Blog

Days 76-78

Ilha de São Miguel, Açores, Portugal

We have arrived in the Azores (Açores), the archipelago in the mid-Atlantic and an autonomous region of Portugal.  We start on São Miguel in the eastern group and the most populated at about 150,000 people with our lodging base in Ponta Delgada. Two of our outings included:

Sete Cidades is a small parish that is located in the center of a massive volcanic crater, three miles across.  Within the crater there are also several caldera lakes including Lagoa Verde which we hiked.  The view from Miradouro da Boca do Inferno was breathtaking as you peer down from a narrow cliff side perch (see photo).

Furnas is located in the easternmost of three active trachytic volcanoes which are considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the islands.  About 1,500 people live in the village.  The area is known for its cozido, a stew that is cooked in steam field pits.  The restaurants retrieve their pots at noon and bring them back to their kitchens to serve.

No paintings to discuss on this stop, but several to come on our next stop on Flores.