Day 91 11th April 2011

The Quay

The Square

This is our last port of call so we are a little sad but also looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone. Three months is a long time to be away. Ponta Delgada is a small island and we docked at St Michael which is the largest town on the island. The ship is berthed at the cruise terminal, a new building set in a curved quay with a range of shops and restaurants. The quay leads you into the town. We had a walk around the town and a cup of coffee. The people were very friendly and it is a pleasant place for a stroll but little to do. It looks Portuguese in places but also Baltic in some of its buildings. It is a bit hilly but also has nice flat areas for pushing a wheelchair.

The port has a container area that serves relatively small vessels perhaps for inter-island freight transfer. There is also a marina for pleasure craft and we saw a large catamaran sail past Aurora on its way in. The tranquil weather has continued. It is a warm and sunny day. Some (including me) of the passengers got the temperature wrong thinking that 16c was cool and put on coats but in the sun it was hot.

We were only in port for the morning and by 1.30pm we were at sea again. During the afternoon we went to listen to a talk about the history of P&O. This was followed by a tour of the galley. What surprised me was how small was needed a space to cater for 1800 passengers. After the tour it was the chocoholics buffet which as the name suggests is a chocolate themed event with a chocolate fountain, chocolate cakes and even chocolate bread and butter pudding. You have to like chocolate to appreciate it.

We have been sorting out suitcases to check we have enough space for everything. We do!