Heading to the Azores!

For two days we enjoyed calm seas and sunny skies heading toward Ponta Delgada.  We filled those days with walking, card playing, listening to lectures, reading, napping and enjoying evening entertainment or movies under the stars.  Each night our clocks were set back one hour slowly catching us up to time in Florida.   Our guest speaker continued to be Captain Anderson where he spoke enthusiastically about the gems of the Atlantic, the Azores.  His descriptions and photos were excellent and provided us with detailed and interesting information.  The Test Kitchen gave cooking lessons on the flavors of the Mediterranean or you could join in a game of cards or mahjong.  The evening entertainment one night was a virtuoso pianist, Juan Pablo Subirana and another night a vocalist and comedian, Jo Little.  We opted out of the pianist but thoroughly enjoyedJo Little.  She stayed onboard with us till Fort Lauderdale.  I also enjoyed attending the coffee chats in the mornings where the cruise director would interview various ships personnel.   It was amazing to hear about how they got into the industry, their education and work experience and their life outside the ship.  They always served coffee and tea along with a pastry but my interest wasn’t in the food but in the people aspect.  Dan was able to get in a few games of pickleball if it wasn’t too windy in the sport court!

Here is some information about the Azores..

Portuguese settled there first under Henry the Navigator 

Azores are a part of Portugal 

Very active fault line is located through the Azores 

Sao Miguel is their largest island 

Some landscape is like moon scape where others are very green and lush 

Often the Azores are called the purple island due to blooming flowers all the time

Azores Bullfinch and the Azores bat are found here and nowhere else

Early 1400 s they discovered Azores looking for different routes to trade spices 

Fizzy spring water is found in the Azores

Locals can cook meat and vegetables in the ground due to the hot boiling water at Furnas.  

We finally arrived to the port on November 3rd docking station 8 to then leave by 5:00 pm. The weather was about 68 degrees and a little cloudy.  We decided to get off and do our own thing here.  The area is famous for whale watching but not at this time of year as we weren’t there for the migration.  I walked up to a few tour guides and asked them what they could offer the four of us.  They showed their brochures and gave us their sales pitch.  Back behind them all stood a quiet man very unassuming and not pushy to present his information.  As it turned out he was a local tour guide fully certified and trained.  He had a jeep to take us where others couldn’t go and said he would take the four of us for a five hour tour for forty dollars per person.  His Jeep was fairly new and clean and we liked his demeanor so we loaded up and took off with him for a fun day adventure. 

Our guide was exceptional taking us off road high up around the rim of the old volcano.  He took us to a very inexpensive cafe for hot drinks and snacks.  Then again high up for vista viewpoints.  We were amazed by the beautiful blue hydrangeas that we’re profusely blooming along all the roadways planted by the highway department. At the end of our adventure he personally took us to a large mall going inside with us to translate for us.  We were looking for some cold medicine and hairspray!!  He dropped us off at a quaint pub where we had Special Beer made in the Azores and then we also ordered cheese and bread.  It was all delicious and as we walked back to the ship we commented on what a great excursion we had experienced.  

Beautiful lush fields for grazing 

Overlooking the ocean.  We are at least 900 miles from the coast of Portugal. 

The historic old aqueducts 

The huge lake is the old volcano basin.  No swimming in this fresh water lake and supposedly no fishing. 

We stop for cattle driving from pasture to pasture 

An old historic church through these trees

A walk way underground that drains the lake into the ocean when it overflows 

Our quaint cafe for hot coffees and pastries on the banks of the lake 


Another beautiful viewpoint 

The rugged coastline 

Our pub experience!

Walking back to the ship

Seabirds everywhere 

The local beer!!

And some beautiful sail away photos heading west to Fort Lauderdale with 6 days at sea!!

Happy Halloween in Cádiz, Spain

We arrived and were ready to get off the ship around 8 am.  A sunny 72 degrees with a few clouds and a great day for walking about.  Cádiz is the oldest continuously inhabited city on the Iberian Peninsula and has served as the home port to the Spanish Navy since the 18th century.  The Old Town lies within the the ancient city walls with cozy, windy streets and historic architecture.  Seville is a city one can venture to from Cádiz. It was built in the 15th century and is home UNESCO sites such as the Cathedral of St Mary, and the Reconquista. Many folks took off for tours related to the Royal Andalusia School of Equestrian Arts. Seville is full of museums, parks and cathedrals.  Dan can only take so many cathedrals and museums!!

We enjoyed a hop on hop off bus ride with our friends and then spent the rest of the time walking by the coast and into some lovely parks.  We were back onboard early and left port by 5:30.  A Halloween party took place late that night at the BB Kings Blues Club.  The movie Hocus Pocus played on the big screen under the stars. We opted for a comedian and magician Martin Brock.  He was just so so.  After the entertainment we were off to our cabins for a good nights rest.  We will have two sea days before our last stop in Ponta Delgada, Azores.  We also set our clocks back two hours. 

Look at all the beautiful tiled esplanades where each one is unique.  

Beautiful gardens so peaceful for walking and sitting 



Lovely benches. 













https://vimeo.com/379855229 

Watch this funny video.  I wanted one of these!

Detour Here!

Today we docked at Heraklion, Greece, our alternate port since we were unable to make it to Athens.  This was a very commercial port.  The pier here didn’t allow passengers to walk from the ship to the entrance to town so a complimentary shuttle transported passengers.  We weren’t in a big hurry to get off at 8 because we knew from the captain that other than some ruins there wasn’t a lot to see here but they did have a hop on hop off bus.  We decided we would most likely take the bus and then if we decided to get off and explore more of town we could choose to get off.  Luckily we were there at the bus before a large group of passengers were there so we purchased our tickets and got good seats.  

