The idea to go to Cape Verde got my ex-husband. Looking for a place to go on vacation and celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary, somewhere we’ve never been, somewhere warm, he found, Cape Verde, or Capo Verde in Portuguese.

Cape Verde is a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean, an independent republic located 575-878 km west of the west coast of Africa. Cape Verde has a population of 556,000 and is the most politically stable country in Africa. The archipelago consists of 10 islands: Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal, Boa Vista, Maio, Santiago, Fogo, and Brava. They were once a Portuguese colony and the official language is Portuguese. The motto is “Capo Verde – no stress”. The most popular islands for tourism are Sal, Boa Vista, and Santa Maria.

I immediately liked the idea, since we were in Portugal and Madeira, another Portuguese colony sounded good. We chose the island of Sal and a hotel from the RIU hotel chain that was all-inclusive. The hotel had 4 restaurants, two swimming pools and its own long sandy beach, the water is clear, blue-green in color. We were there in March, the wind was blowing, so swimming was not recommended for poor swimmers because of the waves, but it was great for surfing. The average temperature in March is around 26C.

And so the adventure began. We headed to Cape Verde with TUI, a charter from Copenhagen. The flight takes about 7-8 hours.

The hotel looks great, two swimming pools with a bar. They are there in case the waves on the ocean are too big. Buffet restaurants, one with local specialties. Basketball courts, courts for volleyball and beach soccer, horseback riding and air rifle shooting. We both tried the last one, but I was luckier and won the women’s competition. I got a diploma that I keep as a souvenir and a memento of Cape Verde. The guests were from all over Europe, the middle class, intellectuals.

We played beach volleyball almost every day. Every night there was a different party, where you could, for example, dance. There was also a cocktail bar where we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary.

However, despite all the activities the hotel offers, 10 days is a long time, so we decided to explore the island on our own. The transport on the island is minibuses (Aluguers) where you can meet all kind of people. We met an Austrian doctor who travels the world in his yaht and provides medical help to people.

We decided to visit the salt lake, which is probably the most famous landmark on the island and is called Salinas de Pedra de Lume. Sal means salt in Portuguese. In the 18th century, salt lakes were used for the exploitation and export of salt. Now tourism is the most important source of income on the island. You can float in the lake due to its high salinity and you can also get a spa treatment with salt and mud. The water is a maximum of 1 meter high and you can’t really swim but you can float.

Our second excursion was to the town of Santa Maria, which was located near the hotel.

The third excursion was by plane to Fogo. Fogo is the most unique island of all the Cape Verde Islands. The island is essentially a large volcano and is black in color. Fogo means fire. As the highest peak in Cape Verde, the volcanic mountain Pico de Fogo is 2829m high. The volcano was last active in November 2014. You can hike to the huge volcanic crater, Chã das Caldeiras. The tour lasts 2-3 hours and includes about 1000m of climbing on volcanic gravel with a local guide and good shoes required. Chã das Caldeiras is the only place in Cape Verde where wine is produced.

The capital of Fogo is called São Filipe. It is located on a high cliff above a large black beach. The city is known for its Portuguese colonial architecture, old Sobrados villas and a colorful market (Mercado Municipal), where fruit, vegetables, fish and meat are sold. This is not a tourist market but a real local place.

After several active days, we rested with a massage at the hotel and a good dinner in an authentic Portuguese restaurant with local specialties.

I will remember Cape Verde for the victory in air rifle shooting, the diploma I received, the beach volleyball game we won, the huge waves, the beautiful swimming pools, and the trip to Fogo.