After so many injuries and two lost seasons, I really enjoyed watching the Warriors' successful championship run and have been pleasantly surprised by the BC Lions' historic fast start to the new season with their rookie Canadian quarterback. The Avalanche won the Stanley Cup, and Draymond Green's antics continue to entertain. |
We were still in the Azores for the first week of June. After a long trip back from the Azores, we spent most of three days on the mainland before heading home to Vancouver Island. Upon our return, we both promptly got sick with the flu. It was pretty bad and some symptoms continue to be very persistent. We only missed a couple of walks, though. For much of the month, the weather was unseasonably poor, so I was even more appreciative when the sun finally warmed things up. We hiked both Cobble Hill Mountain and Mount Tzouhalem, and played tennis a few times. Lisa went on several bike rides, too. As is usually the case while at home, we watched many movies. I managed to do some reading, too.
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We once again selected a hotel with a fantastic, central location, so our exploration of Angra do Heroismo was done over several walking excursions. Angra is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our hotel was just 120 metres from the main square, Praca Velha, on a key street, Rua Direita. In the other direction, it was just 100 metres to Igreja da Misericordia ("Church of Mercy"). Just past the square is the Palacio dos Capitaes Generais and the lovely Duke of Terceira Garden, with great views from Alto da Memoria. Our hotel was also just a three minute walk from the Church of the Holy Savior's Cathedral. We were close to restaurants and sightseeing. We walked along the coastal paths in both directions. We checked out Forte de Sao Sebastiao at one end. We also explored Fortaleza de São João Baptista and some of Monte Brasil (we didn't bother walking to the top as it was shrouded in fog). We continued to find many colourful churches and imperios. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Conception I found all of Angra to be picturesque. With its unique combination of bullfights, festival celebrations, and a UNESCO Heritage city, Terceira was my favourite Azorean island. I couldn't resist one last shot of Terceira as we departed and began the long journey back home.
Having visited "The Green Island" and "The Yellow Island", we flew to "The Bull Island". Terceira is known for its love of "bullfights", so I had obtained information in advance that allowed us to immediately set out to witness one of the famed events once we'd checked into our hotel. The beer-fueled event seemed like a great outlet for faux machismo, and was interesting to witness. We stayed for two of the four bulls' runs. We passed monuments to bulls each time we entered or left the city, and found many bullfight related toys in the shops. Terceira is Portuguese for ‘third’ - as in ‘the third largest island’ and ‘the third island to be populated’ during the Portuguese Age of Discovery. It was also the third (and final) Azorean island we'd explore. Our first stop with the rental car was the Serra do Cume viewpoint.
We checked out the natural pools at Biscoitos, but it wasn't warm enough to tempt us into the water. We knew that the Rocha do Chambre hike was a n 8.8 km loop and were expecting to complete it in about 2.5 hours. We did not anticipate that the trail would be so wet, muddy, slippery, and therefore difficult. It took us 3 hours and 10 minutes to get back to our car. The Algar do Carvão is the only volcano in the world in which visitors can explore a volcanic chimney and secondary magma chambers. Furnas do Enxofro is a short circuit around "fumaroles" (vents for volcanic gases and vapors). We walked 16 kilometres (and drove another 80) while exploring Terceira on June 5th.
We flew south to the "warm and sunny" "Yellow Island" of Santa Maria, only to discover lush green fields from an abundance of rain this year. The night we arrived, it poured and we watched a lightning show out our window. During our three night stay, there was no discernible difference between the weather on Santa Maria and the other islands we visited, but the weather did improve enough to accommodate all of our sightseeing. We made the approximately 25 minute walk into Vila do Porto from our hotel a couple of times each day, walking 13 kilometres on the 31st and another 8 kilometres the following day. Ingreja de Nossa Senhora da Assuncao In addition to sightseeing, we walked into town for meals and treats. We found great views from the public library, and walked to Forte de Sao Bras to see the marina and read of pirate lore. June 1st, we joined an American couple for a tour of the island. Santa Espirito village's Igreja da Senhora da Purificacao A traditional bakery and textile shop We visited the Parque Florestal Fontinhas and made several other stops. We visited a small museum of local artifacts. Maia and the Farol de Goncalo Velha Cascata do Aveiro Praia Formosa We had limited views from Pico Alto. Poço da Pedreira Sao Lourenco Ermida de Nossa Senhora de Fatima in Alto das Feteiras Barreiro da Faneca's Mars-like landscape Ermida Nossa Senhora dos Anjos, visited by Columbus on his return. We had some time to relax at the hotel before flying back to Sao Miguel.
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