We're Back from the Grand

Dakar Skyline from the Ship
The cruise on the Grand Princess skirted 4 continents. We touched Europe, Africa, South America and North America, all in 22 days. Cruising does not let you delve into countries and cultures, but to flit in, take a taste of a place, whet your appetite for more, then go away to the next location. On this cruise, our appetites were whetted for more in Rome, Barcelona, Gibraltar, Pisa. However, I did not want to spend more time in Dakar, Senegal.

Dakar Market

Sand Painter
Dakar is the capital city of Senegal and from the port, it looks like an up and coming city.
Busy street
The high rise buildings that make up the cityscape are deceptive as they cover the poverty and unemployment that lies within. The sites and sounds of Dakar were grim and sad. I did not want to stay in Dakar any longer than the planned stop.

Grand Princess and the Port of Fortaleza, Brazil
From Dakar we sailed west to South America. Three days later we were in northern Brazil in their fifth largest city: Fortaleza. After seeing Dakar we were pleased to see a city that works. Not only was their a city scape to see from the shore, it was not hollow. It was filled with people and businesses working together. This relatively new city is thriving. We visited the Mercado Central, a huge six story market where folks were selling everything.

Mercado Central

Christmas Decoration

Jungle and Prison on Devil's Island

Church at Devil's Island

The next two stops were tiny islands: Devil's Island, which is part of French Guiana, and Dominica. Devil's Island is the infamous French penal colony. It was shut down in 1952 and most of it has devolved back into a swampy equatorial jungle. Here we walked the trail to the plateau where we saw remains of the prison and the village. On Dominica we had a gray, warm, rainy day to explore this pristine Caribbean isle. We found two islands that are not dominated by highrise condos and hotels.

Dominica from the ship
We had two more days at sea before landing in Ft. Lauderdale. After disembarking, we flew home where we are now. IF all goes to plan, we'll be here a few more days before we leave for Egypt. We definitely need more than a few days on the ground before starting another adventure, but that's the way it goes. We came home with colds, and if they are not better, we will not go. Watch this space to see what happens.