After our trip was planned and booked and before we left, I realized one of my dear friends (and her family) from VA Beach was going to be in the Azores at the same time we were visiting! Our itineraries overlapped on Friday, we were both to be on the big island of São Miguel. Obviously, we planned to spend this day together! I found a lovely hike that started from a vista and went down to two lakes. The Blue Lake and the Green Lake in the town of Sete Cidades. From here we would enjoy lunch together and then take a guided kayak tour around the lakes. It sounded like a well planned day. I received a call from the Kayak company informing me the weather wasn’t going to be good to paddle. So, we canceled. The weather forecast predicted rain off and on all day. So, we decided not to hike. Instead we would just drive to visit the locations and enjoy our time together. Jeff, Sue’s husband, was our driver for the day. He did a fantastic job navigating the roads and climbing numerous mountains! Here is where we stopped at the vista for the view. This would have been where we started our hike. So many clouds!
Jeff drove us down the mountain to see the Blue Lake and the Green Lake. Again, the overcast skies prevented us from seeing the true colors of lakes. Also, the low clouds prevented us from seeing the mountains all around us.
We loaded back up in the car and drove around Sete Cidades. We stopped to see a church and walk around the town for a little bit.
The next spot on our tour was Ponta da Ferraria. Ponta da Ferraria is a place where the thermal heat from inside the earth is escaping and warming the Atlantic Ocean. It was beautiful and fun to walk around on the giant lava rocks. Plus, Jeff and Allison both put their feet into the pool. My mom, Sue and I all decided we didn’t need the hassle of putting on our suits and then having to wait in line to shower etc… maybe next time!
After exploring Ponta da Ferraria, we found a lovely restaurant for lunch. Finally, I had a chance to try limpets. I had low expectations, and they far exceeded them! The limpets, cooked in garlic butter, were delicious. I also ordered shrimp and French fries. Plus, a bottle of wine that was recommended by our driver, Carlos, in Pico. Frei Gigante is made with the three white grapes that grow on the island of Pico. It was delicious!
After lunch, we stopped at a cute park in Ponta Delgado. I had marked this park on my list of places to visit. My mom and I were too tired the first day and so it worked well we could stop and walk around all together. It was so fun to have a chance to spend the day together. The highlight was being able to give hugs!
Jeff, Sue, and Allison dropped us back off at city center. My mom and I went back to our hotel to regroup and then went out to do a little more shopping and have one final dinner. Pizza & wine.
Our flight back to Boston left around 6pm on Saturday. We enjoyed a leisurely wake up, breakfast and a morning walk around town before checking out of our hotel. A few more fun street view pictures.
After checking out, we found a nice spot for lunch and enjoyed our last cheese board and beers from Azores Brewery.
This has been a wonderful trip. The Azores are a beautiful place. The people are kind and welcoming. Their service and hospitality deserve all the gold stars. If you haven’t added them to your list to visit, I encourage you to! You won’t regret it!! As always, thanks for following along and sharing the journey. Until next time!
