Lily Pad Travels: Shore Excursion

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Summer of 23 - Transatlantic Cruise - Day 7 - The Azores - Terra Nostra Gardens, Pico Do Ferro Viewpoint, Sulphur Springs

Sunday May 7th, 2023

We left Ribiera Grande and headed to Terra Nostra Garden. The guide led us through the gardens, explaining different plants and areas to us as we went.

Our group at the entrance

Waiting to go in

There is a hotel here and also a thermal pool that our guide told us people come to for its healing properties. You don't have to stay at the hotel to use the pool though.

We continued on our tour.

Unfortunately we were quite a large group and we ended up being at the back and didn't keep up with him. I got quite concerned when they went out of sight ahead of us as the path divided into different routes and we had no idea which route they had taken. We had no map and it was a large area. He had told us we could walk around on our own but I wasn't comfortable with getting lost.

We quickened up and followed the main route. Eventually I happened to look along one of the paths and saw what I thought was the group in the distance. We headed that way, which was off the main trail we had been on. Fortunately they stopped and were discussing that particular area and we managed to catch up with them.

We managed to stay with them for the rest of the tour but it was not as enjoyable as we felt rushed. The gardens were lovely though.

Our next stop was the Pico Do Ferro Viewpoint. As we climbed the mountain to get here the clouds rolled in and visibility got bad. The guide had warned us earlier in the day that we may not be able to see much, but he left it as the last stop at this part of the island in the hopes the fog would clear.

We still walked up to the viewpoint in th hopes of seeing something.

This cat was lurking by the car park

Views from the top on a clearest day

These pictures were the best we got!!! You can also click on this link, Pico Do Ferro Viewpoint, to see what we would have seen on a clear day. It was disappointing but couldn't be helped.

Our view

Bryan still managed a smile.

Looking down at our coach

Our next stop was the Sulphur Springs at Caldeira das Furnas. I enjoyed this stop and seeing the sulphur springs. I believe these are similar to what is seen at Yellowstone National Park in the States but as we haven't been there yet I can't be sure. I don't think the area in the States is as green as this though.

Fountain where you can drink the fresh spring waters

Looking at the village in the distance

This was our last stop of what had been an interesting day. Our guide kept us entertained on the way back and continued to tell us local information as we passed through different areas. Eventually we arrived back at the ship.

Driving through the port area.

Back at the ship we went to the buffet to get something to eat before returning to our cabin to get ready for sail away.

Bryan took pictures as we left the port.

We had an interesting day at our first port of call. Thankfully we didn't have to put our clocks forward today.

Summer of 23 - Transatlantic Cruise - Day 7 - The Azores - Ribiera Grande

Sunday May 7th, 2023

Today we docked at Ponta Delgada, on San Miguel Island, in the Azores. We decided to do an excursion from the ship. I'll break this trip into two blogs.

We had instructions to be at the theatre on the ship at a certain time. When we got there we were divided into our different groups and sat in separate rows. There were several coaches going on the same excursion. We were on coach #4 and I believe there were a total of 8 coaches doing this excursion, so a lot of people. Our tour guide met us at the coach and we were soon on our way. He was very good, telling us about the island and the culture, landscape, flora and fauna.

Here are some pictures we took from the coach on the way to our first stop.

Just out for a ride!!!

It was a beautiful ride.

Our first stop was Ribiera Grande, which was the town that our guide lived in. He told us we could either go around with him, or do our own thing. We had 30 minutes. We like to do our own thing as it means we get to see what we want to, but we did follow him. We lagged behind a little as we take a little longer getting pictures, but it worked out well as we could always see where the group were and so knew which direction to go.

Bryan caught me taking a picture

This was the picture!!

Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Estrela Church

Looking down over the town from the church

We walked down the steps to the square below.

There's the tower I was taking a picture of before, next to the church

Thanks to Wikipedia

Gaspar Frutuoso

Born	c. 1522 Ponta Delgada (Azores), Kingdom of Portugal
Died	24 August 1591 (aged 68–69) Ribeira Grande (Azores), Kingdom of Portugal
Occupation	Priest
Language	Portuguese
Alma mater	University of Coimbra
Period	1696–1717
Genre	History, Geography, Ethnography
Subject	Azores, Theology, Philosophy
Notable works	Saudades da Terra ''Saudades do Céu
Relatives	Frutuoso Dias (father) Isabel Fernandes (mother)

"Gaspar Frutuoso (c. 1522 – 1591) was a Portuguese priest, historian and humanist from the island of São Miguel, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. His major contribution to Portuguese history was his detailed descriptions of the history and geography of the Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands and references to Cape Verde, which he published in his six-part tome Saudades da Terra, as well as Saudades do Céu. He is normally cited in settlement history of the islands of the Azores."

There were some interesting and wonderful murals.

excavations

There was a square where they were having a flower festival. The trees were decorated and music was playing, people were dancing. It was a lovely atmosphere.