Terceira, Azores
Sailing vessels needed a place to re-supply and repair on voyages between Europe and ports in Africa, the West Indies and the East Indies. Angra do Heroísmo (Angra) on Terceira Island was the ideal port of call. But only if you were the correct nationality at the time. Angra has had shaky times both politically and literally.
The Azores sit on the Azores Triple Junction, the spot where the North American, Eurasian and African tectonic plates are slowly pulling apart. This makes them vulnerable to tremors and volcanic eruptions. A severe earthquake hit the islands of Terceira and São Jorge in 1980, leaving scores dead and thousands homeless. In Angra, many historic buildings were damaged. The town was so faithfully restored that the town centre became a World Heritage Site in 1983. The town square and 400-year-old military fortifications are key historic features.
Battles have been fought on Terceira twice. In the 1580s, the islanders fought against the Spanish occupation of the Azores, before eventually losing control to Spain. The Sao Joao Baptista do Monte Brasil Fortress was built by the Spanish, who defended it until the Portugal restoration in 1642. The fortifications are now protected in Monte Brasil Natural Park. During the Liberal Wars (civil war) of the 1820s), Angra served as the capital of Portugal for a government in exile. Angra’s citizens won a battle against an attempted overthrowin 1829 which lead to Angra earning the honorary title from Queen Maria II of " do Heroísmo "the Heroic”.Angra is the Portuguese word for inlet or bay.
Docked in the container port of Praia de Vitoria by 8. 30. Set off on a Whale Watching tour before 9am: this was an extra tour arranged for our benefit, as the previous one, a few days earlier, had been cancelled, due to dangerous conditions at the side gate. There were 17 of us ,plus Robin and Seb, and we went by coach to Angra Do Heroismo, some 30 minutes away. There we boarded a reasonable boat, not a large specialised zodiac, for a 2 - 3 hour explore. Sitting up front on the deck we had a marvellous display of dolphins and saw a number of whales blowing, but none really close up.
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Click on any thumbnail photo and get a larger photo
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Back on shore we broke away from the group, walking around the UNESCO heritage town, having lunch on the terrace of the Hotel Beira, then some more exploring before taking a taxi back to Praia de Victoria.
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Then a siesta, a swim, Trivia, and a drink on the back deck with David before catching up on this diary. Dined in Hot Rocks
Tuesday October 4th. Day at sea
After Pilates and breakfast, a last lecture by Bruno Melo: so passionate about his homeland, the Azores, but a tad disorganised with his presentations.. This was followed by an entertaining talk from Robin on Giant Squids and Sperm Whales, arch enemies of the Deep Sea. Incredible how huge the former were!. Then a Neapolitasin ´Nonná´style lunch up on deck, Lynne joining us. 🏁 Bridge from 1.45 to 3.30 when there should have been a presentation by Charmaine on future Expedition type cruises; but she canzelled this, with no announcement, as she did not feel she had enough people present to make. It worth her while!!. Tea then Trivia before an excellent talk by Conrad Hennig on an Exploration of all things fortified, followed by a tasting, presented by Alex, of a Madeira, a port and a very expensive sherry.Recap and Briefing before the Venetian Society ´cocktail party´!!. We had clocked up 401 days, the 2nd highest on the ship: Carol and Lars had about 480. We had dinner in the restaurant and then watched Liars Club, run by the expedition team
Onto to Madeira