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WHEN YOU think of the Canary Islands, you probably imagine Tenerife or Lanzarote – but one smaller island that’s a hidden gem is the ideal winter sun spot.

La Gomera, Spain, is known for its natural beauty thanks to being home to the Garajonay National Park, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In addition to the National Park, the island is defined by volcanic landscapes that are a treat for keen hikers.

And next week, the island is set to hit a high of 21C.

If you prefer a beach day, there are plenty of pretty spots including black-sand beaches.

When it comes to life on the island, visitors can explore a number of traditional villages.

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In San Sebastian, the capital of the island, you will find several Columbus-linked spots, as La Gomera was the famous explorer’s final stop to resupply and depart from Europe for his 1492 journey to the Americas.

For example, you could visit Torre del Conde, a 15th-century fortress.

There is also Casa Colon, which was Christopher Columbus‘ home and boasts pieces of pre-Columbian art and information about his voyages.

Playa de San Sebastian is one of the beaches on the island that features black sand, and can be found in the capital.

A recent visitor said: “A pretty promenade with plenty of seating runs along the beach.”

“The beach itself makes a positive impression. The water is calm and clean as it is protected from the port by a large breakwater wall.

“The nature of the beach varies between fine black sand and larger pebbles.”

If you want to spot a bit of local wildlife, you can hop on a boat tour from the harbour to see whales and dolphins.

Once back on dry land, there are plenty of spots to grab a bite to eat.

For example, you could head to El Roquillo Las Galanas where you can pick up empanadas for just €2.70 (£2.35) each and Heineken beer for just €1.20 (£1.04).

In fact, food and drink across the whole island is affordable, with the average beer price being around €2.00 (£1.55) and the average meal costing around €12.00 (£9.32).

There are plenty more things outside of San Sebastian to see and do as well.

One must-see spot is the Abrante Viewpoint, which sits high up on the ravine in the north of the island.

Instead of being a normal viewpoint, visitors ‘float’ in the air thanks to a seven-metre glass floor that overhangs the edge of the ravine.

The viewpoint offers great views of the island, as well as the Canary Islands more widely.

Los Órganos is another breathtaking spot on the island.

The unique rock formation has vertical pillars that look somewhat like the pipes of a traditional church organ.

In total, it measures 87 metres tall and 191 metres wide, with each pillar thought to be over one metre thick.

The formation was formed by a volcano and to see it, you have to head out on a boat trip where you will most likely see whales and dolphins as well.

To get to La Gomera, you will need to fly to Tenerife before getting a ferry to the island.

If you wanted to catch the warm weather next week, then you could catch a flight from London Stansted on January 14 for just £16.

Or head off on January 11 and return on January 15 for £38 return from London Stansted.

For the ferry, the more in advance you book it the cheaper it is, with tickets costing as low as £8 per way.

However, fares usually cost on average £33 per way, per foot passenger.

There are a number of places to stay on the island and you can expect to pay between £80 and £120 per night.

For more inspiration on Spanish holidays, one of the country’s most underrated cities is in the ‘Garden of Europe’ – with £17 flights.

Plus, from sea pools to hidden caves: Spain’s cheapest beach destinations this summer.

The ex-president’s wife says he fell out of his prison bed while sleeping and hit his head.

Brazil’s jailed ex-president, Jair Bolsonaro, ⁠fell and struck ⁠his head in his prison cell, but his request to go to a hospital was denied by the country’s top judge.

The 70-year-old right-wing leader fell out of bed while sleeping and hit his ​head on a piece of furniture, his wife, ‍Michelle Bolsonaro, wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.

“We ​are ‌going to the hospital. My love will ‌undergo exams,” Michelle Bolsonaro ‌said.

However, Supreme ‍Court Justice Alexandre ‍de Moraes denied Bolsonaro’s request to immediately leave prison for tests at a hospital in Brasilia.

The federal police said in a statement that Bolsonaro received initial medical treatment in the morning, adding that a federal ‍police doctor “found ⁠minor injuries” and saw no need for hospitalisation.

“Any referral to a hospital depends on authorisation from the Supreme Court,” it added.

Bolsonaro, who was stabbed ‌in the abdomen during a ⁠2018 campaign event, has a history of hospitalisations and surgeries related to the attack.

Citing the police report, de Moraes said in his decision that there is no need for Bolsonaro to be immediately taken to hospital. The judge said his legal team has the right to request ​exams for Bolsonaro, but lawyers must schedule ‌them in advance and provide information justifying the procedures.

Bolsonaro underwent a series of medical procedures ‌in December to treat a hernia and ⁠hiccups.

He was discharged from hospital on January 1 and taken back to the Federal Police Superintendency in Brasilia, where he is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a ‌coup after losing the 2022 presidential election.

Trading sports cards is a game of negotiation for Greg Petikyan. Within seconds, he talked to multiple vendors at Frank and Son Collectible Show last month offering the same card: a 2025 Panini Donruss Saquon Barkley Downtown.

