We endeavored to stay active and ventured out on Sunday for a trail that was about 30 minutes out of Ponta Delgada. Rain was predicted, so we had umbrellas, rain jackets and the determination to press on in spite of it. If I now told you I have no photos of that event, you'll know that it must have been grim.
It was not just a steady wet, but the rain was accompanied by a very persuasive wind that repeatedly blew my umbrella inside out and meant that I could not hazard even having my phone out, let alone my Nikon.
So with tail between our legs, we decided, after what we thought was a fair try, to pack it in. We went back to our AirBNB and enjoyed a day of rest and 'catching up'.
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| City Alley, Ponta Delgada |
That evening we finally ventured out and went into the city for dinner. Being Sunday, parking wasn't too bad and the streets were not too crowded.
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| Cafe Central, Ponta Delgada |
I discovered I wasn't the only photographer hard at work, but it does look as if I'm looking at the wrong thing! There was a church behind me, but I liked the color of the cafe and the lights next to it.
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| Glovo Food Delivery |
I also saw that we could have had our dinner delivered! Just like at home!
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| Portas da Cidade - Gates to the City - Ponta Delgada |
One of the landmarks here are the gates to the city - originally built in at the harbor in 1783, but moved further back to this location in 1952. They are one of the iconic images that immediately identify this city. The statue in their center is Goncalo Velho Cabral, the discoverer and first governor of the islands.
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| Building in need of repair - Ponta Delgada |
Photographing entire buildings was a challenge I was not prepared for. I needed a very wide-angle lens - so I have cropped this down to just show you the upper floor of this building that had clearly seen better days. I kept on feeling that the charm of this place was slowly slipping away into decay - the lovely blue tile work is not going to be around for much longer if repairs are not made.
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| Renovated Blue Tile Facade on Right - Ponta Delgada |
The blue building on the right is the exact same tile - but has either been maintained nicely, or renovated.
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| Plants Growing in the Wrong Places |
It was also not uncommon to see plants growing out of porches (as opposed to cultivated on porches) and roofs. It was hard to tell if the buildings were still being used, or had been abandoned. I'm sure The Azores has been hard hit by the pandemic, as tourism is a significant part of the economy, but the degree of 'urban decay' seemed to be a process that has been occurring for some time.
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| Wall Art - Ponta Delgada |
Sometimes the decay lent itself to enhancement. This building had solid new windows, which suggests that the discoloration and eroded stucco was maintained for its 'character'?
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| Spilled Paint on Cobblestones |
It never occurred to me that spilling paint on cobblestone streets could present a pretty tough clean-up job. It would be interesting to see how long it takes for the colors to disappear here. I wonder if the residents appreciate it, or are mad every time they walk past it!
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| China Town, Ponta Delgada |
I came across a Japanese restaurant a Chinese restaurant and a store that claimed to be China Town - so I presume that this is Ponta Delgada's Chinatown? (Apologies for not being able to fit the whole frontage in my lens!)
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| Supermarket, Ponta Delgado |
We saw a number of supermarkets in Ponta Delgada, as opposed to just the mini-marts that we had seen in the smaller towns we visited. They looked well stocked.
The Azores is an autonomous region of Portugal. It is considered a less developed region. The per capita GDP is 75% of European averages, which helps present attractive prices for tourists. It raises its own taxes, budgets and plans for its needs and can negotiate for
international treaties and agreements that concern the region. It can also legislate in matters of agricultural
policy, fisheries, sea and marine resources, trade, industry, energy, tourism, infrastructures, environment and
regional planning. It has received EU funds since 1986.
This chart gives you an idea of how they sustain themselves economically. If this interests you, there is more information at
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| Gruta Do Carvao - Ponta Delgada |
Sunday was our 'Last Hurrah' and these lava tubes had been on my list since day one. So it was now time to get to them!
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| Red Line Shows Lava Tubes Underground |
At close to 3.5 miles long, they are the longest in Portugal and rank at #26 in the world.
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| Helmets and cameras ready for lava tube exploration - Photo by Robyn Marie Lamp! |
We went down 45 meters below street level and then walked through one of these concrete tunnels to find ourselves in a short segment of the tubes. Robyn managed to catch this brilliant photo of yours truly, all ready to record the event! (It was not staged.)
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| Lava Tubes - Ponta Delgada |
It was rather brilliant to see the vestiges of these underground 'rivers' that had carried molten lava to the ocean through the numerous eruptions that formed the island. Here you can see that there were actually two levels that were thinly separated.
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| Frozen 'drips' from cooling lava |
Unlike limestone caves, there are no stalagmites and stalactites. The guide explained that the rock filtered all the minerals out of the water so by the time a drip arrived on these little projections, there is nothing left to be deposited when the water evaporates. I could see the possibility that these were the drips left from when the last flow of lava cooled.
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| More 'drips' |
I thought it had a whole primordial feel - this one almost felt like a huge T-Rex coming at me!
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| Indicators of 'flow' direction |
This one was not the best example, but on the walls, one could also see markings that allowed one to see the direction of the flow. It was really a 'no-brainer', as the downhill direction also defined the flow, but in places where there were no drips, it led to attractive patterns.
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| Weekday Traffic, Ponta Delgada |
Following our lava tube visit, we headed back into the city for some shopping. As you see, the traffic is quite different from that nice quiet Sunday!
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| Had a 'Whale of a Time' at Parque Atlantico Mall |
The rest of the day involved a visit to the mall, which in spite of the whale over the escalator was actually underwhelming, followed by Covid tests and then dinner.
Tuesday was a pack up and leave day, and thus ended our lovely trip to the Azores.
I plan to write one more blog as a way to reflect on the whole experience, especially as it pertains to travelling during Covid. I hope you've enjoyed your travels with me - I sure appreciate that you have taken the time and trouble to read this far.
Those lava tubes are really cool!
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