Blogs from Azores, Portugal, Europe - page 3

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 ... read more

The Azores Islands.... We have never thought of visiting these islands in the Atlantic Ocean. But when Paramahamsa Vishwananda, our spiritual master, announced that he was giving Darshan on Sao Miguel, we immediately looked for flights. Whenever we can make it, we try to travel and see him wherever he is in this world. And here it was, a big possibility. We had to take it :-). And we were surprised, with some low cost carriers flying there, it is quite a cheap affair. By approaching the islands the shaking of our plane made it obvious. There is lots of wind here. And I mean - LOTS! To be honest, during our 4 days the wind was constantly blowing with about 4 Beaufort. Anywayy, our plane landed safely at midnight in Ponta Delgada, the main city ... read more

Six days at sea without sight of land is nearly at an end. There has been plenty of entertainment in the evenings to keep most people entertained. There is usually at least one game show/trivia in the evening for those who haven't had enough of the three trivia sessions during the day. One such game show that Roisin and I played was based on the TV show Jeopardy. Each team is given a grid with subjects along the top and a value ($100, $200, $300 etc..) down the side. The quiz master will say 'Food and drink for $300'. The question is read out and each team write their answer in the appropriate space. One nominated team member then runs down to the front of the stage and, if the question is right, receives the equivalent ... read more

Thursday 3rd March, 2016. Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores The Azores are located in the North Atlantic Ocean approximately 1815 km from the Portuguese mainland, 1200 km from Madeira and 2625 km from Newfoundland in Canada. The archipelago comprises 9 islands and several islets and is part of the biogeographic region of Macronesia, along with the archipelagos of Madeira, Canary Islands and Cape Verde. The archipelago is located at the junction of the north American, Eurasian and African lithospheric plates on a large area of the Atlantic with depths below 2000 metres, with an approximate triangular shape, known as the Azores Plateau. In general terms, the Mid Atlantic Ridge divides the American plate from the African and Eurasian plates while the Gloria Fault and the Azores Block (or microplate) forms the frontier between the Eurasian and ... read more

Me voilà rendu à la dernière étape de mon voyage aux Açores, Santa Maria. C’est la plus ancienne île de l’archipel, la seule où l’on trouve vraiment des plages de sable. Elle garde un aspect très sauvage et préservé avec de petits villages épars et beaucoup de formations géologiques qui rappellent qu’il y a des milliers d’années elle était sous la mer. Aujourd’hui il y a de hautes falaises et tout en haut on trouve encore des fossiles marins, ou de grandes coulées de laves qui ont été arrêtées par la mer. L’île est pleine de couleurs, avec à plusieurs endroits des déserts de sable rouge qui contrastent avec la végétation verte. Mon objectif principal à Santa Maria, plonger ! J’ai entendu parler des plongées à Santa Maria il y a un peu plus d’un an ... read more