Lakeside Adventure, Sao Miguel, Azores
We awoke with the Azores in view. While land was a welcome sight, we were still eager to explore the seas surrounding the islands. This proved to be a good plan, since a whale was soon spotted. As we approached, we were surprised to see a very large animal with pale mottled grey coloration. This was a blue whale! Though this species is recovering in many parts of the world, it is still rare in the north Atlantic, and so was quite unexpected. The Captain maneuvered the ship to get us good views of the creature, and at one point it surfaced right in front of our slow-moving ship. We were able to see clearly all of the identifying characteristics of this great species – columnar spout, pale color, large size and preposterously dinky dorsal fin. Impressive to start our day with the world’s largest living creature!
During the morning we also saw groups of striped and common dolphins. A couple of sperm whales were sighted, but they dove before we were able to get near. Knowing they are perhaps the deepest and longest diving of all whales, we invested little time with them.
By afternoon we reached the Sao Miguel, easternmost of the Azores. Sao Miguel is locally nicknamed “the Green Island,” and sure enough, the scenery might have been Irish. Verdant cow-studded fields were reticulated by hedgerows. Trees crowned the hilltops. Sao Miguel’s landscape is clearly volcanic. We passed many conical hills, and climbed to a large crater – now gently swathed in greenery – at the island’s western end. At the bottom of the crater lie two lakes, creatively named Blue and Green Lakes – the color determined by the depth of the water. One group walked for miles and miles (actually about one-and-a-half) along the shore, finishing at a lakeside picnic of local foods. Others walked along the crater’s rim, enjoying terrific views, then descended to the picnic. The food was great, with local wine and liqueurs, cheeses, breads and sausages. Many felt that it would have been perfect to stay at the lake for the rest of the day, and we almost got our wish! While we dined, our bus was digging itself ever deeper into the turf. But with quite a lot of fun and good cheer, we set our shoulders to the bus and were soon free to return to the ship. Adventures come in many shapes and sizes!
