The first thing we learned on our first ever port visit to Ponta Delgada in the Azores, is that there's many ways of pronouncing the name of this Portuguese archipelago. Americans typically pronounce it as A-zores while Europeans would say Ah sor ehs. When we researched pre-cruise for what to do in this port, we decided we wanted a simple city highlights tour that was a few hours long. None of the ship sponsored excursions interested us so we looked into private options.
The tour we chose to do was booked through Viator (or Vivitar as my dad keeps thinking it's called) and was called Private Half-Day Tour in Furnas Sao Miguel Island. This private four hour tour for two adults cost us $297.76. The tour included the use of our own car and driver/guide. By booking online with Viator, I was able to earn some cash back and later receive just over $14 in Viator credit for reviewing the tour when we returned.
At this port, there are benches in an enclosed building once off the ship and through security where you can meet or wait for your private guide to arrive. Our guide arrived right on time and led us to his car parked nearby.
The nice thing about booking a private tour is that while various stops were on our itinerary, we completely played it by ear as to what we wanted to see. Our driver ended up being a relative of the tour company's owner. The owner would give him some tours to do when they had a lot of bookings. Our small group was perfect for getting to know each other. We traveled through the country learning about the area from him while he asked us just as many questions about life in America.
While we stopped at many viewpoints and overlooks, the main part of the tour was spent at the Lagoa Das Furnas. Our guide helped us get a discounted admission into the site. We arrived at the perfect time to watch locals burying pots of stew into the ground so that it uses the geothermal energy to cook all day. Think of it like an electricity free slow cooker meets buried pig at a luau.
After the locals have paid to bury their pot, they are given a numbered stick to place in the top of the mound so they can remember where their pot was buried.
Perhaps this is where the term pot luck came from?
The guide was above and beyond courteous and patient with Dad catering to his walking needs. What was most impressive to me was seeing how our guide took the time to give Dad the support of his arm and together they slowly walked over the rugged terrain to get down to a viewpoint.
This place even had a gift shop but it had more ducks than people for customers.
The lake view that our guide helped Dad slowly climb down to see.
The steam even rises up over the lake.
Ducks weren't the only cute creatures wandering the area:
One of the high overlooks that gave us a great view of the town we'd just visited. Our guide pointed out all the places we'd just left and answered a bunch of questions about daily life for those residents.
We briefly rode through a small area with many figurines and sculptures. The area was packed with a crowded ship tour that would have made walking around very frustrating. Our small car was able to loop through the area like a drive through sculpture version of a light show and get back on the road leaving the crowds behind. It was so nice to be able to make our own decision about what was worth stopping to get out and explore rather than a planned itinerary that shared a tiny space with 200 other passengers.
As we drove, our guide kept suggesting the landmark spots noted in the tour description but we had no interest. We routinely reassured him that we had no need to visit all the touristy spots. Instead we drove from one end of the island to the other enjoying the views, the stories, and the chill company. Soon the four hours flew by and our guide dropped us off right by the terminal entrance. After learning all about his life and recent hardships, we gave him the remainder of foreign currency that we would no longer need after this port stop. He confirmed that there was a place on the island to exchange it all. We felt the extra tip was well deserved.
Thank you for reading any or all of another trip report. I hope you enjoyed hearing about the Sky Princess/Sky Suite, visiting European ports, and the experience of a transatlantic sailing. If I missed answering any of your questions or you want to know more about what I covered, please drop a comment here or message me on any of my social media listed on the site.
What's coming up next in my trip reports? Still to come is the story of how we stuck closer to home on another river cruise. Two more repeat itineraries with a new twist are also on the books for later this year. And yes, Prince S will be making a return appearance at one of them since he thinks he's the real Star of this blog, wink, wink. Keep coming back as there's more new content on the way!
No comments:
Post a Comment