 |
| The Old Town as seen from the Fort |
 |
| The Old Fort |
Cidade Velha lies at the foot of a hill, crowned by the
Fortress San Felipe. The Fortress was built by Filipe I, King of Portugal and
Spain. The Fortress has been meticulously restored and offers sweeping views
over the Ocean and the little village of Cidade Velha, ‘The Old Town’ below.
 |
| Playing Chess under the trees |
 |
| The Pillory |
The Old Town was an important port during the shameful slave
trade years. Any slave, who survived the first leg of his journey of misery and
hopelessness from Africa to Cape Verde, would increase in value because of his
proven strength, and possibly be ‘re-sold’ to traders to take him to the New
World. Whilst here, any perceived disobedience on the slave’s part, would be
punished by being tied to a pillory and beaten. Said Pillory is now one of the
smallest monuments in Cabo Verde, however, it is one with the most
significance.
 |
| Shoreside Scene |
 |
| School is out.... |
 |
| Simple dwelling |
 |
| Village meeting place - the central tree... |
Life in The Old Town is quiet today. A few fishermen ply
their trade, some street vendors sell their produce, a few villagers congregate
under a tree in the main square to chat, visitors settle into a shady spot in
one of a few sea side restaurants/bars…there are no traffic lights. As a matter
of interest, there are no traffic lights in Cape Verde – period. One navigates
based on ‘courtesy’, which works most of the time.
The roads to and from the Old Town, as well as across the
islands, are well maintained and most of all, very clean. Littering is strongly
discouraged, and locals have civic pride aplenty to keep their islands
attractive and squeaky clean.
 |
| Praia Church |
 |
| Please don't shoot, you may sink the ship.... |
Even downtown Praia impresses the visitor, who expects third
world conditions, with its quaint air of a miniature metropolis and its
incredible clean city scape.
 |
| Praia Street scene |
 |
| Here too - slums on the hills |
Violent crime is extremely rare, even casual pickpocketing
is almost unheard of.
Overall it is a very pleasant part of the world, with
agreeable climate and utterly friendly people, not to mention the spectacular
landscape and Mediterranean style villages. I had a thoroughly enjoyable stay,
and would have liked to linger a little longer to give the beauty of the
islands their due.
 |
| Praia Light House before sunset... |
