Ponta Delgada Azores

Ponta Delgada Azores

After a leisurely cruise of around 900 miles from Lisbon, we arrived at Ponta Delgada to a partly cloudy sky and temperatures in the mid 60’s. While there were some very dark clouds in the distance, they soon went away and the day turned out to be great. For those who haven’t been here in a while you will be pleasantly surprised. They have built a brand new docking area that puts you a short five minute stroll from the ship to the main avenue of the city. It’s really a very nice facility and well thought out.

We didn’t really have any plans today so we hung around the ship for a while and didn’t go into town until 10am. We walked down the avenue toward the old fort and found the post office so Sharon could send off postcards to the grandkids. It’s about half the cost of mailing on the ship so that is what we try to do in each port.

We walked past the Praca Goncalo Velho Cabral which is the main square of the town. It features a statue of Velho who is credited with the islands discovery. The statue gazes out to the sea and behind the statue are the three arches of the city gates. Looking through the gates is the Largo de Matriz square home to the City Hall and Sao Sebastiao Church. Continuing along the avenue toward the fort, we found the local mini train offering various routes around the city. The cost is only 4.5 Euros per person for each of 5-6 different routes. Each one starts at a different time. We were there for the 10:30 historical tour. This tour took us around the old section of the city and down several of the very narrow side streets and around the lower part of the city. Lasting about 45 minutes it was well worth while to get a feel of the city for those who have never been here. We then wandered about through some of the pedestrian areas stopping at a small café for a local beer, and then another stop for postcards. After that we slowly made our way back to the ship and were back onboard around 2:30.

Next up is a four day transit to Hamilton Burmuda arriving there April 25. Some of the happenings along the way is a Mariners reception followed by a brunch on April 22, and a “Behind the Scenes” tour on April 24 of Deck 4 where the main galley is. We will see the galley, where the stores are kept, the pastry shop and other kitchen areas and where the crew eats. It should be quite interesting and I will try and get a lot of photos of the area and post them up online after our return.

I haven’t been very good about keeping up with the gifts that HAL have given us, so here is an updated list so far:

Very nice heavy fleece jackets
Umbrellas
A four port USB hub with a clock
Luggage straps and tags
An ID holder
A necklace and cufflinks
Journal Book

Cheers