We Made It

 

 

After a brief sojourn in the UK to provide sufficient time to process the laundry from our last trip, vote in the General Election and catch yet another awful cold, we headed south again. This time our destination was Ponta Delgada in the Azores. You may recall our aborted mission to reach there in 2022. This time we decided to eliminate the risk of an ocean crossing by flying directly to Sao Miguel, 41 years since Mister E sailed there from Dartmouth in a small 34 foot yacht.

It was something of a history test for him as he sought to get his bearings but, in so doing, becoming resigned to the fact that the spot where he had tied his boat to a buoy is now buried under a concrete extension to the port infrastructure. He also bewailed the tourist industry that has developed since he plus his crew of one had arrived as something of lone adventurers back in the day. At least he was thankful for the absence of the packs of wild dogs, as he described them, and our hotel accommodation was several stars higher than a cabin rocking on the waves.

Compared to our recent visit to the mainland, the Azores which are an autonomous region of Portugal, were certainly quieter . With their warm, wet and constantly changing weather, they are never going to attract droves of beach lovers, and travellers for the most part were more interested in experiencing the naural world and sightseeing than cocktails at sundown. That said, we were certainly aware of the numbers of people in the national parks and at a tea plantation where Mister E claims he was the only visitor all those years ago. 

 

 We found the volcanic landscape with the calderas and craters as fascinating as those we had visited in New Zealand although my photograph of the thermal swimming pool in which I took a dip had family at home checking to ensure that my tetanus shots were up to date. It was a sublime experience, even if I did emerge looking a rustier colour than when I entered.

If you enjoy places that are a little way from the beaten track, don't mind high humidity (95% on some days), the likelihood of low cloud and rain (on one occasion constantly all day), then a visit certainly ranks up there with some of the best places we have visited in retirement and seniors even get a discount in that outdoor pool.

 

 

Our stay in Ponta Delgada which is a bustling town centre with lots of traffic passing through, coincided with the Festival of the Holy Spirit, so there were road closures and the streets were full of decorations and music. Everyday seemed to bring a new parade although our favourite was that with contributions from the different municipal areas. Most were represented by agriculture with carts pulled by oxen or horses, save in the case of Ponta Delgada itself where the refuse collectors paraded instead, pushing wheeliebins or driving street cleaners.

Perhaps the festival had increased the number of tourists but the demand for tables at restaurants  appeared to exceed the supply, although we ate well, especially when reserving in advance to savour the local hotpot cooked in a claypot buried in one of the geothermal areas.

 

Whilst tourism is now an important part of the economy, locals are concerned lest visitor numbers  increase  exponentially. If they do, then the islands will certainly become overwhelmed although I suspect that at the present time the number of available beds (and seats at restaurant tables) are limiting runaway growth at least in high season. For his part Mister E was happy in the knowledge that he had visited before the whole world wanted to travel and the 21st century moved in.