The Azores

Ted. The Azores are a collection of nine volcanic islands that lie near the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 900 miles west of Portugal. 

The islands were uninhabited until they were discovered by the Portuguese in 1427 and have remained an autonomous region of that country ever since. 

Judy and I have always dreamed of visiting this remote place and finally had a chance during a stop on this cruise. We were filled with anticipatory pleasure on October 24 as we steamed along the shore of São Miguel Island to anchor in the harbor of Ponta Delgada, the largest city and capital of the Azores. 

It’s a fairly small town with just about 67,000 residents and it was immediately obvious from the architecture that the islands are part of Portugal. We had a nice walk around the town and explored a church, the fort and climbed a bell tower in the town hall to see the view. 

The Emigrants

The steps up the bell tower were the size of my feet!

But the view was worth it

We wandered around the city market and had lunch at a nearby café that catered to the locals. They found a table for us in the back and we enjoyed some delicious grilled tuna that had probably been caught that day. 

We notice that a number of tourists were there for an extended stay. Perhaps we will return one day. In the meanwhile, it was fun to get just a taste of the Azores.

Porto, Portugal

Ted. On our 2012 trip to Spain we also spent time in Portugal, which included a visit to Porto. So when we found out that this cruise included a stop there, we knew that we could simply relax rather than race around to see all of the sights. We chose to wander the neighborhood of Ribeira, which is the where the town was first born. 

Ribeira is along the river at the base of the hill

This was also where Prince Henry the Navigator was born. We saw lots of old tiled houses as we walked along the Duoro River. 

This street happens to be on the Portuguese Camino de Santiago, as witnessed by the yellow arrows and pilgrims that we saw. We wished them all well with the traditional Spanish greeting, “Buen Camino!” 

We hope this young Ukrainian couple find peace on their walk

After strolling  across the lower level of the famous Luis I bridge, we made our way to Gaia, the community across the river from Porto and home to all of the wineries. 

Gaia as seen from Ribeira

We proceeded up the hill to a new tourist attraction called the World of Wine. This cool complex built in repurposed warehouses, has 6 museums, a wine school, several restaurants, shops and event spaces. There is also a great terrace from which one can look across the Duoro to Porto. 

Judy and I paused for a little refreshment at a place with the clever name the Root & Vine. At the server’s recommendation, we tried a light cocktail called a Pale, which is a mix of white port and tonic water with a slice of orange. It really hit the spot and we have made a point to find some white port when we return to Georgia. 

We did have another reason for visiting Gaia that day. On our previous trip to Porto we had purchased a bottle of vintage 1977 port wine. Not only was this a 35 year old classic vintage of a very nice wine, 1977 was also the year that Judy and I were married. Since port is a “fortified” wine, one can drink an open bottle for years. We decided to have a small glass of this delicious beverage every year on our anniversary. 

Alas, that wine is long gone so we needed to buy a replacement. A few months ago I emailed the Fonseca winery in Porto to make arrangements to pick up another bottle of the 1977 during our short stop there. She kindly responded that they did not have any wine that old and that the oldest one available was a 1985. When it dawned on me that this wine would actually be older than the one we originally bought, I asked her to set one aside for us. True to her word, on arrival at Fonseca, she was waiting with a smile and our precious souvenir of Porto.

Vigo, Spain

Ted. Our transatlantic cruise aboard the Celebrity Apex left Southampton on October 19. After a day at sea we docked at Vigo, Spain. 

We shared the port with the Queen Victoria

Judy and I had visited this city in the northwest corner of Spain back in 2012. This region is called Galicia and is known as “the Ireland of Spain.” Centuries ago, it was home to Celtic tribes and, like Ireland, it is cool, rainy and very green. The famous pilgrim destination of Santiago de Compostela is also in Galicia and not far from Vigo. 

On our brief visit this time, we were looking forward to the popular local white wine called Albariño as well as some of the incredible shellfish that is found in abundance in the local fjords, which are known as rias. The weather was typical - cycles of drizzle followed by sunshine and then a quick downpour. The downtown is not big so it didn’t take long to walk the market and step inside a church or two. 

One famous visitor, Jules Verne, is commemorated by a statue funded by a group of women entrepreneurs. The octopus is a reference to a chapter of his novel, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea which is titled “The Bay of Vigo.” 

We found a restaurant that had Albariño plus all of the dishes we craved and settle down to enjoy several local items; razor clams, Padron peppers, grilled prawns and a rare delicacy - goose necked barnacles. These tiny critters, known in Spanish as percebes, are lightly steamed with a bay leaf. They look like alien life forms but, once you figure out how to extract the meat, provide an incredible taste something like the ocean itself. If you watch any YouTube video on the challenges of harvesting them, you’ll see why they are the most expensive seafood in Europe. 

It was a fun day enjoying something that can only be found along the rocky coast of Spain and Portugal.

Percebes - Ugly, pricey and yummy!

Salisbury

Judy. As careful as Ted is in planning our travel, every now and then a monkey wrench gets into the works. We were having a quiet morning coffee in our room when he suddenly said, “Uh, oh. Uh oh, JUDY! Our Eurostar train was cancelled!” It looked like there were no options at our price range for the next two days—and we had a cruise to catch. We quickly decided that we’d have to upgrade to a ridiculous charge, threw our bags in an Uber and headed to Gare de Nord, where he attempted to talk to the Eurostar representatives, who told us there WERE more trains that afternoon, so we couldn’t get a refund. Ah, well. And, of course, the one we got tickets for was late. 

BUT, we arrived safely at St. Pancras in London and a dear Uber driver named Joseph drove us to Waterloo station to catch the train for Salisbury. When Joseph heard we were taking a 13-day transatlantic cruise, he got so excited. For his 55th birthday, his wife and daughters took him on a Caribbean cruise. He went on and on about how much he loved it and how pampered he felt. His joy just filled his car! 

