Day one

The island was socked in upon arrival, so much so, the runway appeared as we hit it.

Reminiscent of a work related familiarization (FAM) trip I took 45 years ago.  Sitting in the cockpit, the weather was marginal at LaGuardia Airport.  Circling between cloud layers, one aircraft visible above us and another below, everyone else in the holding pattern were obscured by the clouds.  When it was our turn to land, the tension was palpable between the captain and copilot as we descended back into the clouds, counting down to decision height (point at which the pilots make a decision to land or abandon). Same thing this morning, we broke out of the clouds and bam, hit the pavement.

Upon landing, the pilot punched the breaks and we slowed just in time to turn off onto a taxiway before plunging into the ocean. (That would have been interesting way to start our Azorean vaca.)

Got a hearty laugh from the customs officer.  Always my goal when meeting officials in a semi-thankless job.

We’re staying in a simple Airbnb overlooking the town of Mosteiros, a great little town we explored today combating jet lag until bedtime.