La Gomera is my favourite island closely followed by La Palma.
What makes these islands so special are the people. Both these island are small (hence have a small population) so everybody knows each other. As we were with the sailing yacht, we had to go somewhere to buy groceries or go out for walks with the dog. We saw the same people on the road, went to the same shops and markets in addition the capital of La Gomera is more like a small town. This resulted into making many friends with the people that live on the island.
The most surprising fact about La Gomera is how varied the flora is for such a small island. The amount of forest is surprising. Garajonay is beautiful: full of greenery (because of the humidity), whereas in other places - like Vallehermoso - are closer to the south of Gran Canaria. It’s the perfect place for a walk.
One of the most interesting towns is Agulo because it has narrow cobbled roads making you feel that you are stuck in time. There I heard Silbo Gomero for the first time - which is a whistling language that is spoken in La Gomera. It can be heard up to 5 km! I also liked Playa Santiago, one of the more modern looking towns, due to the fact that it’s small unlike Valle Gran Rey.
We stayed for most of our visit in the capital of the island called San Sebasitian which is stunning! It is filled with history; Christopher Columbus embarked on his journey to the Caribbean from there. The marina is also one of the best on the island as San Sebastian is protected by Tenerife’s Mount Teide which means that there’s normally no wind.
During our stay we also experienced a military show with supersonic planes above us. I hate them! If you want to get under my skin, flying one above me is the easiest way to do it - the noise is horrendous. I came to a small island in the Atlantic for some peace and quiet and not to be tormented by the terrible sound they make. You first see it, then you’re like “oh no”, to finally hear that deafening sound making your ears and head want to explode. I don’t want to see one (let alone hear one) again. They also had helicopters and a big fiesta (of course).
We also took the boat out to clean and paint it for the first time, leading to a wonderful surprise. It seems that the owners that had Mistress loved her to bits so she was in a splendid condition. The people in the shipyard were really nice and did everything they could to help us. We stayed on the hard for 2 days.
Overall, I quite enjoyed La Gomera. I can wholeheartedly say that it’s my favourite island of the whole archipelago. I would definitely want to return again.
