(Third of three parts on The Gambia and the Cape Verde Islands, jump to part 1, part 2, part 3)

Volcanoes, salt and slavery

When I opened the Bradt Travel Guide “Cape Verde Islands” (Globe Pequot Press; www.bradtguides. com), which I bought for an October ’07 trip, I was fascinated with one of the opening comments: “When we commissioned the first edition of this guide in 1997 it seemed an almost impossibly obscure destination.”

Even though 10 years had gone by since...

With difficulty, I tried to pull my backpack from the itsy-bitsy storage space under the seat in front of me. It was two hours into the flight and the passenger in front of me had reclined his seat. The rucksack just wouldn’t budge.

I got up, squatted in the aisle and gave the backpack another tug. Hurrah! Now I could get at the lunch I had so carefully prepared.

Most of us are aware that food is no longer served on many flights, in order to reduce carriers’ costs. This forces...

by Yvonne Michie Horn

The Vasa was a magnificent ship. Decorated with symbolic sculptures and carvings, gold leaf on her poop and bronze guns polished to a fare-thee-well, she was built to impress and strike fear as the pride of Sweden’s 17th-century Royal navy.

On a fine August day in 1628, with king, court and populace gathered, she was launched. Within minutes — sails set, flags flying, gun ports open for the royal salute — she caught a gust, heeled over and sank.

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