Tuesday – January 14, 2025
Today we arrived at the city of Mindelo on the Island of São Vicente in Cape Verde – a collection of 10 islands formerly associated with Portugal. Cape Verde gained independence in 1975. The featured image is our tour guide explaining the parts of the Cape Verde flag. Blue on the top for sky, blue on the bottom for water, white stripes for peace, 10 gold stars for the 10 islands and the red stripe for blood for those who fought the war for independence from Portugal. You can find today’s videos and photos here.
One thing I learned today was to take a photo of the ID name tag of our tour guide. I can’t remember his name – started with the letter “M”. I hate to call him “tour guide” or “M” (although he could be a big James Bond fan) throughout the text of this post. I’ll call him Mike.
Jan didn’t join Kelsey and I for the city tour of Mindelo – she was feeling out of energy and needed time to rest. Kelsey and I were in tour group 15 which consisted of us and 1 other person – a woman from Belgium who knew us because while riding in an elevator several days ago I had asked everyone where they were from. We got into our mini-van set for 14 and headed out for the wharf. Mike said group 16 would join us there for the remainder of the tour. Upon arrival at the wharf Mike explained how he planned to conduct the tour (using pictures like that of the Cape Verde flag), where he was from and why he was proud to be a Cape Verde citizen.
First stop on the tour was a public square a few blocks away that had some statues (which I didn’t include in the photos because I don’t know who was represented), places to sit in the shade and colorful plantings. A block or so away was an unusual building the top of which was covered with brightly colored oil drum lids. This was a center for arts that was not yet open for the day.
We walked to one of the main city streets that is used for celebrations. Along the sidewalk were plaques similar to the Walk Of Fame in Hollywood with the outline of a foot and symbols indicating that person’s contribution – music, art, writing, etc. The photo I included was for a musician – it has a microphone. This street had colorful pedestrian crossings and shown in another photo. Mike showed us how folks get made up for festivals held there. They originate from The Pink Palace at the end of the street. The celebration has a king and queen – similar to Marti Gras – and is held in March.
From there we went to an enclosed market. I included several photos showing the wares for sale and some of the people selling them. I asked people if it was OK to take photos – most said yes but one lady definitely said “NO”. We walked a short distance to City Hall where Mike explained the flag. Along the way there was a store front that I thought was colorful so I included it in the photos.
We walked a short distance to a Catholic Church established in 1862. I included a photo of the interior. Our destination after the church was the open air African market. On the way we stopped on the street that had a door decorated with a woman carrying a basket of mackerel. Mike explained that was the business that processed the mackerel used during a festival celebrating that fish. Mackerel is plentiful in the waters around Mindelo.
Mike explained that there are people from Africa who come to Mindelo to sell items in the hope they can raise enough money to leave for good. Most of these come from Mauritania which is nearly due East from Cape Verde. He said many flee the country hoping to reach the Canary Islands but die trying if the Atlantic currents change their route and they exhaust what food and water they have with them. Mike said boats with dead passengers are found on the shores of São Vicente all too often.
The open air African market was a lively place – lots of things for sale, lots of people hawking their wares and lots of people who appeared to be enjoying themselves. As Kelsey and I browsed the merchandise, we were frequently advised by the merchants that it was “free to look”. I noticed a little girl who seemed especially happy – she had just finished a bowl of cereal. we saw woven baskets, sand art, carvings and brightly colored clothing. We also saw people bringing fruits and vegetables using large baskets carried on their heads.
Next on the tour was the fish market. Our path took us to a spot where we could see MSC Magnifica anchored in the harbor. We were told to avoid taking photos of the faces of the fishermen up close so I snapped some photos of fish. It was not until today (Wednesday) that I was able to identify one of those varieties because the Magnifica’s chief chef knew it. He loves to fish when he is at home in Italy. He also said he bought 32 large tuna while in Mindelo that will be served as the fresh fish on Wednesday. I can’t wait or that – I really like ahi!!
Kelsey and I caught the shuttle back to the ship and once here went for a walk around the decks. They were very empty because people were either at lunch or out on tour. I did spy fishermen just below our balcony hauling in a catch in their net and dumping the fish in their boats. Looked to me like they caught some of those groupers.
Before the evenings entertainment I included a couple of the items on the menu and when stopping back at our cabin a quick photo of the lights of Mindelo, the moon and waves against the ship as we sail to Salvador, Brazil.
Next in the photos and videos are a series of clips from the entertainment – a band who covered hits from countries around the world. Several of them were in foreign languages so I don’t know the name of the songs of the lyrics. I’m sure you will know some of them. One of the people I worked with at U of I (Garret) will probably know them all. If he does, I’d like to get the names of the French, Spanish, Chinese and last songs (I have faith in you Garret).
The evening ended with a beautiful view of the moon reflected on the ocean and stars abound.
Goodbye to Mindelo and hello to 4 days at sea.
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