Happy Hours Ahoy

Ponta Delgada is the capital and largest city of the Azores archipelago in Portugal, located on the island of São Miguel….and yes, we have never heard of it before…. It’s really in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and few have heard of it….. We just knew that after this port, it’s going to be 5 sea days until the next port of call of Antigua

….. But later turned Sunny!! Enjoyed walking around the town by the port… Spectacular mosaic stone paved roads

Street view of the city with many churches and old buildings

One of the church/museum: museo Carlos Machado is very special with ornate wood carvings and elaborate details

Pineapple, called anana here is big and important here… There’s many plantations here and is the only place in Europe where pineapples are grown commercially

Enjoyed delicious seafood (especially the grilled squid) and of course the famous Portugal dessert Pastel de nata…

It’s amazing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, there’s this very prosperous little island with so much culture and and beauty to offer…..

10/14-15/25 sea day sailing from Vigo to Ponta Delgada

October 14, 2025October 14, 2025happyhoursahoy_1Leave a comment

Nothing much to report…. Enjoying the usual sea day activities… Zumba, Enrichment classes, Happy hour in our cabin….

10/13/25 Vigo / Santiago de Compostela Spain

October 13, 2025October 18, 2025happyhoursahoy_1Leave a comment

Today at this port, we are going to Santiago de Compostela… Santiago de Compostela is a city in Spain famous as the final destination of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage and the alleged burial site of St. James the Apostle. It is 1.5 hour away from Vigo so we joined an excursion that took us there and we will have 4 hours on our own there.

The gilded cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

People （and dog..) who did the pilgrimage relaxing and celebrating at the square in front of the cathedral praza de obradoiro, kilometer 0 of the Way of St. James

Seafood feast at one if the local restaurant… This area is known for its seafood and albarino white wine… So we tried both and they are delicious 😋

Also tried the percebes (barnacles) which is famous in This region… And they looked special and also delicious….. So happy that I have a chance to try new food I have never tried before

10/11/25 Bilbao Spain

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Guggenheim Museum… The museum that brought Bilbao to the world stage

Modern art exhibition… We love Richard Serra’s work

A very delicious 3 courses prix fix lunch at the old quarter, that includes a bottle of Rioja… ..we ate and drink them all

Bilbao Spain has a river that runs through it…… Many beautiful bridges, buildings and museums….. They said it’s the biggest city in Northern Spain’s Basque country…

This is a very charming port of call！！

10/10/25 sea day sailing from Le Havre France to Bilbao Spain

October 11, 2025October 11, 2025happyhoursahoy_1Leave a comment

10/9/25 Le Havre, Honfleur France

October 9, 2025October 12, 2025happyhoursahoy_1Leave a comment

Yes, we are back in Le Havre, and we decided to be on our own, no excursions and check out Honfleur (Monet’s base) and Le Havre itself

Le vieux-bassin the old harbor of honfleur that inspires many paintings… It is indeed tre tre breath taking

We eat our meals around vieux bassin in order to better soak in the view

Honfleur was spared during WWII ‘s bombing and it kept its old charm

After 5 hours of combing the beautiful streets of Honfleur, we headed back to Le Havre….known for its UNESCO World Heritage-listed city center, which was rebuilt in a modernist style by Auguste Perret after being destroyed in World War II.

The beautiful and nicely curated MUMA museum with its extensive impressionist collection

10/8/25 Southampton England, divide and conquer

October 8, 2025October 12, 2025happyhoursahoy_1Leave a comment

We are back to Southampton again, and starting the second leg of the voyage which is crossing the Atlantic!!

Since we can’t agree on where to go in Southampton, we decided to divide and conquer…. I will go to Stonehenge and P will go to Winchester

Arriving Southampton early in the morning while the moon is still up

Passed through new forest park and it’s gorgeous and idyllic

Neighboring environment around Stonehenge where they need to shuttle us in from car park…. Also quite a few camper trucks parked right on the unpaved road beside Stonehenge…. What a wonderful place to camp

Our fabulous guide Ted, explaining Stonehenge using a children’s pop up book

The ambiance around the Stonehenge is unbelievably serene and calm

Now below is the Winchester part reported from P with much better pics

The beautiful medieval town of Winchester

… A city that feel like Bruges but prettier

The beautiful stainless windows of Winchester cathedral

Winchester Cathedral… Many movies and tvs were shot here

… And Jane Austen was buried here…. Thanks for Mr. Darcy Jane 🙏🙏

Celebrating the successful divide and conquer plan back in our stateroom

10/7/25 Le Havre Normandy France

October 7, 2025October 12, 2025happyhoursahoy_1Leave a comment

Because of the route change we will do Le Havre twice…. This first time, we will take a 3 hour tour bus ride to check out Mont Saint-Michel, a UNESCO world heritage site