Sunday afternoon was nice and relaxing (what a surprise). We roamed around the city center and spent an hour or so in the Angra do Heroismo Museum. The museum which is located inside the former Convent of Sao Francisco was really quite spectacular. At one point in time there were nine different convents on the island. I'm not real well versed on Catholicism so I don't know how many nuns it takes to run a convent, but that seems like a bunch on nuns on a small island if you ask me.
The museum was full of information and really nice exhibits covering the history of the islands. It covered topics as far back as how the islands were formed and discovered and right up to the present time. Entry into the museum will set you back two euros ($2.50 US) unless you go on Sunday when it's free! If you ever find yourself here with a few hours to kill I would highly recommend a visit. If you can go on a Sunday it's even better. The money you save on the entrance fee will get you a nice brownie or slice of cheesecake at one of the numerous cafes.
As the sun was setting the winds were starting to pick up signaling some bumpy weather was on the way. This morning we woke up to about 25 mph winds and rain that was blowing sideways. No worries! Looking out on a stormy ocean can be even more entertaining than calm seas and sunny skies! The winds continued to blow all day but the rain stopped just in time for us to get out for a late lunch at Adega Lusitania, which is a small restaurant just a short distance from the hotel. We learned about it from a couple of travelers who were with us last week and it certainly lived up to it's billing. I'm planning to do an entire blog on food one day. As a preview I'll just say we've found it's really good, plentiful and inexpensive. Today's lunch consisted of bread, fresh local cheese, olives, soup, salad, a huge pot of beef (Alcatra), potatoes, desert and two glasses of wine for under $25!
http://adegalusitania.com/
We then took the city bus (30 cents) to the Praca de Toiros (bull fighting ring) which is located on the opposite side of town. From there it was a casual couple of miles, of a mostly downhill stroll, back to the hotel. I'm not sure how much of the lunch we burned off on the walk but I do know that neither of us are looking for another meal this evening!
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| Lunchtime! |
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| Adega Lusitania Restaurant |
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| Entrance to the bull ring. Like most places in Spain and Portugal the bulls are no longer killed in the bullfights which is something I'm sure they appreciate |
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| Statue in the roundabout in front of the bull ring |
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A colorful building in the marina area
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| This morning from the balcony |
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| A shot from the same balcony on a calm day! |
