Mariner - Spring 2008 - (Page 8)

Sample Costa Rican coffee at the source. Costa Rica’s Magic Beans You can visit Costa Rica on most Holland America Line Panama Canal itineraries. From Puntarenas or Puerto Caldera, travel on the picturesque Pan-American Highway to the colonial city of Heredia for a firsthand look at the coffee industry at the Café Britt plantation. Walk through the coffee bushes with their vibrant green leaves. Savor the sweet taste of a ripe coffee cherry. Breathe in the tantalizing aroma of freshly roasted Arabica coffee beans. It’s a heady experience for any coffee lover. Our Panama Canal itineraries offer some of our best cruise values. They also call on many exciting ports from the Caribbean to Mexico as well as a daylight transit of the Panama Canal. Here are just a few of your choices: 15- and 18-Day Fall Panama Canal Seattle or San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale ms Westerdam: Sep 28; Oct 1, 2008 16- to 33-Day Fall Panama Canal Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego (or reverse) or Roundtrip Ft. Lauderdale ms Rotterdam: Nov 20; Dec 7, 2008 14- to 28-Day Winter/Spring Panama Canal Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego (or reverse) or Roundtrip Ft. Lauderdale or San Diego ms Statendam: Oct 25, 2008; Feb 6, 20; Mar 6, 20; Apr 3, 17, 2009 ms Oosterdam: Feb 28, 2009 Costa Rican coﬀee has been recognized as among the world’s finest for more than 150 years, but the world’s taste for caﬀeine is not the only thing these small red beans helped change. Coﬀee has also been central to the foundation of Costa Rica’s democracy. Coffee plantation Look for additional Panama Canal sailing dates, itineraries and savings on pages 26 and 27 of the Mariner Values section. To book your cruise, call your Travel Professional or 1-877-SAIL HAL, or visit www.hollandamerica.com. 8 A need for self-sufﬁciency. Coﬀee was first introduced to Costa Rica in 1779. In the highlands where coﬀee grew best, land was readily available, but there was no native labor to work it. This created strong social bonds between neighbors, and led to the development of a more cooperative and egalitarian community, unlike the large colonial-style feudal system of other Spanish enclaves. Route to the future. To support the coﬀee trade, an oxcart path was built from the fertile coﬀee- growing region up to 5,000 feet above sea level, to the Caribbean coast, where it could be exported to Europe. In 1871, railroad construction began along the route, uniting San José with the Atlantic port of Limón. The new railroad helped expand the coﬀee industry even farther, and San José soon became one of the first three cities in the world to have electricity. Many of the coﬀee barons used their newfound wealth to send their children to Europe for their education, and this new generation returned with progressive ideas, taking on positions of leadership in politics. This was in contrast to other Latin American countries where military dynasties ruled. An enduring legacy. Today, Costa Ricans enjoy a high standard of living, and land ownership is widespread. The country boasts a high literacy rate, a large middle class and a stable government that has functioned without an army for more than 50 years. And to a great extent, the country owes it all to those magic beans. Holland America Line http://www.hollandamerica.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Mariner - Spring 2008

Mariner - Spring 2008 Table of Contents Black Pearls of the Sea of Cortez St. Lucia’s Drive-in Volcano Alaska’s Prolific Wildlife How Coffee Changed Costa Rica A Traveler’s Guide to Holiday Shopping Malta’s Last Stand Colorful Residents of the Great Barrier Reef Introducing Our New Website, a New Mariner Society® Director, a Face-lift for the Ms Prinsendam and More The Best Cruise Fares Currently Available The Ms Eurodam’s New Tamarind Restaurant Your Guide to Holland America Line Savings 2008/2009 Sailing Schedule

Mariner - Spring 2008

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