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| Just in case you were still wondering "wherethetuckaretheynow" |
The total population of the nine islands that make up the Azores is just a little under 250,000. Over half the population live on the island of San Miguel, while another 56,000 live on Terceira which is where we are staying. The least populated island is Corvo which has less than 500 permanent residents. Hopefully they all like each other and get along well together. The largest city on Terceira is Angra Do Heroismo. About 36,000 of the Terceiran's (not sure if it's a real word) call this capital city of the Azores home.
To describe the city I would use words like clean, orderly, friendly, laid back and extremely peaceful. We've been here for over a week now and I don't honestly think I've heard a horn blowing or a loud noise other than school children happily playing on the playground. If you're stressed or worn out from the hustle and bustle of life I've got a place for you. If you're one of those unfortunate people who just can't relax and take it easy, you're head would probably explode after about a day here.
It's Friday evening and the sun has just set off the western shore. Our day looked like this:
Coffee on the balcony while listening to and watching the waves.
Breakfast overlooking the cove between the hotel and Mount Brasil.
Sitting poolside, reading and staring out to sea.
Strolling slowly over to the Spanish Fort and City Park overlooking the marina.
Reading a little more and staring up at the clouds.
A late lunch at an outdoor table in a café at the marina.
Visiting the very impressive Town Hall in the city center.
Sitting in the public gardens watching families enjoying a sunny afternoon.
Totally exhausted from all this activity, strolling slowly back to the hotel as the last light of day
begins to fade away.
Who knows what wild and crazy adventures we're in store for tomorrow?
A little more about the city. It's known as the Atlantic's first European city as it became part of the trade route across the ocean. It's early design represented a change in construction away from the medieval fortress design to a city center and passageways that opened up to the sea. For these reasons in 1983 UNESCO designated an area of approximately one square mile around the city center as a World Heritage City. This area is easily identifiable by the cobblestone sidewalks and streets that have withstood the test of time and are still being used today.
We do understand that during the summer months of June, July and August the pace does quicken around the island. There are numerous festivals including the long standing tradition of the "running of the bulls". Many of the shops around town sell video highlights from previous years events. They are quite entertaining to watch. Bulls that have been bred to be aggressive released on narrow streets crowded with testosterone filled young men who have been overserved alcohol. What could possibly go wrong?
We've explored some of the historic buildings and sites that Angro Do Heroismo has to offer but there is plenty more exploring to do,,,,,,,,,,,we just don't want to overdue it!
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| Town Hall and City Square |
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| The "General Assembly Room" in the Town Hall |
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| "Council Chambers" |
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| Santissimo Salvador Church |
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| City Park overlooking the marina Did you notice a theme of no people in any of the pictures? They weren't staged that way, just not a lot of folks here right now! |
