Circling, crisscrossing and going down deep into the island

We just turned in the rental car that we had for three days.  Over that time we put close to 170 miles on the car.  Considering the size of the island that's a lot of miles. There are amazing views of the coast line all the way around, but equally stunning are the inland roads that cross from one side to the other.  Driving here is actually very easy, not many cars, no road rage or aggressive driving, reasonable speeds, etc.  According to a local, there are seven traffic signals on the island (six more than Mulberry had when I was growing up there) although there are quite a few roundabouts.  Usually we'd be the only car in sight when we'd get to one.  To the best of my knowledge no Portuguese men, women, children or animals were injured while I was behind the wheel. 

There isn't a lot of "touristy" stuff to do on the island, which is something we really appreciate.  However there are plenty of highlights.  We've really enjoyed seeing the natural salt water pools that can be found in several places.  We also enjoy the hiking trails, although I am still limited by the stiches in my leg. There is a small but interesting wine museum, and a cave and a lava tube left over from the volcanic activity that formed the island.  And of course we love the food!
The salt water pools are similar to tidal pools.  They're formed along the shore where waves and tides are constantly refreshing the water.  Some of these pools are encased completely by porous black lava walls.  Although it's still too cold to swim in them (at least for Floridians) we understand that these become popular in the summer.  They're quite large, come in all shapes and are full of fish and other marine creatures.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g8844199-d8837296-r328053308-Quatro_Ribeiras_Natural_Pools-Quatro_Ribeiras_Terceira_Azores.html
In the village of Biscoitos, which we lovingly referred to as "Bisquitville" is a small museum dedicated to the history of wine making on the island.  The Portuguese and Spanish discovered many centuries ago that the climate here was good for producing white wine, which is often referred to by the locals as "green wine" because of the color of the grapes and their juices.  The young lady that gave us a personal tour was a descendant of the family that owned the winery.  She was quite knowledgeable on the history of winemaking on the island.  We all (her included) enjoyed her attempts to tell the stories in English.  I particularly liked it when she told us her father was a bit of an anarchist, and that he really didn't care for people from the government on either the right or left.
The stiches will come out of my leg either tonight or tomorrow.  Once they do there will be a whole lot more hiking going on around the city and some of the trails.  We've met some nice folks in the short time we've been here who are caregivers. Sue's a Nurse Practitioner who has volunteered to take them out.  Joy happens to have a perfect pair of scissors and for backup there is Mackenzie (Physicians Assistant) and Liz  (Athletic Trainer).  I think I'm in excellent hands.  In case you missed it a few blogs back the stiches are a result of a little skin cancer I had removed.  It's a common occurrence for me and the price of being a bronze god in my youth.
Probably the most "touristy" things we have done on the island so far have been the cave and lava tube.  As an example of how laid back it is here, these are major attractions and currently they are open from 2:30-5:15.  When we pulled into the parking area of the "Algar Do Carvao" there were three other cars in the parking lot.  The cave is actually the remnants of a volcanic eruption that occurred thousands of years ago.  You can descend 338 steps down first through fern lined walls and then stalactite covered areas to the floor where there is a lake formed by rainwater that is steadily dripping through the rocks.  At the present time the lake is about 30 feet deep but during the drier months (summer) it completely vanishes.  338 steps down means that it was 338 steps back to the entrance, but it was well worth every single one of them. 
The Gruta do Natal which is commonly referred to as the Christmas Cave was just a few miles away. Come to think of it everything here is no more than a few miles away.  Unlike the Algar Do Carvao which was vertical, the Gruta do Natal is horizontal. It is the remains of a lava tube from the same volcanic period.  Although not quite as dramatic, it was still interesting to explore (hardhats were required).  It was fun to imagine the tube, which in spots was more than 10 feet high and 20 feet wide, filled with lava..............thankfully not today!
Between these two caves is another national park site open to the public with a short trail.  The circular trail goes around an area where steam and gas still escape into the atmosphere.  It's a not so subtle reminder that although there haven't been any eruptions for a long time, we're still sitting on top of a lot of underground activity!
After thinking about it for a bit I figured out it must be Wednesday.  Today is going to be mostly a relaxing day after a couple of days on the go.  It's nice to know we've got a few more weeks to enjoy this slice of paradise.

Famous American Cave Explorers!

Stalactites

Making our way down the Algar do Carvao-This is one of only three similar volcano cones in the world that you can descend into

Tough part of the trail!

This is a part of a coastal trail on the north side of the island

More of the trail and some old guy

Typical of much of the coastline.  Waves crashing into sheer cliffs of volcanic rock

You can't see them real well but the grapevines are on the ground surrounded by stone walls to protect them from the wind

Garden area of the wine museum.  The "tub" in the middle wasn't for winemaking but for washing clothes.

