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April 19, 2025
Mindelo, Cabo Verde
Sunrise over Mindelo
Mindelo
Midelo’s landscape features “Monte Cara,” a mountain that looks like the profile of a man’s face looking skyward
Today we visited the second of two ports in Cabo Verde, the Portuguese-influenced archipelago off the coast of West Africa. Mindelo, on the island of São Vicente, is Cabo Verde’s second-most populous city.
Unlike yesterday in Praia, today we had a full day in port. The town is also just a short walk off ship, so no shuttle bus was needed. (Viking said it was about a 10-minute walk, but it was more like a 20-minute walk.) We had intended to visit both the town and the beach, but we ended up spending all of our time in the town.
We enjoyed sunny but windy weather. We saw street markets, colorful Portuguese architecture, and local sites. And we will have more sea days for the next two days.
The streets – and colorful Portuguese architecture – of Mindelo
The street along the waterfront is filled with vendors selling fish and produce
Yes, that is a monkey sitting on a bicycle! Gail (who doesn’t like monkeys) steered clear.
Another local woman carrying something gigantic on her head
A street market (where Russell bought a magnet)
Mindelo features beautiful Portuguese tilework all over
The singer Cesária Évora, who died in 2011, is a local celebrity. Known as the “barefoot diva,” she popularized Cape Verdean “morna” music around the world.
This building-sized mural of Cesária Évora is actually chiseled into the concrete wall
The Centro Nacional de Artesanato e Design (National Center for Art, Crafts and Design). The exterior is made up of brightly colored metal lids.
At the quai where we docked, people have decorated the concrete walls with records of previous cruise ships. While we were in port, crew members added a record of the 2025 Viking Sky World Cruise.
Crewmembers and guests were able to add their names. We are immortalized in Mindelo, Cabo Verde!
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