Saturday, August 28th, 2021 - Moving on to Ponta Delgada

 Our trip is winding down now, as we plan a last few days in the capital, Ponta Delgada. After all this green beauty in the countryside, the idea of city life was not thrilling us. At the very least we must get our Covid tests before returning to the US, so we figured a few days here just to scope things out.

Tree Fern at Caldeira Velha

As a last hurrah, we stopped again at Caldeira Velha, a hot spring on the north side of the Fogo volcano. This time we had a reservation, so we were able to enjoy two hours of dipping in and out of the hot water and enjoying the vegetation. I got entranced by the 'fiddle heads' emerging from the huge, lush tree ferns. I decided they should be called 'cello heads' instead, they were so big.

Caldeiras Velho

The setting was more natural than the one at Donna Beija in Furnas, and each pool was clearly marked with the number of people it could hold. There were three of these natural pools and they never got crowded.

First, I was amazed to find this boiling pool, that also had little boiling puddles right underfoot. This video shows you my ugly, but very practical Merrell water shoes right next to some of these puddles. Then the video pans to the pool itself. The sign says, 'Danger, Boiling Water - 140 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit'. That one was too hot to swim in, that's for sure.

Caldeira Velha

So we just hung about and moved around between the three pools.

Tree Ferns, Caldeira Velha

While sitting in one of the pools I noticed the huge fiddle heads and spent quite a bit of time trying to get 'that perfect shot'. I ended up deciding the first one in the blog is the most photogenic - the close-ups just look very hairy and moist, so I'll spare you the results. I had fun. I like it when I challenge myself to be creative - sometimes it works, sometimes not. That's why I call myself a traveler, rather than a photographer. When I have that impulsive 'Oh, that looks interesting' and just stick my camera at something usually gives the most satisfying outcome.

Bat Box, Caldeira Velha

The intended residents of this box were clearly marked - I hope they can interpret the signage OK. Note in the back left the hint of solar panels on the hillside.

Cold Pool and Watefall at Caldeira Velha

We finished our time in a refreshing cool pool. Robyn was relishing in the waterfall.

Pico Vermelho Geothermal Power Station

Before leaving the area, I just had to stop and recognize the geothermal power station nearby. It's a really bad photo - I was in a rush, because I was afraid they might think I was some type of industrial spy!

The deep system of hot water from the earth is tapped for geothermal power, using a binary method - meaning that there is a heat exchange between the hot water source and another fluid, in this case, pentane. It is the pentane that moves through the turbines to create electricity. 60% of the electricity here is produced through alternative methods - mostly wind and geothermal systems.

Plantacao de Ananas dos Acores

Our first outing once we arrived in Ponta Delgada, was a visit to the nearby pineapple plantation, pretty close to the center of the city.

Because it is not hot enough for the plants outside, they are cultivated in greenhouses. This also allows humidity to be controlled. The ones we have tasted to date were very delicious - had an almost coconut flavor. However, in most of the mini-marts we saw them, they were quite expensive - close to $10 each.

Plantacao de Ananas dos Acores

The roofs are painted with some type of white lime compound to regulate the temperature.

Pineapple 'Flower' at Plantacao de Ananas dos Acores

I decided the flower is very lovely. 

Pineapple juice and gelato at Plantacao de Ananas dos Acores

I indulged in the juice and ice cream and both were wonderful, Robyn had a diferent drink. I was also quite pleased to discover that the straw that came with the juice was edible - a pleasant lime flavor - so I ate it, too.

Street Art in Ponta Delgada

My first encounter in the old city was this interesting piece of art work in someone's doorway. If you look closely, you can see that there is a reflection sketched on the right hand side, which the artist hasn't finished. The one on the left looks as if it is a masked face, but the mask is over the eyes, not the mouth.  Political statement? Or just artistry? I liked the curlicue moustache.

