A watch-parrot at the Casa Creativa

We wave good-by as "Christina" slides out of the harbour. The Cape Verde Islands about six days ahead. Will we meet up with them there?

Meanwhile, it´s a beautiful clear sunny day, perfect. A rent-a-car day! Time to take a spin around little La Gomera. We wind our way up into the mountains, from one "Miradora" to the next, snapping shots of the deep green ravines, the towering "Roques". The last lava to leave the volcanos got stuck in the hole: a plug. Later, oh, maybe 17 million years or so, the rest of the volcano more or less eroded. These plugs stand alone, like monstrous trolls. Frozen stiff while marching across the deep ravines?

We´re on our way into Garanjonay National Park, in the middle of and at the top of volcanic La Gomera. The very top, Alto De Garahonay is 1,487 meters high. And an easy walk, 2 to 3 km from the road. Even the steeper short-cut is very civilized with steps edged with logs. At the top the view is spectacular. The mist to the North is at a minimum today, the sea hazy. So Mt. Teide at Tenerife is just a blue shadow, and we can´t even make out the island of El Hierro. But, no rain or fog at the top today; it´s a t-shirt and shorts sunny day at almost 1500 meters!
And who do we meet at the top - "Lille Blå"! The four of them, with girls 7 and 14 years old, have also rented a car and are touring the island, too.

For us the next stop is La Laguna Grande. A great place for kids, there´s a huge playground and fields here. But we choose the nature-walk and read all the signs posted. They tell us about the Fayal-Brezal woodland we´re seeing. Despite the green mossy tree-trunks we´re apparently in the drier southern slopes. Myrtle and Heather-tree (humongous heather!) like it here. The light on the forest-floor lets Canary geranium flower in spring.

So, on to Vallehermoso, Lovely Valley. Steep ravines plow through the mountainsides; the towering Roque Cano, head in the mist above. The hills are terraced with row upon row of tall, solid rock walls. An amazing feat. They make vinyards, banana plantations possible. They almost turned the island into an African desert, destroying the water-retaining "Laurisilva" forests. These incredible greenwoods, hanging with Spanish moss, the laurel, holly. They face the prevalant northeast winds and are semi-tropic rain-forests. They grab the clouds on their way over, shrouding themselves in a continual white cover of mist and fog. Making agriculture at all possible here.

Next stop, Agulo, down by the sea. A cosy, brightly painted village, narrow sleepy lanes. The town is like an empty film-set in the siesta. The occational cat slinking along on the shady side of the street, a dog barking.

Further on to Hermigua. The valley is terrased and the banana plantation reaches right out to the harbour. Up the valley we stop at the Casa Creativa for a cup of coffee. A definite ambience to the friendly café. Around back, down the steps to a patio, full of wooden verandas and flowers, we get a surprise. A squack, a CLICK-CLICK, a whistle. A parrot doesn´t let anyone by without some noisy display.

A watch-parrot, brilliant!