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Showing posts from April, 2007

Country #62: Bom-dee-ah from Cabo Verde

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Following my stay in Lisbon, it was on to the island of Sal in the Republic of Cape Verde (#62 for anyone keeping track). Cape Verde is an archipelago of ten islands off of the western coast of Africa. As its name implies, Sal was once an important center for salt mining, but once that industry died off, they turned to fishing and more importantly,to tourism. I can't really say how well the fishing thing went, but I can tell you for a fact that you can't throw a Strela Beer without hitting a black sock and sandal-wearing, pink tourist. The majority seem to be German, with a mix of Portuguese and Brits thrown in, but regardless of nationality, the common factor is their overwhelming prevalence. I signed up for a day tour of the island, expecting it to be just myself, my friend, Javier and the driver so imagine my surprise when the guide showed up at our hotel lobby and escorted Javier and I out to a w

Country #61: I'm on a Portuguese Roll...

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Last post, I bragged about reaching the 60 country milestone. A scant 9 days later I got a chance to visit Lisbon, Portugal (a charter member of the "been there but don't really remember a thing" club of countries and now a proud #61). As with Switzerland, it was a short visit, but learning from my mistakes, I did things a bit differently. For one, I did one of my favorite things to do in a new city. I joined an organized walking tour, led by a guide from Inside Lisbon Walks , who not only was able to share with us the history of this lovely city, but who also possessed a truly enviable sense of direction. It's amazing how much time you can save when you do not have to stop every couple of blocks to pull out a map, argue about who is holding said map upside down or grumble in frustration as you try to refold the infernal thing. Having an actual live guide, as opposed to a book tour, also comes in handy when you have any questions about what you are seeing, hearing o