The Big Island Portuguese Culture Club with Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Papaikou is sponsoring this fall a three-week tour of Portugal with a stop in the Azores.
The trip, which starts in the third week of September and ends during the second week of October, will visit famous monuments, holy places and cultural sites. Travelers will experience wonderful cuisine and wine, and enjoy shopping in the land of their ancestors. Highlights include Sao Miguel in the Azores, Lisboa, Fatima, Coimbra, Porto and port wine grape stomping during harvest time in the village of Pinao on the Douro River.
As a possible option, Maryknoll Father Clyde Phillips, of Paukaa, Big Island, who is the proctor general of the Maryknoll Fathers in Rome, will host tour members in Rome.
This is an independent, non-commercial tour, organized by a local club member who has been to Portugal and the Azores many times. Travelers will fly United Air. Accommodations are in two- and three-star guesthouses, pensaos, pilgrimage inns or hotels.
For the full itinerary and approximate costs (under $3,500 for the Azores/Portugal portion), pick up a flyer at the next club meeting 1 p.m., April 12, at the Kamana Senior Center in Hilo, or call club president John Sousa, 964-1216, or email bipcc.org@gmail.com. Mailed inquiries may be addressed to BIPCC, P.O. Box 6741, Hilo, HI 96720. A $2,000 deposit for the Hawaii/Portugal roundtrip is due April 20.
