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Many tour buses, many free shuttles
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We left the ship around 10 am with no waiting for the bus to leave to town. The ride was only 10 minutes, and after climbing a hillside, we were dropped off at the big white cross on the plateau above the bay. Built into the wall by the buses, were a row of ancient cannons, some of them pointed towards our ship, by the way.
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| Harbor boats |
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| old part of town |
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| Pastel colors |
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| The cross marks our shuttle bus stop |
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| A lighthouse |
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Old cannons
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We found streets made of cobblestone and sidewalks created out of tightly placed rocks. The grid of the old city fans out around a central square called Praca Alexandre Albuquerque. It is the gathering point for the people of this island by the name of Santiago. Cape Verde consists of several islands with Praia being the capital. We have to add that this island is not necessarily set up for tourists. The city of Mindelo, our ports for the next two days, is the tourist destination for folks that come here for vacation. They come mostly from Europe we understand.
We took our sweet time walking around the many streets, taking in the local sights. We saw pastel-colored buildings with iron balconies like you would see in Portugal.
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| Pastel-painted colonial buildings |
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| Narrow cobbled streets of town |
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| Hall of Justice |
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| Lots of traffic |
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| Building art |
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Portuguese colonial
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In fact, it was a Portuguese man, Diogo Gomes, that discovered the Cape Verde islands back in 1460. His statue was at the end of one of the streets facing the harbor.
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Diogo Gomes discovered Cape Verde islands
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Looking out at the harbor, we saw Santa Maria Island and the barracks of the military we believe. Gamboa Beach was down below, with many rowboats or fishing boats pulled into the sand. It's definitely not a beach for swimming. We have been told the water here is cold.
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| Gamboa Beach |
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Many boats on the beach
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Gamboa Beach
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We walked into the Se Cathedral Nossa Senhora da Graca, the local Catholic church. It was built in 1902, and has been well-preserved.
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| Se Cathedral Nossa Senhora da Graca |
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| Colonial Portuguese |
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| Church |
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| The altar with Lent colors (purple) |
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Parishoner
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The highlight of the city was the marketplace for fruit, veggies, meat and fish. Built in tight quarters, the locals were busy hawking their fresh produce and spices. The only way to get good pictures, was to squeeze our way in there with the rest of the shoppers.
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| The marketplace |
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| Very crowded for a Monday |
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| Nice looking vegetables |
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| Squash, cukes, carrots, and tomatoes |
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| Bananas |
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| One way to carry your purchases |
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| Fresh pork |
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| Tonight's dinner for someone |
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| Dried corn and beans |
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| A vendor |
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| Full tub.....sore neck |
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| Melons |
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| Ingredients for a good soup |
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| Locals buy daily |
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| Lettuce and cilantro |
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| Dried legumes for sale |
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| Salad fixings |
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| Fresh fish |
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| Many types of fish |
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| Seafood |
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| Bananas, melons, and papayas |
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| Corn and cornmeal |
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| Dried beans |
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| Tight quarters |
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| Eggs too |
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| Visiting allowed |
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| Waiting for customers |
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| Many kids there |
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| Bananas to go |
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| More food |
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| Sweet tomatoes |
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| Squash and peanuts |
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Meat of some kind
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Most all of the women pack baskets or plastic tubs on their heads to stash their purchases. They use a piece of cloth to wrap on the top of their heads, then they balance the tub on their heads.
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Ready for her head basket
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| Fully loaded |
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Can't imagine doing this every day
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A heavy bag of something
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One way to pack your groceries
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| More produce for sale |
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One heavy load
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By the way, most all of the local citizens are Creole, African and Portuguese mix. This island, as well as Santiago, where we will visit tomorrow, was used as a provisioning station for ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean for the slave trade. We are guessing that these African slaves were primarily sent to Brazil, since their captors were Portuguese. And it is the Portuguese who lived in Brazil back in those days too, and involved in the slave trade back then.
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| Locals selling sweets |
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| Shoe shiner in the park |
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| Two lazy dogs |
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| Local ladies waiting for the bus |
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| Out and about on the streets |
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| Typical store |
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| Balconies |
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| Old mixed with new |
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| Clothes shop |
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| Many babies |
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| Busy side streets |
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| Ladies on their way home |
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| Street food |
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| Need some fish? |
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| Waiting for the bus |
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| We have invaded the village |
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| Many taxis |
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Watching the world go by
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There were a few cafes near the center of town, but they were overrun with folks from the ship. They were really here for free or cheap internet. We had been led to think that absolutely no one would accept US dollars, but we found that was not the case. Now they would more than likely charge you more to make up the difference for cashing the dollars in at the bank. Although we never asked, we do know that many people were spending dollars here for taxis, clothing, food and beer. We did find a cafe that served a margherita pizza, but there were no seats available, so we passed. Another thing we took note of was the fact that many of the store owners were Chinese.