Ponta Delgada Near the Saturday Market

It has the look of a town that's been here a while. The city streets are cobbled with the local hard-wearing basalt and the sidewalks are decorated with a white stone from mainland Portugal - most likely limestone. This is apparently typical elsewhere in Portugal and is called calcada portuguesa. It turned these street from mundane to something much more attractive.

Narrow Streets of Ponta Delgada

The streets are quite narrow, allowing only one way traffic. Even walking is hazardous with cars passing close by. Many of the buildings have little balconies with attractive grille work.

Pedestrian Alley - Punta Delgada

Many of the north south roads have been turned into appealing pedestrian alleys - very often with restaurants and cafes lining them.

Octopus Wall Art near the Port - Ponta Delgada

I saw this compelling octopus on our way to dinner, when we took a bit of a stroll by the port. 

When we arrived in the Azores at the beginning of our trip, we had completed all our paperwork online, so we were each given coupons for 35 Euro by the government to reward our compliance. (This ends August 31st - so no rewards for you! Sorry!)

We decided to use our coupons at restaurants and were on our way to oBACo (or The Bacchus) at Hotel Ponta Delgada. This was rated on Tripadvisor as the 5th best restaurant in Ponta Delgada. 

Wine Bar at oBACo

Arriving at 7 pm, we were the first in the restaurant - the Europeans definitely haven't caught on to intermittent fasting yet! 

Squid salad appetizer.

We chose a price fixe option with four courses - they called it a 'discovery'. I don't want to bore you with lots of details about it, but the entire selection we were given was superb. I'm not usually a gourmand, so it was a special treat. While the coupon did not cover the full cost, it offset the luxury nicely.

Water Carafe at oBACo

I also delighted in the European style of water at the table. I had forgotten this nice custom.

Finishing Station at oBACo

The secret to our pleasure had been this finishing station where all the lovely additions added beauty, crunch and flavor to our dishes.

It was a very pleasing way to end our day and enjoy at least one aspect of city life. Tomorrow Covid tests and then head home Tuesday. 

Friday, August 27th, 2021 - The Easy Day We Wanted and How Come This Place is Here?

To insure that we would get into Terra Nostra today, Robyn volunteered to go down to the gate at 9 am to read her book and wait for the 10:30 opening. God bless her - when I moseyed down at 10 am, she was still the only person in line! At least we were the first in!

Pillars Beside Terra Nostra Gates

The Terra Nostra complex consists of a high end hotel, a world class botanical garden (in the romantic style) and a large hot pool. In the late 1700's people came to the area for the therapeutic benefits of the mineral waters. Around that time a Bostonian merchant built a summer house with a pool in front and an island in the middle. Then in the mid 1800's it was bought by the Count of Praia. With his wife they rebuilt the summer house and established the gardens which incorporated plants from all over the world. In 1935 a hotel opened on the property next door and a few years later the hotel purchased the house and gardens.

Terra Nostra Park House and Pool

Now I'm sure you were expecting to see a lovely clear blue lake from the previous description, not this muddy looking mess - but there it is - people come from he world over to swim in this! LOL!. The temperature was lovely and although it looks as if one is swimming in mud, it's actually just red, murky water due to the high iron content.

A Picturesque Nook at Terra Nostra Gardens

Before swimming, we decided to look around the 2 hectare park. Neither of us was energized, so we wandered aimlessly. In spite of our ennui, we couldn't help but notice some of its loveliness.

A Pretty Pond at Terra Nostra Gardens.

This little island was a popular spot for people to pose for photos.

Kangaroo Paw at Terra Nostra Gardens

I was surprised to discover that the brown plant in the middle of the lake was a kangaroo paw - a native of Western Australia.

Little Brown Duck at Terra Nostra Gardens

This little guy and his buddies were scrabbling around in the dirt near the small lake, too.

Avenue of Palm Trees Terra Nostra Gardens

This beautiful avenue of palm trees set us off back toward the pool for our dip.

