Azores 2017
Remembrances of the Azores 9.7.2017 - 22.7.2017.
São Miguel 9.7. - 15.7.
The first, out of many flowers
Garden of our first Bed & Breakfast, Quinta de São Caetano
Our first trip to the Vista do Rey with the famous blue and green lakes
Walk along the crest of the crater ...
... including lots and lots of hydrangea ...
... as well as some hydrangea
BANANAAAA!
Breakfast, overlooking the garden ...
Viewpoint towards the center of the island
One of many birds. They were everywhere, at all times
Hiking on a narrow path
The way to another viewpoint
This one came really close
Are we in Canada now?
Ponta Delgada by night
On the 12.7. we moved to Furnas with its famous thermal lake for our three days in the Terra Nostra Garden Hotel
Harvesting tea at the Chá Gorreana plantation
I was fuming ...
... at the fumaroles near Furnas
Did we really discover ...
... Abbey Bridge?
Overviewing the north cost
Another beautiful crater lake - Lagoa do Fogo
Ribeira Grande held a medival fair. With ...
... a maiden ...
... a grumpy guard ... they had everything!
In the evening I grabbed my camera and toured the fantastic parc by the thermal lake
Warm water rill
Lots of flowers ...
... and more hydrangea ...
... and water lilys ... and more birds everywhere
Fountains in the green ...
... and the bridge back to our hotel
One of the perks of staying at the hotel: midnight baths!
15.7. departure from São Miguel, but only after a last visit to the park, with, ...
... you guessed it, more flowers ...
... romantic lake with a little pavillion overlooking it
Alleys ...
... to go crazy
São Jorge 15.7. - 18.7.
Our Bed & Breakfast on São Jorge: Jardim do Triângulo (we had the leftmost cabin). Above the clouds you can catch a glimpse of the peak of mount Pico
Did I mention I like lizards? There where lots in the walls and fences built from volcanic rocks
Unsurprisingly we found more unknown flowers
and fewer known ones ... mallows
Another lizard posing for the camera ...
... as does this brittle star(?) in the waves
Thanks to a Portugese couple, whos acquaintance we made the day before, we stopped for fish soup at a celebration at Fajã das Almas (Festa Nossa Senhora de Fátima)
Where we also found some Azorina vidalii, endemic to the Azores
After that we passed most of the afternoon exploring the way up to the south east end of the island, from where we could see one of the four neighbouring islands: Terceira
On the way back we just caught the end of a religious parade along a band of petals in the street
Evening, the clouds are moving down to the sea
An impression of our Bed & Breakfast's garden
The neighbouring island, Pico, named after the highest mountain in Portugal (2'351m)
Enjoing the dusk ...
... watching the islands of Pico and Fajal (to the right of Pico)
New day, new impression from the garden
Amazing viewpoint overlooking the north coast with the Fajã dos Cubres just below and the Fajã de Santo Cristo in the distance
The bell tower of the church on the Fajã de Santo Cristo ...
... as well as the view to the east
Parts of the hill side of the track between the two Fajãs reminded us of Switzerland ...
... the sea side ... not so much. Here a view on the Fajã dos Cubres
Last day on São Jorge, we visited the north west end of the island with its old lighthouse
A steep path to a viewpoint
A nice park with ample opportunities for a picnic ...
... so we stopped to have some lunch ... with visitors
Oh ... did I mention there were more flowers? ... In white ...
... and red ...
... and smiling ferns ...
... and white and red
Also a pond with lots of frogs ...
... which for the most part didn't help in my attempts to take their picture
A beatiful fern palm on our way to another ...
... viewpoint
Finally: Velas, a few hours before we board the 20:40 ferry to Pico
During the 50 minutes transfer we enjoyed the sunset, even though the last few minutes the sun hid behind a cloud. But concentrating on the horizon also supported our stomachs ... we're not the seafaring type ...
Pico 18.7. - 22.7.
On Pico we were greeted by a lizard enjoying the few sun rays. Soon after that it got foggy and started to rain for the rest of the day (more of a spray actually)
Our last stay: the Bed & Breakfast O Zimbreiro, where we had the left half of this cabin. After breakfast we drove around the whole island - it was foggy and raining whereever we got - not much to see unfortunately
On the 20th we had booked an afternoon of whale watching. This is the start of the tour with both of us a bit anxious of wheather our stomachs would remain quiet
To my surprise two photos of my single attempt to get some pictures weren't terrible
The pictures show small parts of two sperm whales. Apart from many of those, we saw a finback whale (rare sight in July) and a group of Risso's Dolphins
To celebrate our not getting too sea sick we treated ourselves to some low cost whale watching through binoculars
In the evening the sun is back and so are the flowers
A common view on this island. Wine grows between walls of black volcanic rock
After a delicious dinner by our Bed & Breakfast hosts to close of our whale watching day, we started our last day on pico as usual
We decided to explore the east coast of the island, near our Bed & Breakfast
The path got beautifully advernturous pretty soon ...
... and after maybe 20 minutes we reached the see with a great perspective on São Jorge
The red and yellow lines mean you're on the right path ... however, as you can see, there's not much of a path. You'll have to find your own way through the rocks
There is not much vegetation near the sea, apart fromm a bit of grass and lichen every now and then
The one place you could get close to the water
We saw many rock cairns all over the place
We also saw a lot of bizarr looking rocks ...
... more beautiful colours, ...
... a picnic table, with a great view ...
... and some dead wood on black rock, until we finally ...
... reached the lighthouse on the east tip of Pico
Due to a "Footware Malefunction" aka. sole falling off, we had to turn around soon after. On the way back we saw some interresting plants ...
... and also the first (and last) time one of the signature fruits of the Azores: Pineapples
Most of the afternoon we stayed at the pool and observed bats (the black blodge just obove the indent in the pool). We observed a lot of them drinking in the pool the evening before, but were surprised by seeing a few even in bright sun light ... and yes: we had to look up if and how bats drink
Resting under palm trees
View from the airport ... at least once, while departing, we could see mount Pico while on the actual island
To sum up: a great destination for nature lovers ... it might be, that, in a few years, we will be back, exploring some of the other islands ...