Last stop The Azores, Ponta Delgarda

Ponta Delgarda

Another surprise, but having no preconceptions, a pleasant one.

A bunch of small islands, collectively known as the Azores, in the middle of the Atlantic, we landed on the largest island, Sao Miguel.

The cruise terminal spilled straight into the town centre and was easy walking. A very pleasant stroll, albeit uphill, took us to the market which was distinctly split into three zones; a general fruit and vegetable area, a butchery section where there was a dazzling array of sausages both fresh and dried, and a few fish stalls where the elderly men looked as though they’d just landed their catch … there was some weird stuff that we didn’t recognise – a big long yellow thing for starters!   There was also an amazing cheese shop where boards outside advertised at least 50 different local cheese!  We bought a small piece of a local one called ‘St George’ recommended by the shop keeper, quite tangy but creamy at the same time.

 We stopped for coffee and the local Portuguese tart before wandering back to a beautiful harbour area where we had some lunch; Chris had prawn risotto which he said came second only to one he’d had in Italy, Mandella del Larion, recently.  I had spicey prawns which came in a bowl of just-the-right-side-of-spicey tomato sauce; the prawns were huge and juicy … oh my God, they were good!

As well as a market, we also like a wander round the local supermarket, they sell so many different things!

Unwilling to get back onto the boat early after a six day stretch, we stopped for a beer closer to the ship where the sea was crystal clear and we could see flashing silver fish swimming and feeding … and then these odd little black and red crabs on the rocks.  We got back on board at about 4pm.

I’m dreading the next three days, partly because home is within touching distance and I’m ready for a bit of terra firma living, partly because we have to traverse the Bay of Biscay which, if I remember three months ago, was a bit lively, and partly because the north Atlantic is not renowned for its welcoming and calm nature.  However, I finished blouse no 4.  I altered the neckline on this one and instead of putting a collar on, I just bound the edges to leave a cleaner edge.

Sea Days

As expected, the Atlantic did hateful things to my inner ears, and I currently stagger like a drunk.  The sea sickness tablets are good but of course they put me to sleep so I’m stuck between a sick-and-a-sleepy place!

The weather is definitely becoming more British, the drizzle, mist and cool temperatures are a reminder of home.  There are a few die-hards still in shorts, but the majority of people are now in long trousers … all tans hidden!

We have our final black-tie night tonight, but this is a photo from our last one.  We are hopeless at selfies and usually find ourselves giggly stupidly because it’s either all sky, Chris’s head or my double-chin … we may have found a good compromise with this one but only because some poor soul took pity on us and took it for us!

We caught this nutter doing a bit of maintenance work in the middle of the Atlantic the other day … hanging off the side of the ship trying to replace or repair a sticker on the life boat!