Gruta do Natal & More

This afternoon we visited the Gruta do Natal (Christmas Cave) which is a naturally formed tunnel of air developed under the warm lava. There are 74 such caves on the island of Terceira with this one providing the best conditions for tourist exploration. There have been baptisms and weddings held at this site, and one year a Christmas mass was held with 300 people in attendance. It makes me feel claustrophobic to even think of being in a crowd that large in such a confined space. It took most of my courage to explore it with my group of 16! After our visit to the caves, we visited the oldest church on this island where some original frescos were being refurbished, and then a tiny Empress Building used during the Portuguese celebration of the Holy Spirit which is a tradition in the Azores Islands that they call Festas do Espirito Santo. The buildings are used only once a year during the Holy week in May but are maintained all year and store the silver crowns used during the celebration. During the celebration there is a feast to serve the poor by means of the Holy Spirit soup and there is a procession which includes the crown and scepter. Often someone represents the Emperor, who symbolizes the Holy Spirit, but is not a religious figure. We gathered for our farewell dinner at Restaurant Teatro where we shared an onslaught of Portuguese tapas and some local wine or sangria. We have enjoyed our time in the Azores with our travel mates and our two excellent guides. It is a truly special place and tomorrow we get to spend one more day on our own in this paradise before heading home.Read more