The first half of our trip to Portugal was spent in the Azores, an autonomous archipelago in the North Atlantic composed of nine volcanic islands. Over the course of four days, we toured around Sao Miguel, the largest and most populated island. We fl…
The first half of our trip to Portugal was spent in the Azores, an autonomous archipelago in the North Atlantic composed of nine volcanic islands. Over the course of four days, we toured around Sao Miguel, the largest and most populated island.
We flew on Azores Airlines (Sata) via an overnight flight which took us directly from Toronto to Sao Miguel in just over five hours. Our plan was to base ourselves in Ponta Delgada, the capital municipality of the Azores, and then explore the island. The flight landed in early morning; I had booked our hotel for the night prior so that we would be able to check in early upon our arrival at about 7 am.
Many visitors rent cars and self-drive around Sao Miguel, but we opted to arrange tours as we felt it would be easier for us. Usually, we enjoy going on small group tours and meeting other travellers but with Teddy it seemed like a better idea to go for private tours in case of any meltdowns and need to alter our pace or itinerary. A quick Google search led me to Azorean Tours, a local company which offers private tours in Sao Miguel that are very reasonably priced. We signed up for three day tours with them, as well as our airport transfers.
We were picked up by our guide Cesar from the airport and checked in at Grand Hotel Atlantico, which is located just across from the waterfront in Ponta Delgada. It was a great hotel, located near lots of restaurants and across the street from a natural pool that we enjoyed a couple times during the trip. We had an ocean view room overlooking the Atlantic.
We took a long nap after checking in and then just relaxed on our first day. We had lunch at A Tasca which came highly recommended on various travel guides, but this was actually our least impressive meal during the trip especially after the hour long wait for a table. We also walked over to Parque Atlantico shopping centre to pick up supplies for Teddy. In the evening, we had a lazy night at the hotel with room service and enjoyed the delicious platter of local cheeses.
Touring the Furnas Valley
The next morning, Cesar picked us up for our tour of the Furnas Valley, northeast of Ponta Delgada. This area is the centre of Sao Miguel's unique geothermal activity, best known for its two active volcanic sites, multiple hot springs, and the picturesque Furnas Lake.
We drove upward for some viewpoints overlooking the ocean and valley.
Then we made a brief stop at Salto do Cabrito nature reserve to see the waterfall.
Drove a bit more to see some more majestic views.
Learning about Azorean tea production
Next, we stopped at Cha Porto Formoso, one of Europe's two commercial tea plantations. The Azores became Europe's main tea producer in the mid-1800s, when a blight wiped out its orange plantations and the Azorean people were in search of a new export to recover their economy. They learned that the climate of Sao Miguel was optimal for tea cultivation, and after hiring some experts from China to teach local producers how to grow tea, they established multiple plantations around the island. Today, only two of these plantations remain. The larger Gorreana Tea Factory is a popular attraction often crowded with tourists, so we visited the smaller Porto Formosa.
Porto Formosa is a private home, with grounds open to the public during factory hours. We strolled through the tea fields and visited the factory to try a cup of their tea. We also picked up a couple bags to bring home.
Furnas Lake, hot springs, and volcanic stew
Before moving on toward Furnas Village, we stopped for some views overlooking Furnas Lake. This breathtaking lake is set in an ancient volcanic crater, occupying a considerable portion of the Furnas volcano caldera.
On the way to lunch, we stopped by the geothermal area where we could see bubbling caldeiras and steaming fumaroles. We tried out a cob of "volcanic corn" which is sweet corn cooked in the boiling water inside the caldeiras.
Next, we had a unique lunch experience where we got to try Cozido das Furnas. This is a meat and vegetable stew that is cooked in volcanic cooking holes. We visited the geothermal cooking holes but unfortunately didn't get a chance to see the dish being prepared. It tasted quite good and was the perfect texture for Teddy, but he was being a wild man and kept throwing his food on the floor so I couldn't get him to consume anything. 🤦🏻♀️
Views from Nossa Senhora da Paz
Our final stop of the day was Nossa Senhora da Paz (Our Lady of Peace), a chapel located atop a steep hill in Vila Franca do Campo. According to legend, Nossa Senhora da Paz was built in 1764 because some shepherds saw an image of the Virgin Mary in a cave where the attraction is now located. A climb up the 110 steps brings you to a viewing point to see a panoramic vista of Sao Miguel.
We wrapped up our tour in the early evening and Cesar drove us back to our hotel. For dinner we tried out the hotel restaurant Balcony, where we ate some more local cheese and a pineapple dessert.
We got Teddy to bed at a reasonable hour and relaxed on our balcony with a glass of wine. Tomorrow we would be on a tour to the west side of the island; more on that coming up.
No comments:
Post a Comment