2023 m.s. Zuiderdam – Leg 9: Scotland, Ireland, Azores

Portree, Isle of Skye An early morning tender brings us into the sheltered bay of Portree.  It’s misty and quiet in this small village of 2,300 people.  In this small community with few tourist attractions, we were eager to take a hike around the headland to discover Isle of Skye’s natural beauty. 

Our two-hour hike did not disappoint, and we were immersed in green landscape that captivated our senses.  Grass, ferns, every kind of moss; thick and lush.  Rocky, sometimes muddy paths carried us up steep coastal vistas and around switchbacks. 

Sheep were grazing in the adjacent pastureland which was divided by stone hedges that were hundreds of years old.  The fresh, still air was scented with their wild-growing gorse bushes prolific with yellow flowers.

Weary from our hike, the Cuillin Hills Hotel was the perfect place to restore our energy and satisfy our hunger:  smoked salmon sandwich with cream cheese and cucumbers, a side of mussels and washed down with a pint of Guinness.

Two-hundred miles southeast, our next port of call is Oban, Scotland, also known as the “Gateway to the Isles”.

Its broad horseshoe bay is protected by the island of Kerrera, and beyond lie a multitude of islands and waterways to explore.

McCaig’s Tower overlooks the center of Oban, with panoramic views across the town and the islands beyond.  Not a tower at all, but rather, a circular wall ringed with open windows.  Construction began in 1897 as a monument to the wealthy McCaig family, but when John McCaig died in 1902, so did the completion of the project. 

A view of the neighborhoods above the waterfront. If only the walls of these hardy, stone-constructed homes could talk!

The waterfront is a tidy collection of eateries, shops and some enterprising outdoor seafood vendors.

Onward to Ireland, and the beautiful harbor town of Dun Laoghaire. It was originally set up to serve as a major port to nearby Dublin (only 7.5 miles to the north), but has its own well-established unique character.

The two granite piers of Dun Laoghaire are notable. Like arms embracing the harbor, both are just shy of one mile in length and are popular with walkers and film makers. Several marinas, yacht clubs and sailing teams keep the waterfront very active.

Wandering into the Lighthouse Pub, we discovered the thrilling sport of Hurling which was playing on every TV set. It’s a high-octane, fast and brave sport where players wear only minimal helmets for protection, flinging a baseball-size ball with flattened clubs. It’s a field-sport, sort of a cross between baseball, hockey and lacrosse. And leave it to the Irish, there are no fouls, which make watching the game even more riveting.   I encourage you to YouTube “hurling” for some intense clips of athletic ability!

Further south, is Cobh, Ireland, where we followed one of the three walking trails that led us to the highlights of this colorful and quirky town of 13,000 people. Steeped in history, including the last port for the Titanic, where they picked up 123 passengers before sailing off on her ill-fated journey in 1912.

Ireland’s tallest cathedral, St. Coleman’s, has many distinctive artistic and architectural features. Its foundation stone was laid in 1868, but it took 50 years to complete due to the task’s difficulty. Listening to the 49 bells ring at noon was extraordinary!

Aside from the cathedral, the next most-photographed scene in Cobh is “The Deck of Cards”;’ 23 gabled houses built on a steep incline. Their colorful pallet contrasted against the overcast skies of the day.

We thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour of quaint Cobh, voted “Ireland’s tidiest town”.

Two sea days and 1,134 miles southwest of Cobh, Ireland, we arrived in the Portuguese islands of The Azores. Zuiderdam will be stopping at two of the nine major islands that make up the volcanic archipelago in the North Atlantic. Our first stop is Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel, the largest and most populous with 67,000 residents.

The Azores are popular with sailors crossing the Atlantic and offer large marinas with supporting services. The docks are quiet this cloudy morning of 60 degrees, and we dodge occasional showers throughout the day. 

The white-washed buildings contrasted by the black basalt (volcanic) rock, as well as the mosaic cobblestone streets are very typical of the Portuguese urban landscape.

The cobblestone pavement, known as “calcada portuguesa” is painstakingly crafted of black and white limestone, chiseled and laid into beautiful and durable art forms. Each street, sidewalk and plaza have their own remarkable design.

Beauty abounds in every corner, outside and inside.

The infamous Comur Sardine Company tins feature the years from 1916 to the present day, marking an important event and the most noteworthy people born each year.

Beyond sardines, which seem to be a Portuguese favorite, we found a store selling cheese, pineapples and wine. I’d say that’s a well-balanced diet!

We wandered from the marina, through beautiful plazas, churches, cafes and finally to the City Hall and Mayor’s Office which featured a bell tower open to the public. We climbed the ancient stone spiral staircase for a rewarding view of the city and harbor.

Ninety miles from Ponta Delgada, we reached our second port of call in The Azores: Praia di Vitoria, on the active volcanic island of Terceira.

Praia di Vitoria, population 21,000, has a relaxed, summer vacation-town vibe. Most visitors are seafarers coming by sailboat. Cruise ships rarely stop here, making the locals were quite curious about us.

For a panoramic view of the city and surrounding volcanic hills, we walked up the grassy terraced switchbacks to the lookout monument.

The return walk down threaded us through rock-walled pastureland and some of the biggest cows we’ve ever seen (and that’s saying a lot coming from Wisconsin residents!)

Back in town, we enjoyed a local “Golao” coffee, the Portuguese version of a latte, and chatted with store owners.

The town and waterfront were fairly deserted on this early season Friday. Nevertheless, the locals were very welcoming and even opened all their churches for the ships visit today.

The picturesque town of Praia di Vitorias was a wonderful last port of call.

Leaving The Azores in our wake, the m.s. Zuiderdam sets an east-southeast course for Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While underway, we had the rare opportunity to assist Staff Captain Karl in some old-school celestial navigation, just for fun. Naturally, the ship is equipped with state-of-the-art GPS. However, true sailors still relish paper charts, parallel rules and sextants, as confirmed in our dinner conversation with him one night. As kindred spirits, he invited us to join him on deck to use a sextant for a sun sight and position reduction. And yep, we confirmed that we were where we were supposed to be!

The passage back to Florida will take six sea days and are filled with festive events, goodbye parties, crew and passenger talent shows….and packing.

Over the 4 months and roughly 35,000 nautical miles of this circumnavigation, we visited 58 ports, 30 countries, and 4 continents.  Tom and I walked 585 miles through towns, up hills, down valleys, along beaches, promenades, and boardwalks.  What a journey it has been!  The world is full of life and strife, but it’s the people you meet along the way are what really makes a place special.  We’ve learned something from everyone we’ve met.  And we continue to discover that the more we travel, the more we don’t know.  But it’s the best education anyone could ever experience. It has left us hungry for more!