Horta, Azores, Portugual

Azores, Faial

We arrived at Horta, the largest city on the island of Faial, in the early afternoon on April 28.  We had traveled four days from Bermuda to reach this tiny island in the Atlantic.   The crossing weather was relatively calm, if a bit rainy.  I read two books and attended a number of cooking demonstrations.  On cruises with many sea days, there are enrichment lectures on several topics.  I found the cooking demos by SilverSea’s teaching chef, David Bilsland, to be most interesting.  I even learned a few things.

 

Pico - The Volcano Summit in the Clouds

Hillside with Monument, Hedgerows and Cows

Silver Spirit docked at a pier so new that it does not even appear on the Google Earth photos of Horta.  The weather in the Azores tends to be cloudy with frequent periods of rain.  This was, apparently, a typical day. The temperature was in the low 60’s Fahrenheit; not unpleasant but sweater weather. We weren’t actually rained on but the fog was dense from time to time.

Portuguese and Flemish adventurers settled Faial late in the 15^th century.  A whaling industry developed in the 18^th century.  Later, Horta became a convenient way stop for yachts on voyages between Europe and the Americas.  Today there is a busy yacht basin. A few cruise ships visit in spring and fall, repositioning from winter cruising in the Caribbean to summer trips around the Mediterranean and back.  Horta is a small city with many picturesque old style buildings. The surrounding countryside produces cheese as the main export.  Neighboring Pico Island, an imposing volcanic cone visible from Horta’s harbor, produces a locally famous wine.  There used to be a thriving orange export industry but a disease wiped out the orange trees about a decade ago.

Yacht Marina - Many of these are Enroute from South America to the Mediterranean

Walking From the Marina to the West Beach

Relic of a Fortification at the West Beach

Good Opportunity to Sell Paint

Michael and I were on the first shuttle bus to the downtown marina area.  We managed a two to three hour walk that took in the major sights in the small city.  The hike steeply uphill to a large, unused church and the cemetery above it gave us great views of the city and its surroundings.  We discovered Horta’s weather observatory dating from 1915 was dedicated to Prince Albert of Monaco, a noted amateur oceanographer of that era. We also found an unusual park with stone lined ponds where we saw many strange birds, even several pair of black swans.  I took a lot of atmospheric pictures of buildings.  The atmosphere seemed very hard on paint and stucco.  Michel remarked that someone could open a paint store here and make a fortune.

Distinctive Azores Style - Black Volcanic Rock and White Stucco

We Were Told that the White Stones for the Mosaics were Imported from Portugal, The Black Stones are Local Volcanic Rock

Prince Albert Weather Observatory

Beautiful Old Building a Favorite Photo Op for Tourists

Silver Spirit from the Old Church Above Town

Cemetery Above the Old Church

Black Swan in the Park

 There was good free Wi-Fi at several locations downtown and at the new cruse and ferry terminal.  Silver Spirit passengers and crew members gathered in knots updating their phones and tablets and calling home.  In any port, one can always find the free Wi-Fi by looking for groups of crew busily using their phones, tablets and laptops.  

After four days at sea, the five-hour stopover at Horta seemed very short.  We got a glimpse of a rural Portuguese territory and found that while we could puzzle out many of the signs, spoken Portuguese is a total mystery. It is certainly not pronounced as it is written

First Stop - Bermuda

Bermuda

Silver Spirit departed Ft Lauderdale at 6 pm, April 19.  We were at sea the following two days.  The weather remained warm.  Michael and I each began reading a book and we spent time sunning ourselves by the pool.  After two relaxing days, we arrived at St Georges, Bermuda at 8 am April 22.

