Around the World in 128 Days - Sea Day 1 of 3 heading toward Gambia

 

 Travel Day 116 - April 28, 2024 - 4,304 Steps

Another perfect Linda day as concerns the sea conditions, though the afternoon brought the occasional sideways jolt that threatened to knock you off balance for a moment. 

Kim's guest was Duncan, one the two historians currently onboard giving lectures, both of whom are really good.

Duncan's talk today was on the slave trade.

It was all about packing the maximum number of slave onboard the ship for the voyage across the Atlantic The Spanish and Portuguese began the slave trade, the British and Americans following their lead. But when Britain abolished slavery in 1833 they set about ending the slave trade for all nations, station a fleet of Royal Navy ships of the coast of West Africa.

David followed Duncan on the World Stage and talked about what transpired in Europe that changed the world.

The delusions of grandeur he inspired in the French people exist to this day.

The conglomerations of Kingdoms, Duchy's, Bishopric's. etc., etc. that in 1870 became Germany. None of my "German" ancestors came to the US from Germany, they came from these different places long before German became a nation, yet I still say my ancestry is German. If I said my ancestors were from Lippstadt everyone would ask, where's that? So saying they came from Germany is far easier.

My book of the day. We loved the movie, the one from Sweden with English subtitles, but the book was outstanding. A must read.

Linda's book, the second one in the series she has read. She really liked this one as much or more than the first one.