Friday, 18 October 2013
Day 20 Oct 16 - Home bound
Today we start our journey home. We thank you all for following along on our amazing journey. What started out as a simple vacation ended with some great memories and great new friends! Looking forward to our next adventure....
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Day 19 Oct 15 - Free day on Sao Miguel
Today we had a free day in Sao Miguel. We picked up our rental car last night and decided to spend a little time in Ponta Delgada. Unfortunately the weather was not cooperating today and it was pouring rain! We waited until a little later in the day and lucked out as the sun partially came out and the rain passed over the island.
Here are some miscellaneous photos of Ponta Delgada:
Main square
City Hall
View from City Hall tower to the east
View from City Hall tower to the west
View from City Hall tower to the north
Street art
Marina
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Day 18 Oct 14 - Eastern Sao Miguel
Today we went on a tour of Eastern Sao Miguel called the Nordeste Tour. Check out the following link to see what where we went http://www.azoreantours.com/tours/nordeste/
Although the weather was a little rainy and the skies looked very foreboding, we started the day in good spirits. First stop was our neighbouring village to the east, Rabo de Peixe where we had the opportunity to view a combination of a working fishing village and a 'Social Community' (or what we would call the 'subsidized housing' in North America) in one area. It was an opportunity to really understand the economic diversity within this small island. In recent years, the EU has provided funds to Portugal to ensure that the lower income families lived in safe housing and have adequate access to the education system.
These villages are quite remarkable. There are colorful, ornately decorated homes of the fisherman; then you would find rows of generic stark subsidized townhomes; one block over you find huge, modern homes of the wealthy. Overall the villages are clean and orderly, but the Social Community areas are intimidating with young and old men gathered in large groups around the local taverns.
We stopped at a park located near Achada-Nordeste which used to be the location of a working mill.
Nordeste, which is Portuguese for Northeast is logically located in the northeast of Sao Miguel.
We picked up some meals in a local cafe and drove to a viewpoint to have our picnic lunch. It was a little rainy and a lot windy..but it was still a very good lunch!
We then drove to the very isolated fishing village of Ribeira Quente. This village is located on the south-eastern coast and is only accessible by a single road or by boat. The road to the village uses two tunnels which took a total of four years to complete (completed in 1939). In 1997 a massive mudslide caused by an intense rainstorm killed 29 people and due to the remote location, it took rescuers 2 days to reach the survivors.
We finished our tour with stops at a ceramic factory and a pineapple plantation near Ponta Delgada.
This ended our 3 days of guided tours of the island and we bid farewell to our guide Gary and picked up our rental car for the remaining 1 1/2 days we have left in Sao Miguel. It's a small island so we don't think we will get too lost!
Although the weather was a little rainy and the skies looked very foreboding, we started the day in good spirits. First stop was our neighbouring village to the east, Rabo de Peixe where we had the opportunity to view a combination of a working fishing village and a 'Social Community' (or what we would call the 'subsidized housing' in North America) in one area. It was an opportunity to really understand the economic diversity within this small island. In recent years, the EU has provided funds to Portugal to ensure that the lower income families lived in safe housing and have adequate access to the education system.
These villages are quite remarkable. There are colorful, ornately decorated homes of the fisherman; then you would find rows of generic stark subsidized townhomes; one block over you find huge, modern homes of the wealthy. Overall the villages are clean and orderly, but the Social Community areas are intimidating with young and old men gathered in large groups around the local taverns.
Colorful street of fishermen's houses
Dock area
The ever present Jesus or Saints painted on the boats for good luck..
Next stop.. Ribeira Grande.
The Espirito Santo Church - 17th century
Impressive tile work outside of City Hall
We stopped at a park located near Achada-Nordeste which used to be the location of a working mill.
From our picnic location we continued on the very curvy road along the eastern and south-eastern coast to our next stop in Povoação. This was the first colony on the island of São Miguel and a wealthy community with many of it's inhabitants working abroad in Bermuda.
Some miscellaneous sights along the way...
