Thursday, August 19th - An Easy Day with a Volcanic Ending

 Robyn had work, so I wandered around the little town, found a mini-mart and got a further 'lay of the land'. It was in the middle of the day, light wasn't good for photos, so I left my camera at home.

Ferraria

Our activity at the end of the day, was to visit one of the little nearby towns, Ferraria, where there is a lighthouse and hot springs in the ocean. As you see, the weather was changing and clouds were coming down from the mountain above us. It had a dramatic, misty feel. First the lighthouse.

Farol da Ferraria

The lighthouse was built in 1901 and electrified and automated in 1958. It is 59 feet high, with an altitude of  351 feet - the light has a range of 27 miles. It is not the tower-type structure we are accustomed to, it really looks quite palatial.

Farol da Ferraria

The view I liked the best was this one from the sugar cane field that has been recently harvested, showing the front of the lighthouse.

Farol da Ferraria

You might have figured out by now that 'farol' means 'lighthouse'. Before we leave its picturesque presence, I wanted to show you how it is positioned on top of a very steep slope several hundred feet above the shore. This is a pretty standard arrangement for the shoreline here - it is only in a few places like our little village that one is close to sea level.

Ponta da Ferraria Hot Springs

Our real destination for this excursion is a public hot springs that feeds out into the ocean. The fingers of rock you see here are indicative of the lava flows that formed this island and the springs are a remnant of such volcanic thermal activity. You know I want to tell you all about the geology of the islands, but that will wait for a later post! The building at the far right of the photo is a private spa, but it looked very dull compared to the public one.

Ponta da Ferraria

We drove down the very steep, zig-zag road to sea level, where I relished in the layering that was evident from the different eruptions that formed the island. A geologists dream.

Rock pools - photo by Robyn Lamp

Let me tell you, the lava that comes out of volcanoes does not provide an easy walking surface. It is profoundly uneven, sharp and jagged to walk on. I had to tread very carefully, but was pleased to see that I was not the only one that was hobbling around on it.

Oceanic Arch at Ponta da Ferraria - Lava Tube? - photo by Robyn Lamp

Robyn had read that there was an arch here - we don't think this is the one, but it does show the spiky pillow lava on top of the more solid basalt below. It is probable that the arch is in fact a small lava tube where the molten lava flowed under the solidified/cooled rock above. 

Public Hot Springs at Ponta da Ferraria - photo by Robyn Lamp

As you can probably see by now, I left my camera in the car for this experience - not wanting to have it get wet. So I am thankful that Robyn recorded it for us on her i-Phone. It was recommended that we get here at low tide - otherwise the waves get rough and the hot water is too diluted. As you see, many others were following the same recommendation! By contrast - the private spa had two people floating around in its pool - they didn't look as if they were having nearly was much fun as these people.

Public Hot Springs at Ponta da Ferraria - photo by Robyn Lamp

The hot water emerges closest to the camera and is scalding hot. There were several ladders allowing one to get in and out easily and ropes across the little inlet stop the waves from tossing people into each other and onto the rocks. It was a little freaky being around so many people - even though it was outside - but in fact, once I was in, I was able to stay distanced just fine. I tried all the different temperatures and enjoyed the feel of the waves with the stability provided by the ropes. It was fun.

Hydrangeas at Parque de Merendas de Mosteiros

For a completely different change of pace, we stopped at a little park we had seen as we came and went from Mosteiros. In this shaded park, the hydrangea blooms still have some vibrancy. There are hydrangeas all over this island! They grow like weeds. I have to admit is it changing my love for these blooms to almost not liking them - is there some motto about too much of a good thing? The best season to see them is earlier in the summer - by now many of the blooms on the side of the road have no color or are faded and withering. Robyn really wanted to pick some, but Google reports that is is illegal to pick them and she came home empty handed. Still, you can see how pretty they are.

Sunset from the porch of our AirBNB

We had hoped to stay down at the beach for sunset, but by the time we had finished dinner, our weariness said to head home. The hot water and hobbling around the rocks had sapped my energy. I was trilled to discover that I could still catch the last of the sun's rays from the porch of our AirBNB. We might not have 'done' much today, but it was fun and presented us with new experiences. Tomorrow we head off early for another 'volcanic' experience.