years

We boarded the P&O Cruises sailing around Canary Islands and Madeira with a previous cruise experience in mind – but P&O Cruises offered a completely unexpected holiday

‘I get seasick when I am on a rowing boat’.

Those 10 words from my friend Paul filled me with dread as we prepared for our first ever cruise together. He was a cruise virgin having always avoided a holiday on board a ship due to seasick fears and the idea of not being in one place for very long.

My last cruise was 25 years plus ago so we were definitely newbies as we boarded P&O’s Azura in the Port of Santa Cruz following a chartered flight from Gatwick to Tenerife. But we had decided to take the leap of faith in a bid to soak up some winter sunshine, relax and explore the Canary Islands and Madeira.

This kicked off with a trip to Tenerife’s Mount Teide where we were immediately hit by the contrast of winter underfoot and the sunshine hitting our skin. Following a bumpy and exhilarating cable car journey towards the summit of the 3,715 metre high volcano we emerged onto the crisp snow that crunched under every step.

Just minutes earlier we had been at the bottom among ashen, molten rock on a lunar landscape more at home on Mars or the Moon. Our guide explained that they had experienced more rain and snow than in many many a year, but this just added to the breath-taking scenery.

However each destination offers something different with a whole host of excursions available. Regular cruisers told us the excursions and the entertainment on sea days are what sets this cruise apart and we really could not disagree.

Our other excursions on Gran Canaria and then Lanzarote continued the theme of feeling like you are stepping off the boat onto another planet. We visited Timanfaya National Park on Lanzarote where a 40-minute bus tour takes you through lunar landscape shaped by eruptions towards the park’s Islote de Hilario where geothermal demonstrations wow the crowds of tourists and chickens are cooked on BBQs using the volcanic heat. In Gran Canaria we did a two-hour walking guided tour around the edge of a volcano where we again mixed ash, molten rock and thriving greenery before heading to a vineyard to sample local wines and cheeses.

Thankfully the destination days were separated by two sea days which allowed us to recover from exploring the islands and discover everything the Azura had to offer. It is one of the largest cruise liners in the P&O fleet with more than 1500 cabins spread across 14 decks which also include five pools, a gym, a spa, a casino, theatre as well as several restaurants and bars.

It meant there was plenty of opportunity for us to unwind and indulge – and there was not even the smallest of suggestion that Paul was going to be seasick . We spent several hours in the modern and well-equipped gym but it was the spa that was the real special retreat with an adult-only pool, jacuzzi, sauna and plenty of treatments.

The escape from the sun-kissed bustling decks was welcome before the highlight of dining and then on to more exploring – this time trying out the nightlife onboard!

When it came to food, there was an impressive amount of choice, but one must-visit is the sophisticated Epicurean which offers fine dining and makes you feel at home for the black-tie evenings. The dishes are not just beautifully presented but the taste was exceptional and the whole experience felt extremely luxurious.

Other highlights included Sindhu which is a stylish Indian eatery, the Beach House offering Caribbean and Mexican style dishes (which includes the stand-out Fillet steak served on a lava rock), as well as The Oriental featuring a mix of British and global dishes.

It was this variety – not just for dining – but across the whole experience which saw us converted to cruise enthusiasts. There really is something for everyone and something for every budget. You can mix fine dining and extravagant excursions or you can mix the buffet with exploring the islands yourself. You can relax by the pool and bars or head to the spa.

You can work out in the gym and swim or you can soak up the sun on the decks. You can try quizzes, the casino, sports and much more. It seems to be perfect for couples, friends, families, as you truly can make what you want out of the holiday.

In the meantime, I know for sure that I won’t be leaving it another 25 years before I board my next cruise.

Book the holiday

Prices for the Spain, Portugal & Canary Islands cruise (N617) start from £1,299pp, sailing 14-nights on a roundtrip from Southampton on 18 July onboard Ventura, based on two people sharing an inside cabin. Book on pocruises.com.

Commenters who never have been — and never will go — complain about the cost, the influencers, the hype. Purists wax poetic about the days when they disappeared into three days of music and the field wasn’t overtaken by brands like Barbie and e.l.f. cosmetics. Defenders claim they can camp their way to an affordable weekend, and others spend the whole time posting. A select few even talk about great performances they saw — it’s still a music festival.

