Sao Miguel – Bustling Cities and Thermal Pools

Sorry for the delay in posting about the finish to our trip.  We had very sporadic access to the web.  One day I was muttering to myself about the lack of internet access, and then took a look around and realized we were staying in the middle of a volcano crater – no wonder the signals were a bit challenged!  Here’s a recap of the marvelous sites we visited on the Island of Sao Miguel and the capitol city of Ponta Delgada.

Ponta Delgada is a study in black and white.  Streets and sidewalks are decoratively adorned with intricate mosaic designs executed in small blocks of black basalt rock and white sandstone.  Tightly woven streets are lined with white stucco buildings accented with black basalt trim.  Numerous city parks were planted with cheery flowers, but alas with the unusually cool weather while we were there, they were yet to ‘pop’, so the city appeared a bit colorless in spots.  I am certain that in a week or two all the trees will have leafed out and flowers will provide bright accents making Ponta Delgada a charming seaside city.  The city reminded me of the wonderful mosaic displays in Lisbon, and we learned that while Ponta Delgada’s designs are done in black with white accents, Lisbon’s are done in white with black accents.  Sao Miguel has the black basalt stone and Lisbon has the white sandstone – so they trade!

To be honest, we didn’t spend much time in the city center.  The countryside is so appealing that we scurried out to explore at every opportunity.  We hired a taxi (who’s driver spoke good English) for approx $20 an hour (for the 4 of us) and headed off to explore.  Our first visit was to Vila Franca Do Campo, the first capitol city of Sao Miguel.  There we sat across from the harbor ramp choked with brightly colored fishing boats and had one of the best meals of our trip at the Atlantico Restaurant.  Fresh fish was abundant throughout our stay – with many varieties we had never heard of – we often just ordered the filet of fish of the day and were never disappointed.  The Azores has a robust tuna fishing industry – although it was still early in the season to see a catch being brought in. 

Faial – Island of Yachts, Windmills and Volcanos

We took a bouncy half hour ferry ride from Pico to the Island of Faial.  Horta, the capitol of Faial, is a cheery harbor town with a yachting flare. For centuries boats have been provisioning here before making the run across the Atlantic.  Today you can see paintings all along the break-front where boaters have left their artistic signatures and highlights of their journey – many on around-the-world adventures.  Even though Faial is smaller in size than Pico, the town of Horta is much busier and bustling with shops and colorful local pubs.  Raising a glass or two at Peters is almost compulsory!

The harbor front boasts several 4 star hotels, including a very dramatic Pousada (historic inn) fashioned out of the city fortress – complete with drawbridge and iron gate.  A huge open air swimming pool fronts the harbor offering dramatic views while you swim.