The original settlement on Bermuda was at St. Georges.  In 1609, the Sea Venture, flagship of an English fleet carrying supplies to the new colony at Jamestown, Virginia wrecked in a storm on Bermuda’s treacherous reefs.  The sailors stayed most of a year while they built two new ships from material cannibalized from the wreck and from local Bermuda cedar. They sailed on to Virginia to relieve the starving Jamestown settlers, leaving two crew members at what later became St. Georges in order to stake an English claim to the islands.  The Virginia Company sent settlers and a royal governor to Bermuda in 1612 officially founding St Georges.

This picturesque 400-year-old town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.  Very old buildings and narrow winding streets retain the flavor of the colonial period..  The harbor is so tiny that thousands of cruise ship passengers never overrun the town.  Silver Spirit, a 550 passenger ship, is about as large a ship as can make its way through the narrow passage at the mouth of the harbor.

Silver Spirit docked  less than a ten-minute walk to the historic center of St Georges.  Michael and I purchased all-day transit passes at the post office as soon as we were allowed off the ship..  We were on a pink public bus to Hamilton, the current capitol of Bermuda, before 9 am.  The 20-mile trip took an hour and was very scenic though the bus had a very poor suspension.  Michael said that he felt motion sick on the bus even though he had just crossed almost five hundred miles of the Atlantic with no ill effects. 

Bermuda consists of more than a hundred islands.  The eight main islands are connected by bridges and ferries. The whole is about twenty two miles in length and a mile across.  Individual islands are not much more than a quarter to a half mile across or a mile or two long.  Our view from the bus frequently showed ocean to one side and bays to the other. We saw lots of green, blooming flowers and pale yellow sandy beaches. Bermuda has very pretty views of pastel cottages perched on bluffs near rolling breakers or lush golf courses.

In Hamilton, a small actual city, we walked from the bus depot to the ferry terminal with a stop at the local library to use their free Internet.  In all of our travels, Michael always urges us to stop where there is free Internet.  We avoid paying fifty cents per minute for Internet on SilverSea ships by "living off the land," as Michael calls it.  E-mail checked, we continued to the ferry pier and boarded a small ferry departing for Docklands, the former Royal Navy Dockyard now a cruise port and tourist attraction.  

The ferry trip to Docklands lasted twenty minutes.  We spent another hour or so exploring the former fort, naval supply yard, museum and surrounding warehouses now converted to restaurants, craft shops and art studios.  The pier at Docklands is the only one on Bermuda large enough to handle big cruise ships. As a result, the whole area is tourist land.  Fortunately, the Bermudans have seen fit not to allow a Diamonds International or a Senior Frogs to set up shop there so the area retains a local flavor.

Back in Hamilton, we stopped for lunch at a quayside restaurant/bar.  I had a tasty fish chowder flavored with hot peppers and rum, Michael had some fresh fish cakes and we shared a plate of spiced chicken wings. Yum.  We hiked up the hill to the fort and admired the view and the plantings before taking another bus on a different route back to St. Georges.

The bus ride from Hamilton to St Georges was one of the highlights of our Bermuda experience.  We met a fascinating old codger who entertained us with the (supposed) story of his life as a policeman on Bermuda.

Silver Spirit stayed overnight at St Georges so Michael and I were able to take some hikes around the area.   We climbed to the highest point and saw the naval look out station built atop Fort George.  The latest in late nineteenth century cannon were on display and the views were wonderful.  We hiked a recently abandoned golf course and explored St Georges back streets and public spaces.

Wednesday, the 23^rd, we were fortunate to be in St Georges for the annual Peppercorn Ceremony, held on St George’s Day.  Every year the local Masons ceremonially present the Lord Mayor and Lord Governor with one peppercorn as rent for the former state house.  The government rented the building to the Masons when the capitol moved from St Georges to Hamilton in 1815. Each year the renewal of the rent is celebrated with a colorful ceremony involving the Bermuda Regiment, Regimental Band, the Masons in their aprons and the government officials in antique dress. The mayor of St Georges gave such long speech that the weather went from sunny to rain and cleared again before he finished.  He must be up for reelection.

Bermuda was an interesting new place for both Michael and me.