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Many Chinese shops
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| Praca Alexandre Albuquerque Square |
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| Love the colors |
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| Looks official |
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| A monument in town |
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| Winding road up to the plateau |
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| Palace of the President |
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| The flag |
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Soccer stadium
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Some of our friends rented a taxi for $50. for two to be driven to a nearby fort at Cidade Velha (old town), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The shore excursion department had put together a few tours to see this site for about $70 and $140 with a lunch. We decided that lunch on the ship would be better, since we do not eat fish. So we came back to the ship by 2pm, and ordered lunch in our room.
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| Hillside cement homes |
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| Much graffiti |
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| Built on dry hillsides |
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| Pastel paint helps the landscape |
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| Lighthouse marking the harbor |
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| Colonial buildings |
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| Their flag |
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| Downtown |
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| Bouganvilla does well in these dry conditions |
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Bouganvilla
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| The stop for the shuttle |
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| Praca Alexandre Albuquerque Square |
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| Diners nearby |
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| Sweet treats for sale |
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| Central park |
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| Ladies doing their shopping |
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| Busy central district |
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| Watching the tourists |
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| Entrance to the marketplace |
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| They have the right idea |
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| Walking is easier than driving |
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| Shopping is done |
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| Clothes and bras for sale |
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| Vendors come to you also |
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| A neckache in progress |
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| Local shops and buyers |
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| Waiting for the bus |
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| Strawberries on her head |
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| Selling stuff |
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| Fast foods of Praia |
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| Selling fresh fish |
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| Love the local dress....colorful |
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| The Church |
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| Strawberries looked good |
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| Many small cars everywhere |
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| Wall art |
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| Vendors in the square |
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| Ship in distance |
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| The cutest kids |
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| Central fountain |
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| Clocktower |
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| Tablemates Bill & Marianne |
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| Downtown |
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Work in progress
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| Bell tower |
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| Well-maintained buildings of the past |
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| The cross marked the shuttle stop |
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Back at the gangway
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All aboard was at 4:30pm, and we were sailing by 5pm. We do not think that we are very far from our next port of Mindelo. Attending the sailaway party, we noticed that the crowd thinned out quickly as the wind picked up and it got downright cool. Something we noticed that was most unusual, was that we saw no birds today. Not even seagulls on the pier. It may have something to do with the extremely dryness of this island. There was a 100 year drought here many years ago, and the island looks like a desert. Without a good source of information, perhaps the only water here is underground.
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Sailaway on-lookers
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| Ruins on the cliff |
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| Telecommunications building |
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| Three-masted sailing ship |
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| No gardens here |
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| Concrete housing |
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| Ship docked |
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| Blue home |
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| An unmarked monument |
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| Desolate looking |
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| The administrative capital |
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| Steep wind-cut cliff |
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| The harbor |
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| The cross is in the center of the photo |
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| Sailing out of the bay |
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| Cargo ship |
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| The pier looked fairly new |
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| Leaving the breakwater |
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| There goes the pilot |
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| Sailing around the island of Santiago |
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| The lighthouse |
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| Volcanic hills |
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| Dry as can be...little vegetation |
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| The old city with the fort above |
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| Very volcanic island |
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Dramatic peaks
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We had noticed that the Lido restaurant on the port side was closed to traffic from the pool and the elevator landing. It finally dawned on us that it was closed for the Passover Seder Dinner at 6:30pm. People signed up for this special meal last week, and we found out that it was fully booked.
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| View of the harbor |
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| The Atlantic Ocean beyond the harbor |
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| Dry hillsides |
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Pier buildings
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Margaret and Keith had gone to the Pinnacle Grill for dinner, but we had a guest, Sue, join us tonight. While discussing the gift of the Delft plate, Sue asked if we saw the blatant mistake in the map section dead center of the dish? No, we had not seen that Buenos Aires had been printed where Lima should have been. Gosh, they were off base completely, since Argentina is on the east coast of South America, not the west. Duh.....There would be more inconsistencies in tomorrow's newsletter.
All of our tablemates had come from the early 1/2 hour show in the Queens Lounge. The entertainer was Dan Horn, a ventriloquist, and very funny man we heard. Sometimes, they get it right with hiring some good ones.
It sure has cooled off. The weather today was completely pleasant. This evening, while taking our nightly walk, we noticed almost a chill in the air. We're not complaining either.
Looking forward to two days in Mindelo.
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| Gifts from the Captain's Dinner |
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| The infamous Delft plate |
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| Nice thought, but labeled incorrectly |
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| Cufflinks for the fellows |
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| Pendant (looks like soap-on-a-rope) on a leather necklace |