Monday, 14 October 2013
Day 17 Oct 13 - Central Sao Miguel
Today we went on a tour of central Sao Miguel called Fire Lake/Furnas Lake which again had multiple stops and sites to see. Check out the following link to see where we went http://www.azoreantours.com/tours/lagoa-do-fogo-furnas/
We started our morning at Caldeira Velha this is a natural hot spring located on the Pico do Fogo mountain. The hot spring has created its own micro-climate creating a unique surrounding forest of native vegetation and exotic species.
We stopped at a viewpoint overlooking Logoa do Fogo (Lagoon of Fire). This is a crater lake located in the central part of the island.
In Vila Franca Do Campo we stopped the Our Lady of Peace Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a tiny chapel at the top of a narrow and winding street. The stairway leading up to the Sanctuary is a series of platforms, each of which depicts a station of the cross in traditionally painted blue and white tiles.
The Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Vitórias is located on the shore of Furnas Lake. It is a funerary chapel which was constructed by José do Canto a gentlemen-farmer and botanist of São Miguel, to serve as a mausoleum for him and his wife.
Locals have created a specialty dish which entails cooking their food by burying it in the thermal soil surrounding the lake. Cozido das Furnas is a stew made of several meats and vegetables, including a local version of taro root. The geothermal slow-cooking process at lower temperatures than a regular oven enhances the various flavours, making it possible for us to essentially eat food cooked inside a volcano.This would be our lunch for today...
After soaking our feet by alternating between a hot spring pool and the cool river running next to it until our feet were bright red (or orange for some of us who had sunscreen on our feet and had a funky chemical reaction to the highly mineralized water) we went to a local tea factory. The Gorreana Tea factory gave us the opportunity to see how the Azoreans make green and black tea.
Some miscellaneous viewpoint shots...
We finally arrived back 'home' after a long day to find the delicious meal that Estrela had left us...a fish and clam stew.
We started our morning at Caldeira Velha this is a natural hot spring located on the Pico do Fogo mountain. The hot spring has created its own micro-climate creating a unique surrounding forest of native vegetation and exotic species.
A small pond bubbling with small geysers of hot water
We stopped at a viewpoint overlooking Logoa do Fogo (Lagoon of Fire). This is a crater lake located in the central part of the island.
View from Miradouro do Pisao looking down on the pretty fishing village of Caloura.
In Vila Franca Do Campo we stopped the Our Lady of Peace Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a tiny chapel at the top of a narrow and winding street. The stairway leading up to the Sanctuary is a series of platforms, each of which depicts a station of the cross in traditionally painted blue and white tiles.
A little spider we came upon...
Our next stop was the hot springs at Furnas Lake.
The Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Vitórias is located on the shore of Furnas Lake. It is a funerary chapel which was constructed by José do Canto a gentlemen-farmer and botanist of São Miguel, to serve as a mausoleum for him and his wife.
Locals have created a specialty dish which entails cooking their food by burying it in the thermal soil surrounding the lake. Cozido das Furnas is a stew made of several meats and vegetables, including a local version of taro root. The geothermal slow-cooking process at lower temperatures than a regular oven enhances the various flavours, making it possible for us to essentially eat food cooked inside a volcano.This would be our lunch for today...
Our next stop was the town of Furnas. They have several thermal hot springs within the town.
'Muddy' dry hot springs
A large active spring
Local delicacy of corn cooked in the hot springs
Hot spring named after the man who fell in and died...a very unpleasant way to die!
After soaking our feet by alternating between a hot spring pool and the cool river running next to it until our feet were bright red (or orange for some of us who had sunscreen on our feet and had a funky chemical reaction to the highly mineralized water) we went to a local tea factory. The Gorreana Tea factory gave us the opportunity to see how the Azoreans make green and black tea.
Freshly cut tea bushes
Flowering tea bushes
Leaf drying racks
Drying machine
Tea leaf size (quality) sorting machine
We finally arrived back 'home' after a long day to find the delicious meal that Estrela had left us...a fish and clam stew.
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