Blogs from Azores, Portugal, Europe - page 5

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Geo: 37.7463, -25.6668After five days at sea it is strange to awaken and look out of the cabin window to see land. The nine islands of the Azores are dotted across the Atlantic Ocean some 900 miles west of mainland Portugal. Even though they are officially part of Portugal they are completely autonomous, a fact the Azoreans seem quite proud of.We dock in Ponta Delgada, the biggest town, on the largest of the Azoreans Islands, São Miguel, at around 7am. Our breakfast we ordered the previous evening is delivered to our room shortly afterwards and we enjoy this on the balcony as we watch small fishing boats set out from the harbour into the open seas.Just before 8am we head down to the Lyric Theatre on Deck 4 so that we can hand in our tour ... read more

Part of our intrepid voyage within this archipelago is educational, and to this end, Queequeg and I are invited to attend presentations on the sciences of the ocean, ecology and of course Cetaceans. Here are some interesting things we have learned. 1. The Blue Whale is known by many names. One of these names is “Balaenoptera musculus” which means “whale wing mouse” (a joke on account of its size). Another common name is “Sulphur Bottoms”, (at which point I had to suppress my mirth, as this is indeed one of the common names I use for Queequeg) on account of a type of algae that grows on its underbelly (the whale that is, not Queequeg). 2. On account of a variety of factors, such as the exchange of cold and warm currents ie. convection, the Coriolis ... read more

Don’t get me wrong, as a self-confessed ardent supporter of the spiritual sanctity of another’s soul, I cherish the greatest respect towards everybody’s religious obligations, no matter how comical, but the more I learn of my bedfellows eccentric habits, the more I am challenged to question my own sanity. For example, Queequeg’s welts I have already mentioned, but still I cannot but keep myself from staring at them whenever they are abroad. With the appearance of a Vagia’s giant eyeballs, they seem to have their own independent minds, roving this way and that, constantly on their guard as if scanning the surroundings for signs of impending danger. I am convinced they some hypnotic powers over me as it is all I can do to tear my eyes away from them. And as for his manhood, we ... read more

Geo: 37.7463, -25.6668Land Ho! After four days at sea, the prospect of stretching our legs on dry land was most welcome. Especially so, to visit a new country and new culture, with the isles of Azores falling under the jurisdiction of Portugal. Specifically, our port of call was the colony of Ponta Delgada. We were up early, and off the ship soon after breakfast and the gangway was prepared, around 9am. We werent sure what to expect of this place; tropical islands? European culture? Warm sun? Beautiful beaches? Aqua blue water? Well yes, and no. The weather certainly did not play its part in that script. We were greeted by ominous, overcast clouds, scattered showers and high winds. The island felt tropical, still with a moderate temperature in the low 20s and 100% humidity. Hot and ... read more