The Azores 2022
Left a mild day in Montana….everything fine until time for departure from Boston to Ponta Delgata….flight crew milling….no one seemed terribly concerned that we were now running 30-40 mins late….finally take off…as much as I love being in the front of plane…there are times when I have to shake my head…it is 10:30 pm+….much clattering of cutlery and glasses…they serve a huge dinner….now 11:45…hoping that the lights will eventually dim to something in the range of a bright twilight…when I finally doze off…major announcement to PLEASE REMEMBER to wear your mask even if you are sleeping….doze off again…..the person behind me attempts of open the blanket or pillow covering…which is a very brittle cellophane…crackle..crackle…scrunch..scrunch…crackle….I think they must be trying to make an elaborate origami animal of some sort….finally asleep when announcement to tighten seatbelts comes over speaker….very rough air…bouncing and shaking…..I have feeling this type of weather is not unusual in this part of the Atlantic….don’t think I have ever been on a rougher flight….(except for the time my plane was struck by lightening) ….air calms somewhat…we slam onto the runway…excessive crosswind…grateful that customs and CV procedure were easy …..blissfully short ride into town.
Hotel Azor 5 very trendy …modern…..overlooking the harbor…room numbers are shown on a tiny strip of lighting that surrounds the doors…none of the numbers are the same size..some big some small…..all very confusing after a sleepless night…the bathroom is a black hole of a room…floors and walls are all highly polished black granite and black glass….…..doors fold into new spaces…very much appreciate the design and space saving feature but can only imagine what hazards abound there in the middle of the night…..fall into bed and happily sleep for a couple of hours.
Wander into town…very charming…Spanish colonial with tile roofs…mostly white with black shutters and vines artfully covering the corners….with a blue….pink or yellow house thrown in…cobblestone streets…..sidewalks are cobblestone with white mosaics of seahorses…..fish and other nautical themes …many large murals on buildings…..clouds lift and you can see beautiful green mountains in the distance….huge Norfolk pines mix with massive Palm trees scattered on the hillside..…flowers bed bursting with pansies etc…..I went to the bar to have a drink before dinner…hummm…they only sell wine by the bottle …twist my arm…..however sleep is starting to creep up on me…since I am eating in the hotel tonite….the bartender will keep the rest of the wine for tomorrow and he let me carry a glass down in the elevator to the restaurant….I order a 5 coarse experimental menu…..everything was amazing …..arduous first day :)
Thursday…..woke up to beautiful blue skies…not a cloud in sight …..a relief after the unsettled weather yesterday…...meet my guides Paulo and Felipe at 9am …head up in the the lush green of the mountains….cows….cows and more cows….9 mile hike around Sete Cidades……an extinct volcano on the North side of the island…….stunning views in every direction…several lakes fill the caldera…Blue Lake and Green Lake are the 2 largest…steep cliffs…..towering Cyprus trees….we hike the rim…..looking down into the caldera makes me a little nervous…..remnants of an ancient viaduct….now covered with colorful lichen and moss…..I am so grateful for the gorgeous day…..the only thing that would have made this day better would have been if the Hydrangeas were blooming…the roads are lined with them…they are planted between fields…..it must be spectacular to make the hike when they are in full bloom…..we end up in the village at edge of the lake….birds of paradise…daffodils…..bright red camellias the size of softballs…charming quaint little spot….
