PONTA DELGADA IN THE AZORES

Today I was going to go ashore come hell or high water.  Well, if rain had anything to do with the high water part, I should have been more careful what I wished for.  It was raining very hard!  So, once again, we donned our rain capes and set out to see the town.  So glad I found those rain capes on line as we have really needed them on this trip.

Being a Sunday, there wasn’t a whole lot open.  We walked to the centre square and it looked quite lovely.  Once again we saw the small shacks that are part of a European Christmas market, but this time, none were open.  We continued to wander up and down the narrow streets and browse in the shops that were open.  We still were able to enjoy time here … even with the inclement weather, we managed to do the things we want to do.

We came across a lovely little coffee shop, Dondue, and sat down to have a cuppa.  The only seats available were sharing with two other ladies from the ship and from Colorado.  The most delightful young lady waited on us.  The prices on the menu were more than reasonable.  We ordered 2 lattes and a cheese plate with their local bread.  Generous cuts of 3 different and delicious cheeses and the bread was more like a fluffy pita but did have a slight sweetness to it.  It is called bolo levedo.  When our lattes arrived, they were sprinkled with gold dust.  Dereje – you need to up your game!  Our repast was delicious and perfect for a light lunch.

We continued making our way around the small town and I was loving the decorations throughout every street.  Particularly beautiful are the colourful cobbled streets.  Being a volcanic island, black rock is abundant and when mixed with white stones, the patterns are striking and attractive.  I imagine that it would be easy for little ones to remember where to find a friend who lives on the street with the stars rather than a street with a name.

Coming back to the ship, I was slowing and a bit soggy.  Even with the rain cape, my feet were wet and since I was not wearing my hood, my hair was dripping.  However, I made it ashore and was so glad to have seen this quaint place.  I still managed to get a taste of Portugal and a delightful and delicious taste it was!