Azores 2023 - Epilog

Our 11 AM return flight time, and six-minute drive to the airport meant that we were in no great rush to leave the apartment in the morning. Returning the rental car was uneventful, although it might've been the most diligent physical inspection I've ever seen a rental company perform. The airport wasn't particularly crowded, and we had plenty of time to check our bags and relax for a bit before going through passport control. Boarding was relatively quick and painless, in part due to being able to load from both ends of the plane.

The flight was somewhere around 6 hours; with the time change, we landed around 1:30 PM. Rather then go home, we then headed to Asbury Park to join Sabrina's family at the beach for a day or so.

I think it would have been nice to have one more day, but the weather was swiftly heading toward "wet" as we left, anyway. Even if we'd had another day of nice weather, we'd already seen most of the island. We certainly could have spent a week going on hikes, or taking the ferry to some of the other islands, but it was nice to not have to deal with the scheduling trouble of island-hopping. 

It might have been nice to explore some of the other towns a bit more, like Lagoa or the Ribiera Grande area, but outside of Ponta Delgada, there didn't seem to be much to do. The entire island has a population of around 140k, which is about the size of Syracuse, NY or New Haven, CT, and half of that is in Ponta Delgada, so most of São Miguel is quite sparse.

But that's half the point of going there, really. It's about the views, and the lush hillsides, farms, and hydrangeas. Outside of the Ponta Delgada waterfront, the tea plantation, and Furnas, I don't think we saw anything resembling a tourist trap. The tour buses seemed confined to the volcanic crater lake areas, and there just weren't very many tourists anywhere else. We were more likely to come upon a tractor than a bus, especially outside of the Ponta Delgada area. That's obviously part of the attraction of going there mid-Septamber, instead of in June, but half of the people who asked where we went on vacation (back home) had no idea where the Azores are located. The guy at the liqueur factory was lamenting the drop in tourism due to increased flight costs, as well, so I don't know if our experience was typical of the shoulder season.

Our flight was, indeed, on the high end of what we've spent for plane tickets in recent memory. I'd watched prices from Newark to São Miguel off and on for a few years, and they just don't ever seem to get cheap. Once on the island, however, everything was extremely affordable; the cost of the rental car, Airbnb, gas, groceries, restaurants, and everything else combined was less than the two flights.

As for any expectations: we were surprised by the large population of cows, and the prolific cornfields. Other than that, I don't think there were any surprises. Admittedly, the pre-trip research we did was limited to a few nights of Google-searching/travel-blog-reading and an hour or so talking with some friends who had gone a few years ago; my approach is more of a "let's just drive around and see what we find" technique, much to Sabrina's distress.

Speaking of driving: outside of a few straight-and-wide highway sections, the driving resembles a rally course, in much the same way that it does on other not-at-all-flat islands where the roads follow the terrain. The narrow, sometimes-cobbled streets of Ponta Delgada (and every small town on the island) would be miserable in anything larger than a compact car. I have no idea how those tour bus drivers manage to get around. Traffic was minimal to non-existent, and parking is a delightful free-for-all, often on corners, sidewalks, or anywhere else there's open space.

I think we expected to find more road-side cafes/restaurants, but it didn't seem to be that kind of culture. The local custom appeared to be to take family/friends to one of the many, many parks and have a (rather serious) BBQ in the afternoon, rather than sitting at a cafe or restaurant. That being said, every small town had at least one bar that also served Nescafe and the local tea. Some of them were more like coffee shops that also served beer and wine, too.

We did not try the local culinary experience of cozido das Furnas (the strew cooked by geothermal heat), because ~80F and humid isn't exactly "give me a hot bowl of hearty stew" weather. I think our food experience can be summarized as: we enjoyed decent tapas in Ponta Delgada, with some long lines; we had bread, cheese, and custard pastries at every available opportunity; most other options were fast or casual food like burgers, sandwiches, french fries. Every beach area had a shack or cart selling junk food, beer, wine, and Ben & Jerry's ice cream cups/bars.

I'm not suggesitng there aren't better options; we weren't on a journey of culinary exploration, and we often were just not in the right place at the right time for finding decent food. Looking at a list on Tripadvisor, for example, and finding some of those establishments on a map, confirms our experience: the restaurants are not on the main ring road, generally. You'd have to know where you were going ahead of time, and seek them out.

