Happy Columbus Day!

Categories

When I was a child, Christopher Columbus was universally considered a hero.

Revisionist history has since attempted to first denigrate and subsequently demonize this intrepid explorer at United States universities, with the views filtering down to elementary schools as intended.  Then again, it is always easy to sit on the sidelines and snipe at those who accomplish great things.

One truth that few acknowledge is that Columbus never set foot on the mainland of North American.  

He first landed in what was probably an island in the Bahamas and explored other Caribbean islands.

If nothing else, Columbus should get credited for the first Caribbean cruises, beating Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Lines to the punch by almost five centuries.

In Europe, Columbus remains one of their stars. 

Italy takes pride in this native son.

Portugal takes credit for training him.

And Spain, of course, had the vision to finance his epoch voyages.

By the way, it was Queen Isabella, not King Ferdinand, who put up the funds for Columbus, so these revisionists intent on eliminating Columbus Day obviously hate the accomplishments of strong women.

Would you like to follow in the wake of Columbus?

You don't need to seek a new route to the East Indies.  All you need to do is book a Caribbean cruise!

And you might find the sailing isn't quite as tough as it was for Christopher Columbus.