The Harbor at Hamilton

Fortress at Royal Naval Dockyards

Free Wi-Fi Spot at the  Hamilton Library

Fort Hamilton, Now a Park

The Oldest Anglican Church in the New World - St Georges

Beach at Tobacco Bay, Near St Georges

A Back Yard - St Georges

Narrow Streets - St Georges

The Silver Spirit Crew Find a Wi-Fi Hotspot Near the Ship

Policeman Directing Traffic before Peppercorn Ceremony

Regimental Band Relaxing before March to Town Hall Square and the Peppercorn Ceremony

Getting Started

Fort Lauderdale, April 2014

Michael and I flew from Denver to Ft Lauderdale on April 17 for a two-night stay before beginning our month long cruise.  The date just happened to be the fifth anniversary of the day we met in Appenzell, Switzerland.  We celebrated with a seafood dinner at the 15^th Street Fisheries, a wonderful restaurant on the inter coastal waterway not far from our hotel.  The two of us spent the following day riding on a number of water taxis exploring the various rivers, canals and waterways of Ft Lauderdale and Hollywood Florida.  It is always fun to start a cruise with a day of boat rides.  Friday evening, we had another sea food dinner with Michael’s old friend Neil who drove up from Miami to see us.

We stayed two nights at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 on 17^th street, just east of a large drawbridge.  The location was fabulous.  We could see the cruise port, Port Everglades, from our 16^th floor balcony and had a view of the inter coastal waterway in two other directions.  Unfortunately the hotel is not the four star resort that it claims to be.  The property has the amenities but caters to the mass-market cruise crowd.  That means a crowded lobby, overpriced restaurants and huge waits for taxis or vans to the cruise terminals.  The staff is friendly and helpful but stretched thin.  The reception clerk offered us a “beautiful” fourth floor room upon our arrival but we were instantly moved up twelve floors when we asked for something better.  Apparently, it's standard procedure to place hotel guests in the least desirable rooms unless they complain.  On the good side, Michael was able to negotiate a substantially reduced room rate that eliminated the included $40.00 breakfast.  I don’t think we will be staying there again.

Embarkation

We arrived at Pier 25 to board the Silver Spirit shortly after noon on April 19. We did not plan it that way but we have in just this past year managed to be on a cruise on July 4^th, Thanksgiving and Easter.  This cruise includes both Easter and Mothers Day.  I wonder what else we will manage to miss during upcoming trips this year..

Michael and I dropped our luggage inside the pier and boarded the ship.  We had cruised on Silver Spirit in November-December 2013 so it was as if we were returning to the ship after a long shore visit.   The big difference was that this time we were in a basic suite on four deck in the middle of the ship as compared to our huge suite on 11 deck during the Caribbean cruise.  Low and in the center is a good location on an ocean crossing in April.

Everything proceeded smoothly until we discovered only three of our four suitcases had arrived on deck four.  Michael panicked.  His large suitcase with all of his formal wear and most of his clothing for the month long trip was missing.  As the time to sail approached, Michael threatened to disembark unless the missing luggage appeared. The hotel director and the food and beverage manager started personally looking and they found the missing bag in the ship’s hold.  The paper tag indicating our suite number had come off and the baggage handlers, waiters really, had set it aside without informing anyone that there was an extra, undelivered piece of luggage.  They apparently never looked at the prominent ID tag with Michael’s name on it.  The issue was resolved but Michael was upset for days over the way it had been handled.

Enjoying the Water Taxi

Hollywood Florida

The Beach at Hollywood

15th Street Fisheries, Wonderful Food Right on the Water

Briny Restaurant at the Riverwalk, Ft Lauderdale- Tourist Land but Good Food

Pelicans on the Intra Coastal Waterway

Intra Coastal Waterway at Rush Hour

We departed Ft Lauderdale at 6:00 pm without incident for the two-day crossing to Bermuda.