Our last two days in the Azores had us back in Sao Miguel, this time staying in the main city of Ponta Delgada. Here we had scheduled whale watching with Sea Colors Expeditions, and it was truly one of the highlights of the trip. The … Continue readingWhale Watching with Sea Colors Expeditions
On our last day on Pico, we enjoyed some quiet time at the beautiful house, and then set off to check out more of the western side of the island. In Madalena, we came across another natural pool, created in the sea by lava flow. … Continue readingMore Exploring Pico
With the necessary shift in the schedule to accommodate the whale watching rebooking, we had only a short window to visit Faial Island. It’s a quick ferry ride from Madalena to Horta. (Times are limited and not entirely convenient off-season, so be sure to check … Continue readingColorful Port of Horta
We set off again the next morning for whale watching, and were warned seas were rough but we went out. It was an experience! The boat was small, the ride was rough, and we got very wet, but we had the wonderful opportunity to see … Continue readingWhale Watching with Espaço Talassa
Our first big activity planned for Pico was whale watching with Espaço Talassa in Lajes do Pico. It was a beautiful afternoon, but we learned that the seas were rough and that the spotter was not seeing signs of whales in the area. We were … Continue readingExploring Pico Island
We have landed in a magical spot on Pico Island (near San Roque do Pico), way out in the country, overlooking the water and the island of São Jorge, with our own cows. Our lovely host Beatriz met us to show us around and left us … Continue readingSettling in on Pico Island
After Setes Cidades, we headed to Ferraria, where there is a thermal spa and pool, and also a natural thermal pool in the water (above). It was approaching high tide, so the natural pool was a bit less defined, colder, and rougher than felt safe, … Continue readingTermas da Ferraria
This is one of the spots that they tell you must be seen on a clear day. We set off with a questionable forecast and were delighted to have the skies clear somewhat as we arrived. This lake has been formed by the crater of … Continue readingLagoa das Sete Cidades
There are magnificent parks all along the way, with gorgeous trees, Azalias, formal gardens, picnic areas and waterfalls. Here we have Miradouro do Pôr-do-Sol. And a funny little band of park kitties, which seems to be the way here. Along the way, we got held up for … Continue readingParks and More Cats
We stopped at Fumarolas da Lagoa das Furnas to watch the restaurants pull the cozida that had been cooking in the hot earth. We’ll be back to Furnas in the next few days to sample the fare. One of the great surprises has been the … Continue readingFumarolas da Lagoa das Furnas