Categotry Archives: Azores 2012
A walk along the Pico shore
Today’s adventure consisted of a walk along the shore of Pico. From Madalena we took a cab to Porto do Calhau, from where the idea was to follow a marked trail all the way back to town. We got started a little late in the day: we got into the taxi a bit after 10:00 AM, and — due to the July heat and sun, I would recommend other hikers to start about an hour earlier as midday becomes very […]
Pico Island
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.
Visiting Furnas and its surroundings
We are little off schedule this morning as we have learned an important lesson the day before: that when travelling whilst pregnant, it is essential to have provisions ready. So, after buying some bread, jam and fruit that will hold all day in the car, we head off from Ponta Delgada to Furnas.
Exploring the west of São Miguel
With a rental car, we can explore the western part of the island at our own pace, which proves to be nice. First thing, we head towards the Sete Cidades, and stop a few times at viewpoints along the way as we ascend the largest volcano crater on the Azores.
Arriving in Ponta Delgada
Day 1 of the holidays is really only half a day as we arrive mid-afternoon to blue, clear skies on this green island that is Sao Miguel. We take a cab from the airport to the Hotel Canadiano, which is nicely located only a few minutes walk from the city centre. So far we have noticed that the streets have rather funny but descriptive names – when translating, we live in “the counter’s street” and not far from here is […]