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Casting a glance at the picturesque bank of the river in one of the largest cities of Ukraine, — Dnepropetrovsk, from the height of the “SLAVA” monument,it is impossible not to pay attention to kinglike stark on the rocky reefs, among rich deep verdure of crowns of the trees there is a ship rushing its masts to a high sky. The legend, which hides that silent Explorer of the Sea, brings us to the ancient times.
The Great Epoch…Time of progressive minds and grand discoveries, the brave seafarers and explorations of new unexampled lands…The country on the edge of the Europe…Where mountains come to the sea, where almost every peasant at the same time is a fisherman,and every nobleman is a captain… -…Portugal.
On a remote august morning of 1487, the flotilla of Bartholomeo Diash at the head of flagship “San — Gabriel” forwarded from Lisbon to the East in search of seaway to India.During long months the navigators were following the African coast, overcoming the furious storms and gales. The ships were taken away by hurricane winds and the sailors were to get over many miles of marine expanses under the parching sun before the unknown part of African continent appeared… To the great joy of the seamen of the caravel, the finally got the memorable point, where to great oceans meet.
However, the unknown land appeared to be perfidious. Again the flotilla captured by bad weather. Merciless waives threw the ships from one side to another. The cargo boat was thrown on the sharp rocks with frantic power and it was concealed in the mist. It seemed to the sailors the end of their lives was coming. Only because of the Captain Bartholomeo’s skill and the leading helmsman Don Pedro’s experience, the team was able to find the safe way to the gulf. The remaining caravels approached to longed-for shore and и cast anchors in a fairy beautiful bay.
Moreover, there on the coast, to the gaze of exhausted by long sailing travelers, the unknown world of wild nature was opened. Sand beaches and endless savannas, exotic plants, unusual animals and queer variegated birds — everything around took the sailors’ breath away and made them to forget about all misfortunes and difficulties experienced on the way. Entering inland, the navigators met large settlement of black skin Zulu people, whose ancient culture developed in harmony with rich nature. Vivid way of life of the tribe, subordinated to incomprehensible cults and rites, captivated the explorers to the world full of colors, rhythms and acts.
But as beautiful the shore was, the time of sailing off came.Full of incredible impressions, the travelers turned back home, they were burning with the desire to tell about that wonderful country in the Homeland: about wild scenes of hunting of men from warlike tribe and about laborious needlework and arts of female natives, about round clay huts with reed roofs and about redoubtable sculptures of mysterious divinities on the graves of the ancestry…
That was how “the unusual and the great cape hidden from people for hundreds years” was opened.
After home-coming Bartholomew told the story of the journey to the King.Rejoiced at the news of possibility to reach India and other Eastern countries by shipping routes, the King named the very last point of Africa Cape of Good Hope. In addition, Bartholomew went down in history as first European reached the Southern extremity of Africa.
Creative Club Bartolomeo has the honor to offer you to sink into the thrilling atmosphere of the epoch of great geographical discoveries, to follow the route of an outstanding Portuguese navigator Bartholomew Diash and touch small parts of ancient African culture.
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