Day 4 was our first opportunity to set foot ashore since leaving Southampton. We approached the island of São Miguel from the east around late morning and we moved upstairs to the Sun Deck to get our first views of the island. Again, the weather was good but we could see the first signs that things may turn a little unfavourable as the mountain tops on the island were shrouded in thick cloud and fog. Like many Azorean islands, São Miguel starts from the shoreline with steep cliffs which lead to farmland and eventually the higher hills and mountains. Everything is very lush and green.
We docked at the cruise terminal in the main town, Ponta Delgada, at 1300 and went ashore shortly afterwards. Debarkation was reasonably quick and orderly unlike some experiences on earlier cruises where the sheer volume of people and lack of gangways meant standing in massive queues on the stairwells to leave the ship. Once in the cruise terminal, we were directed to a fleet of coaches ready to whisk passengers away on day excursions.
Our choice for the day was the 'Crater Lakes' excursion which took us into the volcanic heart of the island and up to the Sete Cidades caldera. Geologically, the islands were all formed through volcanic activity with the last eruption on neighbouring island Faial being as recent as 1957. A caldera is a formed by the collapse of land directly above the magma chamber of a volcano. The resulting downward shift of earth creates a cauldron or caldera which then fills with water and forms a lake. In the Azores, the caldera form beautiful scenic lakes and when viewed from above, are popular tourist attractions.
But as the coach made its way higher into the mountains, we became enveloped in thick mist and cloud and when we reached the 'viewpoint' there was absolutely nothing to see. Our tour guide made light-hearted comments about the weather, but the disappointment was all to evident amongst the passengers, as we were unable to experience the main feature of the excursion. The weather can and often does play a significant part in the success of many excursions and with such a short time window to explore each destination, it really is down to nothing more than luck which determines the conditions on the day. Despite the disappointment, there were others less fortunate than ourselves as we became aware of a whale watching trip by boat which was cancelled completely at short notice, due to a developing swell along the coast of the island.
For the remainder of the tour, we made our way down from the mountains along twisting roads lined with hydrangea hedgerows. As we approached Ponta Delgada we reached a viewpoint where it was possible to simultaneously see both the north and south coasts of the island, with the town of Ribeira Grande in the distance. Shortly afterwards, we stopped briefly at a local pineapple plantation on the outskirts of Ponta Delgada. In the greenhouses, we could see pineapples in various stages of growth throughout their two year lifespan, followed by the opportunity to purchase local arts and crafts, and pineapple liqueur! Last stop was a quick visit to the local botanic gardens to see some of the exotic plant life which has been brought to the island, before returning back to the ship around 1730. Our trip back to the ship brought us along the seafront in Ponta Delgada and past many beautiful, historic buildings in the old town area.
Dinner was in the Meridian restaurant again – crab soufflé followed by rump of lamb with dauphinoise potatoes and broccoli florets!
And so to a rather late evening departure at 2300 which would have allowed some the opportunity to dine ashore if they wished. We carefully backed out of the harbour and the ship was turned to face a south easterly direction as we set course for Madeira. We are expected to arrive in the Madeiran capital, Funchal, on Wednesday morning at 0915.
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