Every time I go to the Azores Islands, something surprises me. In a good way of course. Well, except for the time I ordered a beer AND a mixed drink with orange juice and somehow got orange juice in my beer. That was something I can live without

I've told you about a few of the surprises, like the day of my big family reunion in August 2008 when I found a huge line of bubbles in Furnas lake (read more at Furnas Lake). The first time I had a Cozida (a stew cooked by being buried in the hot ground) was quite a surprise for me as well. But sometimes the surprises come due to the people of the islands or the people that visit the islands.

With the Azores Islands located between North America and Europe, not to mention the accessibility from Africa, the Caribbean and South America, many different people come to the islands. So I should not have been surprised to see what I saw last November. Especially since this is a port of call in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean

While driving to Ponta Delgada for an evening stroll on the avenue, we noticed a strange object in the water. It was bobbing in and out of the waves and labouring towards the islands. With the sun starting to set, and us driving along towards the city, it was not possible to make out what we caught several glimpses of along the way.

After we parked our eyes turned to the water once again. For few moments, we couldn't find it. But then we caught site of it. This time accompanied by a tug boat. We were trying to figure out what it was and guessed just about everything it could be. Finally it reached the harbour and we could make it out. It was a submarine! It was fairly large and seemed to be having issues with steering. The tug was working hard to move it into place as it docked. This is the best picture that I got:

You can see that it was a fairly large submarine. Five people were standing on top of it as it made its way in.

This was as close as we got to it and not many other people seemed to have noticed it. We never found out what kind of submarine it was or which nation it was from. The local news didn't cover it at all.

Later that week, the local newscasters were busy covering a story about a cargo ship that washed ashore not too far from Ponta Delgada. That cargo ship was full of valuable horses and was stuck for at least a week. Apparently it was quite an engineering operation to get the horses safely off the ship and then get the ship off the rocky coast that it washed up on. It made me wonder if the submarine and the cargo ship both experienced misfortune due to rough weather.

When you go to the Azores, you will also have your fair share of pleasant surprises. You just have to keep your eyes and ears open.

See you again soon!

All the best,
Rob Belchior
www.magical-azores-islands.com

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Practical Azores Information

I am using TripAdvisor information and reviews on the website. This will help anyone planning a trip to find Azores hotels. There is still a lot to do with this but you can find the first live page at Azores Hotel.

Looking for Azores Maps:

You can view a map on the Magical Azores Islands website at: Azores Map

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Azores Road Map

Azores Map

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