Fortaleza Hidalgo - La Gomera 1901The old monastery shone brightly in the fierce noonday sun as the inhabitants went quietly about their daily routine. It was a simple life for those inside but at the same time, satisfying, they had never known anything different. The disparate collection of men and women were descendants from another age brought together through accidents of history and from very different geographies. They gloried in the small things in life recognising their beauty and true meaning. The pace of events was driven by them not others. Almost all were descendants of refugees from persecution principally from the notorious Spanish Inquisition. They had converged on the island, the farthest known corner of the western world, as a means of escape. This was a refuge where life
