#TasteofPortugal#Funchal#MadeiraIsland#Pontadelgada#SanMiguel#PasteldeNata#Foodies#Azores
26 December 2015 ... I'm travelling as a passenger with my "Monsieur Honey" as my chauffeur on our road trip south, so I hope to be able to finish the posts about our "Taste of Portugal" adventure.
14th November 2015... so we are travelling back in time.
Whoa, where did those eight days go?
We're back into a "Hurry Up and Wait" mode as today we're packing up at our hotel in Funchal, Madeira and later heading to the airport to catch our two-hour flight to Ponta Delgada, San Miguel.
We did actually have a relaxed last morning in Funchal, Madeira; we were all packed and our taxi pickup to airport had been arranged so we went for one last stroll in the immediate neighbourhood of the hotel.
We stopped for a light nibble of tapas and a farewell toast to Madeira and then headed down the street to our favourite little coffee shop for one last taste of their delicious " Pastel de Nata" (Portuguese custard tarts).
The airport in Funchal is about a half hour drive from the Center and we pre-arranged a cab pickup to ensure we were at the airport two hours prior to our flight time at 4pm local time.
Yes we are changing time zones again ... Madeira is five (5) hours ahead and San Miguel only four (4) hours.
So today we will gain back an hour!
Two hours doesn't sound too long and really it isn't but it's all the other time involved when flying ...
getting to the airport, the check-in, the security screening, waiting for the boarding call and then finally when everyone is in their seat; the plane can start it's engines and away we go!
It was dark when we landed in Ponta Delgada, so we had no idea where we were as we rode by taxi to our hotel.
Check in was smooth with helpful info provided by the concierge.
After a little freshening up and unpacking, we headed down to the hotel restaurant for tonight's dinner as we hadn't had time to check out the surroundings yet.
We were not disappointed as the food was delicious and beautifully presented by professional, friendly wait staff.
On offer was a buffet with a varying menu daily or à la carte menu ... we made our selection from the menu.
Spicy Portuguese Shrimp cooked in the local beer "Especial" on a bed of mushrooms/ slivered spring onions and lemongrass (at least that's how we deconstructed the dish) ... for our appetizers.
And I have to say we chose this same dish one other evening while we were here!
Monsieur has already made this once at home.
Followed by a Piri-Piri chicken over a melange of beans, corn, onions, peppers and zuchinni ...
For a little sweet treat we shared a pineapple ice cream dessert ... and oh yes it was served a top a chocolate cake brownie.
We had an enjoyable first evening in Ponta Delgada ... we just need to recharge so we can explore tomorrow!
