And We're Off Again ~ This Time, a Whirlwind Visit to Terceira Island in the Azores ~ November 10 - 17, 2016

Terceira Island Trip
November 10 - 17, 2016

When I saw the "deal" on a week-long trip to the Azores, Jeff's first question was, "Where are the Azores?"  After looking them up (thank you, Google), we discovered that they are islands in an archipelago off the coast of Portugal.  Terceira, our destination, also referred to as the “Ilha Lilás” (the “lilac” or “violet” island), is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 56,000 inhabitants in an area of approximately 396.75 square kilometres (153.19 square miles). Our hotel, Pousada Angra do Heroísmo (Inn at the Bay of Herosim) is located in the Azores' oldest city, Angra do Heroísmo, the historical capital of the archipelago and a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the seat of the judicial system (Supreme Court); and the main base of the Azores Air Zone Command and a United States Air Force detachment.

There are nine major Azorean islands and an islet cluster, in three main groups. These are Flores and Corvo, to the west; Graciosa, Terceira, São Jorge, Pico, and Faial in the center; and São Miguel, Santa Maria, and the Formigas Reef to the east. They extend for more than 370 miles and lie in a northwest-southeast direction.

All of the islands have volcanic origins. Some, such as Santa Maria, have had no recorded activity since the islands were settled. Mount Pico, on the island of Pico, is the highest point in Portugal, at 7,713 feet. The Azores are actually some of the tallest mountains on the planet, measured from their base at the bottom of the ocean to their peaks, which thrust high above the surface of the Atlantic.

The climate of the Azores is very mild for such a northerly location, being influenced by its distance to continents and the passing Gulf Stream.  Daytime temperatures normally fluctuate between 61° and 77° depending on season.  It is also generally wet and cloudy.

The town of Angra do Heroísmo is lovely, and full of hills to climb.  We definitely get a workout every time we venture into town.  These islands are volcanic islands, and the sheer cliffs are a testament to the twin workings of volcanoes and earthquakes.   This picture (not mine -- from Wikipedia) is of the town square at night.  There is always something going on in town in the evenings.  Roasting chestnuts and donuts seem to be the "treats" of the evenings at this time of year.  

Our tour guides, Marina and Miguel, talked about the running of the bulls that takes place daily between April and September, and on our day-long bus tour, we saw the arena in which Portuguese bull-fighting occurs -- but only three or four times a year, according to Marina.

Our hotel is built inside of a 16th century fortress, Forte (or Castelho) São Sebastião.  Pictures on the right hand side show the old walls of the fort.  The ones on the left below, show the modern construction of a 2 story hotel.  There are 18 rooms - nine up and nine on the lower level.  Our room was on the lower level, and you can see our patio - second from the right - in the pictures below.  There are also a couple of rooms in the old "captain's house" - the yellow building you can see in the picture below, right.  

We left from Boston, on SATA (Azores Airlines) at about 10:05 p.m. Thursday, November 10th.  The flight is a bit more than 4 hours, landing at about 6:30 a.m. local time (a four hour time difference).  We collected our bags, checked in with our tour company, and were loaded into a bus headed for our hotel.  We crashed almost immediately and slept until late afternoon.  After a meeting with tour guide Marina and getting some pointers on where to eat, we headed into town for some food.  At what would become our favorite venue, Caisa de Angra (Pier of the Bay), we enjoyed two different types of "bruschetta" and a platter of Azorean cheeses with fresh warm bread.   I enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine made on Pico Island (most wines we were served came from Pico Island, and have been delicious), and Jeff had a couple of Coronas (he did not try the Portuguese beer until later in the trip).  The total cost was a remarkable 12 euros!  The wine alone would have been more than that at home!  It's an easy, laid back lifestyle here, so we sat and enjoyed the view of the marina, the sea, and the surrounding city.  A radio station played jazz, and we really just relaxed on this first full day on the island.