Gordon: We were walking down a small road towards a viewpoint when Ruth suddenly sucked in her breath and clutched my arm. My eyes darted about looking for the threat. “What is it?” I said. “Dead rat” Ruth replied. I relaxed and dismissed the threat, saying “We see...
Terra Nostra Ruth: November 10, 2021We climbed to the crater rim above the town of Furnas at 510 meters before diving down the steep road into the town. I will climb a lot to get to hot springs and the ones in the botanical gardens at Furnas are some of the...
Mar de Prata Ruth: The good: We are staying in the lovely seaside town of Maia in a tiny little house called Mar de Prata (“Sea of Silver”). The house is perched over a little sand beach with views of the headlands to the east. It is just perfect! Sãozinha, our...
Gord: “It’s kind of edgy here; there seem to be a lot of 30 something men hanging around and many appear a bit twitchy. The guy that just came out of the washroom was gesturing that someone is shooting up in there. It reminds me of Victoria.”Ruth: “Do you want to...
Gord on the track around the caldera rim. Sete Cidades Gordon: I am approaching the end of the third of five levels of the Duolingo course in Portuguese, so I should have some ability to understand simple things that are said to me in Portuguese, right? Not a bit of...
Ruth: Yesterday we hitched our trailers back on the bikes and rolled down out of Santa Barbara. Our flight to São Miguel was not until seven so we had lots of time to have a meal at the German restaurant in Vila da Porta before heading to the airport to pack up our...
Ruth: Dia de Todos os Santos, or All Saints Day is a national holiday in Portugal. It is the day when people visit the cemetery and bring flowers to remember their departed loved ones. The cemetery in Santo Espírito was a far more colourful place than it had been on...
Gordon: The Azores must have one of the most gentle climates on earth. I did a little research and learned that in the largest town, Ponta Delgada on São Miguel, it has never been colder than 4 degrees Celsius, or hotter than 29. The normal daily range is perhaps 12...
Our house is the one at the top on the right. View of São Lourenço The Northern hut on the coastal walk. Ruth: It’s evening and we are tucked into our little house on the hill overlooking the hobbit shire of Santa Barbara. We booked Casa Emilia for six nights, because...
Gordon: “Just keep looking at my butt. No, not over there. Focus on the butt.” Today we visited the town of Maia, which we have been eagerly anticipating for some time. It was a slow motion triathlon: 25 kms of cycling, 10 kms of walking, and a few hundred metres of...
Ruth: While Gord headed off on his bike to access a trail and continue hiking around the island, I took the day off. This will be our ninth day at the Youth Hostel in Vila do Porto. It’s interesting to stay in a place like this and watch all the different groups and...
The Barreiro da Faneca Shrine to Our Lady of Fatima Ruth: Oh my, I ate too much, again! Eating in the Azores is quite simple and affordable as long as you want to eat when the locals do. It’s much more challenging to find a meal between 3:00 and 6:30 pm. Our bike...