Azores

We docked this morning in the Azores. This group of islands is similar to the Hawaiian and Tahitian Islands. The islands were formed by volcanoes. The Azores are part of Portugal even though they are about 900 miles from Portugal.

Most of the buildings in the port area are white with brown tile roofs. We went ashore and walked around a bit. Some of the streets are extremely narrow - barely room for a small car and a 2-foot wide cobbled walk on each side.

Of course, we were limited on how far we could walk. The stores we visited were just stuff - some tourist items but little interesting shopping. There were typical local businesses - banks, car rental, grocery, etc. The apparel shops were clearly directed more toward locals than tourists. And, of course, there were lots of small cafes - especially around wider areas where they could have sidewalk seating.

Even though Ponta Delgada only has a population of 21,000, is seems quite busy. Lots of cars and trucks. Oddly, few bikes or scooters.

On our walk back to the ship, we came across an ice cream place called Farggi (sp?). This is the same place we tried in Barcelona. Once again, excellent. They have a chocolate-covered almond chip ice cream that is very good.

When back on the ship, we just ate and have been relaxing. The entertainment tonight is a comedian. When we sail tonight, we start successive days at sea until we dock in NJ on Tuesday.