All tagged Island
“People who know me know I love the various tastes of liquor, liqueur, wine, beer, doesn’t matter. Therefore, imagine my joy to discover that Madeira was on the itinerary during a 2025 springtime journey across the island groups of Macaronesia. But there is much more to Madeira than its famous wine.”
“Raise your hand if you think the Canary Islands were named after the bird. Yes? In fact, the famous yellow bird was named after the islands. Actually, it is said that the name stems back to… an expedition around 40 BCE led by Juba II, king of Mauritania. Juba II called the island group “Canaria” in recognition of the multitude of canes [Latin for “dogs”] of great size he discovered there. Now you know!”
“Cabo Verde lies in the Atlantic Ocean 320 nautical miles (370 miles) offshore from Senegal, the westernmost nation of mainland Africa. Despite its diminutive size and remote location, Cabo Verde has played some outsized roles in human history. For one, Cabo Verde was for centuries the first stop for slave ships leaving Africa bound for Brazil, the Caribbean, and the United States. That didn’t end until 1876.”
“Very few foreigners go to this unpretentious, tranquil town… It felt very off-the-beaten-track to us.”
“My original interest in visiting the tiny Pacific nation was driven in large part by curiosity about my father’s service in WWII.“
One of the most fascinating elements of Palauan culture, to me, is the language.
“While in Palau, I added to my lifetime hours of snorkeling by factors of ten. As a novice, I was in that delicious ‘beginner’s mind’ world where everything seemed wondrous.”
“This Pacific archipelago nation of 386 islands is world-famous for its underwater world of marine beauty and diversity.”
