Sao Miguel, Azores, Portugeese archipelago - the story

The Azores consist of nine islands almost in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. And when you think it's just one of the exclusive destinations with sandy beaches, bamboo sun umbrellas and sun loungers, where you spend the day lounging in the sun, after the first step of the plane you realize that you have actually come to paradise: interwoven clouds, bluest sky, endless ocean, green cliffs, blooming flowers ... Then you want to stay here forever. My only concern is: why didn't I learn about this paradise earlier?

Our voyage started at the end of July 2017. Since we couldn't find a direct flight, we had to make do, so it was a very long journey, of which even the travelers to Thailand wouldn't be ashamed.

We landed in the afternoon hours at a small airport near Ponta Delgada (the capital of Sao Miguel). We took the taxi to the center of Ponta Delgada (it was a 10 minute ride) for 9 €, not like Zagreb taxi drivers. Tourists who fly to Zagreb should definitely wait for the "shuttle" for the Bus Station and not spend their wealth on a taxi.

The first day we had to recover from the long voyage and we also used it to see a bit of Ponta Delgada, since we stayed in a room not far from the center (cca 500 meters). For the next three days we had booked tours, which we arrangerd from Zagreb. We booked tours to see three main parts of the island (western, central and eastern part). We had two days of nice weather while touring, and one day was raining with very dense fog (or clouds that settled on the west of the island).

The tours consisted of an all-day tour of sights and natural beauty in a van for 9 people (one of which is a local guide). A really intimate atmosphere.

Throughout the island there are so-called ''caldeiras'', the collapsed craters of volcanoes, covered with greenery. Lakes are usually found among those volcano slopes. In the western part of the island there are seven lakes, and the nearby village of Sete Cidades got it's name after those lakes (reads: set sidajes, and in the translation it means: seven cities). The lakes are surrounded by a narrow crater which is decorated with a flower walkway. This walkway is used by mountaineers, bikers and even buggies and quads. From one of the many viewpoints (Vista to Rei / King's viewpoint), there is a breathtaking view of the two largest lakes in that caldeira – the Green and the Blue Lake. When the weather is nice one can really see the difference in the color of these two lakes, as they are placed next to each other (separated only by a stone bridge).

Except Sete Cidades, we also visited Lake Furnas (reads: furnash). It is interesting due to the fact that there are springs of hot water beside it, so this area has a lot of smoke towers, with a somewhat unpleasant odor (sulfur), smelling like spoiled boiled eggs. In addition to the gorgeous viewpoint overlooking the entire Furnas lake, the most interesting were the piles of dirt shaped in a flat-top cones. In them, deeper in the land, pots (hermetically sealed) with various meats and vegetables have been buried, with no other additives, which are "cooked" there for about 6-7 hours. During cooking hours, meat and vegetables release their own liquid, which they are finally cooked in and they become incredibly succulent. This dish is most often served with cooked rice, and it's called Cozido das Furnas. The pots must be firmly closed so that the food doesn't smell of sulfur. These "holes" for cooking can be rented for 3 € to make your own meal, but the locals usually come here to use some of the grilling places rather than to spend 6-7 hours on preparing their lunch. After the tour, we had lunch (Cozido das Furnas) at a nearby restaurant - it was phenomenal. Also, I would recommend their white wine, although I'm not a fan of white wines at all.

The third region of the island we visited was the far east. In addition to various viewpoints, we also visited the village of Nordeste and several beautifully landscaped nature parks. As if in Sao Miguel there is something that is not beautiful ... We went to the small town of Povoaçao (the letter ç is read like an s), and before lunch we visited their mini zoo, open to everyone. Since I am not a driver, and my companion forgot to bring his driver's license, we were really dependent on someone else driving us arround. That's why we booked a buggy ride on the fourth day. I have never experienced anything like this in my life. If you do not say anything to the driver, he will take you on a rally :) and it will be a real rally, through the narrow and muddy pathways. The first half of the route looked like this, and the second part was more or less an enjoyable ride, mostly because we were driving on a macadam road for pedestrians and cyclist. Anyway, we saw the beautiful Sete Cidades during nice weather. I didn't mention this, but during the first visit to that part of the island we had only rain and fog all day. By doing this buggy tour we have seen this area completley and got an valuable experience.

After the buggy tour we went for a ride in a boat to find whales and dolphins. We saw them. We also saw a sea turtle. The ship was rocking. I survived. :)

We have used our gained knowledge of the island and went on an excursion our selves using local bus lines. We visited the Ponta da Ferraria, where the hot springs mix with ice-cold ocean water, and create a pleasant thermal water of about 35 ° C. So we can say we've been swimming in the ocean! Perhaps this would be a silly conclusion for someone, but as this was the first time I went into the ocean - I consider it to be an achievement. :)

The next day we did a similar thing on the other side of the island - we went to the Terra Nostra botanical garden, where there's a pool that contains a large amaount of iron in the water, with a pleasant temperature of cca 38 ° C. You should first visit the botanical garden and then try the pool. Nobody told us and we did not remember to google : / so we (I) later walked all relaxed through the botanical garden (I probably looked like I was on some kind of pills). The pool is full of yellowish water which, in combination with minerals and temperatures, completely relaxes, so loclas really recommend that you leave the bathing for the end. The ticket to enter the botanical garden costs 8 €, and the fee includes the pool, the jacuzzi, the locker room, the showers and use of toilets. The botanical garden is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Here you can really see the example of the way people live on this island: everything is so clean and beaufifully landscaped. At the nearby restaurant we had Cozido das Furnas again which cost us 20 €.

The last day we used to go find whales and dolphins again, hoping to see something new and better. We've seen them again. The ship roared horribly. We also saw a shark! It was fun.

Although many agencies charge this tour a lot (approx 50 €), we've gonne with Moby Dick's, which charges 35 €. Many agencies promote the viewing of whales and dolphins with rubber-boats to ''protect'' the marine life, but it seems they just want to save money on equipment.These "little" rubber-boats go as far from the coast as the sightseeing boats, and the regulations accually set a lower limit on the distance from the coast for those rubber-boats. They put the visitors in great danger by going so far out into open sea (ocean).

Our journey came to an end. We were so enthusiastic about this island, nature, people and their tradition that we decided to visit again, and not just Sao Miguel island, but also other islands in the archipelago. Maybe next time we'll bring the driver's license with us, so we'll be a bit more independent in planning. :) We may also bring camping equipment, since Sao Miguel offers great opportunities for camping.

However it happens, it will be an adventure!

:)

by the Furnas lake

something's cooking

cozido das Furnas

monkey in the Povoaçao zoo

Nossa Segnora da Paz, church above the village of Vila Franco do Campo

some cows (algumas vacas)

beautiful view

buggy ride

buggy ride (Sete Cidades)

Sete Cidades, Green and Blue lake

buggy ride arround Sete Cidades

a whale

a dolphin

a sea turtle

Ponta da Ferraria

Terra Nostra bath

Terra Nostra botanical garden

Terra Nostra botanical garden

Terra Nostra botanical garden