São Miguel Island and Ponta Delgada
For several days, I’ve been exploring São Miguel Island and the town of Ponta Delgada. The weather has been wild with relatively mild temperatures during the day and crisp, chilly evenings. The most severe aspect of the climate seems to be the very strong wind. It reminds me of Cape Town’s south easters and parts of Patagonia.
I spent a day exploring the town with its maze of hilly cobblestone streets, spectacular panoramas, windows with colorful flower boxes, farmer’s market, and majestic old manor houses. Today I went on an all-day tour of the southern coast and the Furnas Caldera area.
Furnas Caldera, Terra Nostra Gardens, and Villa Franca do Campo
On the way to Furnas Caldera our group toured a tea plantation and had traditional Portuguese stew for lunch. We ended the day by visiting geysers, thermal pools, Terra Nostra Gardens, and Villa Franca do Campo. The scenery was literally too beautiful for words! I’m attaching some photos from the day.
Tomorrow morning, I leave early for a whale watching expedition followed by an afternoon tour of Lagoa do Fogo and Lagoa Azul.
Oh my! Stunning! I am really, really, really going to have to go to Portugal one day.