Today is our bonus day in the capital city of Ponta Delgada. Due to Westjet previously delaying our flight we are once again being put up in a hotel for the night – this time the Ponta Delgada Park Hotel. Our room was ready early, so we checked in. The hotel had placed in our room complimentary bottled water, a fruit plate, and chocolates. The furniture is faded and both chairs had a rip. Definately not as nice as the first hotel we were able to stay at.
Its early, so we decide to go for a walk down to the harbour. A cruise ship is in, so the cafes and restaurants along the harbour are quite busy. We discover there is a concrete sunning area with a large area roped off for swimming. There are quite a few people swimming, so the water must warm up in that sheltered bay.
The marina is busy and active – there is a ferry, a lot of tour boats and private crafts as well as pilot and tug boats.
Mae de Deus Chapel built between 1925-1947. It is no longer in use, but is well preserved. The grounds surrounding the chapel are beautiful and have great views as it sits high on a hill above the harbour. The original chapel which had been built in 1915 was demolished because it was a target for german submarines during the 1st world war.
The hotel appears to tour groups – we had seen buses unloading – and the dining room is very large with many tables set for groups. When we entered, we gave our room number to the waiter and were given a choice of only 3 tables in a very busy spot at the front of the restaurant, even though there were many empty tables. We started to get the feeling that we were 2nd class citizens here due to the voucher. The dinner was a buffet of mediocre food. After dinner Chris has a chat with the head waiter to tell him we were not impressed with where we were seated – he seemed to get the point.
Next morning we went down to a breakfast – this time we were able to choose our own table. The dining was noisy and not well laid out for carrying plates of food between the tables. Some of the food items were clearly leftovers from last night’s dinner (for breakfast ? Weird). Not impressed.
In the morning we had hours between check-out and our flight, so we stored our bags at the hotel and went exploring.
The Museu Acoreano created by Dr. Carlos Machado opened in 1888. It is housed in three buildings in the city. The Sacred Art Exhibit in the Igreja do Colegio (the old Jesuit College) is a specatacular building. The altar carved in wood in unlike anything I have seen. The art works are quite morbid for the most part, but the sculptures are very lifelike. Cost 4 euro for the two of us.
A 2 minute walk from there is the 2nd part of the museum which is the Saint Andrew Convent and they do a great job of explaining the life of a nun in the 1800’s. There is a tour of the chapels, sacristy, prayer rooms, and choir areas. In the chapel is an iron gate which was to keep the nuns separate from towns people. The convent also has a vast collection of natural history collected by Dr. Machado and donated over many years. There are taxidermy collections of birds, fish, insects, and reptiles from all over the worls. A history of the volanism of the islands, and the whaling industry. All very well done. Cost was the same, 4 euros for this museum for the two if us. Great value and 3 hours well spent between the two locations.
Women would come to seek advice from the nuns or visit a family member in the convent, but they were not allowed to touch. Through this metal grate they would speak and the small hole allowed notes to be passed.
The airport was busy with a long line up for security. Close to our boarding time we were waiting in a long line to go through a passport check to get to our gate and they announce our flight is boarding “last call”. We had not even had a prior boarding announcement. So suddenly half the people in line are rushed through to board the plane. At least the flight, once we took off, was smooth.