The Hochmuth Adventures 2017 . . . The Apennines to the Andes followed by Acadia and the Azores

Trip to Azores - Day Five - Sunday, October 29, 2017 - Terceira Island

After I posted our blog last night we did finally figure out how to get to the hot tub. We had an extra hour to sleep so what the heck. We did sleep in again today - Ron said we are recharging our batteries. After breakfast it was raining again so we waited until noon to venture out. By then the rain had stopped so we headed off walking to the next small town of Sao Mateus. Angra is the largest city but on an island where there are only 57,000 people there are no big cities. Sao Mateus is about 3 miles away and it was a very scenic walk along the water but the cobblestone sidewalks weren't very pedestrian friendly. You would walk and then all of a sudden the sidewalk would end or a car would be parked on it so you'd either have to walk in the street or cross over to the other side. I thought I might get a bumper in the butt but we made it to Sao Mateus unscathed. We went to San Mateus because they were said to have the best seafood. We went to Beira Mar and had a really good meal. I had rock fish. They serve the whole fish so I did have to deal with bones but the grilled fish was really delicious. I did pass on eating the eyeballs though. Ron had the swordfish and we tried cracas -barnacles - for our appetizer. I'm not a big fan but Ron thought they were ok. I will say the flan I had was the best I've ever had. We went into town and visited the local church and then we walked along the marina. It started to sprinkle on the way home but it was warm enough that we didn't even bother to put our raincoats back on.

Views on our walk to Sao Mateus

Churches everywhere

Ocean views with volcanic rock

Sao Mateus

The sign reads 1634

More ocean views

Sao Mateus from a distance

Along the marina

The marina

Lunch at Biera Mar Restaurant

What shall I order?

How about some barnacles?

And Swordfish

And Rock Fish

Inside Igreja de Sao Mateus da Calheta

Igreja de Sao Mateus da Calheta

Love the window in the rock wall

Soccer field - a game was going on but we couldn't get in

We passed this horse and carriage during our walk

Looking out at Monte Brasil

Back at the Hotel

After relaxing, showering and doing some reading we headed out to Angra for a late night snack - some tapas at Tasca das Tias. The cheese and sausage plate was the perfect end to a nice day.

Tapas at Tasca das Tias

Trip to Azores - Day Six - Monday, October 30, 2017 - Terceira Island

Today we decided to see the north eastern part of the island. The only area we hadn't really seen. Since we didn't take the guided tour we hopped on public transportation and made the journey on our own. It took a bit of work to find the bus schedule and where the bus stops were but we did finally catch the correct bus to Biscoitos. The bus was very crowded and even more so when we stopped in front of the school and many students got on. It was surprising how far some of them had to ride the bus. We knew many restaurants were closed on Monday but the concierge at the hotel gave us the name of one that was opened. We asked the bus driver to let us off at the nearest bus stop. Another couple from Michigan wanted to go to the wine museum and they got off at the same stop. We told them that Casa Pasto o Pedro was the only restaurant opened and they were hungry so they joined us for lunch. Three of us had fish (no bones) with shrimp, a salad and of course Super Bock Beer. Jim had the pork. It was a nice lunch and we found out some interesting things about going from the Azores to Lisbon, Portugal. After lunch the other couple took off for the wine museum (it was closed) and we went to discover the natural lava pools. It was downhill there but we got our workout on the way back. It was worth it though as the views were pretty and the lava pools very unique. This area had beautiful houses and seems more wealthy than Angra. We walked back to the bus stop and met Jim and Lynn again for the bus ride home. We thought it would be quieter and faster but it started off more like an amusement ride. The driver was zipping in and out of lanes and it was hold on or fall out of your seat. We also stopped at a school and detention must have let out. It was after 5:00 and many students boarded. The bus driver stopped the bus once to make someone sit up front. It was really nice to see the views and the houses though so the trip was really worth it.

Came back to the hotel and I read while Ron went for a swim in the pool. For dinner we went to the food truck across from the hotel and had their pizza again. It is really good and all we needed after our big lunch.

Views on the road to Biscoitos

Little car freshener trees even in the Azores

Lunch

Homes in Biscoitos

Biscoitos Natural Lava Swimming Pools

Looks more like moon rock!

Biscoitos Natural Lava Swimming Pools

The old and the new on Terceira Island

Rocks, Rocks, and more Rocks

Trip to the Azores - Day Seven - Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - Terceira Island

Happy Halloween everyone. In case you were wondering they do celebrate Halloween here. It became popular because of the U.S. military base here on Terceira Island. As I think I said before though there used to be 6000 soldiers and now there are only about 400. After breakfast we walked into town again as we wanted to see the local market. It was mainly produce, lots of fresh, stinky fish, meat and a few other odds and ends. While we were walking we saw several elementary classes in uniform out trick or treating. The children were very exuberant - probably already on a sugar high. I remembered back to trying to teach on a day like Halloween and I said a silent prayer for the teachers. We returned to the Palace of the General Captain that was closed the other day and got to view the inside. Although we didn't take a guided tour, we weren't allowed to walk through on our own and the person who accompanied us explained everything to us along the way. I think maybe she is a docent in training. The palace was beautiful. I wish I could have taken pictures but it is the official residence of the President of the Azores. It also has been the palace for the King of Portugal in the past when Spain took over Portugal. From there we went to the Museum of Angra. It had many displays and was quite extensive in giving the history of Terceira Island and the Azores. We stopped for tea and a pastry before returning to the hotel. It started to rain just as we were arriving at the hotel so our timing was perfect. We relaxed, read and napped before our 7:30 reservation at Elio's Restaurant. Elio's is about a 15 minute walk straight down the street from our hotel and very much a local family restaurant. While we were in the restaurant we heard a huge noise. It was students, with soda cans tied to their legs, making all sorts of noise and walking down the street for Halloween. They were just having a good time though and not bothering anyone. Our dinner was delicious. On the recommendation of the owner we had the fish Alcatra. A dish with 3 different kinds of fresh fish in a sauce that you had to dip you bread into. For dessert Ron had a white ice cream - not vanilla - with a chocolate sauce and I had pineapple flambe. We'll have to do more walking tomorrow!