Jardim Padre Senas Freitas

After a Red Car trip from Fergus to the Toronto airport, we took an overnight flight (5 hours) to Sao Miguel Island in the Azores. All went well, but of course little sleep on the plane.

Arriving in the Ponta Delgada airport at 7 a.m, was a treat - a tiny airport with friendly people and a quick entry through immigration. In the main lobby, we were able to get Portugal/Spain phone chips for a month and we felt like we were well taken care of. Outside the airport, it was easy to get a taxi as everything for travellers is well organized and stress free.

We had a short ride to our hotel, The Talisman Hotel. It is a gem of a place in a good location. Knowing that we would be arriving early, I booked the hotel for 2 nights. When we arrived, everything was ready for us, including a huge breakfast buffet in the restaurant.

The room is lovely and the view outside the window is of a well-manicured garden. On the rooftop, there is a heated pool, a gym and 360 degree views of the city.

We had a nap after breakfast and then walked to the Jardim António Borges. This public and free botanical garden has to be one of the most beautiful places in Ponta Delgada and is set in the heart of the city. It was founded in the 19th century by António Borges who was an Azorean businessman and politician. Inside the gates to the garden, it is a feast for the senses. There are numerous exotic plants as well as caves, ponds, grottos, winding paths and a fantastic ancient tree with huge roots in the centre of the park.

We explored the park and had a Tapenade/salad snack and drinks in the park’s tea house while watching the antics of the many free ducks, geese, chickens and doves.

Then we left the park to just wander through the centre of the city. Four years ago, we spent a fair bit of time visiting the city so this time, we enjoyed revisiting places that we had been to. Lots of lit Christmas decorations are still up. We ended up having a traditional two o’clock expresso in a square and people watching.

The weather changes in minutes here. When we started out, it was so hot that we were happy to walk in the shade. Then shortly afterwards, we wished we had brought our jackets. A little later, it started to drizzle, then the sun came out. You have to be ready for any weather here. Four seasons in a day!

Many people wear layers, jeans, a sweater or a light puffer jacket as it feels for the most part like Spring. Some carry umbrellas. It’s all pretty casual though.

After a good day of walking (8 km), we returned to the hotel and had a small nap before visiting the big farmers market. That was followed by a spaghetti dinner at the hotel and a night time city viewing on the rooftop terrace.

It was a full day, actually too much to write about. The hotel packed us a breakfast/lunch for tomorrow as we are missing the included breakfast and a taxi driver is picking us up tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. for our flight to Barcelona.

It has been great. We will be back!Read more