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This year it was the turn of our peña to organise the celebration of Santa Águeda.
The morning started with breakfast in the bar which means the ladies have a hearty bocadillo de jamón y tomate.
And here's Santa Águeda herself in the photo below, not in the church for the mass this year as the church is still undergoing renovation, but in the school room, where the service is held in the afternoon.
The ladies of the peña wear their traditional dress...
...and at the end of the service Santa Agueda is taken to her shrine then...
...around the village and back to the school room...
...where specially blessed pieces of sponge cake are given out as people leave.
To see my video of the mass, click HERE.
Also having being blessed during the service are the cakes which are then taken to the salón next to the bar...
...where they are consumed with cava and dancing ensues.
To see my video of the ladies dancing, click HERE, and to see everyone dancing the Conga, click HERE.
A highlight at this point in the proceedings is the singing of the Jota de la Torre where the peña join the musicians on stage.
To see my video of this event, click HERE.
As part of the entertainment, the peña performed 3 dance routines which were very well received.
To see the 'Mamma Maria' dance, click HERE.
To see the 'Jo 'n' Jo Tango' routine, click HERE.
To see the performance of the 'Cowboy Charleston', click HERE.
In addition there were two performances of sketches which were hilarious. Their explanations are next to the videos.
You can see the first by clicking HERE, and the second one as shown in the photo above, by clicking HERE.
And so, at the end of an exhausting day, especially for the ladies of the peña, it was time for a meal...
...and finally a chance to relax!
Because we had a late evening flight we arrived at the hotel after the restaurant had closed so we were given a special cold dish.
The following evening the restaurant had the Canarian theme for it's dishes - wonderful!
For all of the 3 week stay every day we had blue skies with a little light cloud at times.
Morning coffee time.
The influence of the local fishing trade.
This group of 4 acrobatic dancers performed each week in the lounge in the hotel and were very good.
They had some amazing moves.
Sunrise is always quite spectacular here.
The moonrise too was exceptional.
The full moon was tremendously bright.
Despite initially saying we wanted a 3 week holiday of doing nothing we visited 'Cocodrilo Park Zoo'.
This amazing place was home to many animals brought by individuals or seized by the government.
Visitors are encouraged to have a 'hands-on' interaction with some of the animals such as these miniature foxes...
...a python called Monty...
...and a young crocodile.
The mature crocodiles were quite at home bathing in their water area where we saw them being fed although they weren't that hungry as being cold blooded creatures they were more interested in dozing at this time of year.
To see my video of the animals and plants click HERE.
Sunset is another favourite spectacle and the views here did not disappoint.
Another sunrise, below, and at the same time the moon was visible in the morning sky.
A typical lunch on our terrace.
In the centre of Puerto Rico there are some wonderful trees...
...some of which are very architectural.
Yet another day out and this time to the garden of Monte Cristo...
...which houses a vast number of interesting plants and works of art.
Around every corner is a sight of a sculpture or other interesting piece which draws you through the garden.
To see my video of the Monte Cristo garden click HERE.
Back at our hotel the same cat we saw last year when we stayed here visited for a snack.
The parasols on the beach are very colourful with the blue of the sea and the gold of the sand.
It may be January but the plants here flower throughout the year.
Finally we flew back to Barcelona and met up with our good friends Maria and Juan...
...and enjoyed a meal in the hotel restaurant before returning home the following day after a truly momentous holiday.
