FLASHBACK to the AZORES, 2002

After a 13 day passage, we spotted the tip of the volcano on Pico about 22 miles out.   Just before heading into Horta harbor on Faial we snagged a fishing net on our prop and Jim had to dive overboard to free it.   Faial is a beautiful island in this group, well, they all are beautiful.   The harbor marina had been expanded so we got a slip for a few weeks and enjoyed the annual festival and the beauty of this place.  

 

We toured the island by car one day and drove to the top of the main volcano and stood on the edge of the caldera.

You can stand on the edge of this caldeira and look down toward the ocean and see one volcano after the other in descending order.   The island was constructed from one volcanic eruption after another.

This lighthouse was covered in ash and you can see behind it the newest portion of the island.

The island is very fertile.   Hydrangeas line the roads.   During the festival the town mayor came down to our boat and gave us a gift of hydrangeas and a bottle of wine.

Old windmills everywhere, some have been turned into homes and B&Bs.    Lovely stone cottages from another time....

The view to Pico.

The festival and parade.

 

The islands belong to Portugal and are predominantly Catholic.

 Its traditional to paint your boat name on the docks in Horta.   We had to tear ourselves away, but we weren't done yet.   We anchored off Graciosa and hired a driver for the day to take us around the island.    We went down a staircase to the center of a volcano.

The water at this beach was warmed up by the vents from the volcano we were just exploring.

Old communal laundry area.   From here we went to Terceira, an island known for its bullfights and then on to the capitol of Sao Miguel.

 

Typical buildings in the Azores are Portuguese in origin, with black trim.