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Four Azores IslandsFour Azores Islands
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Following two months travelling through Andalusia, Spain, we are going to the Azores Islands for three weeks. Five years ago, we spent three weeks on Sao Miguel Island and said that we would return to explore a few more of the islands. So here we are Read more
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  • LadyandtrampFour Azores Islands

    A Dedication

    March 8 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    This book is dedicated to our two daughters, Amy and Caitlin, their husbands, Matt and Tim, and our loving grandchildren, Audrey (11), Cal (10) and Nathan (7) who bring us continued joy. It is also made in memory of the time that the 9 of us spent a wonderful week in Sao Miguel, Azores, four years ago.

    By the way, Chris continues to wear his Saint Christopher medallion when we travel.

    When someone wears a Saint Christopher pendant around their neck or on a bracelet, a keyring or even in their rearview mirror in their car, they are bestowed with the protection of St. Christopher. This offers them protection from dangers as they travel and ensures their safe passage back home!    Read more

  • LadyandtrampFour Azores Islands
    Day 1

    Hostal da Palmiera, Terceira Island

    March 9 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    Our hostal is perfect. We would easily stay here again as it is spacious and clean, in a very good location and the bedroom and shared living and dining areas are very comfortable. We are a block away from the sandy beach and restaurants and close to a large grocery store. Even though we didn’t rent a car here, there is free parking. The best part is that it is quiet and comfortable.

    I just wanted to put a few photos in.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampFour Azores Islands
    Day 2

    Praia da Vitória, Terceira Island

    March 10 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    Tucked away on the eastern side of Terceira Island in the Azores Islands is the picturesque port town of Praia da Vitória. It has a large bay with a long sandy beach and a modern marina that is popular with ocean-crossing vessels.

    The town had a famous victory in 1581 when Spanish troops attempted to seize the island. They were prevented from being successful and eventually driven away by the release of a large herd of cattle onto the sea’s shore. Can you imagine this as a way to stop a battle?

    Our hostal is very close to the airport and just on the outskirts of this little town with a population of 21,000 people. We took a short taxi ride and were thrilled by how warm it was and how clean the air was. Our room is spacious and clean and the common areas that we can use are lovely. Breakfast will be available at 8 a.m. tomorrow.

    We had time to do a little walkabout to the beach area that is one block away and get a simple chicken, fries and salad dinner. It is so quiet here. What a different place from the big city of Madrid. And, a plus…it is much warmer here!!!

    Before going back to the hostel, we noticed a statue high up on a hill. We knew what we were going to do on Sunday. Heading up!

    There is a two hour time difference between Spain and the Azores so soon we were ready for bed. Even though time changes in Ontario today, it doesn’t change here yet.

    In the morning, we met the other people who were staying here. We thought that we were the only ones here as it was so quiet but we were mistaken. There must have been about 12 of us from all over - Spain, Germany, China, Denmark, Canada and somewhere else. We had great breakfast conversations with these interesting people.

    The morning was so nice and warm - T-shirt weather and hats. We went down to the pale- coloured beach towards the harbour, passed the remains of the old fort and took the road up to the monument at the top of a high hill. The views along the way were beautiful.

    Coming down, we took the uneven volcanic stairs. About three hundred of them. It was fun to observe the various activities in the town and in the marina. There was a kids’ bicycle race and diehard people sunning and swimming on the beach. We walked on the beach and got our feet wet but the water seemed pretty cold to us.

    We walked through the pretty town. It is Sunday and people were in the cathedral. Few stores were open and it was quiet. The whole town only has a population of 21,000 people.

    We had a late lunch of two very traditional dishes from Terceira - limpets and alcatra, a beef rump that is slow-cooked in a clay pot with red wine, onions, garlic, cloves, and black peppercorns until it's practically falling-apart tender. Both were delicious!

    Flying to Faial Island tomorrow, but we will be back to Terceira later for a week and with a car. The other guests have kindly filled us in with what to see.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampFour Azores Islands
    Day 3–6

    Off to a New Island

    March 11 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    We have enjoyed our mini visit to Terceira, 2 nights, and are looking forward to returning to it in a week’s time for a week. We’ll have a car then and will be able to explore the island.