The first deal consisted of a 3-for-1 exchange, with an additional couple of hundred dollars to sweeten the deal or a straight purchase for $460. As the vendor looked through his phone for the value of the cards he asked for, Petikyan told him he’ll circle back.

Instead, the entrepreneur offered it to Eric Mitchel, another booth owner, across the aisle and sold it. A rectangular cardboard collectible with the Super Bowl-winning running back in front of the Philadelphia skyline sold for $300.

What about the other deal?

“Too late,” Petikyan said. “I’ll still buy those cards I asked for.”

Customers browse and shop for cards at vendor Eric Mitchel’s booth at Frank and Son Collectible Show.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

Nothing personal, just business.

Trading and collecting cards, an industry valued at $14.9 billion in 2024, is estimated to reach $52.1 billion within the next decade, according to Market Decipher report. The sports memorabilia business, as a whole, is estimated to reach a value of $271.2 billion by 2034.

E-commerce platforms like Fanatics Live and Whatnot have turned business transactions involving the cards of sports legends into entertainment and helped grow the market. Heritage Auctions sold the most expensive card in August. The collectible known as the “holy grail” by basketball collectors was a 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant card.

The one-of-one sold for $12.932 million, a sum that topped a Mickey Mantle card that went for $12.6 million in August 2022. The Jordan-Bryant card is the second-most expensive sports collectible of all time, trailing Babe Ruth’s 1932 World Series Jersey, which he wore when he called his shot, that cost $24.12 million.

Last Friday, Heritage Auctions set a sales record for the year by crossing the $2 billion mark. The cards sold that day included a 2003 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Jordan-Bryant card for $3,172,000 — this one was not autographed.

The trading card business has grown so much, the ecosystem has created specialized markets within it. Collectors can chase a specific team; stick to vintage cards; complete a set of prints with mistakes; chase specific relics of their favorite team; or even just buy cards to resell them for the sole purpose of buying more to flip.

“I know for a fact, a lot of men like to show off their collection,” Adam Campbell, sports cards specialist with Heritage Auction, said. “People love to have good, cool collections,” he added.

The type of chase can change the direction of a business transaction, said George Peña, 53, another booth owner at Frank and Son, an old Sam’s Club that now houses more than 200 vendors selling and showcasing collectible merchandise three days a week.

Kids go into his booth and negotiate with him. Most of the time he doesn’t necessarily need a card from them but engages with them to give them the experience.

“Family members get all excited for them,” Peña said.

But when dealing with people like Petikyan, the stakes change.

“Negotiations are a little different with those kinds of people because they want to make money and we want to make money,” he said as he quipped with Petikyan.

Some collectors have turned into investors because the value of cards is so volatile. It changes in real time — it’s fast, unpredictable and relentless. The moment Dodgers designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani hit three home runs and struck out 10 batters in Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS, the value of his cards went up. But it cuts both ways — the moment Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase was indicted on federal charges for wire fraud conspiracy and bribery, the value of his cards dipped.

“The value of cards is not based on anything else, whatsoever, except for hype and buzz” Campbell said. “[It’s] entirely arbitrary.”

Vendor Marion Owens completes a transaction at Frank and Son Collectible Show last month. Owens has been selling cards since 1992.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

Collecting trading cards has been a part of the culture since Goodwin Tobacco Company released the first set of individual players’ baseball cards in 1886. The N167 Old Judge sets were inserted into tiny cigarette boxes to increase sales and to make sure the cards were not damaged in transit.

Since the tobacco industry started the trade, sports cards have endured changes through generations, each defined by specific characteristics.

The vintage era, before the 1980s, ushered in simpler designs, lower print runs and sets featuring the legends of all the sports. Then came the junk wax period, marked by mass overproduction that devalued the product. The current ultra modern era evolved the market into investments, scarcity, and digitized the business with websites like Arena Club, which repackages pre-graded cards as slab packs.

No matter the changes, there remains a common thread within collectors throughout the years: opening packages and feeling a bump of euphoria when a chase card, a sought-after item, appears.

“It’s the best feeling ever, imagine getting a $1,000 card for like 20, 30 bucks?” Petikyan said. “It’s like hitting a lotto ticket, but better, because it could go up in value depending on the player.”

Petikyan, 27 from Montebello, runs a page called Strictly Pullz on the shopping app Whatnot where he opens boxes and auctions the items within them. Any card pulled from a team that’s purchased by the individual will be shipped to them. On occasion, he inserts a card with higher value to hype a specific set.

To some, the business is intertwined with collecting.

“I’ll use some of the money that I am able to make on the business side, to add to my personal collection,” Mitchel said. “Finding items for the personal collection, I wouldn’t find if I wasn’t out for the business part of it.”

Regardless of motivation, pulling a card worth more than the price paid for will remain priceless.

“I just bought a pack and I pulled a card worth $1,000,” Campbell said, speaking as a collector. “It can change your whole day, and maybe your whole week, maybe a whole month or even a whole year every time you open a pack.”

But, collecting cards is more than just the value of each, Campbell said.

“Do this because you like sports, do this because you love collecting.”