Blogs from Azores, Portugal, Europe - page 9

Graciosa is indeed an enchanting and graceful island, where the pace of life is slow. It is only 10 x 7 km with a population of around 4000, but it is full of ex residents returning for a holiday. It is known for the well constructed dry walls, its beautiful biosphere and for having free Wifi and 2 ponds in the main square. No mosquitos no polution, and no vermin. The entertainment is provided by crazy birds called shearwaters which screach and fly after dark. The locals copied this irritating sound and created an irritating ringtone for cell phones. Driving the twisting roads between the walls and houses dodging the cars parking in the middle of the street is disconcerting at first. Donkey carts, cows and mini tractors share those roads with huge backhoe transports. The ... read more

I was ecstatic that Portugal was the warmest place of all our port stops. Unfortunately our time at these places was brief so the blog is mostly about the pictures and not so much on profound experiences I've had with this country. Sao Miguel, Azores The island of Sao Miguel was our first port stop and break from crossing the Atlantic. Ponta Delgada was a cute town with black and white mosaic cobblestone streets. I can understand now where the black and white style of the Serenado Square in Macau came from. It was a quick coach bus tour of the island checking out the Lagoa das Furnas, countryside and the town of Ribeira Grande. I did notice a lot of cows and pastures everywhere. The climate is moderate enough to maintain pastures all year around ... read more

Geo: 37.7463, -25.666806-09/04/09 At Sea Temps Air 28 to 19°C Sea 27 to 20°C Oh what a difference, the weather is starting to change for the worse with winds increasing to force 5-6 and swells of 2-3m. Each day means a reduction in the temperature of approx. 2°C that might not seem much but trust me I can tell you it's significant, it's meant a sad return to trousers and tee shirts and I've no doubt it'll be jumpers and jackets all too soon. Friday 10/04/09 Ponta Delgada - São Miguel the Azures Temps Air 8°C Sea 19°C Arrived slightly later than expected due to the constant headwinds (well that's the Captains excuse) the eastern half of the island is still covered in heavy cloud with light mist over the Western half. We had planned to ... read more

across the atlantic we go. quick stops in azores, and gibralter... we're now in spain. yahoo.... read more

Our first port of call on the second circumnavigation, and a real delight, was the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores . We thought this would be a collection of volcanic rocks in the Atlantic, but it's really quite amazing. The Azores (officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores) is one of two autonomous regions of Portugal (the other being Madeira). The archipelago comprises 9 islands in the North Atlantic Ocean about 1,360 kilometres (850 miles) west of mainland Portugal, about 1,643 km (1,021 miles) west of Lisbon in mainland Portugal about 1,507 kilometres (936 miles) northwest of Morocco, and about 1,925 kilometres (1,196 miles) southeast of Newfoundland, Canada. Its main industries are agriculture, farming, fishing and tourism which is becoming the major service activity in the region. In addition, the government of the Azores employs a ... read more