Ponta Delgada
Interesting how much the weather changed the feel of this small island. We have visited five times in the past and assumed warmth, but after checking out the usual weather… I guess we’ve just been extremely lucky! The summer months are warm but spring and fall when we travel, are usually cool with a good amount of rain. First sight from the balcony was this boat harbor. A good number of slips were empty.
Boy oh boy did we cheat!!! Our friend Jess would be scolding us now… time to restart Keto! I guess if you’re going to cheat, might as well do it with whipped cream and chocolate croissants!
As in most cities we visit, we can usually find a little street art. This building stood out, especially on such a gray day. We ventured inside to find a trinket shop. It actually came in handy because I lost my hair clip and was able to buy a new one for one euro! We also picked up a birthday card for one of the passengers… we will have a little birthday party in Schooner Bar tonight :-)
Strolling through cobbled streets is the best! Even on this small island, we were able to walk three and a half miles today. Enjoying the architecture, you lose yourself in the sites. We figured we’d walked about a mile and found we were way off! Good way to exercise!
Always drawn to flowers, especially purple, we came upon these beautiful Wisteria climbing up a tree and across the walls. It seemed to be someone’s gated yard.
Throughout our walking, we saw many street cleaners. These gentlemen pushed carts with rubbish cans, brooms and cleaning supplies. No wonder this gem of an island isn’t littered. The only real challenge about walking is road construction on the narrow roads barely left enough room on some streets. The cars had to come up on the sidewalk to make it through. Not a big problem though… Ponta Delgada is a fun walking town.
Signs, signs... which way to explore. As in many European countries, there are many directional signs rather than simply naming the street. This helps as we have NO idea which street to find some of the "things to see". The yellow building added a little character to the predominantly white buildings throughout the town.
Tucked on a narrow street and nestled between trinket shops was this cute church. I couldn't find the name of it... I was first drawn to the moss covered steps. Walking up, I was surprised to find a neighborhood church. Not the usual ornate building with high ceilings, this house of worship excuded charm. Rock entry, wooden pews and a red carpet in the aisle... so cute!
Since I took quite a few photos, I will continue tomorrow... Hope everyone is having an amazing day! We are rested and thankful! Sailing on...
