R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 66

São Miguel Island, Azores — Another look at Ribeira Grande

I gave Ribeira Grande short shrift on Monday’s blog. In that article you saw one church, and two photos of a factory liquor store. You probably thought, “What the heck?” Well, I only had three shots I wanted to post of Salto do Cabrito, so I threw in those images of Ribeira Grande to pad out the article. Needless to say, we now need to head back and take a more in-depth view of this charming little town and what it has to offer. Well start with heading back to that Baroque marvel, the Igreja...

São Miguel Island, Azores — Ribeira Grande and Salto do Cabrito

The next two stops on our tour of São Miguel Island were the town of Ribeira Grande and the waterfall at Salto do Cabrito. Since we’re discussing the tour in chronological order, I’ll begin today’s article with Ribeira Grande. And we’ll begin with the charming and ornate façade of the Church of Espirito Santo:

Igreja do Divino Espírito Santo (Church of the Holy Spirit)

How about a quick gander at a wonderful liquor store specializing in some of the local spirits? This is A Mulher de Ca...

Fun Photo Friday — São Miguel Island Random Favorites 1

I am going to try something a little different on today’s Fun Photo Friday. Usually, Fun Photo Fridays feature pictures of locations featured on the preceding Monday and Wednesday. For for today and the rest of this series on the Azores, I’ll be featuring random selections from the entire collection of shots. Here is today’s gallery/slide show of São Miguel Island favorites, which will give you a preview of what’s coming in the weeks ahead as well:

São Miguel Island, Azores — Lagoa do Fogo (Fire Lake)

We left Ponta Delgada behind, and as you’ll recall from Monday’s article, our van began some serious uphill climbing. We were headed into the clouds for a look at Lagoa do Fogo, which translates from Portuguese as “Lagoon of Fire”. Most English-speaking people call it “Fire Lake.” But before we would arrive there, we would be treated by some great vistas:

São Miguel Island

Fire Lake is a volcanic crater lake atop Água de Pau Massif, which is a stratovolcano complex running through the ...

São Miguel Island, Azores — Arrival into Ponta Delgada

We left Cobh (Cork), Ireland behind, after which we spent two days at sea aboard Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas. And on the third day of our transatlantic voyage, we made port in the Azores in Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island.

Ponta Delgada

And, once again, Ursula had us slated for a tour. Our tour on this day would take us to visit numerous sights around the island, and our vendor for this tour was Azorean Tours. Azorean Tours was a great choice, and our tour g...

Fun Photo Friday — Cobh Favorites

Time for one last look at Ireland before we board our ship and return to the U.S.:

Ireland — More St. Colman’s and views of Cobh

Today we continue with our tour of St Colman’s Cathedral. And when we finish up inside, we’ll head out for some views of Cobh.

St Colman’s Cathedral interior

Below is pictured a finely detailed pulpit contained within the interior of the church:

St Colman’s pulpit

You got a glimpse of the altar and vaulted ceiling on Monday’s article, but here are two more views:

St Colman’s altar Vaulted wood ceiling in St Colman’s

Before heading back outside, let’s take a look at more ...

Ireland — Cobh; St Colman’s Cathedral

Our months-long look at Ireland and Northern Ireland draws this week to a close. We finish up in Cobh, the port city for Cork, Cork County, southwest Republic of Ireland. Starting next week I’ll present to you our transatlantic voyage aboard Brilliance of the Seas, with a single stop in Ponta Delgada, Azores. Then after that we’ll be boarding another ship for yet another adventure on this back-to-back pair of cruises. But until then, we’re going to look around Cobh, and in particular the imp...

Fun Photo Friday — Kinsale, Ireland Favorites

Of course, I saved my favorite Kinsale photos for today’s Fun Photo Friday. Here are a couple more:

When in Ireland, drink… Irish coffee, of course! Colorful Place to Enjoy Refreshments!

Ireland — Colorful Kinsale

Kinsale Color

Below you’ll see in today’s gallery a restaurant, Dino’s Traditional Fish & Chips. If you get a chance to stop by, you will not be disappointed. It’s located on Pier Road.

On Monday I promised examples of Kinsale’s colorful facades. So, today it’s just a gallery of colors. Enjoy!