It was a great trip, and we got a thorough overview of the entire island. We could easily have spent an entire week on São Miguel, like this couple who has a very in-depth blog with itineraries and instagram-ready photos. Every day, we had stunning views and perfect weather. There are scenic viewpoints all over the island, which is the main attraction in my opinion. It's also a small slice of Europe, especially in Ponta Delgada, but with a shorter flight and fewer crowds. I had originally thought it might be nice to see a few of the other islands, but I don't know that I'd go back just for that. Azores Airlines does offer a stopover option, though only from JFK.

Azores 2023 - Day 4: Ferraria, Ponta Delgada

We were awoken this morning by the sound of howling wind against the windows of the apartment. It was overcast and blowing about 20mph, mixed with intermittent drizzle. Thankfully, we'd already seen the crater lakes and higher-elevation views.

We'd been advised, and read, that the best time to visit the Ferraria ocean/hot-spring pool was mid-tide; at low tide, it can get too hot, and at high tide it will be cold (ocean temperature, anyway). Low tide this morning was just after 11 AM, so we wanted to experience the pool somewhere around 2 PM.

In no rush to get on the road again, we slept in and enjoyed breakfast at the apartment; it was too windy to eat on the balcony.

I decided to try a new bakery today, taking us on a different route through the city. We took some pastries and coffee on the road.

The top of the switchback route down to Ferraria is a scenic overlook with a view of a lighthouse, and we weren't quite sure if we had to walk down from there or could drive down, so we got out to poke around a bit.

Seeing a few cars come and go, and the absence of a sign like we saw yesterday like "dangerous road" and "vehicle passage not recommended" (or whatever it was), was enough to convince me that we should drive down. It wasn't the steepest road I've driven, but I wouldn't want to go up that in the rain. At least, not with this rental car.

At the bottom, there's a generous parking lot and a "thermal spa" that is closed on Monday and Tuesday, fortuitously. That did severely limit the bathroom options, however.

In the distance, the rowdy ocean was audibly crashing on the lava-rock shore. Apparently the not-insignificant wind was coming form the west, and the waves were the roughest we saw the entire time here.

To the south, a manicured path leads to the natural pool that is the reason everyone is here.

The yellow flag, it turns out, means something like "swim with caution".

We watched in disbelief as a dozen-ish people carefully climbed over the lava field, barefoot. Thankfully, we'd been tipped off to bring water shoes, as had about 50% of our fellow thrill-seekers.

There was a loose grid of ropes across the swimming area, thankfully; the rough water made it more like a wave pool than a "thermal bath". Most of the other people who came down the ladder did not seem to enjoy getting tossed around, what with the lava rocks and such. Sabrina joined me briefly, but delcared it to be too rough for her taste. This freed her up to take some action shows of me getting minor rope burns trying not to get dashed against the rocks.

It was warmer, near the end where the waves were crashing. Also it seemed less dangerous, what with the crashing waves not too far past the ropes.

One woman commented something like "wow, you could very easily get swept out to sea if you couldn't grab any of those ropes."

After I got out, we briefly debated what the lifeguards could possibly do to help someone who was in trouble.

It probably would have been nicer, or at least calmer, on a less windy day. Instead, it was a bit of a thrill ride.

I put my flip flops back on, and we walked along the rocky shore for awhile, drying off in the steady wind.

Back at the car, we changed into dry clothes, then drove back up the switchbacks to the overlook. We loaded up some snacks and water, and started along the cliff-edge trail to the lighthouse.

The lighthouse was in a finely-manicured garden, and looked almost brand new. There wasn't much else to see, other than the ocean and some nearby cows.

There wasn't much else to see at the western edge of the island, as we had already been out this way after visiting Sete Cidades on Friday, so we returned to Ponta Delgada and starting considering an early dinner.

We decided to try our first choice from Friday night (when it was a two-hour wait). Even at 5 o'clock, there was a line at the door.

We definitely had to try the chouriço flambé, and also three or four other tapas. The intent was not to leave with leftovers, because a) we planned to walk around after dinner, and b) we're leaving tomorrow morning.

We left with some cheese and bread, which will become first breakfast.

While we had driven through downtown a bit, and walked around an area with a variety of restaurants, we hadn't yet seen the waterfront area.

Armed with a vague idea and a map of a suggested walking tour, we meandered for about half an hour, stopping to admire the old city gates and the plaza at city hall.

