Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, Azores - October 18

I apologize. I posted a lot of photos, but I was so enthralled with this island and one doesn't see many pictures of these places.

Our last glimpse of Sao Miguel as we sail into the sunset. Next stop, the New World!
A hothouse full of pineapples
A bubbling spring and pool right in the middle of the town of Fornas
Our lunch being carried to the waiting van for transport to the restaurant
Lunch coming out of the oven
The man opening the oven where our food has been cooking
The fuel firing the oven where food is cooked
An example of the place where the pots are put to cook our meal
Lagoa do Furnas
The machinery still used in the tea factory
A field of tea
The spectacular north coast of the island
"Girls going to School" - flowers so named because they bloom in September
A sample of the lush vegetation everywhere on the island
Lagoa do Forno - a little dark but it was foggy

This morning we sailed along the coast of Sao Miguel just as the sun rose to our stern. We docked right downtown at the cruise terminal at 9 AM and we were off the ship shortly thereafter. Today we had hired a taxi for a tour around the island. John was our driver/guide. A native of the island, he spoke excellent English nonetheless and told us that he has several aunts and uncles living in Somerville, MA and in Montreal and has visited there several times.

Our first stop along the way was the Lagoa do Fogo (Fire Lake). It was misty and cloudy so the view wasn’t really too good. This lake is the source of most of the water consumed on the island.

I probably should say something about the Azores. It’s an archipelago consisting of 9 islands belonging to Portugal. It was discovered by the Portuguese around 1430 and the islands were completely uninhabited at that time. The islands are volcanic and have a lot of geothermal activity even now. At one time there were 10 islands but at some point in more recent geologic history (maybe a few million years ago) Sao Miguel, which was originally two islands separated by a channel, wound up having the channel filled in by small eruptions creating a relative lowland between the two higher ends.

Enough about that. From Lagoa do Fogo we proceeded down a winding road toward the northern coast. Along the way we stopped at Caldeiras, where there is a large pool of boiling water and nearby a pool of cooler water. The vegetation is lush but not tropical. There are lots of trees that look like some variety of cypress, many huge ferns, hydrangeas growing wild along the roadway and lots of pink and white flowers called “Girls going to School” by the locals.

I forgot to mention that the island has lots of cows. There are lush green pastures everywhere with many cows. The weather is so temperate that the cows stay out in the pastures all the time and the farmers come to them for milking twice a day. Cheese is a big product of the Azores.

On the north coast we visited Ribeira Grande, the largest town on that coast. They are famous for production of a liqueur flavored with passionfruit or pineapple. Our next stop was Gorreana, the only place in Europe which grows and produces tea. We toured the tea factory and bought some of each variety.

We began our trip back across the island to what turned out to be the most interesting stop of the day, Furnas. We arrived first at an over look high above Lagoa do Fornas with the town of Fornas lying in the distance. This is probably the most geologically active part of the island. After taking in the view we went down to the lakeside to observe the preparation of our lunch. Next to the lake are all kinds of bubbling, boiling pits. Holes have been created in the area and people bring large pots of food which are covered with cloth, lowered into the holes , covered with dirt, and allowed to cook for several hours. Pots with fish and vegetables cook for three hours or so. Pots with meats cook for as many as six. After the allotted time, the dirt is removed, the pots are lifted with metal poles and transported to restaurants or homes (private people can use the holes too) to be eaten. We watched as people from the restaurant we were to eat at removed several large cauldrons and then drove off to the restaurant.

Our lunch was served in a little local restaurant. An enormous platter was brought to the table – easily enough for four people, maybe even six – with a cozido, the stew cooked in the boiling pits. There were pieces of beef, pork, chicken, a kind of chorizo and a blood sausage. There were carrots, a kind of potato, cabbage and kale. The dish was excellent and unlike anything we’d tried before.

After lunch we set out for the ride back toward Ponta Delgada stopping at Ribeira Quente, a traditional fishing village, and then riding through the towns and villages of the southern coast. Our last stop was a pineapple plantation where we saw the production methods used in the Azores. Pineapple is grown in hot houses in these islands because of the temperatures.

Then we were back to the ship. John was a font of information about the island and its history. This was our third time visiting but the first time we felt that we really had an understanding of the place and could appreciate its beauty. It’s a shame that not everyone takes the opportunity to truly tour Sao Miguel.