    This morning, we went for a walk along the beach away from the town. There is a 3 km malecon (seaside walkway) and a boardwalk, perfect for some morning exercise before going to the airport for our flight to Faial Island. But man it was windy! 70 km winds! Chris kindly switch coats with me.

    Our prop plane was taking off at 2:50 pm so we had some time to just take it easy before leaving. Lajes airport is just a 10 minute taxi ride away so no rush.

    Surprisingly, there were a lot of people on the plane. I guess because it was going to Sao Miguel Island after we were dropped off and new passengers boarded in Faial. Anyways, it was supposed to be a 25 minute flight but ended up being close to 2 hours. Why? The weather is very unpredictable on the islands and a storm with winds and rain stopped the pilot from landing. The plane went round and round until the right moment. When we landed, there were lots of puddles but the sun was out.

    Earlier I had rented a car, Ibiza, from a recommended company called Ilha Verde. It was an easy pickup and a 10 minute drive to the house we have rented across from the harbour for 3 nights in the capital city of Horta.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampFour Azores Islands
    Day 4

    Faial Island

    March 12 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    The Azores islands are one of two independent regions of Portugal (the other being Madeira), located roughly 22600 km or 1000 miles from mainland Portugal. It is a 9-island archipelago that are split into three groups: Eastern (São Miguel, Santa Maria), Central (Terceira, Pico, Faial, São Jorge, Graciosa), and Western (Corvo, Flores). Our focus on this trip was to see three, and maybe four, of the Central islands. My brother and his friends hiked in this area several years ago and enjoyed the experience. Because of his stories, we were extra motivated to see these islands.

    The Azores were discovered in the 14th century and were named ‘açor’, meaning Goshawk, which was a common bird known in that time. The people here can travel either by plane or by ferry to other islands depending on the weather. We knew that we would love visiting these islands as they are full of nature and there is always a bit of an adventure.

    We think that the population of Faial is around 15,038+ in an area of 173.06 square kilometres (66.82 sq mi). The city of Horta itself has a population of about 7,000. The island is 21 km long and 14 km wide, not very big , a little more than half the size of New York City.

    The drive into the town of Horta was quick, 10 minutes, on a windy, well-paved and maintained road. There were hardly any cars and it was an easy drive to the house we rented.

    My first impressions of the area we were in was odd. I kind had a feeling of being disoriented or in an alien culture. Funny thing to say. It was like going into a bit of a time warp back to the 50s? The narrow street that our house was on was full of very old buildings, some renovated and others in ruins. We wondered what it would be like inside.

    Once we entered the two bedroom house, we were pleasantly surprised. It was long and narrow and had modern facilities, including a washing machine and good bathroom. We could have never guessed what it was like inside.

    We walked to a nearby mini mart that had the basics we wanted and friendly staff but it still felt a little eery to me. Madrid to Tercira to Horta. Big difference!

    Across from our street is the ferry terminal and across a strait we could see the giant volcano, Pico, on Pico Island.

    By now we were hungry so went to Peter’s Cafe Sport that has been a Faial island staple for over a century. Sailors passing through the Azores often stop in her to get information, as well as have a rest and a nice meal. We ordered dinner and I sampled some of the cafe’s homemade passion fruit-flavoured gin liqueur produced in the Azores called Gin do Mar, with tonic and lemon slices. So good.
    Peter's restaurant has been mentioned in over thirty novels ... it has a lot of history
    .
    All in all, a day with a good beginning and good ending and a fuzzy middle. Lol.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampFour Azores Islands
    Day 4

    A Road Trip Around Faial Island

    March 12 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We are staying in Horta that is in the very bottom right hand corner of the island. It was a gorgeous sunny day so we spent almost the whole day driving around the island clock-wise.

    First things first though. We went to the ferry terminal and bought our tickets for Thursday’s trip to the island of Pico. Actually the ferry workers are on strike so we didn’t have much choice about when we could go. We are just hoping that the weather is fine, especially when we come back, so we will be in time to catch our plane to Terceira next Monday.

