It seems
that we may have developed an affinity for small volcanic islands in the middle of
nowhere. Perhaps an affinity might be a slight over statement but we do enjoy
the solitude of these out of the way places. I believe it started with what was
a quick side trip to Easter Island during a longer trip we had taken to Chile and Argentina in 2001.
Easter
Island formally known as Rapa Nui is located 3500 kilometres off the coast of Chile in the middle of the Pacific
Ocean. It was named Easter Island
by the Dutch explorer Jacob Roogoveen when he found, not discovered the island
on Easter Sunday in 1722. The Island had
already been discovered and populated by Polynesian explorers 500-800 years
before. The history of Rapa Nui is not a
pretty one and fodder for a future posting.
Fast
forward to 2026 and the Cornell’s are off to another tiny island in the middle
of no where. Its name is Sao Miguel and
it is the largest of a group of volcanic islands called the Azores.
They are located 1600 kilometres of the coast of Portugal,
in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Discovered by Portuguese explorers in 1427 and populated mostly by Portuguese
settlers in the following years.
Much like
our adventure to Easter Island, this adventure was side trip to our spring
journey back to central Canada
and visits with the grandkids and other assorted family. We usually make two to
three trips a year back to the centre of Canada and lately have taken to
adding in a few extra days to explore or catch a show.
This trip
had us travelling not in the spring but the dead of winter, not a conducive
time to do a lot of exploring. We went
then, for the opportunity to see our grandson who is in his second year of
university on the east coast of the country.
He is a member of the track team and was competing in the Eastern university conference indoor track finals as a heptathlete.
I was a great three days despite the frostbite and windchill. With very little formal training in some of the disciplines, he placed fifth in the competition.
It was -21
C the day we arrived in Moncton and -12 C and
snowing the day we left by train to return to the centre of Canada. We were
not flying back as we were still working on the last of our 2025 travel list to
travel on all the long haul Via trains in Canada. We were booked on the
Ocean, Via’s overnight train from Halifax to Montreal but will board in Moncton. We again
lucked out and scored a 3 person roomette which meant we did not have to use
the uncomfortable upper bunk making the trip much more pleasant.
Check out our blog on our trip on the Polar Bear Express and the comfortable 3 person roomette.
https://brettandnonie.blogspot.com/2025/
This train
while expensive does not provide the same level of service that the Canadian
does but definitely better than the Polar Bear Express. We only have the Jasper
to Prince Rupert
over night left but this train only provides basic service with no sleeper
cars. Not sure we really want to go as it will require 35 to 38 hours sitting
up and with the same tasteless micro-waved food service we got on the Polar
Bear Express.
Check out our blog on our trip on Via's Canadian.
https://brettandnonie.blogspot.com/2025/04/
So dead of
winter, where could we go to escape winter for a little bit and not break the bank? Portugal is known for its budget friendly winter
vacations and while researching, I came across the island
of Sao Miguel, a small island in the
middle of the Atlantic with current
temperatures in the mid teens and very budget friendly. How could we say no? We did not.
We found economically priced airfares with SATA Azores Airlines out of Pearson and a nicely located
and priced four star hotel accommodation in Ponta Delgada. the main town on Sao Miguel. The island is small but packs a
pretty big punch for things to do so I was able to develop a healthy To See and Do list.
The climate
is subtropical oceanic,
pleasantly warm in summer yet cool, rainy and windy for many months. Average temperatures sit comfortably at about
13ºC (55ºF) in the winter, and 24ºC (75ºF) in the summer but it can be humid. The
day we arrived was 18 C, 45% humidity and sunny. But like any subtropical
oceanic climate, that can change quickly and be very different from one
area to another around the island.
Did I mention wind!
The have set up streaming cameras around the
island so that you can check out the local weather before heading out to visit.
Day 1
Arriving in the early morning we spent the day finding our
hotel, and getting a feel for Ponta Delgada,
finding a bank for some Euros and a short nap in the afternoon. It is a small
town but I had compiled a fairly long list of things that we could do there. Our
hotel was located in the downtown core so it was an easy walk to most of
the towns offerings.
First order of business find some coffee and breakfast. It seems Ponta Delgadians are not early risers so it took a while to find place open
But surprise of surprises, decaf was available and we were pleased to discover available everywhere. Decaffeinated coffee is not always available in North America and Europe coffee offerings.
Igreja Matriz de Sao Sebasiao
Which brought us to the first of many old and well maintained churches found on Sao Miguel as it was located across the street from the cafe.