But one thing everybody can agree on: Coachella has changed. I should know. I’ve been covering it as a journalist since 2007.

Rapid advancements in technology and mass adoption of social media have brought out the best and worst of the festival — not just on screens thousands of miles away, but to those of us trying not to trip over the makeshift photoshoot you might have seen on Instagram.

Coachella pre-2010 was a purist’s paradise

Some of Coachella’s most iconic moments happened before smartphones: The Flaming Lips in a human hamster ball in 2004; Daft Punk’s 2006 pyramid set; Rage Against the Machine reuniting and calling for the George W. Bush administration to be tried for war crimes in 2007. If you even had a cellphone when Coachella started in 1999 it was probably a Nokia brick or a flip phone with an antenna that had limited talk and text options.

In the early years, there were no brand activations on the field; nobody knew what an influencer was and the only corporate sign you saw was for Heineken in the beer gardens. (There was no Heineken House with its own stage, just signs advertising the beer.)

The grounds were also considerably smaller, making it easier to explore the different stages and discover new music. You didn’t have fancy food options, but a slice of Spicy Pie was less than $10. (Coachella upgraded its food options from festival staples to weekend outposts of L.A. restaurants in 2014.)

The music was the draw. The festival’s track record includes artists like the Killers, the Black Keys, Childish Gambino and Kendrick Lamar climbing up from small type to headliner on the lineup poster.

Livestreams and influencers made Coachella’s reach global

The vibes started to shift in 2010 as smartphones grew in popularity, although the service on the field was spotty. It was the first year Coachella offered a livestream — available via Facebook and MySpace. The next year, the stream moved to YouTube, where it remains and draws millions of viewers.

As Coachella expanded to twin weekends due to popular demand on the ground in 2012, it also had the first viral moment fans could enjoy from thousands of miles away: Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg brought 2Pac back to life via a hologram.

Celebrities were always at Coachella (I spotted Ryan Seacrest, Corbin Bernsen, David Hasselhoff and Danny DeVito in my early years), but the rise of social media made celebrity culture a key part of the event. By 2011, TMZ was posting about stars like Lindsay Lohan. Clips from Coachella went viral and ended up on shows like “Tosh.0” and referenced in “Community.”

The art, which was always part of the festival, became bigger and more iconic. On the growing photo app Instagram, larger-than-life sculptures of astronauts started appearing in selfies.

Brands saw an opportunity. American Express, H&M and Samsung launched activations on-site in 2015. The party scene outside the festival, with non-affiliated events that were timed because everyone was in town for Coachella, became marketing vehicles. Brands are still cashing in more than a decade later.

The next watershed moment was Beyoncé in 2018. Today, most headlining sets at the fest feel as if they are designed for the viewing experience on the livestream rather than the fans on the field (ahem, Justin Bieber and his laptop). But Beyoncé’s spectacle was just as mind-blowing on-site as it was at home. A year later, the “Homecoming” special debuted on Netflix, widening the reach.

Coachella became a key part of the pop culture landscape, and then it became a cornerstone of the influencer economy.

Behind all the hype, there’s still a music festival hiding

I inadvertently photobombed approximately 500 people just trying to go to and from the press tent last weekend and my inbox is overflowing with requests for coverage of off-site events with brands, celebs and TikTok influencers, including social media clips.

But at the end of the day, Coachella is still a music festival, and a really good one at that. The Strokes, David Byrne, Jack White, Iggy Pop, Turnstile, Wet Leg, Fujii Kaze and even Less Than Jake in the Heineken House were some of the best performances I had seen in years.

Coachella is what you make of it. And besides, everyone knows there are fewer influencers on Weekend 2.

Today’s top stories

A health worker administers a measles test on Fernando Tarin, of Seagraves, Texas, at a mobile testing site outside Seminole Hospital District on Feb. 21, 2025.

(Julio Cortez / Associated Press)

Increasing measles cases in California

• California in 2026 has already seen its highest number of annual measles cases in seven years amid an ongoing resurgence of a disease once considered effectively eradicated in the U.S.
• The re-emergence comes as vaccination rates have tumbled nationwide in recent years.