    So, the road trip…

    The island is not very big 21km x 14 km. In the centre of the island, there is a large volcanic crater called Caldeira. You can drive to the rim of this crater (400 m deep) and walk around it (8 km) , but by the time we got to the turnoff to the crater, the clouds had rolled in.

    Anyways, we started in Horta, drove past the airport and down to a small fishing harbour called Porto de Castelo Branco. There was a cute picnic area where we took photos of a distinct white cliff, the remains of an old volcano.

    We drove further through some cute white villages and saw the turn off to that cliff, called Morro (castle) de Castelo Branco. We wanted to see it up closer as we had read that is it full of small caves that seabirds nest in. It is a protected area with some hiking trails with great views.

    We continued north to a place called Varadouro where people have summer holiday houses around a small spa with thermal springs. There were also natural rock pools. These pools were built onto the lava rock boulders and the sea water fills them up. We had fun taking the little paths through the lava rocks to hidden spots. An elderly man told us that he went into the water every day for his daily swim. Brrrr.

    Continuing up the main road, we turned left to go to the Volcao dos Capelinos. On the way, we saw more and more damaged houses, the result of devastating volcanic eruptions in 1957/58.. The volcano erupted approximately 68 years ago, creating a desolate, moonlike landscape. The entire region was leveled and only a lighthouse remained standing.

    We went into the ‘futuristic’ underground visitor center that is also a museum that had a great display about volcanoes and the eruption of the Capelinhos Volcano in particular.
    We climbed the narrow, circular staircase with 114 stairs up to the top of the lighthouse for views of the area.

    Continuing on, we passed even more ruined houses with the roofs of the houses barely peeking out from the high layer of volcanic ashes and cinder.

    We took a narrow side road to a little hamlet, Faja, to a sandy beach below steeply rising bluffs. I believe this area is known to be a good surfing spot.

    The whole trip at the top of the island had magnificent views with towering cliffs and deep gorges. We stopped for a late lunch in a cute restaurant/grocery store with a great view. Fresh catch of the day was on the menu. We got a seafood skewer with octopus, fish, shrimp and vegetables with French fries and a salad and enjoyed the goings on in this small town.

    The rest of the trip on the east side was more of the same but different great views.

    As we neared Horta, we saw the glorious Pico volcano. But then the clouds rolled in and hid her in a matter of minutes. We’ll see lots of her when we are on Pico Island!

    The last place where we stopped was at a statue high on the bluffs over Horta. We had a great view of the harbour below and could even see our little house.

    It was a perfect day trip.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampFour Azores Islands
    Day 5

    Sailors’ Paintings on the Harbour’s Wall

    March 13 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Horta is the largest city on the island of Faial, which is one of the five central islands of the Azores, and home to half of the island’s residents. It is situated on the eastern side of Faial and faces the island of Pico. In fact, you can get an amazing view of the Pico volcano from most points in Horta.

    The town was ‘started’ by a Flemish nobleman named Josse Van Huerter in 1467 who came through Faial on an expedition, landing at Horta Bay. From there, he built a small chapel which served as the focal point of the community. The name ‘Horta’ is thought to come from his surname. Nonetheless, ‘Horta’ also means ‘orchard’ in Portuguese, which could also be the origin of the town’s name.

    We drove to the old fortress that was built in the 16th Century. Right now a hotel has been built inside it but the old walls are still in good shape.

    We heard a story about hundreds of paintings that decorated the harbours walls. Nobody knows how the painting of the harbor walls first began. But one day, many years ago, the crew of a sailing vessel anchored in the harbor wanted to leave a souvenir of their visit to the island in the docks.

    This first painting was followed by others, gradually occupying the whole sea wall, which has been transformed into a brightly-colored mosaic of drawings recalling the many yachts that have stopped off in the marina.

    A superstition began circulating among residents that vessels which, for one reason or another, failed to leave a record of their presence, would suffer a serious accident.

    So as not to tempt fate, every sailor now uses his brush and paint to sketch a drawing and some words that refer to his vessel or voyage, and a giant mosaic of vivid murals has thus been created over the decades by countless crews.

