November 16-17, 2024
Surf crashing against jagged coastlines, stunning shorelines, steep cliffs, verdant green pastures dotted with grazing dairy cows, fishing villages, evergreen forests, volcanic craters filled with sparkling lakes, unspoiled nature with no snakes or predators (other than raptors), a bird watchers’ paradise — the island of Sao Miguel is the largest of the nine islands that make up the Azores, over 930 miles away from their mother land of Portugal. The Azores, considered one of the world’s most beautiful sanctuaries for biodiversity and geodiversity, is a destination that you might want to include on your list of “must visit” adventures.
During the summer months, the Azores are almost completely draped in blooming hydrangeas. Volcanic soil has just the right ph balance to produce the brightest blue clusters of flowers. Hydrangeas grow wild there, and are everywhere you look — long hedgerows of them, running along fields and all along the road. Even in November, we could tell how extensively they cover the landscapes, because the flower clusters were still on the bushes, most turning brown, but some still showcasing a blue cluster here and there.
Of course, the hydrangea is the official flower of the Azores. The Azorean flag features its national bird — a goshawk with red feet, beak and tongue — on the coat of arms of the Azores.
On Sao Miguel, it seems anything could grow there. The temperate climate supports a wide variety of plants. Pineapples are a major crop on the island, grown in long white “greenhouses.” The original flora includes evergreen forests of laurel trees (reaching 131 feet in height), heather and tamarisk. The high humidity on the island also supports Cedar of Lebanon, holly, Brazilian mahogany, acacias, camellias, belladonna, magnolias, hibiscus, camphor, gingko, lime, banana, guava, passion fruit, palms, bougainvillea, azaleas, all types of spices, potatoes, hemp, flax, and tobacco. There is even a tea plantation on the island of Sao Miguel.
The seas around the Azores are a wealth of marine life. Fresh fish is readily available — swordfish, tuna, barracuda, anchovies, grouper, mollusks, crustaceans. Located where the cold, deep ocean waters and warm Gulf meet, the Azores are rich in fish year round. It is also a paradise for whale watchers. Over 24 types of cetaceans live and transit through the waters around the Azores.
Plentiful are seabirds and birds of prey. Naturally, the Azores are a stopover for migratory birds. Several birds are endemic to the Azores. For example, the Azores bullfinch is one of the rarest in Europe and is found only in a small area of Sao Miguel Island. The word “Azores” means either “birds” or “blue,” and both are appropriate. The skies are filled with birds hovering above islands rising like jewels in crystal clear blue seas.
Land mammals include porcupines, hares, ferrets, rabbits, hedgehogs, and weasels.
There are twice as many cows as there are people in the Azores, and the farmers pride themselves on having “happy cows,” which means that they live in harmony with the environment. The vast majority of cows are black and white, and produce the most aromatic and flavorful milk.
While the Azores are considered temperate, rarely dipping below 40 degrees, it does have the type of climate than can change by the hour. Within one day, you can experience three or even four seasons. With a “maritime subtropical climate,” summer temperatures average 75 degrees, and in the winter, it averages 54 to 63 degrees.
Our day started with a bit of sunshine, and then heavy wind squalls and high winds hit in rapid intervals (bands of rain) on and off both days that we visited the island of Sao Miguel. We attributed the weather to the huge storm that was circulating between Portugal and the Azores. However, our tour guide said that the weather changing quickly throughout the day is the norm for them during the late Fall and Winter.
On Saturday, we took a little train trolly around the town of Sao Miguel, which is the gateway to the crater lakes of Sete Cidades (7 villages), and to Mt. Pico in the northwest, which is 2,351 meters high. Near the port, we saw a 16th century fort, Sao Bras, which was built to protect the area from pirates. On the trolley, we were able to get in only a few photos of the town before the heavy wind and rain hit. The driver and passengers were drenched before the driver could pull down all of the plastic shades.
The city is exceptionally beautiful, but what struck us the most are the cobble stone streets made out of volcanic rock, and the many miles of mosaic sidewalks in basalt and limestone.
On Sunday, we took the “Taste of the Azores” excursion on a comfortable motor coach, traveling through farmland, past cliffs overlooking the sea, through villages that were so isolated, it would take a drive of at least an hour to get groceries for the week. Our destination was the Seven Villages area, named for seven lakes, to a five mile wide caldera.
Within the caldera lie two volcanic lakes — one blue and one green. We viewed the lakes from within the caldera and from the top. With the intermittent rain, strong winds, and overcast conditions, it was difficult to view it in its full glory, but it was still absolutely magnificent.
As we traveled to the caldera, our tour guide pointed out clusters of cones across the landscape and said they were all volcanic cones. He said that the island has 230 volcanic cones. The clusters of cones are part of “mother” volcano. If one cone awakens, it activates all of them in the mother. While the volcanoes are currently dormant, they can reawaken at any time. The tour guide talked about emigration from the Azores to the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean because of an eruption in the 1970s.
We noticed that in the Azores, green moss grows everywhere, on everything. Because of the fertile soil and frequent rain, mold growth can be rampant, and the sea air accelerates rust.
We also saw Santiago Lake and the huge airport, which is right on the ocean, as our bus took us back into the city, to a stunningly beautiful modern hotel. There, we were treated to a wine tasting and a gorgeous spread of cheeses, scones, breads and crackers. To me, their white cheese was the best cheese I have ever eaten. We bought half of a small wheel for $20, for our cabin steward to share with his fellow co-workers.
When someone on our bus asked our guide about crime and drugs on the island, the guide responded that the crime rate is very low. He said that it used to be that some folks might smoke marijuana, and that was about it. Then one day in 2001, tons of the highest quality of uncut Columbian cocaine washed ashore in the tiny fishing village Rabo de Peixe. A ship carrying the cocaine from Columbia for the Italian cartels to sell, was floundering at sea and had to dump the cargo. Many of the people gathering the packets thought that it was flour, and cooked with it, which resulted in drug overdosing. Soon entire town was being overrun with drug addicts. The incident is dramatized in the movie Turn of the Tide. Our guide said that now that the cocaine is gone, addicts are seeking the same dangerous drugs (similar to Fentanyl) that other countries are struggling to eliminate.
The typical architectural style throughout the island is churches and homes with specific shaped roofs, using black stone and white paint. Many old homes are built entirely of stone.
Back at the port, the line was exceptionally long to get back into the ship, and it moved slowly. The Volendam had only one gangway open. The winds had to be at least 40 mph, with stronger gusts at frequent intervals. Several times, I thought I would be blown off of my feet. Cliff was sent scurrying down the dock after his hat blew off. When he turned around to return to our line, it was like walking against tropical storm force winds — almost too strong to walk without being blown backwards. We were getting drenched — not from rain — but from the seawater around the ship blowing sideways on us.
Overall, we loved the island of Sao Miguel, which was even more beautiful than I imagined. It looks like such a beautiful place to live, but we know that the citizens must be very intrepid to live on islands that are so remote, with such changeable winter weather, storms and flooding, and of course, they are living in active seismic zones. The quiet villages and towns offer very little or no nightlife and entertainment. However, in the small villages, everyone knows everyone else, so the communities are close-knit.
To me, the island of Sao Miguel seems like a paradise. The natural beauty alone makes living there a joy, and for most of the year, the weather is beautiful.
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