Town was like many other port towns in this area, crowded tight streets, many many high density housing units which look run down. Laundry hung from most of the windows blowing in the wind.  You could tell who lived in the cubicles by the laundry displayed; young children, working single men, elderly folks.   The bus ride was disappointing.  Some of the narration came out with another language other than English so as the saying goes we were list in translation !  The route was also altered for no reason known to us so we didn’t go by things we should have.  When we were getting g close to the ship we all decided together to get back on the ship and enjoy the hot tubs, a quiet lunch and some card games!!  

That was a good choice. We are a pretty laid back bunch.  The ship was quiet and accommodating. The slider top over the pool was open and the temperature perfect to sit poolside.  

That night we opted to watch a movie under the stars “Stan and Ollie” a biography about one of the most famous comedy duo’s, Laurel and Hardy.  The comfy loungers had head pillows put on for our comfort and popcorn was served!  The show was very good and I learned what a tough and grueling life this two men endured.  

By 9 pm we all headed up to our floor on deck 11 to hit the hay. Our next stop will be Santorini ( Thira) Greece so it was repack our day packs , lay out our clothes and prepare to get up early as this is a tender site. 

Part of the old fortress built to protect this port from pirates and raiders. 

Most of the buildings in Heraklion have the same French influence we have seen in other towns.  

A shot of my comfy lounger by the pool !!

Not many photos for this port but more to come!

Ancient Olympia

Our next stop was Katakolon (Olympia) Greece.  Our ship would be in port from 8-4. We booked a tour here with a small group of folks from Cruise Critic.  There were to be 8 of us but one of the older ladies was ill so she missed the excursion but still had to pay her share.  Katakolon is a seaside town situated on a headland overlooking g the Ionian Sea.  Much of its history dates from the Middle Ages and the remains of an ancient castle still stand on a  hill top northeast of the modern port. This port is the gateway to Olympia, birthplace of the modern Olympic Games in 776 B.C.  Many of the structures date back as far as the 9th century B.C.  They were an integral part of the ancient society of Greece. Every four years men from every city state would travel to Olympia to compete and honor the king of the gods, Zeus.  Due to natural disasters and the destruction of the city by Theodosius, Ancient Olympia is mostly comprised of four rations, columns and steps.  Built as a shrine to the gods it’s sheer size symbolizes the import of this archaeological site.  The stadium, the largest of its kind , held a capacity of 40,000 spectators.  

The group SS also host a museum which is one of the most important museums in Greece.  Situated on the Kladeos River, it provided the ideal setting to enjoy sanctuary here.  

Our tour was with Taxi Katakolo and lasted approximately 6 hours.  The weather was about 75 degrees and sunny.  Our trip was to include visiting a honey farm or monastery and winery. Our driver was a local and very knowledgeable gentleman.  

The ruins really can’t totally be seen in a day as with the museum.  It would be easy to spend several days tracing the steps and reading all the information but you can only take in so much and the feet tend to give out after about four hours!!  Our guide dropped us at the entrance and we arranged a rendezvous point and time.  As usual our day packs contain snacks, water bottles, emergency medications, battery packs to recharge our phones which serve as cameras and jackets.  

After we met our driver he laid out our choices for the remainder of our time.  Very close by was the honey farm so we opted to see that and we are so glad we did!  It was the real authentic thing!  A very small family run business with mother and daughter doing most of the tour.  The daughter is a certified bee keeper and gave an extensive talk about how long they have been in business and how it all works.  They had prepared home treats to sample the honey along with quiche preserves!!  We ended up buying some honey salve as we knew it would be easy to pack.  Then our driver took us past an old monastery which is now a convent with very few sisters living there.  We passed the immaculate grounds and gardens and then miles and miles of olive trees.  He described his own small farm and how they harvest the olives and press the oil.   We had so many questions and you could tell he enjoyed sharing his culture and information. Our last stop was at a rocky but pleasant beach where two of the group went for a swim.  It was a nice resort with bar and that’s where we parked ourselves for a beer and a snack!   

This was one of our best days yet and tired but happy tourists reboarded the ship by 3:30 for the 4:00 sail away.  We enjoyEd dinner on the Lido with our friends and a few games of cards or triominoes before calling it a night.  Our next day was scheduled for Athens, Greece and we had another tour booked. 

But just as we were preparing to call it a night the captain announced that due to high winds we would have to skip Athens. It had a narrow port entry and two other cruise ships that were also scheduled to be there also cancelled!  In its place he hurriedly was able to schedule us in to Heraklion, Greece.  So we were off to bed with the decision being we would just get off at our leisure and see what would be available to us.  

Now in ruins but once a marvelous historic location full of zest for life and rugged competition.  Many of the foundations were shops and stores feeding the Olympic competitors and providing fir their needs.  There was a village also of people who lived here full time caring for the grounds. 



Earthquakes and natural disasters have caused columns and structures to crumble and fall but one can see the beauty and vastness of this place. 

Archway to the Olympic field!


The actual field where completions took place. The spectators sat off in the grass on the sides.  The only seats were for the judges. The grounds could hold 40,000 people!

What is used to look like and what was housed here 

The magnificent sculptures that were made over the years and their tributes to the Greek gods and athletes

The small family ho eye business on their modest farm 

They made quince jam for us to try along with fresh hot coffee, tea or cold lemonade from their lemons

The bee keeper shows how they spin the honey off the comb with the new stainless equipment which makes her life so much easier 

Typical Greek pastries with honey!

Their yard where they serve their guests 

A bit of fresh olives, beer and some cheese at the beach!

The Rocky beach is still beautiful blue water and they say the water was warm!

Free wifi let us catch up on emails and family

A few swimmers brave it 

Then back to the ship!