A Walking Tour of Angra Do Heroismo ~ February 6, 2018

A Walking Tour of Angra Do Heroismo ~ February 6, 2018

An early breakfast, and then we met our guide, Jeanette, for a walking tour of the city.  We drove up to the top of the Public Garden (Jardim Publico) for a view of the monument, and then made our way down through the garden.
A view of the city from the top of the public garden

The camellia trees are in bloom all across the islands


I love the beautiful azaleas which have just begun to bloom

This little friend caught our attention, and he cooperated by standing still enough to capture his photo!

Church of the Immaculate Conception











               


I remember seeing this statue the last time we visited in November 2016. Little did I know, but the statue was new - dedicated that June! Da Gama was a Portuguese explorer (c. 1460-1624) who was the first to sail directly from Europe to India.  The statue memorializes his stop at Terceira Island in 1499 to lay to rest his brother, Paulo da Gama, who perished at sea on the homeward journey.  Vasco da Gama buried his brother at the monastery of São Francisco. 

Next we walked to city hall and spent some time touring the interior.  The stained glass windows are original to the building, and remarkably survived a devastating earthquake in 1980.
City Hall











A quick stop at the public theater, where a series of comedy shows take place during Carnevale, and then we were off to the town market

This pup is outside the butcher shop, hoping for a handout!









A stop at a local coffee shop for some coffee/tea and some Dona Amelia cake completed our tour. The Dona Amelia cake was named for the Portuguese queen Amelia, who visited the island in 1901.  The queen was offered a cake made with local ingredients, including corn flower, raisins, molasses, and cinnamon.  She enjoyed it so much that the cake became known as the Dona Amelia cake.  
Back to the hotel for some rest and relaxation, some wine and backgammon, and planning for our dinner location.  Jeff was in the mood for a good steak, and our guide, Jeannette recommended Marcelino's, which was a short walk from the hotel.





We ordered the Steak Marcelino, which is prepared tableside by the chef/owner.  He started by putting two pats of butter in the pan, swirling them about until they were nice and hot.  Then, two lovely steaks, each stuffed with proscuitto, were added to the pan and seared well on each side.







Then came the brandy, and the flambe!  A healthy squeeze of half an orange on each steak, followed by about 1/2 cup or so of cream.  Jeff's steak was removed, while mine continued cooking for a few minutes.  Then mine was removed while the sauce thickened.  Both steaks were returned to the pan and heated up before plating.











It was a truly delicious and memorable meal - one I am already planning to replicate at home!

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