Azores – Sao Miguel – August 22 to 25, 2012
Starlet timed the overnight run from Terceira for a morning
arrival in Ponta Delgada located on the south side of Sao Miguel, the largest
city on the largest island in the Azores. But for the capital city, clearing in
was a bit clunky compared to most other Azore islands – no one stop shop! In
addition to the harbormaster, we did need to visit customs, immigration and policia
maritima. And what do you mean, there’s no free marina WIFI? But the floating
docks were in good shape with long finger piers. That means easy on/off for the
4 legged crew members.
True to form, the main street facing the water was built up with more restaurants and shops for the tourists. But our second impression was that Ponta Delgada is much lower key than other cruise ship city’s we’ve visited (St. Thomas?). Walking around town, nobody targeted us with the hard sell, trying to drag us into their shop to buy a Rolex or designer purse. Our usual defense is to take Mitch and Tori through those towns – nobody thinks you stepped off a cruise ship when you are escorted by two 40 pound dogs! We didn’t need their help here.
 |  |
We had a day before our friend Allison’s arrival. Time to
hit the marine supply houses! Both of them were more like fishing and diving
equipment shops with boat stuff on the side. But Mark found something Starlet
“needed!” The swim platform typically is positioned close to the dock to ease
access. She now has a special fender that can be lashed in place to protect the
edge of the platform.
On the way he also located the farmer’s market – we’ll need to stock up on fruits and veggies for the run to Portugal.
Allison’s plane came in at 7AM on Friday the 24th,
and we moved into high gear. Weather
forecasts for the passage to the Portugal mainland showed a good weather window
on Saturday and a possible window on Tuesday. We knew that if the forecast
didn’t hold, we would need to leave the next day giving Allison just one day to
explore the Azores. So after a morning walk through historic Ponta Delgada, we
grabbed a rental car.
We made our way up to Furnas, a town located smack in the
middle of the eastern most of three caldeira’s on Sao Miguel. This volcano still has geothermal activity
with some 22 geysers and hot springs in the area. Next to the Lagoa das Furnas,
an area about the size of a football field is littered with fumaroles and
geysers. The ground is too hot to walk on barefooted! Locals have taken
advantage of this, installing concrete pipes underground over the hot vents.
They lower 5 gallon pots filled with meats and vegetables into the pipes; cover
the pot with a towel and then sand. Six hours later the stew is ready!
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Of course after visiting the lake and fumaroles, we had to
stop by one of the restaurants that serves “Coizado das Furnas”. And of course
when we were seated, they had just sold out! Probably just as well, the dish
basically looks like pot roast but commands a high price because it's cooked
underground.
After lunch we drove through the winding and narrow streets in Furnas, stopping at the Terra Nostra Park. Below the estate house, a swimming pool is fed by thermal water. Signs around the pool warn parents to keep hold of their children since the naturally hot water is also naturally muddy! Over a couple of centuries, trees and plants from around the world have been transplanted to the surrounding gardens. A Jurassic looking tree from Australia and giant lily pads stood out.
 |  |
 |
| Sao Miguel's north coast |
 |
| Carol from Nepenthe serving South African wine |
Saturday morning's weather update made it obvious that Starlet needed to start the passage to Portugal that afternoon – no time to lose. We raced to the other end of the island to Sete Cidades, another town located in a caldeira with two large lakes. Driving and hiking along the steep ridgeline overlooking the town was striking, lots of Kodak moments. Then Jennifer’s “best pizza ever” in a café on the way back to Ponte Delgado. After dropping Jennifer and Allison off at the farmer’s market to stock up for the passage, Mark dropped off the rental car just an hour and a half late.
|
|
|  |
 |  |
Azores Perspective – June 25 thru August 25, 2012
 |
| From the 1958 eruption |
Pizza is a universal language; there is no problem
finding ice cream. Cafes serve coffee, pastries, sandwiches – and a full bar!
Beer, wine and liquor are available everywhere. Smoking is also everywhere, with
cigarette machines in many café’s.
The Continente in Horta is one of the nicest grocery stores
we’ve ever seen anywhere! The hospital in Angra was beautiful, efficient and
cheap! Most towns have a “Chinese store” run by people of oriental descent and
filled with inexpensive home goods and clothing.
Flores is pristine! Most of the islands have no litter, no graffiti
and almost every home has a waterfront view.
Waterfalls everywhere.
Intricate tile walkways, cobble stone streets and fences and
stone houses abound. Red tile roofs are standard. The islands do have distinct
architectural features: chimneys, door handles and styles, roof tiles and wall
colors, possibly because of settlement from different countries and during
different time periods. Most windows have high quality shutters that actually work!
The geography varies between islands, from steep and rocky
Flores to much larger and flatter Terceira and Sao Miguel. The geography
dictates the crops – apparently rain generated by the high peak on Pico creates
a perfect microclimate for vineyards. The volcanic history is evident in numerous
lava caves and calderas.
The rich volcanic soil supports agriculture, flowers and
interesting plants everywhere though the majority of the flora has been
imported.
Whale watching has a big positive impact on the economy on Pico
and Faial, with Azoreans transferring the skills developed over centuries of
whaling.
Many cruisers miss out, just using Horta as a rest stop on
their Atlantic crossing. We heard on several of the islands that Starlet was
the first cruising powerboat to visit. Starlet does get lots of drive-bys,
boats that circle her to check her out.
Lots of questions too.
Two 40 lb dogs are quite an attraction. Most other dogs are
smaller, possibly because of the high price of imported dog food?
There are excellent asphalt roads, many with stone
guardrails. We heard gripes that they were paid for with loans from Germany?? Picnic
spots and scenic overlooks are common along the roads.
It looks like they took the first step and “killed all of
the lawyers” (sorry Gary)! There are very few signs prohibiting activities, there’s
no need for floats to keep boats off swimming beaches, parks do fine without
guardrails at every cliff. Common sense
applies! Cars actually stop when you
approach a marked cross walk. Traffic circles are used instead of stop lights,
perfect!
There are lots of sunny days with temperatures moderated by
the ocean. Maybe not so much in the winter… There is very little A/C – you find
people hanging out on their stoop when it’s a warm day.
Lots of people get around on crutches. Toilets have buttons
for #1 & #2. There are all kinds of funky little trucks and cars. You can
actually walk and get somewhere…
The Azores: a friendly, clean, scenic bit of Europe out in
the Atlantic. Direct flights from
Boston!
Photo album link:
Azores - Sao Miguel
View Starlet in the Azores in a larger map
Photo album link:
Azores - Sao Miguel
