Praia di Vitória, Terceira, Azores... Part 1 of 2

After 6 days at sea, we reached land in the Azores. I have always loved visiting the island of Terceira, such a beautiful place!!!  We met our driver and guide Paulo at the port gate to start our day in Terceira, our first stop on this 2023 Europe adventure. Terceira is an absolutely beautiful island in Portugal's Azores archipelago. We started the day stopping at Porto Martin with natural swimming pools and Salgueiros. It was a beautiful spring day; the weather was much nicer than originally forecast. Next, we went to the town of Saint Sebastian to the visit Saint Sebastian Church, the oldest church on the island with its medieval frescos on the walls. We visited one of the 71 Imperios on the island...which boasts an impressive variety of colorful, prettily adorned ‘Impérios’ or Holy Trinity shrines. We passed through Porto Judeu, the original Jewish settlement with a great view of Split/Goat Island. 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 then made a stop at the Farol das Contendas, a lighthouse that has been in continuous operation there since 1934. Leaving Praia Vitória County, we entered Angra do Heroismo County and to the historical city and UNESCO World Heritage site of Angra do Heroismo. We made of first stop at the Memory Hill obelisk monument, a viewpoint high above the city with sweeping view of Angra and its bay as well as the forts and mountains. Paulo our guide recommended we walk down a series of steep steps from the monument to the city’s Duke of Terceira Garden bordered by the St. Francisco Convent. This is actually the convents old gardens…it was a lovely garden with many flowers and shrubs in bloom enhanced with today’s beautiful weather. Next, we did some souvenir shopping across from the Angra Cathredral and then walked to Velha Square, site of the town hall and other old buildings. From here, we went to the Misercordia church, on the waterfront square flanked by a bronze statue of Vasco de Gama. In Angra, we went up Mount Brazil to the viewing point. This is at the end of an isthmus protected by the Fort and Church of St. John the Baptist, Castle and the Caldera. We made a quick stop at a cheese factory that makes all their cheese by hand…we had cheese samples and delicious Queens cake. Before returning to Praia di Vitória, we stopped at Praia dos Biscoitos to see the natural swimming pools formed by lava spills. We stopped at the Santa Barbara Forest Reserve in the center of the island and the Alagoa lookout point. I climbed down to 4 Riveros or streams. Once back in Praia di Vitoria, we visited the 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. The hilltop viewpoint of has a giant statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and lies just outside Praia di Vitória….this is the perfect spot to take photos of the town, harbor, and surrounding countryside. Back to the port gate we bid farewell to our guide Paulo and thanked him for a great day. We had spectacular weather and thoroughly enjoyed our return visit to Terceira…as always, I took way too many photos….  925 to be exact, what else can I do with a place so lovely…