Hello friends. During our visit to Porto we decided to fly to the Azores. When we arrived, we changed our plans based on the weather and decided to head to the northeast of the island. Our original plan had morning sunshine, but then the rain started. So we made some changes to see a different view.
In the northeast of the island there's a beautiful lighthouse. However, the road there was quite dangerous and steep, so we didn’t dare to go in the rain; it was too risky. Instead, we decided to visit observation points with great views.
I was impressed by the equipment at the observation points and the excellent cleanliness of the area. At first I thought they were drying clean cloths, but upon closer inspection, I realized these were actually trash bins for picnickers. There are at least 8 barbecues here. You can bring your own charcoal and wine and enjoy the views. There are also restrooms and even wood and water available.
Another observation point on the east of the island, Ponta da Madrugada, also offers similarly beautiful views. There’s a barbecue here too, but with a different setup. The clouds and valleys here were quite eerie during our journey. But as the weather cleared, the place became truly impressive. I especially enjoyed the special platforms where we could get the best views. After enjoying the magnificent ocean views, we headed south and continued to admire the beauty of nature.
Povoação is a small fishing village on the ocean shore. Here there are small fishing boats and an interesting monument dedicated to the island's first settlers. This monument resembles the famous explorer monument in Ponta Delgada, except this one is made entirely of volcanic stones. The town has a walking promenade, a zoo and a promenade along the ocean.
We were only ten minutes away from Furnas, a village with hot springs from the fishing village. The road was quite scenic and I didn’t expect it to be so close. We circled back here from the north and east. We found some very interesting architecture here, with a very creative design.
In the evening we went for dinner at a hotel. The hotel's name is Terra Nostra and we really liked it. Besides the meal I also enjoyed the interior design of the place; it was in real Portuguese Art Deco style, described as rational modern. The details of the interior, the lighting, furniture, carpets, doors and stairs were chosen with perfect color coordination. This simple and measured design makes this hotel a model of rational modernism. The details here are really well thought out and there is no excess. Therefore I recommend visiting it if you have the chance; the restaurant is also really good.
Behind the hotel there is a wonderful park called Terra Nostra, which shares the same name as the hotel. The entrance fee to the park is 8 Euros per person. You can rent a towel for 5 Euros and then get 3 Euros back. You need to use the towel for swimming because the water is orange. The water is really hot and has an unusual color, actually resembling blood red due to the high iron content. Therefore I recommend wearing an old swimsuit, preferably dark-colored, as it may not come clean.
The park is very beautiful and the pool is quite enjoyable. There are also changing rooms and showers, so you don’t have to get ready outdoors. There’s also a small and quiet thermal pool where you can swim. The park is largely arranged as a botanical garden with many different plants, both local and exotic. We saw Japanese maples and many other plants. And there are beautiful views and small waterfalls in the park.
We had one last thing to do: we wanted to try a famous dish from Furnas village. The dish is called Cozido das Furnas and is cooked in hot springs. We made a reservation at a local restaurant and decided to try this dish.
We ordered the meal and chose to start with local cheeses. The cheeses from the Azores are quite famous, especially Queijo São Jorge, which is very delicious. There are also great cheeses in Furnas village. For wine, we selected Pêra-Manca. The restaurant has a traditional Portuguese style, with quite simple decoration but very charming.
The main ingredients of Cozido das Furnas are chicken, pork, beef and various sausages, which are cooked in a special pot in the hot springs for 8 hours. The meal was quite interesting, but I probably wouldn’t order it again. Still it’s a good option for those wanting an authentic experience.
Our trip to the Azores was very enjoyable, so I definitely recommend it. Then we flew back and went to Lisbon. There are still many interesting things to explore.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. See you in our new travel posts.