Position @ 1200 UTC
37⁰ 44.12 N 25⁰ 39.40 W
Ponta Delgada Marina
Sao Miguel
Woke up to nothing, wow! no rocking and rolling, no engine, no generator,just a few sea gulls sqwarking.
Today is the day we tour the Island of Sao Miguel; we have been told the coach leaves promptly at 1000hrs, so don’t be late! Anyway, all aboard and we were off. We stopped at several different photographing spots allvery green and pretty, also I didn’t realise how bigthis Island is and the interesting things they growsuch as pineapples and bananas amongst other things.
We were taken to where the steam, heat and solpha etc., is still coming out of the ground and where they cooke their local dishes.Holes dug into the ground, the stews made and placed into big metal pots and then below ground covered witth soil for approx 6 hours. Once cooked it goues back to the hotel for serving in their restaurants. Before we went back for this meal,we went to the solpha baths.A huge swimming pool full of this hot brown water. I had seen and done this before in St Lucia but most of our party hadn’t seen this before and were a little concerned about going in. All did though and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
Now back to the hotel for this special, local, stew. It had all sorts of meet and sausage in as well as cabbage and carrots; it certainly filled us up. Soup to start with and pineappple to finish, all washed down with local “Azores” red wine (very nice) and coffee.
Back on the coach, most wanting a seista, but no there were other sites tosee,and the best to last, was th huge lake at the bottomf the original ain crater, spectacular!
The ride back to the Marina was unevetful and very quick so no time for a cat-nap there. Paddy and I dived into the local supermarket for some meat, back to the boat and cooked it together with a load of rice and back to the sailing club where there was a dinner with a difference.
Each prepared a dish on the boat and took it over; ours was a chili again, but unfortunatly it hadn’t had time to mature, however, it all got eaten, so it couldn’t have been that bad!!!
Bed by 13300 hrs as we were very tired, in fact Chris elected not tocome to the party
Last day in the Azores tomorow, skippers briefing around 1700hrs and away Saturday mid day on the last lkeg to Lagos,Portugal