Dippin' Dots at Terra Nostra Pool

So, in we jumped and had a lovely time lollygagging in the lusciously warm water. I do think it helps the joints lose their stiffness, so I have found all this 'hot bathing' quite beneficial. I could show you a photo of Robyn, too - just interchange her head for mine and you get the picture.

Huge Lily Pads at Terra Nostra Gardens

As I was leaving to head back up the hill, I noticed these huge lily pads in pools beside the path. The red flower on the left is also Australian banksia.

Volcanologic and Geothermal Observatory

Now, if I had not made my promise yesterday to return to vulcanology, this would almost be the end of this blog, but a promise made is a promise kept - so we'll see if I can provide a little bit of explanation for how these islands suddenly appear in the middle of this vast ocean.

 It all starts with good old plate tectonics - the scientific model which proposes that the rigid earth's crust is somewhat like a cracked eggshell - that the mantle acts like a fluid and these cracked portions of the crust float about on it. Where they interact with each other creates heat and disturbances depending on whether they are crashing into each other, diving under, sliding over, scraping sideways or spreading apart.

When I took Geology 101 in the early 70's, this was ground-breaking research that finally validated why the coastline of Africa and the Americas look as if they would fit together so well. It's now in 6th grade science classes!

The Red Lines Show the Boundaries of the Three Tectonic Plates Under The Azores

If you trace the north-south line on this diagram, you will find it is the same Mid-Atlantic Ridge that goes through Iceland and creates the vulcanism there. This ridge separates the North American Plate to the west from the two plates on the east. This East-West movement away from each other  creates new crust through the upwelling of molten mantle rock into the rift. 

Two of the Azorean islands - Flores and Corvo are on the western side of this ridge and are moving away from the Azores and closer to America by almost an inch per year! The guide at the observatory joked that SATA Air will have to change it's flight path before long!

The other red line that runs east west on the European side in the diagram above, divides the Eurasian Plate from the African (Nubian) Plate. The 9 islands of the Azores are where the two lines meet - an intersection of three tectonic plates, called a Triple Junction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_junction

The most recent eruption occurred near Terceria from 1998 to 2001. It seems that it was mostly underwater and did not lead to permanent new land. 

Understanding what's happening between the Eurasian and African plates is not so simple - at the volcanology center they posited four different theories about what might be happening, including the existence of a possible Azorean 'micro-plate'. The only island that is clearly on the African plate is thought to be Santa Maria - the oldest island at 8 million years - very young in geologic time.

Rope Lava Display at Volcanologic and Geothermal Observatory

Suffice it to say, with all this stuff moving around at the intersection, a thicker crust below, along with some possible 'hot spots' (areas under the crust that are hotter than normal) - there is upwelling magma, friction and when they become large enough, can penetrate the 6,000 ft of water to create islands.

 Earthquakes are common - in fact the guide at the center here said there are earthquakes every day - mostly too small to be felt. She said the scientists worry when the earthquakes become less frequent, as it may signal a built up of tension that might increase the likelihood of eruption.

*Translation Below - I just liked all the arrows showing possible movement

This diagrams shows one of the four theories and is my favorite. At least it shows you where the islands are. 

I hope you're still with me. It fascinates me to see events in our lifetime that reveal how our earth is shaped - especially when it seems so very solid usually. 

The very first volcanic eruption that was observed from start to finish was here in the Azores near the island of Faial - the one on the African Plate that is nearest to the mid-Atlantic Ridge. It began in September 1957 and was first observed as very vigorous bubbles in the ocean by whale hunters. It became very active and for a while created a tenth Azorean Island near the Faial lighthouse. At first it was a fairly effusive, gentle volcano, like the Hawaiian ones, but then is became violent, throwing up ash that buried houses and eventually created solid land which joined it with Faial. The lighthouse still stands, but is no longer near the ocean, so it's a volcanologic museum. The eruption ended October 1958. The inhabitants were evacuated and many emigrated to the United States at that time. This link to a video below, is in English, and although it is longer than others on youtube, it gives a good historic background, especially with regard to the relationship of the Azores to the USA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB26Uk1xQwM

Map Showing The Timeline of the Creation of Sao Miguel.

