Back in the States

Our mini vacation in Sao Miguel ended and we are now back in the states for a month.

We are here to work and make money so that we can fund our cruising even further. While we are back, we are taking advantage of one type of store that is seriously lacking in the Azores: West Marine!

The fishermen share their store (and supplies) with the farmers. This generally gives you “marine compatible” parts instead of “marine specific parts”. Bronze fittings are limited, as everything is brass plated tin; it looks good, but it will not hold up!

I need to install a new through hull and would have to special order it and wait several weeks for it to come in. The other option is to simply wait a week until we are back in the states and go to West Marine and buy the exact part I need off the shelf!

São Miguel: North Coast

The North Coast of Sao Miguel is a favorite spot for local surfers. Most of the waters around the Azorian islands are miles deep meeting a cliff. On this one spot on this one island, the waters gradually come towards a calmer coast. As a result, deep ocean swell gets welled up and breaks into long slow moving waves.

It was entertaining to watch the surfers jump across the rocks with their boards as they made their way to the waters edge. Not the typical sandy beach you associate with surfing destinations, but this is a relatively tame beach for the Azores.

One of the best parts about this spot is the sunsets. As the sun goes down, it tucks behind another point on the island and the sky glows while the waters still churn onto the rocks. Being here is so peaceful, and looking out at the sea makes us long to return to the waves once again.

Amazing Craters

These islands were formed by deep underwater volcanoes. They slowly layered lava onto itself time after time until they rose from the depths and reached into the sky. These fiery pits of hell, surrounded by scorching toxic fumes and black rocks has slowly transformed into lush and lovely islands. The craters that once were ablaze are now filled with refreshing fresh water, out in the middle of the salty ocean.

The landscape that was once inhospitable is now a lush oasis, drawing tourists from all over the world to gaze upon the splendor.

Parental Visits

You never get to play tourist in your own home.

Maddie and I have been living in the Azores for 9 months now, yet we have not really traveled much through the islands. We had a 2 week stent in Flores during the winter, and that was about it. On the weekends, we would drive around the island Terceira and see the different sights, but not “Full-Tourist” mode.

Maddies mom came to visit us in the Azores and she came to be tourist with us as her tour guides. This meant that after spending months close to the beautiful island of Sao Miguel, we would finally travel the short flight to that island.

What a beautiful place this is! The island is significantly larger, but the people also have “Big City Syndrome” where they are not as friendly as they are in the other islands of the Azores. It is probably due to the fact that this is the most popular island in the Azores with tourists and the locals in the touristy areas are tired of tourists. Either way, we loved visiting this island and living in Terceira.

Sete Cidades

In the middle of the ocean exists a small island which has a tiny town built in the crater of an extinct volcano. The town is named “Sete Cidades” which means Seven Cities, even though it sits alone in the crater.

I asked the locals about the name and no one had any idea why it was called Seven Cities, but the point is, it rests in the corner of majesty and wonder.

There are two lagoons that are separated by a small bridge. Each lagoon has its own particular flora and fauna, even though they communicate through the bridge abutments.

The lagoon on the left is called the “Green Lagoon” and the lagoon on the right is called the “Blue Lagoon”. While the left one has a slight green tint, it is nowhere near as photoshopped drastic as they appear on the postcards of this place.

The amazing part of this situation is just beyond the crest of the volcanic rim rests the North Atlantic Ocean. One step off the land and you are in the middle of the ocean!