jam19872016

Thank you! I enjoyed my walk today around town. I will have pictures soon It was a very pretty place, hope you like it was much as I did.

Back on the ship now. The AC has been fixed, it was all the inside rooms in this section. Hopefully it will remained working. Cooling off in the room now.

Heading back out.

Lido lunch.

Today's activities.

Back on the ship. I'm not moving too fast but I'm gonna grab some lunch when they open at noon see if that peps me up. The AC in my room has gone out. I've called maintenance and hopefully that will get fixed. I can't do a hot room. On the plus side it's a nice cool day out so if I can get some energy the heat won't suck it out of me today.

That didn't really hit the spot today. Got some euros and a rough plan and now we are setting off into port.

Blue iguana breakfast.

+2.6. Not great but considering how much has come off since the ship has been moving its good to know it was mostly accurate.

Yes it was. I was very happy with my find.

Good morning. I had a heck of a time falling asleep last night. It was after 2 when I finally was able to fall asleep. It feels like we are docked, there was some worry because of the weather (by pax nothing official) but I think that we made it. Dragging myself out of bed to weigh 😱 and get breakfast.

I'm back in the room now. Tomorrow is our stop in Ponta Delgada. I don't have any plans at this point and I may end up exploring by foot like I did in Bermuda. There is a 90% chance of rain, so I may also just make it a quick trip into the shops with my mom and back on the ship. I may hire a taxi to take me to Sete Cidades. Going to bed now see everyone tomorrow from the Azores, maybe...

I could have gone out farther and probably gotten some more vantage points, but I was out of water at this point and really getting tired so I continued to walk back to the ship. And that was it. I didn't take any more pictures because I just wanted to hurry up and get in the AC and rehydrate. I was very satisfied with my DIY day in Bermuda. I made it back on the ship just after 2:30 so almost three hours of exploring on my own.

Based on it's location on the map I believe it is somewhere in this direction. I never could figure out how to get down there though. I don't think its actually accessible by normal standards unless the locals know a shortcut that was not marked. Also be mindful of cactus growing here, that would be painful to step on if you are not watching where you are walking. Looking back the other direction I could see locals fishing although they don't really show up on camera. Back out to Cockburn's Cut to check out the fishing wharf. I mainly wanted to see if there were any unique vantage points from here of the ship docked.

I decided this was as far as I could safely go without pushing my personal limits but I was satisfied that I had found something unique and worthwhile and was ok with heading back. I was also running low on water and starting to get worn out from the heat of the day. If you decide to try and find glass beach, keep in mind that you will experience small cuts on your feet. The glass is very fine, but it is still glass and shoes are a must. It is now 1:51 and I've made my way out of the nature path and back onto the roads to begin heading back. I stopped back down Cockburn's Cut because I wanted to explore Pulpit Rock. Signs indicated that you accessed it by walking under this bridge. The terrain is very steep if you follow the signs, keep walking downhill until you reach an incline you are comfortable with and then walk back up the path.

There were a few, but only a few other people who had made their way to this very secluded and beautiful spot. I pushed myself to venture out a little farther. The terrain was becoming even more of a challenge and the rocks were slippery from being splashed by the tide. They don't show up well, but there were hundreds of little fish in the water.

I continued walking but the roads were getting more narrow, more steep, and lost their shoulder to walk on. There was a point the road went left or right, I chose left and it quickly ran out for pedestrians. So I backtracked and went the other way. I still didn't know what I was looking for, but I didn't feel satisfied that I'd found anything worth seeing. When I choose the other path it was very discouraging still. There were no roads anymore, just a nature trail leading through the woods. I felt safe but this was definitely off the beaten path and probably not something I would try in most of the Caribbean islands. I kept saying I need to turn around. But I kept going. I need to turn around, but I kept going minding where I was walking. I don't know what kind of wildlife might live in the area, and the terrain was becoming more rugged. Finally, I found what I didn't know I was looking for. Glass Beach.

It was not looking too promising as I left the tourist area. I was determined though to see how far I could go, and plus I saw a few other people venturing out so I wasn't the only person hoping to see something. There were a several spots where you had to cross the highway to stay on the shoulder, and a couple spots you had to walk in the highway but traffic was very light and easy to navigate safely if you are mobile. It is very hilly in many spots which was the most difficult part of this endeavor. Getting further out of town I came across some local children enjoying their day at this cool looking inflatable play zone. Stopped off the side of the road and followed a path down to the water. This area is known as Cockburn's Cut. That bridge across the way is the highway I was walking on.

I am buying one from Airalo but that sounds cheaper I may look at that first. Its a great deal just not sure if it will be compatible with my phone. It's one of the reasons I bought a new phone, my old one was not compatible with any eSims. I am also not sure how far the data will go since I plan to use it for the whole month for all my data needs while on land.

Unfortunately the cost was $18 to enter and I did not bring any cash with me. If I don't go into Hamilton on the return trip, this is probably what I will explore. I could purchase tickets online for $15 so best to do it ahead of time. The next spot I came to was I believe a mini golf course. I could see myself coming here if I make it here with my occasional cruise buddy. She loves mini golf. Back at the clocktower mall, I had to get a picture of this troll since there was no line for it now. I continued walking, not knowing what I was looking for. I was simply exploring for the sake of exploring. Looking back at the Freedom. Continuing to walk out of town. Putting some distance between me and the ship.

We were back onboard at 1142. I had finished my water so I refilled my bottle and set back out to explore on my own. I got back off at 1216. Looking back to the Freedom. The fort is the first thing I want to check out so I head in that direction.

Rewinding back to my day in Bermuda. We had no formal plans for the day. My mom wanted to do some shopping and then after she was done I would go back out and explore around. I had downloaded offline maps for Bermuda which allowed me to see what was nearby, but unfortunately I could not get directions to places without being connected to internet. This should not be a problem going forward as I plan to purchase a data plan that will cover all my stops in Europe, if it is compatible with my phone. We got off this ship at 10:19 to see what we could see. We wondered around aimlessly for a little while as I attempted to navigate google maps. I saw something called a craft market that I thought my mom would be interested in but we were not able to locate it. I found it later, and it turns out we were very very close to it when we gave up. I saw two more areas that seemed to be shopping areas. One I never did find. The other we ended up walking into without realizing it as the entrance to it on the map was on the opposite end to where we came in, in fact the actual entrance was blocked off with a sign that said please use other entrance. Google might want to update that. This was from the clocktower mall. We wondered around there for a little while. Most of the stores were priced above what my mom was willing to pay but she did find a nice piece of costume jewelry that she purchased. After we walked around there for a little while my mom decided that was all she could handle and we began to make our way back to the ship. Looking back towards The clocktower mall. Almost back.

The shrimp was OK. A little salty but not bad. The fettuccine was very good. I think part of the new menus. Could use some Cajun seasoning but I understand that's not likely catering to American tastes. Dessert at 758. Grand mariner souffle and key lime mousse.

Another very generous portion of fish. The jumbo shrimp...not so much. My mom's crawfish fettuccine.