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.
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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.
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| Famous American Cave Explorers! |
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| Stalactites |
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| 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 |
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| Tough part of the trail! |
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| This is a part of a coastal trail on the north side of the island |
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| More of the trail and some old guy |
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| Typical of much of the coastline. Waves crashing into sheer cliffs of volcanic rock |
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| You can't see them real well but the grapevines are on the ground surrounded by stone walls to protect them from the wind |
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Garden area of the wine museum. The "tub" in the middle wasn't for winemaking but for washing clothes.
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| Part of one of the Salt Water Pools in Biscoitos |
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| This was a small church in one of the villages. Inside they recently discovered some fresco paintings dating back many centuries |
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| This gentleman was working on the restoration of the paintings. He was using a tool no larger than a dental pick |
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| Part of the restoration project inside the church |
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If only I had my speedo!
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