Friday – Horta, The Azores
We were late getting up this morning, and missed breakfast. When we did finally emerge, to enjoy a cup of coffee and tea, we soon realised why most people seemed to be drinking their cuppas inside… it was rather chilly outside – quite claggy, with no horizon to speak of, and a keen wind… it’s all helping to acclimatise us to getting home in just under a week’s time….
At just turned midday, Andi, the comedian rang up Gareth and asked if he could come to see Pam and Michelle, in the Craft Room, as a matter of importance. What Gareth didn’t know until he got there was that all the lecturers and crafts people were there, with a little surprise for him. Because he’s been such a fantastic cruise director, a card had been made for him, with a little verse in it, and a surprise gift; my painting of the Iguana. Actually, Gareth had already asked about the iguana painting when I first produced it, and as far as he knew, was going to buy it. Steve, one of the lecturers approached me soon afterwards, and asked if the whole group could purchase it, with everyone chipping in, as a token of their appreciation…. so Gareth got the iguana as a gift. I think he was suitably chuffed, and highly appreciative, of the sentiment.
Some time after that, we arrived in Horta, in the Azores.
We had lunch, then went for a stroll into town. Horta is a quaint, and quiet place. We walked along the quayside, about a twenty minute walk, into the town, admiring the boats in the harbour, and equally admiring the tidy way everything is arranged… but then, that’s the Azores for you. We’ve noticed this before; both here, and in Ponta Delgarda, where we’ll be visiting tomorrow, everything is very tidily, almost fantatically, arranged. This sense of civic tidiness is exagerrated by the fact that many of the buildlings are painted in black and white, and the pavements are also made up of black and white mosaics – all very attractive – but also ever so slightly OCD-ish.
I expected Horta to be a little busier than it was – but it wasn’t. For such a small place, there did appear to be a lot of traffic movement, but not much in the way of people, going about their daily business – maybe that’s it, though – maybe, they were all at work.
We walked the length of the promenade, then back through the small town, stopping off at one of the bars advertising free wi-fi, before heading towards the old harbour, slightly hidden away behind the port, and slightly reminiscent of Cornwall.
It remained overcast all afternoon, never quite raining, but always threatening, and always slightly on the chilly side. We had planned to climb the hill behind the port (which is what I did last year), but when it came down to it, the weather put us off a bit, so we chickened out and headed back towards the ship.
Just one more port to go. Tomorrow, we’ll be arriving in Ponta Delgarda, from where Tracey will be flying home, and I’ll be losing my partner in crime….
