Leaving the Land That Breakfast Forgot

2011 08 14

Ponta delGada, Sao Miguel, Azores, Portugal

As a Destination the Azores are Hot, HOt, HOT

Heated Saltwater Pool at Ferraria

Friday and Saturday we toured the island with Lillia and Jeff.  The first day saw us swimming in ocean pools fed by ocean swells and protected by huge laval outcroppings.  Hot springs heated the 18 degree ocean to a Budget Committee approved 24 degrees Celsius.   As the tide departed taking with it considerable volumes of cold oceanic water the termperature rose until the BC was blissful indeed, steaming with the clams in 28 degree ocean.

Each Little Hill Covers Someone's Lunch Cooking

Tea Anyone? Water's Ready

Saturday found us dining in Furnas, the entire town built in a centuries old caldeira, the air around us a bit sulferous and very warm and moist in both cases the result of volcanic flows just metres (and in some cases much less) below our feet.  Our lunch, a Hungarian platter of beef, pork, chicken, sausage, cabbage, and potato was cooked by burying the constituent roasts and carcasses three feet in the ground near a hole bubbling with live steam and boiling water.

Finishing off with a tour of the only tea plantation in Europe we called it a good two days and prepared to leave.

We are unabashed in our praise of the Azores and we are grateful indeed to Scott and Kitty on Tamare for their strong recommendation that we spend some time here.  Thanks too to Stanley Feigenbaum at Beta Marine for his recommendations on prospective stops and to Paul and Mo on Ti Gitu for advice general on clearing into Flores.

If you do the crossing stop first at Flores and begin a leisurely investigation of some of the finest cruising you are likely to do in Europe.

The Caldeira Lakes at Lagoas do Fogo, aptly named

Monday we leave for the continent.

It is eat what you kill at Furnas.
Curmudgeon digs for his (hot) lunch while the BC drives the shovel from the rear seat