Praia

After six days at sea, coming from Angola, we are finally at the Cabo Verde archipelago. Cabo Verde was discovered by the Portuguese in 1456 and was colonized because of its strategic location for a way point for trade. The population developed from Portuguese settlers, indentured servants from Europe, and immigrants from different African countries intermarrying to create the beautiful Portuguese Creole people and language. Cabo Verde became a significant hub in the transatlantic slave trade during the 16th and 17th centuries, and the island of Santiago was fortified to protect its trade and wealth from pirates. With the end of the slave trade in the 19th century, the island's economy crashed, and many of its inhabitants emigrated to Portugal and to the whaling towns of the United States. To this day, there are more Cabo Verdeans living in the New England states than there are living on the islands. Cabo Verde attained its independence from Portugal on July 5 of 1975 and is an autonomous nation. Today's economy depends on fishing and tourism.

Santiago Island is where the capital city of Praia is, and the most populous island. It is very dry with an annual rainfall of only 5 inches. The population depends on desalination plants for their main water supply, and most of the produce and grain have to be imported.

Our adventure for the day started with a walk through Praia. It was Good Friday, and because Cabo Verde is 95% Catholic, shops were closed, and it was very quiet except for the tourists. We enjoyed the stroll past the colorful buildings and through the town square, past the Quartel Jaime Mota, which is the military barracks, (intersting fact, every young man spends a year here, and the young women can volunteer) and out to the edge overlooking the bay. It is a lovely town.

Next, a short bus trip up the volcanic mountain, past their one green valley (there are springs there) and up to Forte Real de São Filipe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This huge fort protected the island from pirates and other nations who would have liked to take Santiago from the Portuguese. Despite an abundance of volcanic basalt available on the island, most of the stone is sandstone imported from Portugal. There were many canons that were from captured English ships. The view from the fort was spectacular.

A short bus ride took us to Cidade Velha, the first European colonial settlement in the tropics. The city is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was designated in 2009 as one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World. We took a walk up the Rue de Banana, one of the original streets, and up to the Nossa Senhora do Rosário church, the oldest colonial church in the world, built in 1495. It is still an active church, and while we were there, a procession of locals reenacting Jesus's walk to Golgatha carrying the cross came up the street. The priest was reading the Signs of the Cross, and the people were singing. It was beautiful. We quickly stepped down from the church and out of the way so that we didn't interrupt their worship.

We continued our walk down to the harbor, which is where the enslaved people were shipped out to the Caribbean to work in the sugarcane fields. There is an original pillory still standing where rebellious slaves were tied and publicly punished. It was completely restored in 1960, so the dark history is not forgotten.

There were a few locals selling their crafts around the square, and we were lucky enough to find the all-important magnet . Then we finished the day off with a local beer while we watched the kids diving off the fishing boats, climbing on rocks, and playing in the ocean. It was another glorious day.

À saúde! Cheers!Read more