A return to Crater Lakes, fifty years on

Back in 1971, as a fifth form schoolboy, I embarked on what was billed as an “educational cruise”. It was a two-week voyage from Southampton and back, taking in Lisbon, Lanzarote, Madeira and the Azores. Half a century later, Mrs PBT’s and I undertook virtually the same trip in reverse, although we didn’t call at Lanzarote. Our cruise ship, Queen Victoria, was a far cry from the rather basic, SS Nevassa, converted former troop ship, and whilst I’ve no complaints about swapping the dormitory accommodation on the latter, for the well-appointed stateroom on Queen Victoria, I can’t help feeling a touch of nostalgia, when I look back on a voyage that represented my first trip overseas.

So, what I’m going to write about here, is the visit we made to San Miguel, the largest of the nine habitable islands that make up the Azores. After four days at sea, it was good to be back on dry land. Due to bad weather, we’d been unable to dock the previous day at Praia da Vitoria, the principle town of Terceira, the second largest island in the Azores archipelago. Fortunately, our ship’s captain, aided by a local pilot, had no difficulty in docking at Ponta Delgada the capital of San Miguel, and having pre-booked a half-day excursion around the island, I was off the boat at the first available opportunity, leaving Mrs PBT’s to enjoy a leisurely morning afloat.

I don’t recall much from that 1971 cruise, either in general, or our visit to Ponta Delgada specifically, but one detail stood out in the form of a remarkable geological features unique to this island. Known as Sete Cidades in Portuguese, and referred to as the Crater Lakes in English, this feature consists of two lakes located within a collapsed volcanic cone, known as a "caldera". These bodies of water sit next to one another and exhibit two contrasting colours when viewed from the rim of the crater. The lake furthest away is a deep blue, whilst the nearer one has a notable greenish tint. This colour difference comes from the depths of the water they contain, as the blue lake reflects the sky due to its depth, whereas the shallower, green lake, gets its hue from the abundant vegetation growing both in and around it.

I was enthralled by my visit on that first cruise, half a century ago, and absolutely delighted to be coming back for a second one, 50 years later. Deep down, I always wanted to return, and now I had that chance, but would the weather hold, so that we could view the lakes in all their majesty. 

Our trip to the crater lakes was prefaced by a visit to the Jardim Botanico Antonia Borges, one of several Botanic Gardens that are scattered across the Azores. As in neighbouring Madeira, the warm subtropical climate of these Atlantic islands provides ideal growing conditions for a wide variety of plants, drawn from many different locations around the world. I won’t attempt to list any, let alone describe them, but the photos give some idea of the many exotic species, growing in these quiet oases of colour, on the edge of the city. But if you are a plant buff, or just someone who appreciates some peace and quiet, then these gardens are well worth a visit.

Upon leaving the gardens, we re-boarded the coach, and drove off in a north-westerly direction, past the island’s main airport, and up into the hills and high ground at the tip of San Miguel. The coach continued to climb steadily, and soon we were in an area of rich vegetation, surrounded by mist, but would the haze clear by the time we reached Crater Lakes? It did, of course, although not completely, but after parking the coach, our guide led us, on foot, to the viewing area, high above the lakes themselves. 

Fifty years on, I'm pleased to report that the lakes didn't disappoint, although if I’m honest, they seemed smaller in size, and less extensive, than I remember – a phenomenon that often seems the case, when we look back at memories from our younger days, but whatever the case we were lucky with the timing of our visit, as not long afterwards the low cloud, which had been threatening all morning, finally engulfed the mountain summit that forms the backdrop to the lakes.

The final item on the tour was a visit to one of the several pineapple plantations that are scattered around some of the more low-lying areas of the island. The one our guide took us to was situated right on the edge of Ponta Delgada, and there we learned all about pineapple cultivation. The fruits are grown under glass, in numerous, old fashioned looking greenhouses – the type with wooden frames and glass panes, held in with old fashioned putty. The panes are coated in white wash to prevent the interiors from becoming too warm.

Pineapple plants fruit once every two years naturally, but with man’s interference, the growing cycle can be reduced to 14-16 months. This is achieved by a combination of careful cultivation, plus stressing the plants by introducing smoke into their immediate growing area. This stresses them into flowering earlier, than they would if left to their own devices. 

It was all very interesting, as was the on-site café-cum-bar where I purchased a nice and refreshing, quarter of pineapple, conveniently cut into slices, plus a verywelcome latte. I also noticed bottles of pineapple beer on sale, but somehow that just didn't seem right. No doubt some extreme beer enthusiasts might have been tempted, but I didn’t notice any off my fellow cruisers buying the stuff. After the tour, the coach dropped us back at the cruise terminal where I met up with Mrs PBT's. We had a wander around the harbour area and found Baia dos Anjos (Angel's Bay), a convenient restaurant and bar overlooking the water, just across from where Queen Victoria was berthed.

We treated ourselves to a spot of lunch in the form of a burger each, along with some “skin-on-fries”. Also, on sale was Super Bock Stout, so I ordered a 1/2 litre glass of this excellent, dark beer. Many people will be familiar with standard Super Bock beer, but this was the first time that I'd seen their stout. 

Afterwards we found a souvenir shop, where Eileen stocked up with crisps, a couple of tea towels, plus the obligatory fridge magnet, before heading back on-board ship.  Later that day Queen Victoria sailed from Ponta Delgada towards the lovely island of Madeira; a real gem amongst these Portuguese owned Atlantic islands.