Testing LAX’s long-awaited train

• LAX’s 2.25-mile electric train system will begin running without passengers next week as testing advances following a series of delays.
• The Automated People Mover system began construction in 2019 and was initially slated to open to the public in 2023.

Nationwide recall of a popular anxiety drug

• Specific bottles of Xanax, one of the most widely prescribed medications to treat anxiety and panic disorders, has been recalled due to its failure to dissolve at a standard rate.
• FDA officials are not warning against consuming the product at this time.

What else is going on

Commentary and opinions

This morning’s must-read

Another must-read

For your downtime

Reporter Deborah Vankin gets a massage by an “Aescape” robot at Pause Wellness Studio.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Going out

Staying in

A question for you: Are you planning on leaving California for another state? If so, tell us why.

Laura says, “I left California during the pandemic. Part of the push factor for me was politics, but not blue politics. I had been living in OC since 2018 and was surprised it was so Conservative (and conservative). That became a bigger source of discomfort for me as the vaccine question demonstrated how our neighbors’ decisions can impact us directly. Rather than moving elsewhere in California, which would have sorted out the political discomfort nicely, I moved to a much more affordable state where I had family.”

Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.

And finally … from our archives

Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on April 16, 2017.

(Amy Harris / Invision / AP)

On April 16, 2018, Compton’s own Kendrick Lamar became the first hip-hop artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for music.

He won for his album “Damn.,” which the Times’ Mikael Wood heralded as Lamar’s graduation to pop superstardom.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.

Niall Currie has left his role as Portadown boss with immediate effect with two games of the Irish Premiership season remaining.

Currie took over as Ports boss for a second spell in October 2022 after previously managing the club between 2016 and 2018.

His last game in charge was Saturday’s heavy 4-0 defeat against relegation-threatened Crusaders in which Currie criticised his side’s “abysmal” performance.

Currie could not prevent the club from being relegated in the 2022-23 season, but he led the Ports back to the top flight at the first time of asking as they won the Championship title the following campaign.

They also reached the BetMcLean Cup final in 2024, but were beaten in the final by Linfield.

He then guided Portadown to an eighth place finish in their first campaign back in the Irish Premiership last season, two points off seventh and a spot in the European play-offs.

The club currently sit 10th with two games left to play, away to Ballymena United on Saturday and away to Bangor on Saturday, 25 April.

The 53-year-old has also managed Dundela, Carrick Rangers, Ards, Loughgall and Annagh United.

Huge crowds have greeted Pope Leo in Cameroon, returning to a country he visited 20 years ago as ‘Father Bob’. Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque was there, and explains how the Roman Catholic leader is transforming the church as congregations shrink in Europe but expand in Africa.

Kirsty Soames is one of Coronation Street’s most infamous villains before she was sent to prison for her crimes over a decade ago

Coronation Street’s Kirsty Soames caused plenty of drama during her stint – but what has the actress been up to since her exit?

Back in 2011, Kirsty (Natalie Gumede) made her debut as the love interest of Tyrone (Alan Halsall). The pair soon hit it off – and even went on to welcome a daughter, Ruby, together in 2012.

However, things took a dramatic turn when Kirsty started to abuse Tyrone, often turning against him in violent rages. The nasty police officer ended up lying and accusing Tyrone of abusing her.

However, during his trial in 2013, Kirsty confessed that she was the abuser and Tyrone was cleared of any wrongdoing while she was convicted and sent to prison. She nominated Tyrone to have custody of Ruby, and he told her he never wanted to see her ever again.

A year later though, she was referenced on the long-running ITV soap when she sent Tyrone abusive texts after leaving prison in 2014. Fast forward to 2021 and Tyrone was informed that Kirsty had died. It was claimed that Kirsty died from an aneurysm, and she was discovered in her flat by a neighbour.

And over on the long-running soap this week, Tyrone’s domestic abuse past was mentioned after it came out that Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce) has been abused by husband Theo Silverton (James Cartwright).

Talking about her decision to leave the soap, Kirsty actress Natalie previously said: “It was really tough, but I was ready to leave.

