Prologue
The Azores......part legend......part fact.....half way between heaven and the rest of earth......some say it's the origin of Atlantis...others just whisper...... it's paradise...
....the 9 islands sit about 1500 km offshore of Portugal...(which is about a third of the way to the Canadian/American eastern shores....scattered like prisms caught in the afternoon sun.....
.....volcanic in origin...some still active...venting and steaming... these islands are an easy 5-6 hour direct flight for people living in and around Toronto or Boston....
The ocean waters warmed by the Gulf Stream ...teem with life and make swimming bearable...even in December .......winds can blow....rain falls....and the sun does shine....with all 3 happening at times....and...seemingly all at once.....
Sailors tie up for a week....and end up anchored for years....a place of dreams....of quiet...of lush forests.....primeval, jagged shorelines...spawned from the bowels of the hell fire that sits just under our feet.....
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We've come to the Azores....much like sailors on a whim ....at the mercy of the wind...centuries of history....of settlement....of broken dreams and hard realities.....somehow...locals have stayed gentle in soul....despite back breaking work to harvest land and sea.....rough hands hide a soft heart.....
...there's a kindness in the islands....a time to sit...talk....watch ...the passing of a new day....or another rain squall.......
The Azores.....the very name reeks of mystery and land's end....less Atlantis and more Shangri-la.....with fine wines and moments to reflect
It also doesn't hurt that a one way tix from Porto/Lisbon can be purchased for as little as 10 euros (you do the conversion)...
...ours cost us 20 euros/person for a one way tix from Porto to Ponta Delgado on the island of São Miguel....at that price......"sayin goodbye...isn't hard to do".....So....why not come for a weekend...or a week....??
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Some Azore Travel tips...
.... flights are easy and direct from the east coast of Canada/USA......better yet.....try to combine the Azores with a flight to mainland Portugal....
...spring or early fall ....would be a good choice for great weather and less crowds...avoid the summer....as 3/4 of Europe tends to be on vacation...
We arrived in late fall....along with cooler weather....it has made for less options with everything....from food, rooms and even attractions........
While there is bus service on the various islands....renting a car makes getting around rather painless....although...driving the narrow roads is akin to having a throbbing toothache...
Anyway...enough of the planning talk....
...let's get onto Part 1 of our Azores island hopping...Enjoy...
SÃO MIGUEL
We fly from Porto, Portugal on a one way ticket (€30 each), with Ryanair to Ponta Delgado ....easy 2.5 hr flight ...we grab a taxi (no bus service at the airport)...and head into town....
São Miguel is the largest of the Azorean islands in land mass and population. It has hills, narrow roads, volcanic activity and water filled craters.
You will need a car... or if your legs are up to the challenge.....plan your own bike/ walking tour of São Miguel....roads go up, around and down....tight squeezes are routine....and windy (aka...lots of curves/lots of wind) driving the norm.
The official gates to the city
We grab a rental car (a Ford Escort), and spend 3 days on the road checking out the island...
From ancient calderas...
crater lakes...
and rugged coastlines...
vaguely reminiscent of an Irish country side...but dotted with the familiar Portuguese village look...
has a lot to offer...
If you like tea, then there are several tea plantations that you can tour for free, sample their teas, then, get hooked to purchase some tea for your family at home...
People come to hike, walk, sample island cuisine, soak up the fresh Atlantic climate, or soak in one of the many thermal pools scattered about the island...
Just be sure to wear a dark suit or the chemicals will stain it orange...
Like Goldilocks and the Three Bears...it's never too hot....too cold...but just right in terms of weather.
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São Miguel Travel Tips
Yes....even with a car.....finding rooms 'on the fly' in early November proved a challenge once away from Ponta Delgado... we assumed most villages/towns would have that 'proverbial' room at the inn (for those of us....who don't book ahead)...but ....Nooooo!....Seems at this time of the year, the tourist season has slowed to a crawl and many rooms/inns/cafes are shut until next season. On one long day, we drove an hour in the dark to the town of Nordeste (east coast of island) before finding anything open....and the only choice was a swanky hotel....where, we think it was just the two of us bedding down for the night.
For spring and September/October plans....rooms shouldn't be an issue.
Roads are generally great...although you sometimes feel like you're being squeezed in a vice ...some village roads appear narrow enough for neighbors to pass one another a broom from one upper floor window to the other across the street..
You could use Ponta Delgado as home base....explore every day/return to PD in the evening...but it does make for long driving days ..there are buses...but they don't run when or where you generally want to go..
Flying around the islands is with Azores Air (SATA)...flights go often and are around 80 euros....some islands require a stopover (30 minutes)...to let passengers on/off and then the plane flies on...
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Now....grab your boarding pass........let's fly to........ Terceira Island
TERCEIRA ISLAND
After some days on São Miguel, we book a flight on Azores Air (SATA)... for about 80 euros one way to Terceira ....
This island is rugged and lush....the concrete beaches/natural swimming spots are dotted along the coast line...each unique in its structure and creativity...
....weather is gale force, heavy downpours and some (warm) sun...
We've booked into a great little hostel (Beach Royal Hostel) at Praia do Vitória...
View from our room...
and we are the only guests for 2 nights....again the car rental is easy....but prices are higher...
This time we get a Nissan, Micra
Praia is a quiet, beach town with an easy to walk around the downtown core.
The harbor
And a beautiful black sand beach...
We use the car to visit the entire island. Roads aren't as stress inducing as on São Miguel...it's quieter, less traffic...
Here, too....as with most of the islands......lava rock is used for fencing....wind protector.....as a heat source ....collector of rain water and at rest stops...
...crops, cattle and even the vineyards are supported by the abundance of this building material.
Most buildings have used the lava rock...along with pathways.....
....and even the port city of Angra...where we stayed..... was ravished by an earthquake in 1980.....
.....Angra's narrow cobble stoned streets are a joy to wander in....
...under the watchful eye of the fort that dominates one side of the harbor....
...one can easily cross the width of Terceira by car in about 15 minutes....
......and experience as much extreme weather as there is possible in a quarter hour.....
.......we drive the summit in a raging wind, rain storm punctuated by fog....
And step out over the massive caldera ...now just a green, lush crop growing basin....little remains of its once violent past...
Enjoy the pics......the Azore island tour continues shortly...
...Part 2 in our next blog....
Tchau from
Yvonne y Shayne
Additional Random Photos
Rest area fountain
Street vacuum cleaner...
Typical rest area with shelter, tables and barbecues.
How great is that!
Tchau!!
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