Cape Verdes, January 2024
After three winters off, finally back in the sun and warmth while it's freezing cold in Germany. That feels good.
I decided to go to Cape Verde. It was already on the agenda last year, but was thwarted by a mistake on the part of the tour operator.
But now it is.
The island of Santiago with the capital of Cape Verde, Praia, turns out to be a beautiful tropical island to the west of Senegal in Africa. The constant sea breeze makes the temperatures between 77 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit very bearable and the strong sun is muted by lots of clouds. Very pleasant.
I spend a week relaxing, read 5 books and explore the surrounding area on three excursions.
The journey is surprisingly strenuous. Cape Verde was a Portuguese colony and is completely Portuguese. That's why you can only get there from Europe with Air Portugal (TAP). So the first flight is from Berlin to Lisbon. That's just under four hours and a one-hour time difference (GMT).
Then a 5-hour wait. The electronic passport control when leaving the EU in Lisbon doesn't work - so I have to queue twice.
Then it's on to a flight of just over four hours to Praia, the capital of Cape Verde on the island of Santiago. There is another hour's time difference (GMT-1).
I arrive there at midnight. In Berlin it is already two in the morning. The electronic immigration control doesn't work in Praia either. So I have to queue again, but the check-in is pretty quick.
The Pestana Trópico is a small but fine hotel in Praia. It has only 90 rooms, a pool, restaurant and bar. The hotel is located directly by the sea, but has no direct access to the beach due to the rocky coast.
I go onto a walk into the old town.
Beautiful morning light tempted me to the coast to see the sunrise.
I take another walk. This time to the lighthouse Farol de D. Maria Pia
I rent a small car and drive through the mountains to the north of the island to Tarrafal and then halfway back along the east coast before continuing the return journey south through the mountains.
Again very exhausting and overnight. The flight leaves at one in the morning. At six (one hour time difference) you are in Lisbon. From there the plane leaves for Berlin at about noon.
Once again the electronic passport control doesn't work and I have to queue twice in a huge rush. Then another baggage check with long queues.
Then I continue to Berlin. I arrive there again at around 4pm.
The journey is over and I'm back in cold Berlin.
It was a nice trip.
