DAY 104 - DAY 98 CRYSTAL SERENITY

WELCOME TO PORTO NOVE, CAPE VERDE

​We enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the Crystal Plaza.  When we arrived there was a Jewelry Fashion Show hosted by Jeweler Hubert and Manager Karen.  These shows are well attended.  The guests in the show were dressed very nicely and wore beautiful exquisite pieces of jewelry designed by Hubert and his team.  

These are the dinner menus from Waterside.
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We returned to Waterside for Dinner and enjoyed three courses.

We began dinner with the Andre Soltener’s Baked Onion Tart for me and Chicken Noodle Soup for Anne Marie.  We each had salads.  Anne Marie had Grilled Chicken Breast and I had the Grouper Fillet.
 
We thought the food was delicious and enjoyed  another wonderful dinner.

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The featured entertainment was The MacDonald Brothers who are from Scotland. They performed two shows.  We have seen them perform other times starting on one of the World Cruises we sailed.  They always electrify the audience.

We slept well as Serenity sailed to our next port of call and began our day as we often do.  Keith enjoyed a workout at the Fitness Center followed by coffee and breakfast in our room.

We anchored off Porto Novo, Cape Verde by 6:30 AM.  This is our first visit to this port of call.  When he spoke from the bridge yesterday  at noon Captain Birger noted that this is his first visit to this port.  Most people we know have  not been here before.   This is our last African port of the World Cruise.

​Porto Novo, Cape Verde is situated in the southern part of the island of Santo Antao.  The overall population is 9,100 residents.

The island of Santo Antao was colonized by the Portuguese.  This is one of ten islands that are part of Cape Verde.  Similar to some islands we have visited on this adventure and in the past, this island is divided by a mountain region running East  to West.  The northern  side of the island is lush with vegetation while the southern side of the island has  far less vegetation and typically dry.

Porto Novo is the second largest town of the island.  It is a simple town with a harbor, old mansions, a small charge and markets which sells a variety of dairy and seafood products.  

Highlights include:

Ribeira Grande which is the first European Colonial Town.  

Ponta do Sol which is the northernmost city on the island.

Fontainhas which is a settlement in the northern part of the island.

Cova which is a volcanic caldera in the east-central part of the island. 

Ribeira de Paul which is a seasonal stream flowing southwest to northeast.

Keith took the tender over to the Island while Anne Marie stayed on-board the ship.  The tender dock included a small Landing which had quite a bit of movement along with a bridge that also swayed depending on the tide.  

The best way to see the Island is by a tour.  There were several tours offered including ones by 4x4 and some by small buses which included seeing nature, highlights of the island and/or a lunch.

Keith walked towards the town.   The town consists of a few stores including a market.  He took a side walk part of the way.  When the sidewalk ended he walked carefully along the cobblestone road.  He also walked in the other direction.  Some people were selling food items and water.  A number of people were pulling suitcases having spent time on the Island on Holiday and they were making their way to the high speed ferry.  The island is clearly dependent on tourism.

Photos and video follow.  In one of the videos we are trying to give you a sense of the tender bridge/tender dock and its movement.

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Once Keith returned from the town we enjoyed the rest of the day on-board Serenity.

This included lunch at Marketplace.   Anne Marie walked inside the ship while Keith played Paddle Tennis.  Keith played non-stop with fellow guest Cindy, Hubert and Lieve enjoying fun games with lots of laughs.

This is the daily reflections program.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith

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