We started our three month trip to Portugal by exploring the Azores over three weeks. Our journey took us to the islands of Sao Miguel, Faial, Pico, Sao Jorge, and then Terceira. The Azores has a short tourist season (2-3 months) and so the capacity of hotels, restaurants, and mainly rental cars is limited. That helps keep the tourist levels manageable even in the middle of summer. In particular Pico, Faial and Sao Jorge were the most quiet islands we visited. (The population of Sao Jorge is only 9k people and Sao Miguel is 140k.) Also the weather can be rainy in the middle of the Atlantic, but luckily we didn’t run into much on our trip.
Each island has its own character and unique sites to visit. We met many interesting people, and there are many Azorean-Americans whose families immigrated to the US in the mid to late1900s that now come back during the summer to reconnect with their families. Many have bought homes and stay for weeks. They helped us to understand the local culture. We really enjoyed each island we visited and as usual could have used more time there.
This first post is about San Miguel and the other islands will follow in separate posts.
Lagoa Verde and Lagoa Azu
One of the more famous views on Sao Miguel is the twin lakes of Lagoa Verde (Green Lake) and Lagoa Azul (Blue Lake). We hiked to the Miradouro (viewpoint) da Boca do Inferno where we could see both lakes, plus Lagoa de Santiago, and the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way we saw many enormous hydrangeas blooming. They grow in the wild in the Azores and they were at their peak while we were there in July. Farmers plant them as fence lines to keep livestock enclosed over huge areas of land.
The town next to Lagoa Azul is called Sete Cidades. As we drove through town we got caught up in a parade with floats and a band and decided we needed to stop. Throughout the summer each village puts on a festival. It was interesting to watch the whole town out having fun!
Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo
Ilhéu de Vila is a small volcanic crater off the southern coast of Sao Miguel. A boat ferries a limited number of people over to the island for the day. We took lunch and went for a swim in the center of the island. The water was warm and clear.
Back on Sao Miguel, we hiked down to another volcanic crater called Lagoa do Congro. Swimming is not allowed in this lake, and it was so green that we would not have wanted to swim anyway.
Furnas
The town of Furnas is in the center of Sao Miguel and has some active fumaroles, mud pots, and hot springs. One of the local specialties is stew cooked in a fumarole; furnace stew. Apparently this has been done by locals for centuries. The stew needs to be ordered in advance with a restaurant as it takes at least 6 hours to cook. The pot is lowered into a cement casing above a steam vent and then covered with dirt and a placard with the restaurant’s name or family owning the pot is placed on top. We were lucky to be there to see them pull the stew out of the fumaroles for lunch orders. It tasted like homemade pot roast with cooked cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. We thought is was all a bit dry.
One of our favorite stops in Furnas was the Parque Terra Nostra Arboretum. It has an incredible variety of plants from around the world and a large area to explore.
They also have a fun electrical substation building in town.
Tea and Pineapples
We had an evening flight to the next destination of Faial, so we did a bit more exploring that day before we left. They grow both pineapples and tea on Sao Miguel. Neither are a natural fit for the climate so they have to work hard to be successful. The Gorreana Tea Factory has an interesting tour with unlimited tea tasting at the end. Only the uppermost leaves get picked to allow the decades-old-plants to regenerate. They also sift the leaves into specific batches ranging from new tender shoots to slightly older ones as each has a distinct flavor. Ananás Santo António pineapple plantation has excellent guides who explained the challenges they have to grow pineapples in a climate that is not tropical. It takes years to grow just one pineapple and most locals can only afford it for special occasions. Most get exported or eaten by tourists.
Natural Beauty Everywhere
Sao Miguel was overall a beautiful island (which actually can be said for all the islands we visited). We had fun exploring the warm sandy beaches and natural swimming holes, as well as hiking to gorgeous lakes and waterfalls, and spectacular viewpoints.
The Journey Continues
Sao Miguel was a great spot to get over jetlag and kick off our tour of Portugal. Five days enabled us to really explore the island of Sao Miguel. We also got our first taste of driving in Portugal which has its unique challenges; narrow, steep, and windy roads, plus parking spaces that defy logic. From there we flew to Faial to explore the central group of islands in the Azores.
Another great update Dave! Thanks for all the fascinating details – very interesting that they grow tea and pineapples, which require very different climate conditions. Malaysia grows both too but at very different elevations (tea is only grown in Cameron Highlands where it is way lot cooler)
The more we traveled in the Azores the more we realized how creative and resourceful they had to be to survive and be self sufficient on these islands. It is a very interesting place.