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.