    We spent at least an hour looking at these paintings and trying to find the ones were from Canada.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampFour Azores Islands
    Day 5

    The Scrimshaw Museum

    March 13 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    Located on the second floor of Peter’s Café Sport, is a unique museum that displays pieces made by engraving or carving whale bones and teeth.

    We had read about it and asked a lady at the bar if we could see it. She called someone who came over to open the door for us and explain what scrimshaw was and what we were seeing.

    This museum houses the largest private Scrimshaw collection in the world, composed of whale bone and sperm whale teeth carved and engraved with a wide variety of motifs. This interesting collection includes portraits, miniature boats, jewelry and even a chess set made by the skillful fishermen and sailors of the island. The engravings are very detailed and precise.

    The museum also has a huge collection of useful objects and decorative pieces made of ivory and sperm whale bone. On the walls there is a collection of photographs, manuscripts, maps, books, and other documents related to whaling and navigation.

    Scrimshaw originated aboard whaling vessels as a way for sailors to combat monotony
    during long ocean crossings. Often this little works of art were made as souvenirs for family members.

    The girl who explained things to us, in English, did a very good job and we enjoyed every minute in this hidden museum above a bar.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampFour Azores Islands
    Day 5

    Dab House & Porto Pim’s Whaling Station

    March 13 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    We walked around an ancient volcano on the edge of town to go to two places - the Dabney Summer House and a Whaling Museum.

    The first place that we went into was a small museum depicting the history of the Dabney family and the period they lived in. The Dabney family settled on the island in 1806 when John Dabney was appointed US Consul General to the Azores. The position was held successively by his son and grandson in close connection with their business activities as large vineyard owners, ship-owners, and merchants.

    The property in Porto Pim was acquired by this family in 1854 and consisted of a summer house that included a dock and shelter for boats and a winery. Wine cellars and greenhouses abounded in 18th-century Horta. They were used to store wine (mostly produced on properties on Pico) and the equipment was used in the wine making process.

    These wines were shipped from Horta to the world and became known as “Faial wine”. The collapse of the wine business led to the end of an era. The industry was supplanted by whaling, which resulted in the disappearance of the wineries and greenhouses.

    From the house, it was a short walk to the Whale Station Musem.

    The whaling station was built during the 1940s and is one of the best preserved examples of the extinct Azorean whaling industry. The exhibit tries to explain the historical, economic, and social aspects of the whale processing business.

    What’s interesting about the station is that practically all of the original machinery is still in place. Short films and posters explain how sperm whales were processed to obtain commercial by-products. The collection of memorabilia from the intense whaling activities that took place in Faial in the twentieth century is impressive.

    This processing station used to be an important whaling base, until the practice of whaling came to an end in the 1970s. These days whales are fortunately hunted only with cameras by tourists.

    Upstairs in the museum there is a 10 m female skeleton of a sperm whale hanging from the ceiling. We watched an excellent documentary about how a dead whale was brought to the factory and then buried for three years in the sand. Even though it hadn’t fully decomposed after this time, the scientists dug it up, cleaned it and then put the bones together for a display. It was quite a job.

    Visiting this museum brought back memories of our trip to a whaling station in Red Bay, Newfoundland. We were there on the day that it became a UNESCO National Historic Site.
    It was an exciting day for the Red Bay Community!

    P.S. Chris bought a pair of polarized sunglasses from an optician in Horta. The sun here is intense, when it is out.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampFour Azores Islands
    Day 5

    Neptune in Horta

    March 13 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    Apparently on February 15, 1986, on a Saturday between noon and 4 pm, the Azores suffered the greatest storm of the century, with winds reaching velocities of nearly 250 km/h.

    A local photographer, Jose Henrique Azevedo, took photographs before and after the storm. Waves reached heights of between 15 and 20 meters and when they broke, the spray went as high as 60 meters.

    Two years later when Jose wished to show proof of this event to visiting yachtsmen, he printed two of the photos. Having done so, he discovered that at the moment when he had photographed a particular breaking wave it had taken on human form – and thus became known as Neptune at Horta.

    Can you see the Neptune’s face?    Read more

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