 Entertainers on Phare Amadee |
The last time I was in Noumea, I was still in short pants. In fact the French colonial outpost was my first true overseas experience as I trundled along behind my parents on our P&O cruise. The fact that the brazenly opulent Pacific Princess was in dock on her maiden voyage was just another dose of nostalgia.
New Caledonia's maritime tradition goes way back to our beloved Captain James Cook who discovered and named the island during his very busy second voyage in 1774. Apparently the mountainous, heavily forested 16,000 sq km main island reminded him of the islands off the stormy Scottish coast. (Caledonia was the Roman name for Scotland) Or maybe he was just plain homesick?
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