Planes, Trains, Boats, and Automobiles!

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...

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 cei...