Ribeira Grande, a photo from Praia, Sotavento

Photographer's Note

What a beautiful village. Strolling through the alleys, looking around each corner, going up and down the banana street (so called because of its curve), drinking a coffee and live like the people of the Capo Verde islands. Don't hurry on these island, otherwise you got a smile and not more then two words: "no stress"

from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1310:
Ribeira Grande was the first European colonial town to be built in the tropics, and marks a decisive step in European expansion at the end of the 15th century towards Africa and the Atlantic area. Ribeira Grande was subsequently, in the 16th and 17th centuries, a key port of call for Portuguese colonisation and its administration. It was an exceptional centre in the routes for international maritime trade, included in the routes between Africa and the Cape, Brazil and the Caribbean. It provides an early image of transcontinental geopolitical visions. Its insular position, isolated but close to the coasts of Africa, made it an essential platform for the Atlantic trade of enslaved persons of modern times. A place of concentration of enslaved persons and the inhuman practices of the trade of enslaved persons, Ribeira Grande was also exceptional in terms of the intercultural encounters from which stemmed the first developed Creole society. The valley of Ribeira Grande experimented with new forms of colonial agriculture on the boundary between the temperate and tropical climates. It became a platform for the acclimatisation and dissemination of plant species across the world.

Budapestman, papagolf21, besnard, gildasjan, asajernigan, jhm, pierrefonds, jlbrthnn, ciakgiak, ChrisJ, Emile, paura, trekks, Angshu, shevchenko, Kielia, gunbud, xuaxo, Cricri, Amaz, jusninasirun, stego has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Jonathan_Tree (0) 2009-10-28 2:04

Howdy Achim!
Nice street, very nice houses, wonderful blue chairs. Excellent rock on the top. Good exposure. Fine frame.
Cordially!

Budapestman (82620) 2009-10-28 2:13

Hi Achim,
a splendid photo of this beautiful village, the composition is attractive, I like the peaceful atmosphere, the environment is amazing. TFs! Have a nice day!
George

mathieu_greg (354) 2009-10-28 2:14

Very interesting photo, nice perspective and nice composition. I'm not fan of the blue frame
Greetings from France
Greg

papagolf21 (132108) 2009-10-28 2:18

Bonjour, cher Achim,
Merci de nous faire voyager à bon compte ! Quel plaisir de découvrir des lieux si loin de chez moi !
Nous avons l'impression d'être sur place et de prendre conscience de la vie quotidienne des habitants.
Une image de qualité avec un sujet intéressant.
Amitiés.
Philippe

besnard (58908) 2009-10-28 2:21

Bonjour Achim
Un bon cliché claire et lumineux qui nous dépayse complétement. Il doit être agréable de s'arrêter à la terrasse un moment.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

Juzo (3686) 2009-10-28 2:28

Hi Achim,
what a cute lovely place. The framing is very neat and well captured.
Regards
Justin

Nicou (173340) 2009-10-28 3:02

Hello,

merveilleus perspecive sur ce maisons, de toute beauté, une emrveille, avec les tabes et chaises bleus, ce rocher qui domine le tout, ces beaux palmiers, sueprbe.

Bravoe t amitié

Nicou

snunney (123626) 2009-10-28 3:03

Hello Achim,
I have recently been reading about Cape Verde in a book about the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition, so it is very interesting to see a photograph to put it in context. I like the strong diagonal perspective and the tonal contrasts between the light colours of the houses and the dark greens of the vegetation. The blue chairs bring in another tonal element.

gildasjan (43826) 2009-10-28 3:50

Bonjour Achim
Une composition très bien cadrée surtout avec ces chaises bleues à côté de cette perspective clorée.
Bonne journée
Amicalement
gildas

asajernigan (21427) 2009-10-28 4:03

Achim,
This is a nicely composed shot using a nice angle to create depth and direction. The lighting and colors are fine as is the photo's sharpness. The green trees and mountain provide a nice backdrop for the scene.
TFS,
Asa

jhm (178982) 2009-10-28 4:50

Hello Achim,

Fantastic shot with the mountain in background.
Real a summer image through the palmtrees.
You chose a good angle, this gives nice perspective.
Excellent captured, good composed lovely presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

pierrefonds (84123) 2009-10-28 4:59

Hi Achim,

The diagonal line of the street is an asset to the composition. The houses are nicely framed by the palm trees and the mountain. The point of view is allowing me to see the details and colors of the houses. The blue chairs are an eye catcher. The good luminosity is enhancing the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

pauloog (11751) 2009-10-28 5:12

Heloo Achim,
Must be wonderful to sit down on the small terrace and enjoy a lazy drink. A fine scene, well composed.
Regards,
Paul

jlbrthnn (76039) 2009-10-28 5:57

Hello Achim,
Indeed, one sees nothing which could suggest the least stress, everyone made the nap:) the photograph excellent, clear and is very agreeably coloured. Cheer.
have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

ciakgiak (30) 2009-10-28 7:34

Hello Achim,
these are the places that I love so much, an enchanted and pure atmosphere. It's a really lovely vision, the houses are really nice and that little coffee-bar...
How much I would like living here for a time!!!
Friendly regards.
Giorgio

ChrisJ (140195) 2009-10-28 7:37

Hi Achim

The coconut palms add a nice tropical touch. Good colour, sharpness & framing. Excelelnt warm cold colour contrasts, between the red tiled roofs & blue sky. Tfs!