Farther east along the waterfront, there was the typical variety of ocean-related activities (jetski rentals, boat tours, whale-watching, fishing, etc.) as well as some boardwalk-style concessions and attractions.

Almost every place we've been near the ocean or by a beach here, there has been a vendor selling ice cream bars and Ben & Jerry's cups. The Ponta Delgada waterfront probably has several.

These houseboats are listed on booking.com, I just discovered. They're upwards of 400€/night, though!

Just inside the commercial boat harbor, there's a roped-off swimming area. We felt that it was rather busy, considering it was after 7 PM on a Monday night in September.

Apropos of nothing, this is one of the strangest vending machines I've ever seen. It was in a row of other vending machines, next to a car rental storefront. In fact, it's listed as Grab & Go, currently rated 3.4 stars. If you want to be truly horrified, check out those Google reviews.

We decided to call it an early night, for once, and watch the sunset back at the Airbnb, as we need to leave the apartment by 8:30 AM. To limit the list of things to do in the morning, we ventured back out after the parking situation cleared up a bit, to gas up the rental car.

It wasn't until Sabrina started organizing things into piles, to pack suitcases, that we realized we left our water shoes in the parking lot at Ferraria. She initially declared that we have to go back and get them, but I convinced her it was insane to drive 75 minutes, round trip, in the dark, on crazy roads... for shoes that are probably not still there.

When Sabrina asked our Airbnb host for checkout instructions, she replied that there are none and not to worry about anything, then expressed sorrow that we had to leave so early in the morning and gave us two bowls of chocolate ice cream.

Our flight tomorrow is scheduled for 11 AM. It might be an adventure to return the rental car, and deal with the airport situation. One never knows, with small airports operating on island time.

Azores 2023 - Day 3: São Miguel East, Furnas

I think we intended to get an earlier start today, but the 4-hour time change is still winning the battle. That, and it always takes more time than (I) expected to handle the logistics of going out for the entire day, such as packing provisions; gathering appropriate clothing and footwear; double-checking hours, locations, and travel times, etc.

Our first real objective today was a 5 or 6 km hike, in a loop along the coast in the Lomba da Maia area. Before doing that, though, I chose a cafe near the highway exit based on nothing more than a Google Maps search for "cafe".

It turned out to be another bar/cafe, but in a sleepy little hamlet with only a few houses and even fewer people around. There was only one other customer, who was enjoying a Sunday brunch beer. The woman behind the counter was enthusiastic, and her English was about as good as our Portuguese. To give perspective of what that means, exactly: when we were ready to leave, I managed to look up "how much do I owe?" using Google Translate, pronounce it passably enough that she understood the question, and she returned with "1.90" written on a scrap of paper (for a cup of Gorreana green tea and a Nescafe instant cappuccino). 

She asked if we were Swiss, and seemed surprised to learn we were from the US. We really haven't encountered many tourists from the US, especially not off the beaten path, so to speak.

The proprietor saw us taking a photo of her cafe, and insisted on taking a picture for us, with us in front of the building. After we left, just before noon, she closed the door behind us and might have been done for the day.

Just a few winding miles down the road, we found our landmark for the start of the hike, across from Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Aflitos (Church of Our Lady of the... Afflicted?).

The view from the top of the road was quite promising, and the weather was cooperating nicely, again.

As we turned off the road, we got our first taste for how the next few hours were going to play out. Side note: there are cornfields everywhere here. I suppose that might go with all of the cows? But they seem to be all grass-fed.

Some time around 1 or 1:30 PM, we stopped for lunch beside a small waterfall, sitting on rocks next to the stream.

The first part of the hike was a shaded, well-maintained path with plenty of stairs, heading down into the gorge towards the ocean.

Along the way, we wandered around some ruins of old mill buildings.

Eventually, though, the shade deserted us as we reached the lowest point on the trail.

Once we reached the end of the valley, the trail turned to the right along the face of a steep hill, toward the ocean.

This was the only part that had a railing, much to Sabrina's dismay.

Sabrina started to develop a fear of heights at precisely the wrong point in the hike. I helpfully pointed out that she chose the trail.

The views from the edge of the cliff were stunning. The weather was clear, and we could see down the coast for miles and miles.

