Trekking around the Canaries with Angela Merkel

We arrived at night and woke next morning to hear the familiar music of the fish van passing up the valley, soulful Latin American music issuing from speakers on the roof.

It was a nostalgic awakening, as the van wound its way up to the village where we are enjoying the hospitality of an old friend. Soon, the voice of the fish-vendor, grown a little hoarser over the years, called out the familiar refrain, “Hay pescado fresco! Hay calamares, hay pargo, hay moreno!” His recital still carries conviction, as if it was the first time fish had ever been brought up from the sea.

Some things haven’t changed since we first arrived and spent a year on this small Canary island of La Gomera in 1981. We have visited it every year since and have enjoyed many lengthy stays.