Dry Crater

Most of the islands in the Azores were formed as a result of volcanic activity. Most all the volcanoes have gone dormant since then, but their impact on the topography can not be ignored. 

This crater, known as the Dry Crater, is massive! The sides of this creation look like cliffs, and the bottom of it is flat as a pancake. What was once a fiery pit of inferno has now become a lush hole in the ground. 

While this is called the “Dry” Crater, we did notice a lake that formed in the right side of it, though this was right after a massive downpour the day before.

Red Right Returning

The old phrase to help you remember how to work with buoy navigation lights doesn’t always work! 

The concept is simple, red buoys on your right as you return to port, Red Right Returning. 

Red Right Returning Shirt

The problem is, not all countries work this way, and the opposite setup can also be found.  

Portugal is one such country we have found to use the opposite method. Here, the idea is that the lights to aid navigation are to match your own running lights as you return to port. So your starboard light which is green will match up to the green light on your starboard. Red light on your port. 

It pays to look at the charts before you get into new waters so that you don’t get confused and run aground, misled by the very lights that were intended to keep you safe.  

If you are cruising only in the United States, enjoy the mnemonic of Red Right Returning to keep your aids to navigation in order! 

Beach Bull

It seems that cows have free reign in the Azores. We came across a cow that was standing in the middle of the highway because it wanted to eat the grass that was growing on the side of the road. This bull was not tied to anything, and could easily have charged us, but it was just eating grass while it looked at the waves breaking on the cobblestone beach. 

The bull seemed pretty calm and relaxed, but I would still not recommend grabbing this bull by the horns!

Flowers in Flores

Flores means Flowers in Portuguese, and this island does not disappoint! In the spring, the island is supposedly covered in flowers, but in the winter, flowers still shine through. 

We see many remains of hydrangeas that had bloomed, now covered in the brown remains of their white or blue flowers, and other plants that have since gone to fruit after the blooming has ceased. That said, the island is covered in plants and there are some that choose to bloom at different times. These select plants have much less competition from the other plants for the attention of bees! Bees seem to be condensed around the few flowering plants, giving them all the attention they could desire, making it rather beneficial for the plants to bloom at a time away from all the other plants.

Poço Ribeiras do Ferreiro

These waterfalls are considered to be the most gorgeous waterfalls in all of the Azores!

The are located on the island of Flores, and lay peacefully waiting your presence just a mere 600 meters from the street. 

Maddie and I did the hike up the magical stone walkway, through trees, ferns, and along the small stream that drains the lake into the ocean. When we got up there, it was so beautiful and majestic that we sat in awe in the presence of these falls. Watching the water pour over the cliff through all the small cracks and valleys so high up is breathtaking.

Being how we visited Flores in the winter, which is their rainy season, we got to witness many more tiny waterfalls on the cliff side. Most people visit here in the summer when the days are dry, but this also means that the waterfalls are dry. Only the largest of the falls will remain during this season, but in the winter, all the little falls will be pouring out wispy sprays that are carried off by the wind into a fine mist that spreads out over the cliff face. 

Having seen many waterfalls on our first day in Flores, I must say that these really were the most spectacular and memorable of them all!