We had some choppy seas and storms during the night so we were glad to see land in the early morning. The wind was howling as we boarded the pilot and made our way to Ponta Delgada. The original plan was to dock at the cruise terminal, but we were notified by the captain the night before that we would be docking at Berth 12, in the commercial area of the port, requiring us to take a shuttle bus into town. The distance wasn’t so far, but this was a working port and pedestrians were not allowed. The trip by bus took 20 minutes, but if we had been walking, likely only 7 minutes.

After meeting up with our guide Filipe Pereira, from OnTravel, we were off to visit the far west side of the island and Sete Cidades. We’ve been to São Miguel twice before, but this was a new port for the others. The Azores are a Portuguese archipelago of nine volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Felipe explained that the Azores are an oversees territory of Portugal, and that they operate pretty independently of the Portuguese government. São Miguel is the capital and the most populous city with 140,000 in habitants. There is a total of 250K Azoreans across all of the islands.

Our first stop was to visit a small town, Mosteiros, along the northwest coast of the island. The landscape is gorgeous and the coastline striking. We were able to stop at several vantage points, including a location where the rocks form natural swimming pools. Filipe said that during the summer, these pools would be full of people.

Next, we traveled to Sete Cidades, a small town in the middle of a 3-mile-wide volcanic cauldron. The 1000 inhabitants of Sete Cidades enjoy spectacular scenery, but knowing they are living in the middle of an active volcanic area. Within the cauldron are 7 craters, 4 of which are now lakes. We drove out of town using the bridge that separates the two largest lakes, Lagoa Lazul (blue lake) and Lagoa Verde (green lake). Once on the top edge of the cauldron, we enjoyed several vantage points looking down over the lakes before driving through Miradouro do Pico do Carvão, a pastural area of craters, rolling hills and dairy farms. Back in Ponta Delgada, we stopped by the farmers market and a specialty cheese shop before driving to our final stop, The Gin Library.

We were introduced to The Gin Library on our last visit to São Miguel and this time, we were going to take their Masterclass. The Gin Library, as well as the adjacent Solar Blanco boutique hotel, are owned by Ali Bullock and Caroline Sprod. Listen, these folks and their staff are so friendly and hospitable. They opened the library early for us, to make sure that we’d not be late getting back to the ship. They hosted a beautiful lunch so we wouldn’t be drinking on an empty stomach.

The Gin Library, the largest in the world with nearly 2400 bottles, is also home to their own brand of gin, Ghosts of the Ocean. The gin is fantastic and the sustainable bottles are designed with gorgeous artwork depicting whales. And with each drink that you order, or with each bottle that you purchase, a donation is made to The Ocean Azores Foundation. This non-profit foundation is the real deal, working with diverse groups in the Azores for ocean conservation, protection and awareness. They’ve literally created a sanctuary for migrating whales! What remarkable work they are engaged in.

Our masterclass, led by Ricardo, began with learning some history about the different types of gin worldwide. We learned how to make the perfect Gin and Tonic cocktail, including glassware, tonic choice, ice cube shape and added citrus and herbs. We tasted several and learned a lot about the craft gin industry. We each received an autographed bottle of our choice and some swag, plus they even gave us a ride back to the shuttle.

Our last port day before crossing the ocean was a great one. It’s always surreal to board the ship, knowing you won’t see land for an extended period. The ship was playing Sweet Caroline as we boarded and everyone, passengers and crew alike were singing loudly. Everyone was in a good mood as the captain gave a spirited evening announcement, reminding us this was the inaugural trans-Atlantic crossing for the Star Princess.

Tomorrow (and the next 7 days): Sea Day

Recommend:
Filipe Pereira, OnTravel, https://ontraveldmc.com
The Gin Library, https://gin-library.com
Solar Blanco, https://solarbranco.com
The Ocean Azores Foundation, https://oceanazores.org