Last night we fell asleep, a restless sleep in anticipation of arriving in Ponta Delgada. The Azores as Americans say it or how they say it in Portuguese, Acores with a little s in the c. From our balcony we gazed upon luxury yachts surrounded by a quaint city with mountains, whose peaks were hidden behind thick gray clouds.
I had booked a trip through the cruise critic site with 3 other couples and I knew we would be protected from the elements in a mini tour van.
We met up in the lobby of the ship and disembarked together. We found our driver waiting at the gate- a very informative man who spoke English well.
Our first observation was what an amazingly clean island it is. The roads are excellent and there was no debris on the sides of the roads. Just lovely flowers. They do have an abundance of hydrangeas but unfortunately they were not in bloom. Plants were everywhere. There were also many azaleas in bloom.
Our first view was an overlook at a whale watching site. The fog and clouds were very thick and the ocean faded in and out below.
We drove to the sea where there were giant boulders in the ocean. These had been deposited there from s volcanic eruption centuries ago.
According to our tour guide the country was under a dictatorship for years and buildings had to be painted white. In 1986 that changed and now colorful dwellings are found all around the island.
We stopped for a coffee break. I had a cup of coffee and we watched a local parade.
There was a beautiful church in this town and there are churches in every village.
The weather wasn’t fully cooperating but we were hoping to see the two lakes- one blue; one green at Sete Cidades. But the best vantage point is at the top of the mountain. We watched as the clouds and fog parted and revealed the lakes.
At one point we were all taking pictures and another van stopped but by the time they came over the view was behind the clouds. They waited for about five minutes and then gave up. As soon as they were gone the clouds parted and the lakes appeared. It was a vanishing act.
Santiago Lake was quite beautiful as well.
Our last stop around the countryside was at a 500 year old aqueduct. It was quite amazing covered in moss over the centuries.
Since visiting bakeries in foreign countries has become part of our travels, I couldn’t resist going into this place before boarding the ship.
Bruce had the donut which was filled with cream. Mine was a coconut filling. Both were fresh and delicious and all for a cost of 2.85 euro.
The streets were cobblestone and arranged in an elaborate pattern.
There wasn’t enough time to explore this quaint little city since we had to be back on the ship by 1:30. But we did walk a few blocks and I was able to capture the flavor of the city.
We really fell in love with this little island and would not mind returning to spend some more time.
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