Day 37 Thursday 11th February 16.30

Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, Azores

Day 37 Thursday 11th February 16.30

That’s it, we’re now on our way home.
Seven hours earlier that planned as the Captain has been instructed, due to poor weather conditions, to get back to Tilbury.
My guess is that another storm is brewing in the Atlantic and we are going to try to beat it. 
We can’t yet get domestic tv on the satellite yet, so are you expecting Jill or Jane ?
Anyway, a full day out today on an organised trip around the island of Sao Miguel.
We started at 08:00 and arrived back half an hour ago, a bit late as our brand new bus couldn’t restart after our very last visit to a pineapple farm.
Another beautiful island, probably worth another visit, same black and white churches that I recall from our very first trip to North Portugal many years ago in our youth!
We headed off in a north easterly direction to cross the island at it’s narrowest point passing through the important agricultural areas of the island to the small town of Riberia Grande, with it’s historical buildings dating back to the early settlement days.  
The Riberia (river) which the town is known, is a fast moving small river, the guide called it a stream, but it needed quite a substantial bridge to get over it
We then moved onto a viewing point on the summit of Pico do Ferro Belvedere, passing through working tea plantation areas in the Furness Valley.
From the summit we were to get fantastic views of the valley and Fire Lake. “ A large lake with transparent waters”
We decided not to get off the coach just in the hope of getting a view as we were enveloped in a thick mist. It cleared up later in the day, but we were on the way back and passed it by at ground level.
It was big lake though!
Our next stop was the botanical gardens of The Terra Nostra Botanical Park. We never tire of walking through gardens but only saw a part of the 32 acres. 
Then off to Furnas hot springs, well just down the road to an area of 23 sulphur spewing mineral springs. 
I tried a handful of two separate ice cold spring water, conveniently piped to a point by the roadway, both of which tasted better than the bottled fizzy stuff some of you buy from Tesco!
Suitably sated we then headed off to “a typical Azorean three course lunch”.
This consisted of a chunky and thick vegetable soup, followed by roast beef impregnated with chorizo, square chips, and smaller square mixed veg. Our sweet was a chunk of home grown pineapple. 
Not bad, but the wine to go with it wasn’t local but from mainland Portugal. 
I would like to excuse it , but I think, “doesn’t travel well“  may be appropriate!
Finally we were taken off to one of many pineapple plantations on the island, and were shown how they are grown.
This is where the bus packed up, the driver couldn’t get it started.
Then the advantage of visiting a small island fully prepared for the 135 cruise ships that visit in a season shone through. 
With only two ships in the harbour today, Magellan and a bloody great P&O block of flats, a spare bus was with us within 15 minutes.
So back in time for the early cast off.
Currently heading in an easterly direction at 17.8 knots for 4 days at sea expected to arrive at Tilbury 07:00 on the 16th.
I don’t think we will dining again tonight!