When it got steep enough, the trail switched to and endless staircase. There was no shade in sight, but there was a nice, cool breeze coming up from the ocean.

I don't mean to sound dramatic, but it really was a "one wrong step here, and you could plunge into the ocean" scenario.

The view only improved, as we climbed higher.

As we rounded the corner of the cliff, we found a few small patches of shade that afforded a respite from the day star, as we stopped for a water break.

Suddenly, as we crested a small hill, we were in a cow pasture. Or, as Sabrina put it, "Oh. My god. There's a cow." Then there were three.

Then, there were a dozen. And they were occupying the trail.

No amount of cajoling would convince this cow that we were a threat. They were completely disinterested in our presence, in fact. We detoured around.

We eventually made it back up to the car, after about 4 miles total. Next, we headed back to the highway to continue driving along the ring road, towards the eastern end of the island.

Tractors seem to be permitted on just about every road/highway. This is not an uncommon sight here. It's usually a surprise, or in the middle of a corner, but I saw this one coming with enough time to get a photo.

As the signs clearly indicate, however: bicycles, pedestrians, carts, and cows are prohibited.

Our next stop on today's adventure was Parque Natural da Ribeira dos Caldeirões.

I thought the water was chilly and refreshing, and walked around a bit by the waterfall in a few feet of water. Sabrina would only commit to getting the bottoms of her feet wet.

The hydrangea here looked the best of any we'd seen. My guess was that they're actually cared for, unlike the roadside specimens.

Sabrina for scale.

We walked down the path and did a small loop through the main part of the park, but didn't venture onto anything that could be considered a hiking trail.

It was around 4 PM when we left the nature park, and we hadn't eaten much today, so we exited the highway in the town of Nordeste and paused at a miradouro to look for a quick food option on the map. The lookout I picked at random was at the top of a very steep road down to the ocean. If you look carefully in the middle of the signs, you can just make out the swimming pool carved into the edge of the rock.

Not far down the highway, we stopped at a random roadside "snack bar" to see what was available. It was clearly a Sunday afternoon hangout spot for locals; the beer was flowing, music was blaring, and the picnic tables were full of people enjoying some spirited conversation. We didn't blend in, but we managed to order a bifana, some fries, a beer, and a bottle of water, and then briefly soak in some small-town culture.

A mere five-minute drive south, along the coast road, we stopped at the Miradouro da Ponta do Arnel, overlooking the Farol do Arnel (lighthouse). Sabrina was severely dissuaded from letting me drive down the switchback lane to see the lighthouse up close, and I was not terribly interested in walking down (well, really "up" was the problem), so we viewed it from the top.

It turns out there's a second, better lookout spot just another five minutes down the road, which provides a lovely view of the road past the lighthouse, down to the fishing port.

The eastern edge of the island is sprinkled with beautiful lookouts, some of which are also well-manicured gardens; we stopped at a few of them, but one can only enjoy so many breath-taking views per hour. ("Another one? How many of these are there? How often do we have to stop?" etc.)

Near the southearn corner, the terrain gets too rugged for a coastal drive, and the highway winds inland for a bit. As we approached the town of Povoação, a few clouds were rolling in. 

At the bottom of this hill, we encountered a police officer who was stopping all of the cars for a brief chat.

The chat was essentially "Where are you trying to go? The road through town is closed. At the next intersection, my colleague will point you to the detour".

The detour was a winding, narrow road up through the hills above town. It was handling a lot of traffic, temporarily, which made it a rather exciting detour.

Eventually, we made it around and back down to the ring road, then onto our next stop in Furnas.

First, we had to stop and see (and smell) the caldeiras.

After that, we debated either getting some dinner, or soaking in some hot springs. After examining a few of the (very touristy/busy) restaurant options (menus without prices are a red flag), we decided to worry about food later, and go to the thermal baths while they weren't very busy.

We chose the smaller facility (Poça da Dona Beija ) that was open later (until 11 PM!), and it was a lovely way to unwind after a day of hiking and sweating.

After soaking for about an hour, we grabbed a mediocre sandwich at the adjacent restaurant and took it to go, for the longish drive back to the apartment. We got back around 10 PM.

Tomorrow, it looks like our weather luck might finally run out; nothing severe, but some wind, clouds, and maybe a bit of rain is forecasted. We have rough plans to go visit Ponta da Ferraria, but anything other than that depends on the weather.