Day 8 Santa Cruz de la Palma, trip to the Canary Islands, 20th January 2026

A black beach, wow almost impossible to describe. It feels just like ordinary sand though the sea is saltier than in St Francis Bay. Michael and I swam and though cold getting in we warmed up quickly and floated around due to the extra salt.

La Palma is also known for its balconies, a whole street of these beautiful buildings with colorful balconies.

Our main purpose in Las Palmas, Spain 🇪🇸  while walking was to find a coffee shop with large cups thereby assuming they can make a large Americano or Cappuccino. The ice cream flavors are also great. Much of the history of the island is visible in its buildings, plazas and monuments.

Walking through the cobbled streets of this capital is a journey back in time thanks to the jewels hidden in every corner, among which is its famous Plaza de España.

The Barco de La Virgen is located next to the Plaza de la Alameda.

Nearby is the complex of square, church and convent of San Francisco, as well as the insular Museum inside and its interesting collection of fine arts.

The castle of Santa Catalina, represents the iron defense of the island against the pirate attacks it suffered. Finally, the cannons have recently been restored in the Castle of La Virgen de las Nieves, resounding every five years on the occasion of the Bajada de la Virgen.

Fortifications 

The black sand in Michaels hand.

Surrounded by mountains

Views from the top of a lift that due to the steepness of the terrain is needed to move people from the upper areas to the beach. We walked back to the ship after a full day and watched a really good comedian and went to bed.