Today,
our European adventure began in earnest....it looked very bleak for our day
ahead when I went outside to take sail-in photos with the fog and rain. It was
a very slow start to the day...as well a change of plans due to a ship
mechanical problem. There was a problem
with the Bow Thrusters so we had to tender into Praia da Vitoria. Our driver,
Joao Toste (pictured at the end of the blog) was at the dock to meet us, in
spite of the misty rain, Joao adjusted the itinerary to accommodate the best
views of what his island had to offer. We left Praia da Vitoria and headed to
the other side of the island to avoid the rain...This is a beautiful volcanic
island and so picturesque...I felt like I was taking an endless stream of postcards… Praia was an itinerary change from Ponta
Delgada and it was a very, very pleasant surprise. My last time in Praia was an
overnight stop at Lajes Air Force base in the 1970’s when I was in the Air
Force. Our first stop was the village of
Porto Martin with natural swimming pools and Salgueiros...a beautiful seaside
park and picnic area. Next, we stopped at the village of Sao Sabastiao to see
the Igreja Matriz de Sao Sebastiao, the oldest church on the island with
beautiful frescoes inside...we visited one of the 71 Imperios on the
island...which boasts an impressive variety of colorful, prettily adorned
‘Impérios’ or Holy Trinity shrine. We passed through Porto Judeu, the original
Jewish settlement with a great view of Goat Island the natural pools. We
climbed to Mount Rebeirinha for the endless views extending across the island’s
vast, gently undulating center, enchanting the eye with its contrasting
landscapes, as far as the island’s highest point, the Serra de Santa Barbara.
Another feature dominating the views in this area is the incredible intense
green of the vast pastureland, with its meadows walled in with black
volcanic rock giving the impression of a huge patchwork quilt covering the
slopes of the Serra do Cume hills. We made a brief refreshment stop at one of
the three government run cheese factories for a sample of gelato and then on to
the historical UNESCO World Heritage site of Angra do Heroismo, the island’s
capital city. We made a quick stop at the Church of the Immaculate Conception,
city hall and marina. Upward we climbed the to the highest point in Angra city
proper to the Memory Hill viewpoint for a spectacular view of the Sao Sabastio
Fort and the city below. Next, we made our way up Mount Brazil to the a viewing
spot flanked by a mountainside of Amaryllis overlooking the city of Angra, Sao
Joao Batista Castle and the Caldera or crater. On our drive up to the highest
point on the island, the clouds moved in and did spoil the view of the Serra de
Santa Barbara, however, we took advantage of being in the mountains for a visit
to the vertical lava tubes or caves and underground lake inside the Algar do
Carvão, one of the only two volcanoes that can be visited in the world from the
inside. We visited the Furnas do Enxofre, and took a short walk to see the
fumarole or sulphuric fumes spewing from the earth. Before returning to Praia
Do Vitoria we stopped at Praia dos Biscoitos to see the natural pools. On our
return to the ship, we visited Praia do Vitoria Old City...with its cobblestone
streets, Pracas/main square, city hall, the church of Santa Cruz and a perfect
viewpoint over the city and the harbor known as Miraduouro do Facho. Our last
stop was in the shopping district for my requisite souvenirs. We headed back to
the pier to board our tender with the standard group of senior officrs to
welcome us back…. Ann, Cathy and I
thoroughly enjoyed our day in Terceira and the amazing tour with Joao exceeded
all of our expectations. This blog is in
3 parts, this is Part 3 of 3.... wrapping up a spectacular day!
