Onward to Terceira ~ February 5, 2018

Onward to Terceira ~ Monday, February 5, 2018

All good things must come to an end, and today was our day to transfer from beautiful Faial back to Terceira.

Terceira is part of the central group of islands and was discovered as the third island of the Azores (Terceira means "third" in Portuguese).  It is also the third largest and the second most important island of the archipelago (São Miguel is the largest).Terceira has an elliptical shape and covers are area of approximately 155 square miles. We are headed for its capital city, Angra do Heroismo (Bay of Heroes).

 We left our hotel early in the morning to board our 15 passenger jet for the short hop over to Terceira - a 35 minute ride.


We caught a cab to our hotel, which is quite lovely.  The only 5 star hotel in the islands, the Angra Marina hotel is built into the cliffs and overlooks the sea.  It is rather modern with lots of glass and marble everywhere.  Chandeliers hang from the ceilings in the public areas, and the rooms are very spacious.  Our room overlooks the sea, and we have a lovely balcony with a table and two chairs that I look forward to sitting on with a glass of wine in the evenings to come.


Reception area

After settling into our room, we wandered down to our favorite spot -- The Dock of the Bay (Cais de Angra) for drinks and some backgammon.

This duck kept us company ... while looking for a handout!



I have become quite a fan of this Portuguese white wine.  It is very flavorful - sort of a cross between a chardonnay and a pinot grigio.


This was our "lunch" -- three different types of breads (all freshly baked and warm from the oven) served with an olive oil/parsley butter blend, some fresh ricotta drizzled with warm honey, and a pumpkin "jam" with toasted almonds.  I'm a huge fan of the pumpkin jam!

The board advertising the suggestions of the chef


I never get tired of this harbor view!

Images like this line the harbor - signs of the folks who have stopped here on a transatlantic crossing

The succulent craze has taken hold here too!  I loved the display of the prickly pear!

After some relaxation (translation ... Jeff sleeping; Linda reading), we walked into town in search of a place for dinner.  We came across a local haunt called Casa De Pasto "A Canadinha."  It is a great place for wines, so we tried a bottle of red wine recommended by our waiter (who was also the owner, I believe).  The decor was eclectic, with lots of wine bottles lining the walls, and an old telephone, turntable, sewing machine, and radio.  Service was, as always, wonderful.  The steaks were quite good, served with a coffee cream sauce.  In our experience, the meats are generally served with some sort of cream based sauce.



Dinner tonight at Casa De Pasto (Farmhouse) "A Canadinha"

And, of course, wine and cheese!

From there, we wandered back to our hotel and watched some television ... yes, they have the Big Bang Theory -- in English with the Portuguese subtitles.  Up to the rooftop bar for a glass of wine and then into bed!

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