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Yeah! We made it to the Azores – on schedule despite the delays which occurred along the way. That meant that we had an early morning (wake-up call for 6:30). We had everything laid out so we would be able to get started quickly and not leave anything behind accidentally. We got dressed and had a reasonably quick buffet breakfast, so we actually had a few extra minutes to sit on the deck and drink tea while the ship finished docking. Then it was down to the main theater to be ready for disembarking.
Our tour had 3 buses going to the same places, so we were fortunate to be in the first bus and therefore ahead of the crowds at each place. Our guide was named Manuel and he spoke English very well (good vocabulary and a manageable accent). He was also very knowledgeable and made the whole trip very interesting.
Our first stop was at a Pineapple Plantation. The temperature is not warm enough to grow pineapples outside, so all of them are raised in greenhouses. It takes 24 months to raise one pineapple plant and it only produces one piece of fruit, and then they dig
Furnas Azores
inside rim of volcanoit up and replant the root for another 24-month cycle. This plantation is the largest single plantation on the island and it has 35 greenhouses, with about 500 plants per greenhouse. There are about 1000 greenhouses in total, so there are lots of small operations.
Then we were off to a town called Rioe d’ Grande, which is the second largest on the island (behind Ponta Delgada). The whole archipelago is known for all their blooming flowers and plants, except that most of them do not start blooming for another month, and then the show lasts until late September. Anyway, this town had a very artfully designed public garden in the center of town, with a river (we would call it a stream) flowing through the center. We had time to look around and visit the local church, as well as buying a post card or two. Surprisingly, there weren’t really many tourist shops.
Then it was off to overlook from the top rim of a volcano. That whole area is called Furnas. Don’t get too excited, it is not a misspelled version of furnace because it last erupted about 50,000 years ago. But this was the original
basis of the San Migel island and the caldera (the inside of the volcano) has changed into spectacular tropical garden, with a large town in the bottom, surrounded by several streams and a large lake. It is nothing like what you would expect from inside a volcano. There was a rather steep climb up from the bus park to the rim, but we both made it without the benefit of the guide’s encouraging words (see Marseilles on the previous blog). Then it was back into the bus and a drive down to the town of Furnas.
Next stop was at a 77 acre botanical garden, which also included a large hot springs pool – completely yellow. There were half a dozen people in the pool, and we can only assume they had swimming suits although the water was so colored that you could not tell either way. The route started with a climb up a steep set of uneven stone steps. Janet decided to stay at the bottom and explore on her own while David followed the group around part of the garden. After an hour we were to all meet at a nearby restaurant, so there was not
time to follow all the paths.
Lunch started with a couple of bottles of red wine and/or bottled water. Yes, the wine was a local product but was quite tasty. Then we had a very good soup, some so-so beef with vegetables, an excellent ring of fresh pineapple for dessert, and a demitasse of thick coffee. It was just what we needed for a lunch. Then it was back in the bus for another visit.
We went to an active bubbling “hot spring” with a strong sulfur odor coming from the steam. This is part of the continuing geothermal activity on the island which is one of the tourist attractions, but also serves as some kind of an escape valve to keep the volcano from coming back to life. Geothermal also produces a large amount of the electricity consumed by the island. Then it was back into the bus and a scenic drive along the southern coast back to Porta Delgada.
San Migel is the most populated of the 9 Azore Islands, with about 135,000 people, accounting for 55% of the entire population of the archipelago. There are also 150,000 cows on San Migel, and we saw them all over the place. Porta Delgada is the capital of the island and the capital of the Azores. We got back about 5 minutes before they were supposed to raise the gangway, so we did not have any time to explore the shops along the pier.
After a short rest, then it was time for dinner and off to see two more shows. Janet went to see a musical production called Motor City (which she said David would not have liked anyway). David went the other direction and saw a different performance of the comic magician. So we both got to see what we wanted before returning to the cabin and a good night’s sleep. Cruising tomorrow, so we can sleep in, but we do lose another hour off the clock and will finally be on UK time. So good night for now.
Pictures are difficult to upload right now with our internet connection, so they will be inserted them later. We will let you know when it is time to reread old posting to see the pictures.
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