November 18, 2024

Ponta Delgada is the largest city on Sao Miguel, and on all the Islands of the Azores. If you are crossing the Atlantic Ocean by sea and are travelling to Northern Africa or Southern Europe, because of its strategic location you are going to dock at the port of Ponta Delgado. It is the perfect spot for ships to refuel after their long journey from the east coast of the United States and specifically in our case, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Every city has something that makes it unique and in Porta Delgada it is the pavement which is designed in mosaics. These patterns are formed by the intricate process of placing cubes shaped white marble with black volcanic basalt stones on a bed of pressured sand. From the entrance to the city through the arched city gates called Portas da Cidade and through the central square where the parish church, Igreja Matriz de Sao Sebastiao greets you, you are met with intricate examples of this mosaic artwork.

Some mosaic tile designs become very creative, but I would hate to have to repair the cobblestone streets.

As most of Portugal is Roman Catholic, the Christmas decorations have already begun to appear. We had to stop in a phone store, and I captured this sweet picture of my dear wife.

As we headed back to the ship, we were reminded that we had planned a special dinner. Holland America has partnered with Chef Morimoto from Iron Chef to create a special dinner for 5 Star travelers. We had planned to take some photos of our meal but completely forgot as we were focused on eating each morsal! Here’s a picture of Chef Morimoto on the World Theater stage breaking down a 150-pound tuna.

Next stop, Casablanca, Morocco.

Thanks for traveling with us.