Day 1 (August 5, 2021): "Driver, take me to the Azores!"

The Azores.  Little known, even less understood.  But oh, what a gem of a destination!  And when you consider its low Covid incidence, it seemed to make total sense as a Summer 2021 destination.  But alas, I'm getting ahead of myself.

We were supposed to be leaving for the Seychelles today -- a trip that was originally scheduled for the day after the World Health Organization declared the pandemic on March 11, 2020, and was then rescheduled to March 2021 and then to August 2021.  A few months ago, the Seychelles was touted as the most vaccinated country on Earth.  But having chosen China's Sinopharm and India's Covishield (AstraZeneca) vaccines, both of which have proven weak against the Delta strain, the country is again in a major battle against the virus.  All that to explain, by late June, the Seychelles' prognosis was looking so bleak, we made a tough decision and rescheduled it yet again, to March 2022, and set our sights on the Azores.

We visited two of the Azores' islands in 2014, so with Seychelles laid to rest, we felt a return visit there would make for a good Plan B.  Still, though, the Azores is by no means a Covid picnic.  Of its nine islands, two have a fairly high Covid count, enough to make the Canadian and US governments classify it as a no-go zone.  We are flying into the second most populated island, and will avoid the most risky island.  So two Pfizer vaccines, much caution, and a week of outdoor-based sightseeing will hopefully steer us clear of harm's way.

As trips abroad go, a week in the Azores was supposed to be a cinch to plan.  But oh no, nothing is simple anymore.  I won't go into too many details, but suffice it to say a cancelled flight, Covid testing, rental cars as scarce as hens' teeth, a total inability to speak to a human being at Westjet's call centre, and a few other challenges have created a major ball of planning stress in the weeks leading up to today.

So when our friends, Juliet and Mel (happy birthday today, Mel!) picked us up at 11:30AM to take us to Halifax Airport, we breathed a sigh of relief, but it was mixed with a good dose of anxiety.  After all, this is our first venture outside of Canada since February 2020, and travelling in Summer 2021 is not at all how most of us imagined it would be by now.

Our flight path takes us to Toronto on Westjet, and after a six-hour stopover, we head on to Praia de Vitoria on the island of Terceira, Azores.  We have just under two hours to clear customs and Covid formalities, and then we continue on to the island of Faial.  The latter two flights are with Azores Airlines.

I am writing this blog entry from Pearson Airport in Toronto, prior to boarding our Azores Airlines flight.  Hopefully, it will be a smooth flight over the ocean tonight and all will go well with our Covid paperwork in the Azores tomorrow morning.  Sleep well, Canada!

So exactly what and where is the Azores?  It is 1200 miles from Newfoundland and 1000 miles from Portugal.  Since 1976, it has been an autonomous region of Portugal.  Comprising nine islands, the largest of which are San Miguel and Terceira, it has a population of about a quarter million.

We were supposed to be on a 5PM flight to Toronto, followed by a gentle three-hour layover.  But Westjet's erratic Summer 2021 schedule changes resulted in a cancellation and a rebooking to a 1PM flight.  Which ended up being two hours late!  The Halifax rain we left behind was in stark contrast to the sunny skies of Toronto.

To compensate for so many things going wrong (including Westjet's inability to check our bags through to our destination), they upgraded us to business class to Toronto.  Since the pandemic started, all our flights have been on turboprops.  So this was our first jet flight since pre-Covid.  The Boeing 737-700 was full.

The afternoon business class offering:  good coffee in a real mug, and a box of excellent snacks.

Gone are the buffets, even in airport lounges.  But it's still possible to get a decent meal.  Pam is looking fairly relaxed at the Plaza Premium Lounge in Toronto's Terminal 3.

Azores Airlines’ (formerly known as SATA) Airbus 321-NEO, which seats 190 passengers. Our flight is full and left a few minutes early.  Ours is the Air Azores 321-NEO painted with the word “Magical” on the fuselage. 

And we have a four-legged neighbour making the 5 1/2 hour trip with us!

We submitted a bid to upgrade to business class, just to have a bit more space in these pandemic times, and our bid was accepted!  Nice to have a wide seat to cross the Atlantic (well, a partial crossing, at least!).

“Dinner is served.”  Atlantic salmon in white wine sauce.