11. Praia de Vitoria, Azores - May 27

At the bottom of the page click on the YouTube link to see the photos.

Crossing the Atlantic by ship gave me the feel for the grander days of a bygone era when travel used to be civilized and elegant. There were fewer loud announcements by pumped-up cruise directors, just Captain Gundersen’s daily position and weather reports. He’s a very laid-back commander, who doesn’t open his announcement with “this is the captain speaking”, but simply says “it’s just me again.”

After five days of drinking, eating and doing absolutely nothing, we arrived dead tired in Praia de Vitoria, ready to have a rendezvous with the Azores. While the description of the 9 volcanic islands as a remote archipelago in the middle of the ocean may be accurate, it is also a bit misleading. The Azores are much closer to Europe than they are to North America – but they are undeniably far from any other land formation.

As always, before going ashore, everybody stormed the enormous buffet-style breakfast at the Lido, where most people cover every square mile of the plates with food. Because they know they must soon cross, on foot, several miles of no-man’s land between the ship and the Terceira shopping mall.

Knowing very little about the Azores and not speaking Portuguese, we opted to take the “Terceira Island Highlights” guided tour. Immediately I was gripped by the local beauty and the hospitable locals. The landscape, framed by the blue sea and sky, is stunning. The hillsides are specked with small whitewashed houses. Walls built of black lava serve as backdrop to dairy cows grazing in the green fields. Hydrangeas, violet and white, nod in the breeze. Vehicles are scarce. Dairy farmers are as likely to ride mules laden with milk churns as cars.

We drove through narrow, twisting roads and arrived in Angra do Heroismo (The City of Lords) which UNESCO declared a World Heritage site in 1983 in recognition of the role the port has played in the Atlantic for over 400 years. We learned that in the early 17th century the harbor glittered with Spanish fleets returning from the Americas loaded with treasure. The city’s wealthy past is reflected in the fine streets lined with monumental churches and balconied houses.

Before returning to the ship, I stopped at the wine museum and sampled some “Verdelho” wine that was once exported to the Russian court. In my opinion, these fruity white wines will never be grrrrrreat wines, but perhaps they’re versatile enough to fill a number of food pairing niches like tapas or Asian cuisine. Or say for a late afternoon drink with friends.

Although our visit to the Azores was too short, we did manage to pack in quite a bit more than I expected. I would like to come back and explore the other 8 islands. And when we do, I’ll bring a bathing suit, and a case of champagne and a picnic basket.

P.S. Despite its inclusion on a list with some of the world’s top tourist destinations, the Azores have a feel of a place that hasn’t been fully discovered. Hope it stays that way for awhile longer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8zIpA9WFSc

Click on the above YouTube link to see the pictures.