…well it was raining.

The day started off well, despite the rain, as we climbed out of a wonderful barranca through prickly pears, cacti and palms. We met a man who had been out harvesting prickly pears with some wooden tongs, I curse myself for not engaging him in more conversation and photo opportunities. At the top we crossed the main road through the island and proceeded into  ‘laurisilva’  forest which is supported in the subtropics by the presence of moisture from rain clouds. These are a common occurrence in the central mountains of La Gomera. The growth of mosses and lichens in the trees is encouraged by the mist. The forests were magical but there were no views today and the cafe halfway was closed!  We traversed small cultivated barrancas including an area full of tall palms ……and popped out at the hamlet of El Cercado. It felt a bit like Morecambe on a wet day. We gladly dried out in Bar Maria, served rather glumly by ?Maria. But the watercress soup was delicious as was the tortilla, despite the fact she tried to fiddle us with the bill. Soon we were across another barranca

to the highest island village of Chipude and the famous Bar Sonia, our bed for the night. The hostale was rather smart with good rooms, although our shower flooded the bathroom. Sonia and her mum were on hand in the bar and produced a great supper.

Catch of the day, probably from the freezer, was TUNA in a piquant sauce.

It rained all night.