Friday…..stroll around the Famers market….stumbled upon a wonderful wine and cheese store called the Prince of Cheese….and indeed it was….head to the airport for short flight to Pico island…one of the newer islands… very volcanic….lava rocks make the fences (and windbreaks) for the many vineyards that dot the island…first form of xeriscape I think……highest peak in Portugal is on this island…..houses tend to be white stucco with orange shutters and orange tile roofs or lava rock with various colors of shutters…so picturesque…..much different vegetation than San Miguel…can see the island of Faial across the way….since hotel is on the north shore…..huge waves…will definitely leave the window open to enjoy the sound……a bit of a hiccup….hotel 20 mins from any restaurant …..Portuguese travel company neglected to mention the need for a car….taxi takes me to the prearranged restaurant but it is closed….drive on to another tiny little place…..have some great octopus….hope weather will be less wet tomorrow
Saturday …….Meet the very young energetic guide….popping in and out of the van for photo ops…. wander around a cleft in the volcanic cliff…locally called the Washing Machine…name becomes obvious…with water churning and roiling over around and through the rocks….narrow little walkways give you ample opportunity to get soaking wet….in several locations the nearest village has commandeered a natural shallow area to make a swimming “pool” with minimal impact create a beautiful place for people to swim……grooves in the lava made by ox carts ladened with wine barrels……vineyards everywhere…...lush green hillside start to replace the black lava rocks… vegetation is dense and you get the sense that Mother Nature would very much like to take over…50 shades of green…soft light…magical…moss…..lichen covers the trees like frosting….Japanese dogwood ….azaleas…calla lilies grow by the sides of the roads ……blossoms and blooms everywhere….it must be wonderful to have such rich soil and all this humidity …the saying “If you don’t like the weather wait 10 mins” must have been invented here in the Azores….rain….wind..sun..fog…all in an hour….we stop for lunch at a tiny establishment ….proprietor/chef is bustling between us and the regulars that are all drinking local coffee drink called a bica…tiny and potent and something strongly resembling Grappe….mussels….amazing local cheese…a great steak…then a homemade Blackberry brandy…YES PLEASE….the mountain wants to appear but is shrouded in clouds….hoping to see it fully before I leave….a lot of traffic here would mean seeing more than 4 cars in an hour….only 15K people on the entire island…..the tiny villages are all required to build in the old traditional way…which keeps the charm and character of the village intact….who wouldn’t be happy here for a week or two…..dinner…. a fabulous shrimp “stew” with white beans….nothing else to say but ahhhhhhhhh
Sunday…..the morning started looking to be a good weather day…..meet the guide who tells me we are going to the caves….CAVE?…ok…I am thinking Carlsbad…Lewis and Clark…..guide says no these are smaller caves…he knows them well…..we drive into the country side….walk through long tunnels of trees…over moss covered rocks…..my mind shifts to murder mystery novels…woman alone in the forest….heading into a cave ….…..he stops and points over a small rock wall to a large opening in the ground ……I start peppering him with questions….why am doing this…why should I do this???? Are you kidding? He hands me a helmet and gloves….tosses me the rope to assist with the descent…I tell him not to anticipate being down here too long…entrance steep and muddy…then large lava rocks …..finally just as the light from above disappears the floor flattens out….we ambled around I don’t see anything spectacular except for darkness….finally tell him…I don’t care what amazing features may be ahead…I am finished…he was disappointed but took it well….return to surface….POURING rain….we wait under the trees for some time…cancel going to other 2 caves ….off to yet another amazing lunch…..sadly…the ancient Jeeps windshield wipers were malfunctioning…..it sounded like nails on a blackboard and with the rain coming down very hard…canceled the excursion to the lagoons…..2 large lakes at the base of the mountain….car obviously was in a bit of a mood because it would also honk with no help from the driver….at every inopportune moment……pedestrians…people on the side of the road…on tiny streets where it echoed loudly….only amusing from inside the car….I almost got to see the entire mountain but quickly the weather turned very windy and foggy so we called it a day…guide dropped me off at the edge of town and I walked back to the hotel…….rain had stopped down here but very windy….thought I better walk off a few calories before dinner
Monday…..early flight back to San Miguel……big storm last night…but today dawns bright and sunny…..finally get to see Mt Pico (over 7,000 ft)…slight dusting of snow …..drive to different part of San Miguel…..I cannot express how absolutely gorgeous the scenery is……village of Furnas is located in an ancient caldera….surrounded by rugged mountains……it is positively utopian….beautiful botanical gardens….quiet tree lined cobblestone streets….a small river meanders through the village….banana trees…orange trees…the air is redolent with flowers and cypress…..hotel has numerous thermal pools…it is wonderful to hear the sound of water and birds
Tuesday…..weather unsettled but decided to take a hike around nearby Lagos das Furnas….several villas over look the lake….huge ferns (20 ft tall) ..stately eucalyptus…..parts of the trail pass through tunnels of bamboo…..multi colored giant azaleas …. .camellias in a beautiful shade of pink….tiny stairways spiral into the forest….the biggest Norfolk pine in Europe….a gothic church sitting quietly in a large glade…..numerous parks surround the lake…occasional rain showers make me glad for overhanging trees….at far end of the lake there is a significant geothermal area…walkways over the pools…a local specialty called Caldeiras is prepared here…it is a beef stew cooked inside man made cylinders in the ground …except for a handful of forest service employees…..only saw 2 other hikers….after lunch strolled up the hill from hotel…..a beautiful park meandered along the river….the hill side was dotted with fumaroles and numerous hot springs….many of them named…at times you would be enveloped in a sulphuric cloud….occasionally there would be spigots mounted on a wall….hot water gushing into a canal…..of coarse in the US…the area would be cordoned off with big signs to warn you of the danger…but here there was little or no cautionary signs……rainy afternoon…..time for jacuzzi …steam room….then tried a wonderful machine called a Hydro bed…think air mattress filled with warm water that massages….heaven
Sadly…..tomorrow CV test and too much time in the airport….have to spend the night in Boston…home late Thursday.