Part of one of the Salt Water Pools in Biscoitos

This was a small church in one of the villages.  Inside they recently discovered some fresco paintings dating back many centuries

This gentleman was working on the restoration of the paintings.  He was using a tool no larger than a dental pick

Part of the restoration project inside the church

 

If only I had my speedo!

Fun with Cows

I haven't been able to find out how many cows there are on Terceira but I'm pretty sure they  outnumber the people by a longshot.  The cattle that live here are often referred to as "happy cows".  Driving around the island it's easy to see why they have earned this moniker.  In spite of their number, there is way more lush green grass than they could ever eat.  There is plenty of room for them to roam in pastures separated by fences made of volcanic rock.  They have the right of way on the roads and whatever pasture they are in is most likely to have an ocean view.  Here are a few of our favorite cow pictures from around the island.



At Quinta dos Acores-Great food and even better ice cream as seen below:

I'm not sure if it's a heart or home plate!

Pasture land with ocean views!  Note the patchwork lava rock fences.



Cows being moved down the road from one pasture to another.  We were in the car following them for about a half a mile.

Enjoying the sun, grass and the view!

Pot Roast and plenty of it!  The Portuguese name is Alcatra.  It's cooked in a clay pot with red wine for four to five hours.

Figuring out Terceira

After our whaleless whale watching adventure Sunday morning we wasted little time moving on.  The island of Terceira is small in size but big on adventure.  The main roads and the secondary roads are very well maintained and easy to navigate.  While there is plenty to see and explore on foot, seeing the whole island requires either a guide or a car.  Since we have plenty of time we opted to explore on our own, so Sunday afternoon we rented a car that we'll have for three days.  This will give us plenty of time to check out the coast as well as inland sections of the island.
We took off westward toward San Mateus with a simple goal.........food!  One thing we've quickly learned is that food on the island is surprisingly inexpensive and quite diverse.  Being an island in the middle of the ocean, of course seafood is quite popular.  Additionally the island is known for outstanding beef and dairy products (cheese and ice cream!).  One of the friendly and helpful representatives of Azores Getaways suggested several restaurants around the island so we decided to start checking them off the list.
First up was Beira Mar, which specialized in seafood.  More appropriately it specialized in "fresh seafood" since it sits directly on the harbor above the docks where fishing boats unload their catches of the day.  Scanning the menu Beth and I both zeroed in immediately on the "grouper".  However Tomas, our very helpful and friendly vegan waiter shared with us that "grouper" wasn't the same as the grouper that is caught around Florida and that we might be disappointed.  All three of us (me, Beth and Tomas) got a kick out of the fact that we were being guided through the menu by a vegan, especially when he told us it wasn't for health reasons but for moral reasons.  We settled on a local grilled fish (boca negra) and fish and shrimp skewers.  A tip of the hat to Tomas, both were very tasty and the setting was perfect.
Afterward we drove up the northwest coast checking out several really nice viewpoints along the way as well as a local cheese shop where the locals were enjoying a concert by the "town band",  which appeared to be made up mainly of high school students.  Content with our exploring for the day we headed back to the hotel across the inland route.  We both think that Terceira seems like a combination of the big island of Hawaii, Cornwall and the Yorkshire Dales of the UK.  If you throw in the food, you'd have to include a little bit of coastal Spain.............not a bad mix!

The only thing standing between us and the food is getting the picture!

Still no whales in sight!

A small freshwater lake inside one of the many extinct volcano's on the island.

Christmas Caroling in the Azores

We woke up this morning around 7:00 local time.   There was an orchestra of birds chirping outside our window, the sky was blue, the temperature was a comfortable 60ish degrees, the winds and ocean were calm.  It was a perfect day to go whale watching.  The Azores are very well known for both the number and variety of whales in these waters.   Some species are year round residents while others simply pass by on their migratory route.  We've seen a bunch of humpback, orcas and pilot whales in other places but we were excited at the opportunity of spotting two of the largest whales, the sperm and blue whale.  We joined ten other folks on a small inflatable zodiac boat and headed out to sea for a three hour tour (que the Gilligan's Island music).  
Not long after leaving the marina we were cruising along with a pod of striped dolphins.  These dolphin are much smaller than the bottlenose dolphin we're used to seeing around AMI.  They were playful and plentiful so it was a nice show.  After that we spotted a pod of bottlenose dolphin which we enjoyed but probably not as much as the folks who were seeing them for the first time.  After about two and a half hours of searching it happened.  Our guide said, "sorry the whales are just not cooperating today" and it's time to head back to the marina.  It was a great trip with some beautiful views of the island but we were left with just one Christmas Carol that we could sing.........No Whales, No Whales!

Bring on the whales!

On the lookout!

See any whales....................neither did we!

Our hotel from the boat

 

Flying the worlds #1 airline!