Silvio1953 (176024) 2009-10-28 11:58

Ciao Achim, beautiful view of lovely place with good natural colors and splendid perspective, very well done, ciao Silvio

john1 (4028) 2009-10-28 12:06

Hi Achim,

excellent framing and very nice view of the street.
Very beautiful colors of houses and good depth of field.
The details are beautiful and good sharpness. The rock in the background adds something to the composition. A masterpiece of presentation.
Good evening.

Emile (20352) 2009-10-28 12:07

Hola Achim.
I really like the composition, the different colors of the facades of the houses make a good contrast with the green of the forest. You were able to capture a good atmosphere of the tropics in this wonderful picture. Good sharpness, frame and POV.
Best regards.

paura (25320) 2009-10-28 16:10

Achim,
As pequenas casas e o ambiente que denota simplicidade estão muito bm captados aqui. Linda fotografia.

Abraço

Paulo

foozi (7101) 2009-10-28 19:32

Hi Achim,
excellent view of this location. The softness of this tropical scenery. I like the trerraced house in good colours.
well presented in excellent landscape.

regards,
Foozi

dvlazar (6662) 2009-10-28 21:03

You captured this shot well and show us a beautiful and peaceful looking village in Africa.
Well done

shevchenko (20560) 2009-10-29 21:11

Hi Achim,
Really a beautiful village with a mount as background, I like the silent environment, full in peaceful and relaxing feel, thanks for sharing.
Ally

Angshu (56760) 2009-10-29 23:21

Hello Achim
Beautiful place which spells calm and serenity...not a single soul in sight, chairs for an inviting customers, nice pastel hues of the houses. The hillock also creates a fine backdrop. Loved your note
Best Regards
Angshu

Kielia (24077) 2009-10-30 12:23

Hallo Achim,
Deine Freude darüber, sich an einem solch phantastischen Ort aufzuhalten, spricht auch aus dieser wunderbaren Aufnahme! Sehr schöne Perspektive und herrliches Licht und Farben. Ein sehr einladendes Bild, das große Lust auf einen Besuch macht! TFS!
Herzliche Grüße,
Harriet

gunbud (34066) 2009-10-30 19:00

Hi Achim,
Lovely tropical islands scene with the lush green mountains side looming over the colorful little village.
Love the palm trees and variety of colors to this quaint village.
Regards, Tom

xuaxo (6854) 2009-10-31 5:29

Hallo Achim,
The photo is beautiful, the light and colours are very good. And your note is perfect: on these islands no stress!
I'm sorry to point other mistake, but the location is not correct. This is not the Ribeira Grande in Barlavento region. This is the Ribeira Grande, also called Cidade Velha, on Santiago Island, which is an island of the Sotavento group (southern islands). You are not the first to make the mistake, because the TrekEarth database is incomplete. It would be better to choose the island, but instead we must choose municipalities (which TE calls "States"). But, they don't have the complete list of municipalities. In Sotavento they miss, among others, the municipality of Ribeira Grande de Santiago, which the main town is Cidade Velha (also called Ribeira Grande), which is your photo.
As the TE database don't list Ribeira Grande de Santiago, I suggest to put the photos of Ribeira Grande (Cidade Velha) under the neighbour "state" of Praia, like I did in my photo of it (Cape Verde > Sotavento > Praia > Cidade Velha).
By the way, if you want to see the real Ribeira Grande in Barlavento region, click here for a Leo's photo.
Viele Grüße,
Francisco

cfreire (11741) 2009-10-31 13:23

Hi Achim
This a very interesting capture showing this simple village plentiful of beautiful colors, contrasts and framing. The calm atmosphere well was captured. Wonderful job. Regards, Consuelo

Cricri (145760) 2009-11-02 6:44

Hi Achim
Très jolie ces façades de couleurs, la végétation sur l'arrière, le coin "terrasse" qui invite a la détente de ce lieu très paisible
Friendship
cricri

Amaz (11475) 2009-11-03 1:55

Excellent capture, Achim.
Very fine focussed composition and amazing colours!!

Well taken!!

My congrtas!!

MfG

jusninasirun (17529) 2009-11-04 17:50

Hi Achim: You are right about the beauty of this village. The shot depicts the not very well in very good clarity and details. Nice place to walk around and thanks for sharing. Best regards. Jusni

Velera (237) 2009-11-05 6:00

Hi,
a nice angel and good composition,
Greetings,
Velera

stego (24132) 2009-11-06 12:58

Hallo Achim,
It's not usual to see so much green in Cabo Verde, except if the island is Santo Antão, which is seldom seen anyway. It's a nice presentation of this sympathetic place which as a distinctive Portuguese and tropical mark.
TFS, Regards,
José

dkmurphys (75716) 2009-11-27 22:51

beautyful, exotic and quiet...the perfect place to live.