Adriatic Adventure, Report # 1 - Ponta Delgada, Portugal The Adriatic Sea, particularly Montenegro, Croatia, and Venice have long been on our ‘bucket list’. ‘Collecting’ 3 cruise segments from Ft Lauderdale to Venice, plus a back2back addition from Venice returning to Rome via Greece

and Turkey ‘fills the bill’ ☺. Boarding Noordam in Ft Lauderdale Bob and Kerrell receive a very gracious welcome from the dining room manager and his staff, and the captain, hotel manager, and Front Office staff as well as at least 6 Lido staff that remember us from previous HAL cruises. We are assigned the ship’s best dining room table-for-6 adjacent the giant windows looking astern. We anticipate glorious sail-away views from

those windows as we depart our ports-of-call on this 47 day cruise. We are also assigned a convenient ‘penthouse’ stateroom at the very top of the ship, Deck 10. However, on our track across the Atlantic south of Newfoundland we feel the effects of the strong ‘nor-east-er’ slamming into the Canadian maritime provinces. Our upper-most deck feels the ship roll side-to-side. It’s fun! But, 7 days at sea and we’re all pleased to see the

Portuguese Azores rise above the ocean horizon. With ship buddies we rent 3 vehicles in Ponta Delgada to tour in convoy this large dramatic island. First, tortuously serpentine roads climbing 3000 feet, in a deep caldera we find crater lake, Lagoa do Fogo, mysterious and dramatic in its veil of storm whipped mist. Descending to sunshine on the north coast we savour the ambiance of Portuguese architecture in the scenic village of Ribeira Grande. Bob navigating the

lead vehicle, we explore scenic coastal and backcountry roads eastward to Lagoa das Furnas, famous for its hot springs, and geothermal in-ground food

cooking ovens. The area is gorgeous. The fumaroles remind us of Yellowstone Park! Finally we rush to the far west of this large island, to the most spectacular of all, Sete Cidades, a 5 mile wide caldera enclosing TWO lakes, one green – one blue! Descending the

precipitous caldera wall we see the town far below (centre background). Back in rough seas, following our Atlantic crossing our next port of call – Cadiz, Spain. Having a fantastic cruise, ‘till next we have the pleasure of seeing you, love to all, Bob and Kerrell, http://lincolnshome.wordpress.com/