So the Azores are awesome. There is nothing like indulging in beautiful scenery, hot thermal pools, and lots of meat when one survives being trapped in a fiberglass container that’s just plowing through raw, unencumbered nature for ten days or more. It’s as if sailors designed this place to give them a bit of a break. I mean, things are even cheap here!
We’ve had some beautiful days driving around the countryside of Sao Miguel. This is a place where the “scenic overlooks” all require ultra-wide angles lenses and have broad-spectrum histograms in Photoshop. The “rest stops,” which occur every kilometer, consist of stone (not wood!) picnic tables and beautifully landscaped mega-plants. I mean, you feel really guilty if you do not bring along a picnic lunch. The cows just stare and laugh. “Fools!” they moo.
We also had a luxury day at Terra Nostra Garden Hotel, where, after our massages, we floated in warm, golden springwater surrounded by a massive botanical garden and an Art Deco Hotel. The light smell of sulfur did not detract from our perfect G&T’s, which included a sprig of actual juniper. Fancy!
In the evenings, we get together with friends from South Africa and France in this territory of Portugal and think, the world is really mostly water, not land, isn’t it?
Of course, Mel had to ruin it. “I miss my kids,” she sighed. And so the Burnetts are on the move again. Because of complicated reasons involving airline flight patterns, they will have to go to Portugal instead of Gibraltar to pick up the kids. They are heading to Lagos, Portugal, tomorrow, ETE 5 days. Then they are officially “crossed” over. Enough with this Atlantic, already!
We visit the military museum in Ponta Delgada. It is moldy.
The military museum was light on explanations. “These are cannons.”
Giant squid outside the museum. For Tommy.
Colorful boats await good weather.
Ponta Delgada is a mix of architectural styles
Not my taste. But it would be if it was made of CHOCOLATE!
Scenic overlook, 1 of 50.
They figured out terracing a long time ago!
No lawnmowers here. Just weedeaters. You can see why.
Lighthouse on the eastern end of the island, run by the Navy
Waterfall by the lighthouse
A pink chimney. Why not?
Azorean fishing boats are stored by the waterfall. Fancy boatyard!
The paint is in better shape than the metal.
New oars and old oars. If the design ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
The earth splits open all of the time here.
The incomplete Fresnel lens in the lighthouse
View toward Portugal. We are headed that way!
Typical rest stop landscaping.
Some of the beautiful picnic areas that beg for a picnic
An old sandstone chapel by a lake, built by a wealthy Azorean in the 1800’s. Just because.
So cute.
We wander around a botanical garden near Furnas and pretend we are dinosaurs
The birdhouse builder stretches his wings
This hot spring is so nice, you don’t care if it smells like eggs even though it looks like butterscotch
Another view of this massive construction.
A eucalyptus in the Terra Nostra Gardens, where all of the interesting plants from all over the world were transplanted (100 years ago), ecology be damned!
