Geoff Brock & Bruce Gamble
         
     
   
 
 
 
Sal:
 
São Vicente:
 
Santo Antão:
 
São Nicolau:
 
Brava:
 
Fogo:
 
Maio:
 
Santiago:
 

São Vicente: Mindelo
Monday 14th November 2022
 
 
Our excursion today pretty much followed the script (see above) and was a mixture of guided walks and driving in minibuses. Within our small groups, we visited places at different times to avoid congestion at any one place. As ever, things were carefully thought through in advance to make life pleasant for everybody.
 
Mindelo bay. Apart from lots of small boats, many bigger yachts gather here during trans-atlantic sailings.
 
Apparently stray dogs are everywhere in these islands. We were assured that they are all cared for and given food to eat. We hope that this is the case. Some of them looked quite thin.
 
"Aguia" (eagle) - a monument to the first air crossing of the South Atlantic Ocean.
 
The Mindelo Cultural Centre is on the left of "Aguia" - we visited it a bit later.
 
 
 
The fish market and the Torre de Belém.
 
 
The pier behind the market is very busy with fisherman offloading their catches.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Quintal das Artes is an open space for everyone for visits, rehearsals, cultural events and workshops.
 
 
 
 
Opposite Praça Estrela is this covered location, which only sells produce from Cape Verde.
 
 
 
 
The outdoor market at Praça Estrela.
 
 
 
 
On the other side of the road is a collection of painted tiles depicting the history of the islands.
 
 
 
 
 
Coffee break, with snacks and live music at La Pergola.
 
 
We can't remember exactly what was in these deep-fried treats, but we do remember that they were delicious.
 
 
 
Carved into the wall, this work is a tribute to Cape Verde's national treasure, singer-songwriter Cesária Évora, by the Portuguese graffiti/street artist Vhils. She was said to be the greatest voice of Morna, a music and dance genre from this country.
 
 
The Palácio do Povo (People's Palace), formerly the Palácio do Governo (Government Palace). We think it is now used as a museum, with some exhibits relating to Cesária Évora, but we didn't have time to find out for ourselves.
 
Municipal market
 
 
 
Catholic Church
 
 
 
A short ride in the minibus and we arrived at the musical instrument workshop.
 
We were given a short talk about how the instruments are made using the finest local and imported materials.
 
 
We were then treated to three short performances. It was a real treat.
 
 
The next stop was the Centro Nacional de Arte, Artesanato e Design (National Centre for Art, Crafts and Design)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Opposite the Centre is the Praça Nova, a meeting point for many local people.
 
 
Our final stop was at the Centro Cultural do Mindelo. We had had a busy morning. It was hot, we were a bit tired and we were looking forward to lunch, so we didn't give it our full attention, which was a pity because it was an interesting place.
 
 
A central open-air courtyard is surrounded by very large rooms, which appeared to be used as studios or galleries and could be adapted for a variety of uses. In addition, there is a proper theatre which seats about 100 people and has a traditional raised stage.
 
 
Finally it was time to get back on the minibus and go back to the port.
 
After a most welcome lunch and a rest it was time for afternoon tea!
 
A tranquil evening on the ship looking towards Monte Verde, which we had driven to the summit of yesterday.
 
Another quiet night in port. We were only due to sail at 6:00am tomorrow on the short crossing to Porto Novo, Santo Antão.
 
 
 
©Geoff Brock and Bruce Gamble