Friday morning at 2:00 AM we were finally "wheels up" and on our way to Terceira.  That was 28 hours after we were originally scheduled to depart Boston.  No worries, we're here for three weeks and we enjoyed Boston.  One thing the extra time did was let us do a little research on Azores Airlines.
First of all if you want to fly here from the US you have two choices, Azores Airways or chartering your own plane.  Azores Airlines has been around since 1991 (under different names) and has a fleet consisting of a whopping 6 planes.  I'm reasonably sure we flew over here on a plane that they probably bought used back in 1991 when they started flying.  The armrests on the seats still had the ashtrays (they had been sealed shut) and there was a sign above the door that said "Orville and Wilbur were here". 
When the flight attendant did the safety briefing I noticed there was a little variation from the normal.  Instead of saying "in the unlikely event of an emergency" she said "in the event of an emergency" as if it was a distinct possibility that there could be one.  Beth's research uncovered the most entertaining fact.  Out of 84 airlines Azores Airlines was previously ranked #1 in the world................for late departures! 
Four hours after taking off the pilot somehow managed to find the small island of Terceira, which is one of the nine Azores Islands out here in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.   I'm glad he did because it's absolutely incredible.  Lush green rolling mountains, dipping down to a rocky shoreline, before giving way to the chilly blue waters of the Atlantic.  We are staying in the city of Angro Do Heroismo which with a population of just over 35,000 is the largest city on the twelve mile wide and 16 mile long island. 
Today we did some roaming around the city.  We explored much of the marina area as well as the "old city" which has a really nice public garden, cobblestone streets and UNESCO world heritage designation (there will be more on the history of the islands and cities in future blogs).  The most striking feature of the city might just be how quiet and laid back it is.  Most of the noise comes from the winds blowing through the palm trees, birds chirping or the waves crashing on the rocks.  We're feeling confident that we're going to like our three weeks here!

Marina Area of Angra Do Herooismo

Terceira Mar Hotel, where we are staying

Old Town and an Old Guy

Old Town and a Not So Old Gal!

Marina Area

From the seawall looking across the marina towards town

Downtown on a busy Saturday afternoon

Public Garden in the middle of Old Town

From the public garden looking towards Monte Brasil

Public Garden

Pedestrian Street with several cafes-We had a great lunch here for less than $10 total!

Opening Day At Fenway Park!

We've had flight delays before but this is the mother of all flight delays!  We were scheduled to leave Boston yesterday at 10:20 PM.  Right now it's just a few minutes shy of being 24 hours and we're not scheduled to leave for another four hours.  I guess they lost the instructions on how to start the engines or something.  Officially what they have told us is that it is because of "mandatory crew rest".  If that's the case this is going to be one very well rested crew!
Because we are going to be on Terceira for three weeks and they have offered a very generous reimbursement of out of pocket expenses for hotel, food and transportation in Boston we haven't minded the delay.  Assuming of course that the accounting team isn't on "mandatory rest" and our reimbursement is delayed.
We actually were able to have a pretty unique experience.  Today was the home opener for the Boston Red Sox.  I thought ticket prices would be through the roof but thankfully Beth checked on stubhub this morning and they were surprisingly reasonable.  Maybe it was because the weather was more suited for a Green Bay Packers game in December than a baseball game but hey, it was the home opener at historic Fenway Park!  Additionally, they were playing the Tampa Bay Rays so we pulled out our warmest clothes and joined in the festivities.  It was sunny and about forty degrees. If it wasn't for that steady 20-30 mph wind it would have somewhat resembled baseball weather.
It was a great time sitting in the outfield grandstands, watching a good pitching match up and raising our voices in the middle of the eighth inning to participate in the Red Sox tradition of singing Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline".
We bailed after singing.  The Rays were winning at that point, but as they often do, after twelve innings they snatched defeat from the hands of victory.  They play again tomorrow...............just in case the crew needs some more rest!

A beautiful day for baseball!

We're on our way...........sorta!

We left Tampa today on an early flight through Atlanta to Boston.  We were anticipating a long layover in Boston but we really didn't anticipate it being quite as long as it's ended up being.
When we were changing planes in Atlanta I checked my e-mail and learned that our flight from Boston to Terceira (Azores) would not be leaving tonight.  It has been rescheduled for tomorrow morning.  We're not sure why at this point but as it turns out it really wasn't a bad deal.
The airline has offered a generous reimbursement of our expenses for getting a hotel here in Boston (not cheap), food and transportation from the airport to the city and back to the airport.  So instead of a long day and an overnight flight we ended up with a nice day in Boston, a comfortable bed for the night, and a few meals, compliments of Azores Airways.
Not the start we were anticipating, but not bad and hopefully we'll be sitting on Terceira by this time tomorrow night.  Travel certainly takes you places.  Sometimes just not on the itinerary that you had in mind!