After eight days at sea, we arrived in The Azores. This is a place that neither of us have ever visited so we’re looking forward to exploring new territory together. According to what I’ve read, The Azores is an autonomous region of Portugal in the mid-Atlantic. The islands are made up of striking landscapes, fishing villages, and fertile, green pastures. It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean about 850 miles west of continental Portugal. Very lush and beautiful.

We left the ship without a problem, and were met by about fifty drivers all vying to become our official tour guide during our visit. Normally, I’m the one who does the bartering, but Randy jumped right in and made the deal. And a good deal it was; 25 Euros per person for a two hour tour of the island. His name was Nelson and spoke very good English. He’d been born on the island, and really seemed to love his life. And why not? This place was beautiful and relaxing…simultaneously.

The first stop surprised us; it was a family-owned pineapple plantation and was quite an enterprise. We had no idea that pineapples were grown in the Mid-Atlantic. The island itself looked like Hawaii in parts, extremely lush and green. Almost tropical. Rather than grow them in fields, the Azoreans grew their pineapples in greenhouses. They seemed to be a bit smaller than the pineapples we’re accustomed to seeing. While we didn’t have a chance to taste one, we did drink some pineapple liqueur which tasted pretty good, and had a little bite to it.

The Azores are volcanic and pumice is used as building material everywhere we went. Nelson drove us to the volcanic caldera, ground zero if you will. This is the point where the island was created. Today it looks looks like a serene lake surrounded by beauty. At the base of the caldera is a peaceful little white textured village called Sete Cidades, Seven Cites in English. The population seemed like they loved living there and being together. As we arrived, the parade and celebration for the Divino Espírito Santo was just beginning. A band marching down the street, children dressed in their finest, even fireworks in the daytime. Flags were taken into one home, and left inside as a blessing. It was a beautiful ceremony that we felt fortunate to witness. No other tourists had the experience that day, we were the lucky ones.

Nelson told us it was time to return to the city of Ponta Delgado. He dropped us off near the gateway to the city, and the main church in the region. We had lunch, walked the shops, and the mosaic sculptured walkways. Very unique and beautifully symmetrical.

Our day on the island of São Miguel in the Azores will never be forgotten. Another adventure is waiting on the horizon. To be continued….