“I think it was a healthy time to go after such an intense storyline, but it’s surprising how a place kind of creeps under your skin, and I don’t think I could have wished to work with a better team so it did surprise me how emotional I was at leaving.””

After her cobbles exit, Natalie was in high demand. She appeared on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2013, and was partnered with Artem Chigvintsev. The pair lost out to Abbey Clancy & Aljaz Skorjanec and came joint second along with Susanna Reid & Kevin Clifton.

Her other TV credits include 2015’s ITV Jekyll & Hyde, Vera in 2019 and Netflix’s Free Rein from 2017 to 20192. Natalie also appeared in the 2022 Netflix smash Your Christmas or Mine? and it’s sequel in 2023, playing Kaye Taylor.

Speaking at the premiere of the movie, Natalie revealed it was refreshing to play the fun Kaye after always playing a “dark” and “sinister” character.

“Aunty Kaye is one of the my most favourite characters I’ve ever played. I’m always sort of the dark, slightly miserable character, a bit cold a bit sinister,” she said. Natalie added: “And so for the first time I could really just get my teeth into something where I could just be silly and have fun and I absolutely loved it.”

Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX

Anyone who has jumped out of a plane with a parachute deserves respect, but to do it 36 times, that’s worthy of a salute.

Saul Pacheco, who turns 88 in November, is sitting in a lawn chair at the Arcadia Invitational with his friends, the starters dressed in red suits who fire pistols to begin races.

That’s when he mentions how he was in the 82nd Airborne Division and jumping out of planes in the 1960s after graduating from Wilmington Banning High and UCLA.

“I was a jump master who became in charge of the parachute troopers,” he said.

Then he talks about becoming a teacher and wanting to return to his alma mater, Banning, which had no openings, so he ends up at rival Carson and coaching the offensive line for Hall of Fame coach Gene Vollnogle for more than two decades. Vollnogle was football coach from 1963 to 1990, winning eight City titles.

Pacheco also became a track starter in 1977. He was already well trained to fire a pistol. It was learning all the rules required in track and field that needed to be mastered.

He apparently did just that, because he’s been at it for 49 years and plans to retire as a track starter this spring. For 25 years, he was a starter for the Arcadia Invitational. Then he became the meet referee to settle any disputes. The respect he has earned can be seen in the way other starters appreciate him for helping them learn the ropes.

He’ll be inducted into the Carson Hall of Fame this fall for his contributions as a coach and athletic director.

His story is pretty amazing. He was one of 13 children. His parents apparently wanted enough siblings to form a football team. His father was a carpenter helping build minesweepers at Terminal Island for the Navy. His mother stayed home and took care of everyone. The first seven kids born were boys. He was No. 5. Imagine the competition for food at dinner time.

“Everbody came in to eat at different times,” Pacheco said. “My mother did a great job having stuff ready.”

But what about 13 children together for Thanksgiving?

“We had a lot of laughs. We all got along.”

Five of the brothers are still alive, including a 90-year-old. All three sisters are alive. One of his brothers, Henry, was football coach at San Pedro for 12 years. Henry was drafted and ended up in the Vietnam War, where environmental issues might have led to the illness, lymphocytic leukemia, that took his life in 1991.

Two of his brothers worked for the LAPD. Two other brothers became firefighters. He has a grandson who’s a deputy sheriff in Riverside.

Pacheco has worked five state track championships and numerous City Section championships.

Like an umpire in football who calls a holding penalty, the only time anyone notices a starter in track is when there’s a false start.

“If there’s a false start, someone complains,” he said.

So why spend 49 years as a track starter?

“The fun part is watching all the athletes compete and being around all the other officials,” he said. “The officials are tremendous and dedicated trying to do a good job.”

All this came out by just happening to stop by and say hello to the starters who are always pleasant and enjoy talking. Unless you ask a question, you’ll never find out about someone’s background.

So why wasn’t Pacheco wearing a red suit like the rest of his friends at Arcadia?

“I brought it just in case,” he said. “I was an alternate.”

Pacheco is always prepared, whether jumping out of planes or teaching life lessons to football players.

If anyone deserves a salute, it’s Saul Pacheco.