After a gray, rainy day at sea yesterday, today's beautiful sunshine was a much-welcomed gift! And although a visit to the Azores was not on our original itinerary, it was a very pleasant surprise. Like the rest of the islands in the Azores, the topography was beautiful - rolling green hillsides with small towns sprinkled here and there. The town of Ponta Delgado has about 45,000 people with about 150,000 on the whole island. It's a lovely town with small streets, cobblestone sidewalks with outdoor cafes and beautiful building architecture. Two beautiful Catholic churches were especially beautiful. We were also treated to a free performance of a kids' drum and bagpipe group. The kids ranged from very young to teenagers, and their expertise was impressive. When the ship left port, I was reminded that sail aways
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