Now, don't be scared - this one is easy. 

I just loved the three dimensionality of this little map and the historic and quite recent tale that it tells, especially having just visited many of these places, so they are no longer just names.

It basically shows how Sao Miguel was formed - the yellow section to the east was Nordeste - it was first at 4 million years old. It was effusive - like Hawaii - no big drama. The next was the pink, which was 3 million years ago. Then there was the blue, Furnas - around 750,000 years old - and it was explosive.

 But here, the steady east-to-west progression ends and we jump to the orange - which is Sete Cidades and it was a big bang. So at that point, Sao Miguel was two islands. Next, we go back to the addition of the green section, Fogo - which was 250 thousand years ago, also explosive - and finally the two halves joined together with the eruption of numerous stromboli type vents in the brownish/grey section which began about 50,000 years ago. In this area there are approximately 235 small volcanic cones, many of them younger than 10,000 years.

You might note just a little brown section up by Mosteiros, which explains why is doesn't have the cliff-like drop to the ocean, but is a gentler slope instead. It also shows faults on either side - indicating it dropped to the lower level - called a graben. 

Aerial image of Sete Cidades from Brochure at Volcanologic and Geothermal Observatory

The last tid-bit I leave you with is a correction about the reason Sete Cidades (which I learned is pronounced 'Set Sidash') is called 'Seven Cities'. It was because they identified seven different volcanic vents within the one caldera. See if you can find all seven from this photo. They just connected this number to the other mythical stories I had mentioned earlier.

Cosido, or Furnas Stew

So now you can understand how it came about that I was able to enjoy a lovely pot of meats and veggies that was cooked with nature's largesse. The meat was very tender, it had a smoky flavor and was very enjoyable in a hearty way. It has been a long time in the making - not just the 6 or 7 hours it sat in the hole - but the eons of geologic activity that allow people to walk on and create things with its energy.

For me it was a very satisfying meal! 

I hope you also found this story digestible - but I suspect not quite so tasty! LOL!

Translation from plate tectonics diagram above - (per Google translate!)

* A second theory qualifies this rift as a  'leaky transform' fault driven by a joint movement of retraction and sliding. These complex movements would give oblique tensions to the region. This model fits well with the geology of the islands, provided that the rift passes easily by Sao Miguel, Terceira and Graciosa, and that this limit bifurcates more or less at the level of Faial-Pico-Sao Jorge.

Thursday, August 26th, 2021 - The Best Outcome From Changed Plans

We started the day hoping to have an easy one, by lounging at the nearby Terra Nostra Pool and Gardens. We planned to arrive at opening time, so when we wandered down the hill and saw how many others had also planned to arrive at opening time, we were a little dismayed at the wait. The notice at the gate said the pool was limited to 250 people and we were not sure if the wait would result in success. So we decided to switch plans and drive out to the east of the island, to a place called Nordeste. 

Miradouro do Poco Ferro

But first, we had to check where we had been yesterday from the top of the mountain behind the caldeiras. You can see he bare patch toward the bottom left of the photo which shows you the size of the thermal activity area - not really very big.

Caldeiras da Lagoa das Furnas

This photo gives you a closer bird's eye view of the caldeiras and you can easily see the number of cooking holes available. I count around 30, which means that the little ticket counter we saw yesterday would only be able to make a maximum of 90 euros per day! It's probably not going to pay the bills.

Farol do Arnel Nordeste

Less than an hour away, we arrived in Nordeste in full sunshine. Unlike Mosteiros, it is not at sea level as there is the customary steep drop-off to the ocean. Our first stop was the scenic lighthouse.

On the road to Farol do Arnel Nordeste

There was a nice concrete road going down to the lighthouse that was wide enough for a car - but so steep, I was afraid we would drop into the ocean, not to mention how we would handle two way traffic and turning at the bottom. So out we got and hoofed it down the hill - we're getting good at that.

