São Miguel Island, Azores — Arrival into Ponta Delgada

We left Cobh (Cork), Ireland behind, after which we spent two days at sea aboard Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas. And on the third day of our transatlantic voyage, we made port in the Azores in Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island.

And, once again, Ursula had us slated for a tour. Our tour on this day would take us to visit numerous sights around the island, and our vendor for this tour was Azorean Tours. Azorean Tours was a great choice, and our tour group definitely got our money’s worth.

One of our first destinations after pickup would be Fire Lake. To get there our van would have to climb up some serious hills. And, of course, that means great vistas, starting with this look back at the city of Ponta Delgada:

So, while we’re way up here, let’s take in the first views of the island from high above:

By the way, São Miguel Island has a nickname. It also goes by “The Green Island,” and the image below gives you a clue as to why: