Portugal
Madalena

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    • Day 8

      Old Vineyards and Wine

      March 16 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

      What we first noticed when we arrived on Pico and drove to a lunch cafe, were numerous walls of black basalt stones placed close to each other and seemingly helter skelter in the fields. We asked the waitress in the restaurant why they were there and she looked puzzled. She answered, “You mean the vineyards?” They sure didn’t look like vineyards to us.

      But yes, we were looking at the imperfect squares of Pico’s vineyards, built by hand to protect the grapes from the fury of the elements. You really have to see them to understand what they look like. We wondered how many years and man hours did it take to build them.

      The cultivation of grape vines on Pico began in the late 15th century, when the island was first settled. A couple of factors provided exceptional conditions for ripening grapes:
      The volcanic soil rich in nutrients.
      The dry, warm microclimate of the slopes protected from the wind and salt spray
      by walls of rough, dark stone, heated by the sun,

      The most famous wine from Pico is the Verdelho variety. This wine was exported to many countries in Europe and America, and even arrived at the table of the Russian Court. The vineyards that dot the landscape of the island, still produce a crisp, fruity, dry and mild wine that is ideal for a pairing with seafood or fish. They also have another wine called vinho de cheiro (a fragrant wine) that is popular during feast days.

      In 2004, UNESCO recognized Pico’s unique viticulture system as a World Heritage Site, “Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture”. The man-made grid of walls is called Criação Velha or ”old creation” and cover more than 2000 acres on the island’s west coast. They are supposed to be the best remaining example of what was once a more widespread method of grape growing.

      As these vineyards became more successful, manor houses, wine-cellars, distilleries, warehouses and ports in tiny hamlets sprang up around them. It is amazing but this culture has survived and thrives to this day.
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    • Day 8

      Terceira -> Pico

      May 21, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      Erneut hieß es, früh aus den Federn, aber zum Glück nicht so früh, wie beim letzten Transfer-Flug. So konnten wir noch in aller Ruhe im Hotel frühstücken, bevor wir Richtung Flughafen fuhren.

      Der Flug war wieder unspektakulär und entsprach der Strecke Hamburg - Bremen. Jetzt sind wir auf Pico, der zweitgrößten Insel der Azoren. Was auffällt, sind kaum Kühe, dafür jede Menge Weinberge, bzw. Kleine Abteile, die durch Mauern aus Lava-Brocken vor dem Wind geschützt werden. Das Ergebnis ist lecker!!! 🍷

      Unser Appartement ist sehr schön, geht über zwei Etagen, hat eine riesige Terrasse und einen tollen Meerblick! Dafür ist das Frühstück eher enttäuschend… Am Abend waren wir noch in einem Restaurant, dessen Visitenkarten schon in unserem Hotel in Terceira auslagen. Aber die wohlhabenden Azoras nutzen wohl tatsächlich die sehr günstigen Inlandsflüge, um auf einer anderen Insel Essen zu gehen…

      Die beiden Videos haben wir nicht aufgenommen, um irgendwas zu zeigen. Wir haben den „Gesang“ der Sepiasturmtaucher aufgenommen, die abends vom Meer an Land kommen. Wir haben zumindest vorher noch nie Vögel gehört, die „Aua-Aua-Aua-Aaah“ von sich geben… 😂
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    • Day 6–10

      On to Pico Island

      March 14 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

      So now we are ready to visit our fourth out of the nine Azores islands. So far each of the islands have had a completely different feel about them. Surprising considering how close they are to each other. We may have to return to the Azores in the future to explore the last five islands.

      Pico Island, the second-largest in the Azores, is nicknamed the “grey or black island” because it is the most volcanic and basalt-y of them all. Dramatic landscapes with all kinds of lava formations dominate the scenery. It contrasts with the blue of the ocean and the white from the foam of the waves.

      Portugal’s highest mountain, also called Pico, rises 2,351 m above sea level on the west side of the island. When we were in Horta, we could see this huge volcano off and on depending on the openings in the clouds that swirled around it.

      We caught the ferry that would take us from Horta to Madalena at 9 a.m. We were a little worried as there is a ferry workers’ strike going on and the ferry only runs if the weather is good. Stronger winds were forecast for later in the day but luckily all went well and we were able to go.

      The boat isn’t very big - it only holds 12 vehicles and about 300 passengers max. Cars have to back into the hold. The trip between islands was short, only about 30 minutes and we couldn’t see the volcano at all. It was covered in clouds.

      Our BnB, Joe’s Place, is located in the town of Madalena (pop 6,500) about 1 km from the ferry terminal. There are four bedrooms in this 300 hundred year old, traditional Azorean-style house as well as common rooms and terraces looking out over the town. A healthy breakfast is served with regional products in the morning and the owners and their Dutch helper Sophie are very friendly. I think that we are the only ones here now as we haven’t seen anyone.

      Renowned as one of the ten wine-growing regions globally designated as a UNESCO Heritage Site, Madalena proudly holds the title of the Azores’ wine capital. A future footprint will tell more about the island’s wine industry.

      When we arrived, we took a little drive to check out the area and have a coffee before going to the BnB. This island looks intriguing. So different from Faial.
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    • Day 4

      Pico, delfini in kiti

      June 28, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      Danes se zbudimo zgodaj, saj nas čaka izlet in opazovanje delfinov in kitov. Z našo staro izposojeno Ford Fiesto, ob 7.20 štartamo proti 36 km oddaljenem Lajes do Pico. Tam se nam namreč začne izlet. Na poti se nam končno, po dveh dnevih skrivanja, v vsej svoji mogočnosti pokaže gora (vulkan) Pico. Lep je. Mogočen.

      Prispemo do Lajes do Pico, jutranja kava, viski, saj se gre na morje, in malo pred deveto uro že imamo informacijski sestanek in predstavitev, katere vrste kitov in delfinov vse živijo v okolici Azorov. Izvemo dosti informacij in že gremo na veliki Zodiac čoln z 500 konjev motorjev. Izplujemo iz majhnega pristanišča in zelo hitro nas pozdravi ogroma jata delfinov. Razigrani skačejo iz vode, vidimo majhne delfinčke, nakar skipper reče, da moramo iti in že je pred nami veliki kit glavač. Opazujemo ga iz razdalje cca 20 - 30 metrov, nakar se počasi potopi in nas prvič pozdravi s svojo veliko plavutjo. Pa radiu sporočijo drugo lokacijo in že drvimo naprej, kjer nas pričaka še en ogromen kit glavač, pa kasneje še tretji in še četrti. Vmes še enkrat srečamo delfine in potem se peljemo še drugam, kjer srečamo želvo, ki je verjetno priplavala iz Bahamov, potem pa še drugo vrsto delfinov, ki so večji. Vidimo vmes tudi belega delfina, preden se vrnemo nazaj v pristanišče. Tri ure traja ta izlet in res smo videli veliko. Se je splačalo.

      Po opazovanju si privoščimo še kosilo in se po južni strani vrnemo nazaj v Madaleno. Obiščemo še trgovino, kjer so cene smešne. Govedina za steake, kilogram je 12 Eur, škampi, kilogram je 10 Eur. Nakupimo hrano za danes in jutri, saj bomo sami v tem finem apartmaju kuhali nalsednja dva dni in dejansko prihranili kakšen Eur za hrano. Pojedina bo :)

      Jutri imamo še en dan na otoku in prihranili smo si še ogled dveh jezer, danes pa še počitek in kulinarični večer “doma”.
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    • Day 7

      Gruta das Torres Lava Tube

      March 15 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

      The wind roared all night. You just can’t predict the weather on this island. One minute the sun is shining, a few minutes later the fog rolls in, then it rains, then it is cold, then hot. What a place! The weather changes very quickly and it’s good to be prepared for anything.

      We were somewhat worried about our ferry ride back to Horta to catch our plane on Monday afternoon. With the unpredictable weather, we were afraid that the ferry would be cancelled and we may miss our plane. Remember there is a ferry workers strike so the ferry only runs twice a day. We were also concerned about room the ferry for the car. Only 10 cars have spots. We decided to take the ferry back on Sunday morning after consulting with several people in the know and spend the night in a hotel in Horta. We bought our tickets immediately. Whew, there was still room for the car.

      Now that that was taken care of, we could enjoy ourselves with a tour of another long lava tube.

      The Gruta das Torres Visitors Centre is a 10 minute drive from Joe’s Place and luckily for us an English tour explaining the formation and characteristics of a lava tube was going to start at 11 a.m.

      The Gruta das Torres is the largest lava tube in Portugal, with a length of 5150 metres, and it is part of a bigger complex. It is estimated that it was formed about 1500 years ago during an eruption of the volcano in Cabeço Bravo.

      We were given helmets and flashlights and watched a short film showing how the Azores Islands formed before heading down into the tube.

      Our visit took about 1 1/2 hours and cost five euros each. The guide did a great job of explaining all that we saw and suggesting easy ways to negotiate getting around the slippery rubble and giant lava rocks, without getting hurt. There are no artificial lights down there, just our flashlights. The cave walk was about 450 metres long.

      At one point we all turned off our flashlights and stood silently in a cave. We couldn’t see a thing as there wasn’t any light at all and we couldn’t hear anything either. (maybe some ringing in our ears) but the dripping water from the top of the cave falling on us became quite noticeable.

      The guide did an excellent job and we had fun.

      Joe, our BnB host told us that in Pico you have to ‘Chase the Sun’ as you travel so that’s what we did. Stay one step in front of the dark fog clouds. Good advice!

      From the caves, we took a lava road through the island to the coast. We saw lots of twisty trees and volcanic rocks as well as cattle and goats. We looked for houses but didn’t see any. The land is way too rugged.

      Our goal was to have a late lunch at a recommended restaurant called Fonte in Lajes so we went down this coast admiring the huge waves as they crashed on the giant lava rocks. We could sit and do this for hours!

      The lunch special was delicious and inexpensive - soup to start, and then a plate with fish, boiled potatoes and a green salad followed by a chocolate mousse with peanuts on top. A very full glass of Azorean wine and a beer were included, all for about $15 Cdn each. What a deal. We have not been in restaurant that serves vegetables. Who knows why as they grow all sorts of vegetables here. It’s always meat or fish, French fries and a salad -the closest thing to a vegetable serving. Not sure what vegetarians eat here…

      Heading back to Joe’s, we took the road that passed by the volcano with hopes of seeing it without the clouds. Not the greatest luck, but Chris did manage to get a photo in the 2 seconds that the clouds separated a bit. He was lucky,

      The day started out very windy, rainy and foggy and ended up being a glorious sunny day. Another great day in Pico. One more to go.
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    • Day 3

      Pico

      June 27, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Kar letijo ti naši dnevi, ampak še je pred nami. Včeraj vsi zaspali, saj je prvi potovalni dan in drugi na Pico pustil malo popotniške utrujenosti. Danes se zbudimo spočiti, gostitelj Miguel pa nas že navsezgodah razveseli s sporočilom, da nas avto že čaka pred apartmajem. Človek nam je uredil avto, njegov, za 30 Eur na dan. Cene rent-a- car so trenutni tudi preko 100 Eur na dan, tak, da to je vrhunsko dobra opcija. Prevzamemo ključe in se že odpravimo na naše prvo raziskovanje otoka Pico. Vulkan, najvišji vrh Portugalske se še vedno sramežljivo skriva, že drugi dan vemo kje je, ampak cel čas je skrit v oblakih. Upam, da ga bomo lahko vsaj enkrat slikali, ni, pa to baje redek pojav, več je skrit, kot viden in mi nismo nobena izjema.

      Ob začetku našega izleta začne deževati, ampak to je v bistvu pršenje, ki traja do 30 minut, se ustavi in posije sonce. In cel dan takole, več ali manj pestro vremensko doganjanje, večjega naliva še nismo doživeli.

      Prva postojanka danes je Paisagem da Vinha de Criação Velha. UNESCO dediščina in preko 800 hektarjev vinogradov, obdanih z vulkanskim kamenjem. Ob cesti parkiramo avto in se peš odpravimo na sprehod po vulkanskem pesku skozi vinograde. Ikoničen mlin na veter med nasadi trte, ki jih ločujejo črni vulkanski kamni. Idilična podoba, ki je ne pozabiš, saj je dejansko nekaj edinstvenega. Pridemo do obale, ki je črna, še vedno vidni sledovi kako je lava ustvarila obalo, s pogledom na otok Faial, vmes pa Atlantski ocean, ki se zabija v vulkansko obalo. Azori so res posebni. Sem že verjetno omenil, da ni nikjer nobene gneče, vse je mirno, umirjeno, na “easy”.

      Naprej nas pot vodi do Gruta das Torres. Največji tunel lave v Evropi, preko 5 km dolg. Ogled je dolg cca 1 uro, peljejo te v popolni temi po cca 450 m dolgi poti skozi podzemni tunel, ki ga je naredila lava. Žal, nam povedo, da bi se morali naročiti kaki mesec prej za ogled, saj je gredo trajnostni turizem in dopuščajo samo določeno število obiskovalcev na dan. Nič ne de, gremo dalje. Alternativa je Furna do frei Matias, cca 11 km oddaljena prosto dostopna jama, prav tako posledica lave. Avto parkiraš ob cesti, prečkaš pašnik in na sredi le tega, je ozka potka v jamo in krajši tunel, ki je posledica lave. Vse prosto dostopno, zastonj in absolutno za videt.

      Naprej nas dan vodi pod “sramežljivim” Picom do Lagoa do Capitao, jezerce sredi zelenih pašnikov. Zanimivo, ker je od lepega prizora jezera z zelenimi pašniki, do tega, da ne vidiš niti 2 metra pred seboj, ker se tako spreminja vreme in oblaki, mine 10 sekund in je vse v megli. Tako hitro se menja vreme tukaj.

      Nadaljujemo proti malem, obmorskem mestecu Lajes do Pico. Malo, simpatično mestece, kjer se začnejo vse ture za ogled kitov na otoku Pico. Tudi mi gremo jutri od tukaj, za 108 Eur za vse tri. Sprehodimo se skozi uličice, si ogledami, kdaj in kje moramo biti jutri prisotni za ogled kitov, si pogledami mestno “kopališče” in gremo na kosilo. Nadaljujemo po spodnjem delu otoka, kjer se ustavimo ob opazovalnicah kitov, eden izmed domačinov nam posodi celo daljnogled in tako minevajo zanimivi trenutki. Drugače je, čas teče drugače tukaj.

      Nadaljujemo do Farol da ponta da Iha, ki je največji svetilnik na skrajno zahodnem delu otoka. Spet vulkanska črna obala in pogled na neskončno modrino Atlantika.

      Vračamo se po severni strani otoka proti mestece Madalena, opazujemo neverjetno vegetacijo in vse odtenke zelene barve na tem otoku. Preden se vrnemo v naš apartma, se ustavimo še v baje enem najlepših barčkov na svetu, Cella bar. Z lesom oblikovan barček, s teraso, kjer lahko uživaš v sončnem zahodu s pogledom na otok Faial in odlično založeno vinoteko in izbiro ginov. Najdražja steklenica je vino letnik 2011, “samo” 800 Eur.

      Sangria za 16 Eur se je zdela boljša izbira in dan smo zaključili s kartami in mirnim večerom na “domači” terasi. Jutri se dan začne ob 7 zjutraj in bo spet impresiven….jutri gremo gledat velikane morja….kite.
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    • Day 6

      Furna de Frei Matias

      March 14 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

      The sun was shining so after getting ourselves set up in Joe’s Place, we went for a drive to a nearby cave in the country. The owner gave us a headlamp and told us about the unusual gold and silver colours in the cave that we were going to see.

