This has been my fabulous home for 21 days. They have fed me very well, entertained me throughout the day, taken me to 13 beautiful ports of call (New York, Rhode Island, three Canary Islands, three Azores, Spain, Gibraltar, and Portugal) brought me fresh linens and made my bed every day, introduced me to new traveling friends, shown me sunrises and sunsets at sea, and rocked me to sleep listening to the sounds of the sea every night. I will miss the NCL Sun!
Azores—Ponta Delgada Day 13 of our 21 day transatlantic sailing.
Today’s visit is to The Azores Island of Sao Miguel, one of the three Azores islands scheduled on this cruise.
The Azores are an archipelago group of nine volcanic islands located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean halfway between Europe and North America. The Azores are an autonomous region of Portugal, and some islands are a popular stop on transatlantic cruises.
I will visit the beautiful city of Ponte Del Gada, on Sao Miguel island known for its strategic location on expeditions from Europe to the Americans, spectacular Manuelian and baroque style architecture, unique engaging street art, vibrant botanical gardens, pineapples created in a unique and traditional style, lush countryside, famous crater lakes, volcanoes, hot springs, meadows where cows are grazing,
and breathtaking views of the island’s north and south coast lines. It has a population 67,000.
I will take a tour that includes a visit of the famous twin blue and green lakes which lay in the crater of the extinct volcano Sete Cidades.
We will also visit a pineapple plantation and a botanical garden where we will explore and learn about a unique species of trees.
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The Antonio Borges garden is a
picturesque public botanical garden in Ponte Del Gada in the Azores. The garden is well-maintained and features a broad variety of trees and plants imported from many different parts of the world. What a feast for the eyes!
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Ponta Delgada visit continued…
Sete Cidades and crater lakes tour in Ponta Delgada in the Azores.
We rode along the scenic coast while appreciating spectacular views, to the famous Vista do Rei viewpoint from where we enjoyed the marvelous view of the twin lakes which lay in the crater of the extinct
volcano Sete Cidades. Viewing the twin Lakes, one green and one blue, side by side, was the highlight of the tour. The calm of the waters make a striking contrast with the steep slopes of the crater, creating a fascinating sight. The striking green meadows were dotted with grazing Azores dairy cows.
I attached a photo I took of the twin lakes ten years ago, when it was sunny.
It’s very hard to type this with my thumbs as the bus winds down the mountainside.🤣
Azores—Praia da Vitoria in Terceira
It’s the 12th day of our long transatlantic sailing ⛵️ and we have moved our clocks forward four times to help prepare us for local time.
After just having spent 6 straight days at sea, we were happy to connect with land today!
We are in the Azores.
The Azores are an archipelago group of nine volcanic islands located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean halfway between Europe and North America. The Azores are an autonomous region of Portugal, and some islands are a popular stop on transatlantic cruises.
My cruise was scheduled to make stops on three islands to the towns of Horta on Faial (population 7000), Ponte Del Gada on Sao Miguel (population 67,000), and Praia da Vitoria on Terceira (population 21,000).
Due to inclement weather, we missed Horta yesterday but today we are in Praia da Vitoria. The population is only 21,000 residents.
We took a shuttle ride here and passed through many beautiful pastures filled with grazing cows. I took a stroll through the sweet town where I browsed the shops, had a coffee, and spoke with some residents. I even remember a little bit of Portuguese—Obrigade.
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