Farol do Arnel Nordeste

But what a lovely reward that gave us! We decided this was a close enough viewpoint, but when we looked over the edge....... 

Porto do Nordeste

........ we discovered we had a bird's eye view of the tiny fishing village even further down the hill. Have you ever seen so many hairpin turns in one spot?! Now you see why we didn't drive down!

Nordeste

I'll spare you the photo and the story of the hike back up the hill - it all worked out - and take you directly to Nordeste, which appeared to be a provincial center.

Igreja Matriz de São Jorge

The church was more elaborate than others we had seen, and there was a more European feel to the arrangement of the town's main square.

Nordeste

There was a very elegant bridge out of town, too. I suspect the locals appreciate not having to go up and down the little valley there.

Fruit truck in Nordeste

As we were enjoying our lunch, I saw the first clue as to why the little mini-marts we have seen to date had such a poor selection of fresh foods. I figured there must be another way that people are getting fresh vegetables, fish and meat, and sure enough this delectable array of fruit suggests that local vendors have other delivery systems. As he drove, he was announcing his wares, much like the ice- cream vans that drive around our neighborhoods. The mini-marts are for the more industrial types of products. 

Canna Lilies at Miradouro do Pico Longo

Our goal was to continue around the island so we will have done a complete loop, so the miradouro's became our visual gifts. This one was one of the most resplendent with its garden.

Miradouro do Pico Longo

I hope you are not getting weary of photos of a beautiful green coastline that is impossibly steep. We didn't attempt to climb down, but in some places I saw walking trails of hairpin bends and traverses that look as if they make it possible to get to the ocean.

Monarch in the Zinnias at Miradouro do Pico Longo 

There were lots of bees in the flowers, and I do have photos of them, but this time I thought I'd show you the beautiful Monarch Butterfly that was having a lovely time in the sun! 

Volcanologic and Geothermal Observatory, Lagoa

You might be relieved at this point that the weather turned rainy and the lovely viewpoints no longer offered any loveliness! So off we went to a place that has been on my list since the beginning, the geology place. I wanted to see if their orientation could help me better understand the existence of this place in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This revelation will be deferred until tomorrow - so watch this space!

Complexo Municipal de Piscinas, Lagoa

To finish this wonderful day, Robyn suggested that we take a dip at the municipal pool. It was a swimming complex unlike any other I've seen before - a combination of conventional pools and open sea bathing. It was not hot!

Complexo Municipal de Piscinas, Lagoa

It was really fun to swim around the little coves, not at all like my lap swims at home. Although the ocean was quite calm, the waves had unexpected power. As one went toward the more open water, there were the ropes again. I wondered how the lifeguards were able to keep a good eye out for the entire space. 

Complexo Municipal de Piscinas

I know you really want proof that I went in!

It was a brilliant way to end this long day of driving.

Ermida de Nossa Snhora da Paz

By now, you must know that it's not just a matter of getting in the car and driving without passing up some loveliness. So we had to take a brief detour to this church/hermitage on the top of a hillside near Vila Franca do Campo. It was built in 1764, and may have replaced a more primitive temple, possibly erected in the 16th century. It honors a place where shepherds found an image of the Virgin in a cave - there's an elaborate story about how they tried to build the structure in a slightly different place, but when they came back the next day, everything had been taken down, so they figured this was the spot the Virgin wanted it. It really is a wonderfully photogenic creation.

Vila Franca do Campo

From the previous photo, just turn around 180 degrees and this is the view over Vila Franca do Campo, with the Islet of Vila offshore. It is an old volcanic cone that has a lake curled up inside it. This view only hints at its secrets. It can be visited by boat, but a drone photo gives you an idea of its entirety, so I will tease you with this link that shows it up much better than my photo. 

https://www.azoreswhalewatch.com/saomiguelazores/ilheu-vila-franca-campo/

This had been a fabulous day - it didn't start out according to plan, but once we got into the alternative, it flowed in a most magical way. I hope you enjoyed it too.