And so we have moved from the Western group of islands to the Central group in the Azores. We arrive in Pico in the afternoon, and notice immediately the changing environment; the island is named after the volcano Ponta do Pico — which makes out the highest elevation on the mid-atlantic ridge. (Currently, the top is well hidden in clouds, and so we haven’t yet seen the its full glory.
A bus takes us to Madalena, the capital town of the island, which is also where we are staying. It takes us through a scenic terrain with little houses, green gardens and black fences made from volcanic rock. Madalena is a scenic little town, with a nice view to Faial — another island in the central group, where we plan to take the ferry across to in a few days.
Madalena centre
Arriving in the afternoon, there are limits to how much we can pack into the day. We visit the tourist information for ferry times and walking trails (originally we planned to hike to the top of Ponta do Pico but adjusted the plans to a walk around the cost. The tourist information staff laughs when they hear our original plan and look at my 4+ month pregnant belly), stroll around in the little town, go for a swim and find an open cafe that serves squid for dinner.
So far this seems like a lovely place that we look forward to exploring further tomorrow.
Evening in Madalena – with a view to Faial