Several million years ago, volcanoes formed a few specs of land in the North Atlantic. Those furthest north and most remote are the nine Azores islands. A few fun facts:
- The recorded history of inhabitants starts in 1427 when the Portuguese discovered, and over the next few years, settled the 9 islands.
- Christopher Columbus stopped in the Azores on his way back from his 1492 discovery of the New World.
- The Allies used an airfield in the Azores during WW II to enable full air protection for convoys of ships crossing the Atlantic. The US still uses an airbase there, though the field belongs to Portugal. Join the Air Force, maybe live in the Azores.
São Miguel Island
We spent our 9 days on São Miguel, the largest and most populated of the islands. Active volcanos, hot springs, calderas inside calderas, waterfalls and green as can be. And hydrangeas in bloom everywhere. Yet another place we have visited that holds more to see and do that we saw and did, and that was just one of the nine islands.
We relaxed for a few days with open windows in our apartment enjoying the sea breezes and doing some planning and reservations for the later portions of this trip. Ponta Delgada is a very picturesque city facing the harbor and ocean, rising gently up a slope so that much of the city has an ocean view. Open plazas, narrow streets, pedestrian areas, cafes with tables that spill out into the streets and sidewalks.
We visited the pineapple plantation on the edge of town where they grow small, super sweet pineapples for export. Everything is done inside greenhouses. Did you know you can force a pineapple plant to make a flower by subjecting the plant to smoke?
We rented a car for three days to explore the island and do some hiking. First was a hike to Cascata do Salto do Prego, a waterfall.
Second was a hike in the area near Sete Cidades (do click on the photos to see them full sized) and a drive to the town of Sete Cidades.
Fumas Lake and the town of Furnas
Last was a walk around the Fumas lake and then exploring the adjacent town of Furnas.
Our explorations took us all around the island. We drove windy roads lined with hydrangeas in full bloom. We could see wide open spaces in the distance crisscrossed with walls separating different fields, but on closer inspection the walls were also overflowing with hydrangeas. Many grand panoramic vistas, so beautiful.
Volcano-cooked food
In thermal areas around Furnas, there is a tradition of using the heat like a free crock pot. There are lined holes in the ground where they insert large pots full of stew (meats and vegetables), cover and leave to cook for 5-6 hours. The cooks pull out the pots and take it into the restaurants in town where it is sold Cozido. We saw the cooking holes and watched them pull out the pots. Later in town we tried some at Tony’s. How good was it? Meh…. Apparently, overcooking and underseasoning is also part of the tradition.
Botanical Garden
After church we stopped at an urban botanical garden created in the mid 1800’s by António Borges, a businessman and politician. They have very old trees there including an Australian Black Fig that was planted in 1847. It’s the same species as the famous tree in Santa Barbara.
Tea production
Tea is produced in exactly one location in Europe: The Gorreana Tea Plantation (not gonorrhea). The hillsides there are covered with terraced rows of tea plants. Harvesting and processing the tea leaves has many manual steps. Interesting to see the production tools and learn about the sorting and production methods.
Sidewalks
Sidewalks throughout Portugal are made out of small rocks, cut roughly into cubes and hand placed. These are predominantly black and white in color. We appreciate the creativity on display on something as pedestrian (pun intended) as a sidewalk. This artform is present in Ponta Delgada as well. Here is a sampling.
Hot springs in the ocean
Swimming in the ocean is great, but often cold. Sitting in a hot springs is nice, but sometimes too hot. What if you could combine the two activities? Nature proactively granted your wish. There is a hot spring that that flows underground right into a small lava-formed cove in the ocean. Granted, there is some careful footwork required the last 50 ft or so walking over an uneven and sharp looking lava flow, then down one of the two installed ladders, but what a unique experience to bob in the ocean, heated by volcanic activity. Lots of people there but still a fun and unique experience.
Apartment fun
Our AirBnB was brand new. Four apartments each occupying one floor of a 4 story, recently renovated building. We started our stay in the 2nd floor apartment. After the first night there, while walking on the ground floor to the front door we noticed water dripping down the wall. Oh no! The very nice landlord moved us to the top floor and over the course of the next few days, workmen were in the lower floors finding and repairing the leak.
Next up, Luxembourg!
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