Praça Gonçalo Velho Cabral ... statue honoring the man who discovered the island — Ponta Delgada

Praça Gonçalo Velho Cabral — Portas da Cidade ... city gate from 1783 — Ponta Delgada.

Praça do Municipio — Town Hall of Ponta Delgada.

São Sebastião Church @ Largo da Matriz — Ponta Delgada.

Largo da Matriz — O Mundo Fantástico da Sardinha Portuguesa — Ponta Delgada.

Charming House (Casa Portuguesa) near Jardim de Anthero de Quental — Ponta Delgada.

Entrance to residence of the President of the Azorean Gov't and Ladeira de Sant'Anna — P. Delgada.

A closed church encountered on our wander in Ponta Delgada.

Streetscape on our wander in Ponta Delgada.

Chapel of the Holy Christ of Miracles — Ponta Delgada.

Tile decorations at the Chapel of the Holy Christ of Miracles — Ponta Delgada.

Typical black lava stone decorations found on buildings in the Azores — Ponta Delgada.

Monument to the Portuguese Marines ... Forte de São Brás — Ponta Delgada.

Marble and lava rock sidewalk on the waterfront — Forte de São Brás — Ponta Delgada.

Ponta Delgada: A-Wander Around Town

December 8, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

Amongst the first to disembark the ship when it was cleared, we began our trek to explore Ponta Delgada as planned.

An 11:30a arrival meant that we had 4-5 hours at most to see the places on our list before everything started shutting down, grab a bite to eat at a highly recommended seafood restaurant, and re-embark Encore. Time was short.

We shouldn’t have hurried.

Sunday + the Feast of the Immaculate Conception = a deserted town … or nearly so. At least during the early afternoon.

All of the places that should have been open on Sunday were closed due to the feast.

There were a few exceptions. Some of the churches were open, but timing was critical as photography during mass was a no-no. O Mundo Fantástico da Sardinia Portuguesa [The Fantastic World of Portuguese Sardines] was welcoming shoppers interested in purchasing tinned sardines and other seafood products … Mui and Deniz took advantage of the opportunity. The waterfront promenade was inviting walkers to take a stroll. And there was a Christmas arts and crafts market at the cruise terminal that was doing brisk business.

In hindsight, we should have disembarked later, after the waterfront cafes started un-shuttering to welcome diners … and the holiday lights started coming on one by one. But by then, we’d already gone a-wandering around the city … hoping against hope that at least one of the places we wanted to visit — the gardens at the Palace de Sant’Anna OR the City Hall with its climbable bell tower OR the Fort of São Brás — would be open for visitation. All to no avail, unfortunately, so we were ready to return to the ship … after a snack break at the one café we found open near Largo da Matriz, which gave Mui an opportunity to enjoy a plate of grilled sardines.

Despite the closures. Despite the rain that periodically — and unexpectedly — fell from a blue, sunshine-filled sky. Despite it all, we had a decent day in the last port of call on our TransAtlantic cruise. The next time we will be walking off the gangway will be in Miami.Read more