen den langen Weg durch den ganzen Hafen zur Tauchschule hin und zum Boot zurück geschleppt 🙂 Stolz zeigt er mir die neuen Strahlflaschen, that would fit through the lower level also in our lockers now. Die wird er dann morgen auch sicherlich optimal darin befestigen damit sie nicht bei Seegang umfallen können 🙂

Happy Easter :-)

5. April 2015Katja Henke

More products from this week are in the works. Es lohnt sich die Tage nochmal vorbei zu schauen 🙂 Die Fotos habe ich bereits alle bearbeitet und sortiert und bald gibt es wieder neuen Lesestoff für Euch.

East resettlement in the clouds

5. April 2015Katja Henke

Heute morgen gab es dann das echte Osterfrühstück und die heiß ersehnten Schoko-Ostereier 🙂 (A little commerce must surely be :-))

Today I had convinced Dietmar, to go hiking with me. I had chosen a not too long tour extra, She was also a short route.

On the way there, we visited before a Canarian horse show, This had been particularly recommended to us. After two hours we had seen enough Canary jumping horses and headed by the Acker.

The starting point of our hike was Vila flora, a small town above of our harbour in the mountains. The higher we came, It was the grey and cloudy. But there is know no bad weather, but only wrong clothing. Dietmar had almost always his mandatory short pants and a T-Shirt. Hmmmm……Hopefully at least a jacket he had in his backpack?! Weit gefehlt 🙁

We parked our car and turned a lap through the city. For now just drink a cup of coffee and a bite to eat, then we would decide, was wir tun würden 🙂 Dietmar behauptete zwar heldenhaft, the cold and the drizzle would be no problem for him, We could go calmly walk. Ich fror aber schon bei seinem Anblick und das wollte ich nicht 🙂 So einigten wir uns darauf, walking a round at the harbour in the Sun. There are also very nice way.

So we shot a round to the Montana Amarille in the beautiful sunshine.

The captain is back :-)

4. April 2015Katja Henke

Da Ostern in Spanien ja einen Tag früher endet als in Deutschland starteten wir mit einem ordentlichen Osterfrühstück in den Samstag 🙂 Der Hefezopf sollte ja auch nicht alt und trocken werden, fresh it tastes of course best.

Previously I had been quite busy. Just in time to after 8: 00, I was short on the farmer's market in Las Chafiras, to meat, Fruits and vegetables to buy. Then I had extended even our rental car for two days, Since we had moved the planned crossing to La Gomera on Monday because of the prevailing West wind.

After breakfast we plundered Dietmar travel bag with all brought things. Yesterday evening, or more precisely this morning, we were both too tired for this. Only against half past one in the morning we were from the airport again on our SUMMER back. With the heavy bags came under other more spare parts such as z.B. Starter motor etc.. an Bord. You can never have enough on Board of.

Dietmar had missed yesterday the Spanish Easter celebrations. To enable him also an insight into the Spanish tradition, We drove to Guia de Isora.

In the small town, the passion of the Christ is traditionally represented with elaborate flower arrangements, distributed will be issued in the old town.

The creations were really beautiful and impressive to the part. We had much pleasure but with the accompanying Declaration sheets. While the English translation in our opinion was still useful and comprehensible, had the German translators come up with mostly exciting creations of set of.

Now it is seriously

3. April 2015Katja Henke

Easter has nothing to do with rabbits in Spain, Chicks or chocolate eggs to do. Here is celebrated the Semana Santa. This is the Spanish term for the Holy week, It lasts from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. Easter Monday is not a holiday in Spain.

In this case means celebration, that the entire week various processions take place see. The main processions are usually on good Friday. You are from “Hermandades” These associations (Fraternities) organized and conducted. Several hundred to more than a thousand people belong to any procession.

The processions are usually composed of the Pasos (Sanctuaries) with their carriers and companions, the Nazarenos and Penitentes ( Penitents) Music bands and drummers groups together. The penitents go often barefoot, wear long robes and are masked with the typical pointed hood, What is the anonymity of the Bußakts. (free by Wikipedia)

So weit die Theorie 🙂 Bevor ich mir persönlich ein Bild der spanischen Osterfeierlichkeiten machten konnte, wanted I bake still a Hefekranz for Dietmar. Ein bisschen deutsche Tradition muss auch hier in Spanien sein 🙂

So I went around 1 pm on the way to Adeje. According to the Internet research was the passion of the Christ in the old town of more than 300 Performers listed.

An impressive spectacle against a great backdrop, of the which I but got to see only the last part thanks to of the yeast braid. Schade, but it was unable to change. Also the Easter should go further, Yes.

After I had dated namely Sabine and Joachim of the SY ATANGA in Santa Cruz. Together we wanted to watch the grand procession in San Christobal de La Laguna. Arrived in the old town we soon met on the first Pasos (Sanctuary), followed by the a group of Büßern. Denen liefen wir erstmal hinterher 🙂 und kamen so an die Kathedrale, the start- and endpoint of the procession was.

Here we were able to secure us a place in the front row and so wonderful to watch the whole procession. Felt the whole town was there with. Young and old, Men and women. Everywhere hanging incense in the air and the atmosphere along the way was solemn and quiet. Even though I myself am not a particularly religious person, This upholding the traditions I liked better than the whole commercial with chocolate Easter eggs (Although certainly not entirely should be abandoned the :-))

Spring Cleaning

2. April 2015Katja Henke

When I was awake the next morning, could I see the chaos in the kitchen already from your bed. It looked like a lot of work.

All week I had diligently washed linen. Every day at least a machine. Not only our clothes and bed linen, but also curtains and the seat covers in the Salon shine again in new freshness.

Since it was very helpful, that our proven “Laundry Octopus” vor kurzem Verstärkung bekommen hatte 🙂

Three bags to store food in our Panry, must you really everything off- and again give. While you can clean the cabinets will also immediately :-).

But not only cleaning up today, I had made some creative work. On La Gomera I had make paper prints of many photos of the last year. So I wanted to beautify our bedroom.

From the many beautiful moments have I cobbled together a collage, jetzt seid Ihr alle immer mit dabei auf unserer Reise 🙂 Außerdem haben noch zwei andere Erinnerungen endlich einen festen Platz bei uns an Bord gefunden. Our “Hummel tile” from Porto found a nice spot in the pantry:

Und unser Kinderkunstwerk vom Capo Fincente in Portugal darf jetzt die Wand über meinem Kleiderschrank schmücken 🙂

Also, all wood surfaces were oiled and polished, Carpets vacuumed, Bathroom cleaning, the beds newly obtained, the closets ventilated and cleaned up and everything else, was man bei einem ordentlichen Frühjahrsputz so macht 🙂

Towards evening I but eventually got fed up and decided to, still a little trip to make. No ten kilometres from our port lies El Medano, a well-known surfing Beach. There I took my feet a little.

On the way back to the port, I stumbled upon a signpost, that led me to the Cueva del Hermano Pedro. The cave is the first Canary Saints is dedicated to. It is now right at the start- and Derrick of the airport. Some signal lamps are located in the Park of the cave.

SY CESARINA

A log of our travels