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Portugal 2017: Day 9

Today we said goodbye to our tour director, Gracia, and driver, Carlos when they dropped us off at the airport. For many of us, this was the end of our trip and we headed back to the States. Everyone had such a great time and we look forward to catching up and sharing photos - and stories.

Thirteen of us remained on vacation and headed to the Azores! Specifically, we arrived on the island of San Miguel and the city of Ponta Delgada (capital of the Azores). Our hotel is right on the waterfront, overlooking a marina, and walking distance to many of the historic sites.

After free time for lunch and exploring, we met with our tour director, Miguel, and a local guide who may not be so local... We began our 90 minute walking tour and made it about 30 minutes before it started to rain and then pour. But we did learn a lot and saw some interesting things, including a few beautiful churches.

We will head out for dinner later and hope that the rains stop for tomorrow's bus tour of the island to see some amazing nature.

Editor's note: we did get a great group photo in a main plaza but are having technical difficulties getting it uploaded. Stay tuned.

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