Terceira was our final stop in the Azores. We found there was much more to do than the two full days we had allocated, so we were really busy. We stayed near Angra do Heroísmo, so our first stop was to tour the city. We also went on a hike and visited a rare, vertical lava tube. What was a standout for us is that we attended three different types of bull fights. These are a long standing Terceira tradition, and every village has their own. We really appreciated that the bulls aren’t killed. They also had a week long music festival ongoing in Praia da Vitória that we enjoyed.
Angra do Heroísmo
Angra do Heroísmo is the historic capital of the Azores with a sizable population of ~30,000 people. It was quite a jolt to be back in a “big” city after the last three islands. It was fun to wander around town and see the sites. We thought of Nepal when we saw the monument on the upper right. Is it a stupa?
Cobble Fun
There are some fun cobble artworks in the main park in town.
Down the Tubes
Terceira has one of the few vertical lava tubes in the world called Algar do Carvão. It was interesting to descend down the tube then into the giant cavities below.
Hiking in the Rain
We went on a hike, named Passagem das Bestas, up to a ridge to get a great view of a caldaria. In the upper right Diane is standing on wagon ruts carved in the volcanic rock that were created by farmers taking their products to market. We had become so accustom to no rain on our journey that we did not bring rain jackets. It was more of a mist than rain showers, however, the sections dense with plants got us soaking wet.
Arena Bullfight
Bullfights are a big part of the culture in Terceira. Fortunately they do not kill the bulls, otherwise we would not have attended. Each carefully selected bull only fights once in a major arena and then “retires” to a life in the pastures. A veterinarian is on hand to make sure they get any care they need afterward.
The fights were fascinating with the daring Cavaleiros (horsemen) and the Matadores (men with capes) challenging the bull and making narrow escapes from the horns. However, how they end the fight was something we did not expect. At the end, a group of men called Forcados challenge the bull directly, on foot, without any protection or weapons (lower right pictures). It starts when one man (wearing a knitted hat) walks cautiously towards the bull, and as the bull charges he jumps on its enormous head and wraps his arms around the horns. Seven helpers race forward and completely stop it from moving. They then step away. The guy on the tail is the last to release the bull, then it gets let out of the arena. We were speechless and can’t believe the courage it would take to be the guy in the knit hat! During the first fight we watched the guy on the bulls head get thrown off and he went under the bull. He just dusted himself off, got this team reassembled, and was successful the second time. Amazing!
Street Bullfight
Another type of bullfight is held in the many villages all over the island. A bull is corralled within a section of the street. There are five men holding a rope (top left picture) tied to the bull to keep it within the designated section of street. If the bull charges them, they jump out of the way (second picture down on the left you can see them sitting on a fence watching a bull run past). There are also a couple professionals that help “manage” the fight (with cape and umbrella, third picture down on the left). Many local men jump in and give it a go as well, mainly running as fast as they can to get out of the way. Everyone living on the street boards up their gates and fences to protect them and the bull. It is a street party and there is lots of music, eating, and socializing.
Countryside Bullfight
When we were driving to visit Algar do Carvão (with the lava tubes), we saw a bunch of cars pulled off to the side of the road in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. It turned out it was a bull fight with adolescent bulls and young men. Likely a bull ranch training the next generation.
Terceira Wrap-Up
We stayed at an amazing B&B in Terceira called Vivenda da Saudade with American-Azorean hosts (from Gilroy, CA) that gave us deep insight into Azorean culture. We wished we would have stayed a couple more days to explore more of the island. However, we knew there was more fun ahead on the mainland. From Terceira we flew to Porto to begin that leg of our journey.
Amazing Azores: Final Thoughts
We set up this trip fairly close to departure which, given the limited tourist infrastructure, led to some extra logistical work figuring out rental cars, lodging, and restaurant reservations. We had some ideas on what to expect, but in many ways the visit really exceeded our expectations. Friendly people, great food, and many interesting things to do. The Azores were outstanding!!