      I think that most people would zoom by the entrance to these caves and never even notice them. But for the curious, there's 45 minutes of discovery to be had in these hidden caves.

      We drove and parked the car at a cattle gate and saw in the near distance three unassuming hills. We walked gingerly through mud, deep cow prints and cow patties to one of the hills and hidden at the back of the hill was a big hole in the ground leading to a cave. It was pretty wet but we scrambled down the rocks and entered a fantasy world. Fun stuff!

      Our BnB host was right. The inside of the cave glowed especially when we shone the light on the ceiling of it. I have been calling the area a cave but it is actually a lava tunnel.

      This cave is named after a hermit, Frei Mathias (Brother Mathias), who lived in this cave in fear of pirates. We read that the cave is 1,000 m long, but most of the cave is difficult to explore as you have to crawl on your stomach. Caving equipment and experience is necessary, so we didn’t go in too deep. What we saw though was very neat and we loved exploring the area that we could get into.

      From the cave we went on a road trip through the centre of the island past the volcano but the clouds hid her! The winds were pretty ferocious so we were afraid to open the car doors when we got out to take some photos of the interior landscape.

      Heading north, we visited the quaint town of Sao Roque (1,500 people) that was full of beautiful spots - a lovely municipal garden, rock pools in the ocean, a windmill and another whale industry museum. We chose to sit in the sun on the lava seawall and watch the waves before heading back to Madalena.
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    • Day 7

      Flowers in Joe’s Garden

      March 15 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

      For Diane and Claude...

      They say anything and everything grows in the Azores, and this is because of the mineral-rich volcanic soil that allows that plants to flourish here.

      Chris went into Joe’s backyard and took these photos of just some of the flowers and plants he saw. Beautiful.

      .
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    • Day 8

      Pico’s Windmills

      March 16 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

      We have seen several windmills and remains of windmills on the island.

      Windmills began to be built in the 16th century and were important to the development of the islands’ economy. Grinding grains was a necessity in food production. Historically, windmills are remnants of the island’s colonisation by both Flemish and Portuguese settlers.

      One of the windmills that we saw is called the Moinho do Frade. This mill is surrounded by acres of vineyards. Tourists started coming to see it and the community got the money to fully restore the mill in 2003/4. The mill apparently is in working order, driven by its 4 bladed propeller.

      Another restored windmill is called Moinho do Monte. The door was open so we could go up the steps and look inside to see how the mill’s mechanism would ground wheat for flour.

      In many places, we just saw the round stone bottoms of ruined mills in lot with overgrown vegetation.
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    • Day 1

      Ankunft Insel Pico

      September 3, 2023 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

      Nach etwa 1.5 Stunden Verspätung unseres Inlandsfluges sind wir endlich auf der Insel Pico - die erste von 3 unserer Auserwählten - angekommen. Gefahren sind wir bis hier mit einem sehr netten Taxifahrer. Busse fahren laut App nur 2 mal am Tag. Ist ja fast wie zu Schulzeit-Tagen in der Heimat :D. Zum Glück haben wir jetzt einen Führerschein und ab morgen unseren Mietwagen 🥳. Da uns die Neugierde und der Hunger überkamen, haben wir noch einen kleinen Spaziergang gemacht, um erste Eindrücke zu sammeln. Zum Essen eingekehrt sind wir bei Mercado Bio. Ein sehr süßer Laden, in den es heute gefühlt jeden getrieben hat...dafür ist sonst kaum eine Menschenseele in Sicht gewesen. Eine schöne Entdeckung war ein kleines Naturschwimmbecken, welches wir die Tage definitiv mal ausprobieren werden.. jetzt sind wir allerdings froh, in die Waagerechte zu fallen. 🥱Read more

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    Madalena

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