Our cozy B & B--not many of those now

Our B&B host, Matt, picked us up at the train station in Salisbury and drove us to their charming guest house, Websters. After a cuppa and a chat with the other couple who’d just arrived, we got ready for dinner with my theatre friend Joanna, who moved back to England a few years ago. 

The delightful Joanna

Jo took us to the Haunch of Venison, a great old British pub of a building, with wonderful ghost stories. She told us the whole town of Salisbury is supposed to be filled with ghosts. I had my first ever venison (quite good), and it was great talking with Jo—we never really spent much time together in the States, yet it felt comfortable being with her. She is a delight! 

What a great place to eat and have a beer or glass of wine!

One of the ghost stories--this guy's hand was cut off for cheating--at whist.

Another ghostly house

And why this fella's ghost walks the town

Met Sandra at the market. She's a medium

Sweet walk along the river

Saturday is market day

Gate to the Cathedral

The mighty Salisbury Cathedral

Our friend from Snellville days, Bill, moved to Devon several years ago, and we try to see him when we’re in the south of England. While I browsed the market and Ted did the laundry at Websters, Bill drove over to meet us. Matt kindly offered to put our clothes in the dryer so we could spend time with our friend, so Bill and Ted met me at Salisbury Cathedral and we walked the town and caught up. We were so impressed with the Haunch of Venison that we went back for lunch, which made all three of us happy. 

Went to St. Thomas's church with Bill. This is the famous Doomsday Painting

That evening we had tickets to see a local production of The Inspector General, an adaptation of Gogol’s script, now moved to England. Joanna was involved with the show, so she met us and sat with us. The cast was flexible (several played different roles) and funny, and the lead, an absolute delight. There’s a professional theatre in town that’s quite well-known, but the Studio Theatre seems to have a large, loyal following. Glad we went! 

Matt was a thoughtful host, and the next morning had a lovely employee, Jennifer, drive us back to the train station to catch our train to Southampton. This turned out to be a bus (evidently common on Sundays). But the bus never showed up. Seven of us waited, and finally, the conscientious station managers hired two taxis to drive us to Southampton. Boy! Much more pleasant than a train or a bus! Our driver offered to take us to the port, but it was too early, so we had coffee at a shop till it was time to get on the ship. And it was pouring rain. I asked Ted if perhaps Europe was ready for us to leave, with cancelled trains and busses and rain… 

But getting to the port was easy, and getting on the ship a breeze. The room is different, with an “infinity veranda” instead of a balcony, which is quite nice, as it makes the room bigger. Two weeks of sailing and ports, and it’s on to Georgia.

Ted at the "infinity window" searching for whales and dolphins.

A Soupçon of Paris

Judy. For our last few days in Europe, we decided to revisit Paris—how could we not? We’d also stay a couple of nights in Salisbury, England. We could meet up with friends, and it’s an easy train ride to Southampton, where we did NOT love our very expensive, very basic hotel. 

It seems we manage to get to Paris every time we return to Europe, even if it’s for a day or two, and every time, we try to do something new. This time, however, we revisited some old haunts. 

Of course we HAD to see the new Notre Dame! Ted went online to get free timed entrance tickets, but they were sold out, so after leaving our suitcases at our hotel, we took the Metro and dashed into what seemed like a 20-minute line to get into the Cathedral. Five minutes later (!) we were ushered in. I have to tell you, I’ve not loved Notre Dame de Paris. It was dark, noisy, and full of pushy, loud tourists. But this Notre Dame de Paris—almost impossible to either describe or photograph. There was a Mass, and we were asked to be quiet, and, much to my surprise, people were! The light, the color, the solemnity seemed to put us all into a meditative state. I took what photos I could, but the internet can give you a better idea. 

Mass

The rose window

Ted found a cozy, highly rated bistro hidden in a street near our hotel, where we had a marvelous meal. We were early so there weren’t many diners, and we got terrific lamb and great service. 

And, of course, in Paris

The next day we went to Musée d’Orsay, the most popular art museum after the Louvre. This time, it was packed and somewhat noisy till you got into a quiet side room. There was a John Singer Sargent show that was stunning, but it was hard to see with all the tour groups. (Gotta love tour guides who stand RIGHT IN FRONT of a painting to describe it.) But there were so many beautiful Impressionist paintings, that we were glad we went. 

Main gallery of the Musee D'Orsay, formerly a train station

I've always loved this little dancer

And I love that they kept the clock

Sargent's children

And, of course, Van Gogh. And Gauguin and Monet, etc.

Walking back, Ted found another hidden gem of a bistro with delicious food and lots of French folks. The plat de jour  featured Flemish stew, a favorite of ours since our dear friend Felix made it for us the night Ted proposed (He then changed the name to "Engagement Stew"). Despite the fact that it was packed, we got great service there, too. 

Cheers to 48 years later. Thanks, Felix!

We decided on a return to Montmartre and Sacré Coeur (another church I don’t care for), mostly for the view. We walked past the church and down into the little Montmartre neighborhood to see the Lapin Agile and the last remaining Paris vineyard. Of course someone was playing the theme from “Amelie”! 

Lapin Agile

Paris's last vineyard

Heading back to the hotel, we spotted a little Niçoise cafe, and asked for a bowl of ratatouille. It was one of the best meals we had there! I make a mean ratatouille, but the chef may have bettered me! We chatted afterwards and he gave me his secrets, so we’ll see how it goes next time I make it. 

Off to bed with our “Paris fix”. A good sleep, and in the morning, a last-minute message that our Eurostar train was cancelled. But that’s a story for another blog.

At that news, we could relate to Corbet's self-portrait