Finally we are ready for a walk around Ponta Delgada. We enter the pier and suddenly the world starts moving. The solid concrete building seem to list over. After two weeks in a constantly moving world, we are not accustomed to the motionless land any more. It takes some time to readjust. We walk along the pier and at the end we reach an old fortification, still in use by the Portuguese Navy. There are two routes to get into town. Nils, a shipmate, takes the shortcut, and we have to wait for ten minutes for him to catch up. We reach the town and change some money to the local currency. We start to have a look at the town. Except one large tourist center at the waterfront, everything is in the original state. There are narrow streets and sometimes it is hard to escape the cars. Soon we reach an area, where there are no cars allowed. Meanwhile we have lost Nils.
We enter a cafeteria and get us some cups of coffee. For the first time in two weeks, our chairs don’t move. We just stroll around the town. Soon the evening arrives. We are looking for a place to have diner. Finally we stop in a small restaurant. After two weeks aboard, we long for a real piece of meet, so we order a “Supersteak” with chips and salad. With the help of a bottle of wine we are able to eat all. After some coffee and added pineapple liqueur we are finished and walk back to our ship.
Curt Kapherr
Breitlacherstr.107
60489 Frankfurt
Phone +49 173 7174133