Beth Azores in Day 4

 Today was a transition day. Not much hiking but several walks to beautiful overlooks and seaside areas. 

After breakfast we attended a talk by a local geologist.  She spoke about the science  of geothermal energy and the efforts to have more clean energy on Terceira.  Lots of information and very inspiring.  So far, they can supply 34% of their energy with geothermal power plants. 

Then, we boarded our bus together with our group leader, Arianna, and our local expert, Felipe.  Felipe is a naturalist and also an expert on Terceira's history and culture. He has been with us on our hikes and he always has a lot to teach us and talk about.  

The weather in the Azores is  VERY changeable.  It will rain, be sunny or windy without notice.  Today, the forecast was for rain so the plan was to "chase the weather " as our guides say. We set out to look for the sunniest or driest spots and wow, they did a great job!

We started in Sao Sebastian which is the oldest village on Terceira. Next was Sao Mateus on the southern coast.   It was once a whaling village but now it is the only fishing village. 

 Continuing on, we stopped at several lookout points to view the island from different directions.  By then it was lunch time.  We stopped at a restaurant that is part of a golf course that was originally  built in the 1950s for American military personnel based on Terceira.  Now it is a public course and they serve an incredible buffet lunch. 

During the 70s and 80s there was a large American air force presence on Terceira.  The American and British military first came to the island toward the end of WWII when Portugal joined the allied forces. By the 70s, there were 7000 American personnel.  Today, only 200 remain so most of the base is deserted.

Our last stop was Praia da Vitoria. This is the second largest town on Terceira and it has a beautiful marina area. To reach the marina, we walked down 350 stone steps. The view was amazing. In Praia we had time for a little shopping and day drinking.  We had a local beer named after Brianda, a noblewoman who saved her community from the Spanish by releasing bulls to attack them. Google her for the whole story!

From there, we headed to the airport for our flight to Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel where we will stay for the next three days.

More hiking tomorrow.  Can't wait to see how different this island will be.

Beth in Azores Day 3

 This morning we hiked on Monte Brasil.

The mountain is a protected area with many hiking trails and lookout points. Some of the trails are quite narrow and change quickly up or down. So, I was able to try my hiking poles and they were a really big help.

We saw many plants including native Azorian heather plus others that were introduced to the Azores such as Japanese Cedar trees.

One of the mountain lookouts is a whale watching station.  The whaling industry was very important on Terceira until the 1970s and eventually outlawed in 1983. Today whale watching trips are very popular and the Azores are one of the top destinations for this activity.  There are 24 species including some that reside here all year long since the weather is so temperate and consistent. The staff at the lookout station is there to alert the boat captain as to where to find the whales just like in past centuries, but now just to entertain the tourists.

From the peak of Mont Brasil we had wonderful views of Angra do Heroismo. It was fun to see the city from above.

After our hike we had lunch at our hotel where they prepared a delicious vegetable soup and a traditional stew called Alcatra. Since I love braised meats, this was a great treat.

In the afternoon we had free time. Three other Road Scholar travelers and I walked around town. We returned to the municipal garden where we had been on our first day. Then, we climbed to an obelisk that is a monument to Pedro IV who was King in the 1800s. From there we could see the town from a different perspective which was fun. After we came back down, we stopped to see the local church which is quite beautiful.  And, there was a wedding taking place!

Next, we walked to the marina because we heard there was a gelato shop. There was, and it was delicious.  I had fig gelato for the first time. So good!

Tonight a group of us will go for dinner at a local restaurant that features authentic Portuguese cuisine.

Beth in Azores: Angra de Heroismo

 Day 1. 

We arrived on Terceira Island and checked in at our hotel in Angra do Heroismo. The town is a Unesco Heritage site because it was rebuilt to match original architecture after an earthquake in 1980.

The town was also strategically located during Portuguese exploration and trade eras because it is due west of Lisbon and provided protection to the mainland.

Climate is temperate year round so many crops are grown including coffee and bananas.

We had a walking tour of the town. Stopped at a local pastry shop with two other travelers for a snack on the way back to the hotel.

Pictures attached are various  local buildings to highlight the architecture as well as the town gardens and a shot of our tour guides with a statue of Vasco de Gama.

And I’m 40!

For our last day in London, which was also my birthday, we started out with Breakfast at a restaurant in the Sky Garden. Luckily it was sunny and clear so we got some good views of the city. 

After breakfast, we went to the Tower of London. We got audio guides which were really helpful and they provided just the right amount of information. We got to see the Crown Jewels as well, except the crown that is being refurbished for King Charles’ coronation. 

After the tower, we took an Uber to Harrod’s and explored the food halls and went shopping. 

After shopping, we made our way towards our dinner destination in the OXO tower on the south bank of London. That neighborhood seemed more like a Brooklyn vibe. 

We finished our evening with drinks in the pub next to our hotel. 

For our last day, we got breakfast and did more shopping in the neighborhood before taking the tube to the airport to fly home. 

London Day 3

 We began our day at Westminster Abbey. We had signed up for a Hidden Highlights tour which was really cool. Our tour guide took us to parts of the cathedral that aren’t open to the public like an archaeological dig, where the priests prepare for services and a library. We couldn’t take pictures in any of these locations but it was an interesting way to explore. We wandered around the cathedral after but skipped the audio guide. 

We then met Loie and her daughter Katherine at the Victoria & Albert Museum across town. The building was really cool and it looked like we could do some damage in the gift shop but we didn’t have time after we ate lunch- which was very good. 

After lunch, we went to the West End to see the show & Juliet. The show is relatively new and just went to Broadway. The premise of the show is what if Juliet didn’t die at the end of Romeo & Juliet and went off and lived her life. It’s very funny and uses pop music to tell the story. It was a lot of Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry and Brittney Spears. We learned that playbills aren’t really a thing in the West End, but at interval (intermission), someone comes near the seats to sell little ice cream cups which is something I wish would transfer to the States.

After we had dinner at Honey & Co, a delicious Israeli restaurant Loie & Katherine frequent. I had chicken with figs and chestnuts, Mom had lamb with rice. We had a mix of things as a starter including falafel and hummus which were SO good. 

It was another fun packed day! 

Day 2 in London

 We started our morning with a quick breakfast and then walked to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. We had a perfect spot to stand (thanks Loie!) and the weather was beautiful. The entire thing took about an hour. It was really cool to see.

After the ceremony, we went to Leicester Square to the TKTS booth for a Friday night evening show. Leicester Square is very similar to Times Square (especially at night). They even have a M&M world. 

We then met Tess’s cousin Loie at the national gallery for lunch which was delicious (but I didn’t take pictures because I was starving). 

After lunch Loie took us for a walking tour of London which was amazing and more informative than our bus tour. We got to see a lot of sights and even went into Victoria Station which was VERY brightly lit. 

Loie left us at Fortnum & Mason where we had a very fancy High Tea and did some shopping. We had scones, pastries, as well as sole and beef Wellington. 

After tea, we went to see a show in the west end we hadn’t heard of until that morning called The Choir of Man. It is a 90 min one act show that takes place in a pub and the cast is all men. They sing pop songs and are VERY talented. They also encouraged everyone to sing along and before the show started people were using the on stage bar to get drinks. 

Really fun packed day!