Azores

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Aah, the island life, slow, relaxed and comfortable. That is, unless you have only a few hours at port on a cruise ship. At our Azores port of call, we opt for a bus tour to show us both ends of the Sao Miguel Island, with a few stops along the way. Before boarding our tour bus, Peter & I walk the artistically paved streets of San Juan, where our ship landed, and try to enjoy the relaxing vibes.



Our cruise guide, a 30-year veteran in the industry, was funny, smart and also revered her homeland. Starting in San Juan she filled us in the background of the earliest Portuguese settlers (apparently there were no displaced natives to be displaced here) and the battles with Spanish and Vikings. They built fortresses and stunning structures meant to last a long time because of the harsh maritime climate though the temp is almost always mild (our visit treated us to sun, rain and wind but stayed about 75˚ the whole day).



We stopped in Sete Cidades for a short walk around this small town with more of the amazing road pavers and found out that they make all different so those that drink too much can find their way home by design, assuming they would be too far gone to read signs.



We next head to Furnas, set basically in a volcano caldera, and enjoyed an amazing garden called Terra Nostra centered on a thermal spring fed lake the color of iron. We check out more hot springs areas on our return and sip on the local “mead” made from herbs & botanicals.



Too soon we leave Azores and we promise each other we will be back to this spot one-day.

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