Its construction dates back to a hermitage dedicated to Saint Sebastian, the city's patron saint, erected after a great plague struck the city, as mentioned by the chronicler Gaspar Frutuoso in Saudades da Terra. The construction of the current temple took place between 1531 and 1547, having received aid from King John III and Sebastian.
Wikipedia
Pretty good looking for something that is 475 years old.
There are 5 significantly historic churches within Ponta Delgada as well as dozens of local and parish churches on the island of which we will see a few.
It seems that Sao Miguelians of the Catholic persuasion are well served with places to worship.
Portas da Cidade
The historic city gates are probably one of the most photographed historic sites on Sao Miguel. They are all that is left of the walls of the once fortified city.
These gates, a landmark of the city, are a symbol of the city's early land defenses on the southwest coast of the island. They were erected in 1783 , originally opened in the walls of the eastern sector.
Wikipedia
Forte de Sao Bras
I am a sucker for a good fort. If there is a fort nearby I am there. The island has a fort and even better the fort has cannons. I am an even bigger sucker for cannons. Must be a man thing but Nonie was not as impressed. It is still operated as a fort and is manned and serves as the headquarters of the Azores Military Command as well as a military museum with lots and lots of cannons.
Considered the most important example of 16th -century military architecture and the most powerful fortification on the island, it was erected on a point [ 2 ] in the original anchorage of Ponta Delgada, with the function of defending it against attacks by pirates and corsairs, once frequent in this regions of the Atlantic Ocean.
Wikipedia
Plantacao de Ananas dos AzoresArising from our life affirming naps we felt the need for something sweet. So we made our way to a pineapple plantation on the outskirts of Ponta Delgada. Azorean pineapples are famous, well at least they are in the Azores. They appear to be slightly smaller than the Hawaiian model.
The pineapples are grown in greenhouses with over 1500 greenhouses spread around the island.
The pineapples were introduced in the 19th Century as a ornamental plant but due to a serious decline in the Island's orange trade there was a need for another cash crop. This led to the construction of the greenhouses and the unique way in which pineapples are cultivated. Just so you know they still grow oranges, some of which are made into a delicious liqueur.
I have attached a link to the history of the Azorean pineapple. You may need Google Translate for some of it.
https://ananasdosacores.pt/
The pineapple has several unique growing techniques not carried out for regular pineapples. Too much to get into as it could be a blog by its self so click on the link above. They do produce a very lush and sweet core that is magically turned into a lot of tasty treats on the island. We found them available at just about every meal we ate on the Island in various recipes, drinks and deserts.
My favourite snack, a pineapple tart, with a glass of pineapple liqueur and a side of pineapples.
A great way to end our first day in the Azores.
Day 2
We awoke to very gloomy clouds hanging low over the city threatening to rain at any minute So with our travel refrain of "We won't melt" we headed down to the hotel's free breakfast. It was the best free breakfast we have ever had and we have eaten a lot of free hotel breakfasts.
I have been told I should refrain from using our travel refrain as I use it too much. A little pun for you heteronym fans.
Photo and Shout Out to Hotel Marina Atlantico
Mercado da Graca
Our first stop was the cities 180 year old farmers market where every fruit, fish and cheese that is made on Sao Miguel or one it's sister islands is available . Azorean cheeses are among the most famous exports not withstanding the Islands pineapples. Sao Miguel Cheese produced on Sao Miguel (obviously) produces a variety of buttery soft as well as tangy aged cheeses and most were available at our free breakfast. Nonie approved.
Being in the middle of the Atlantic also means plenty of fresh fish and they can be found as a Especial do Dia at every restaurant on the island. I am pretty sure I ate every fish as well as the conger (eel) shown in this picture at some point along with some really fresh octopus and a single limpet. If you are wondering, the conger tasted like chicken and the limpet (sea snail) like nothing I had ever tasted before, hence the one.
Jardim Botanico Jose do Canto
Our next stop, a botanical garden. The promised rain started as we made our way there. Just a light misty rain with a little wind to make it interesting. We won't melt! The garden showcases a diverse collection of trees, plants and flowers from around the world.
Like most small volcanic islands much of the flora found growing on Sao Miguel is not indigenous. Of the 1200 vascular flora ( trees, shrubs, ferns, flower plants) growing on the Island only about 60 are endemic to the Island.
Wild hydrangea which can be found adorning most of the Island's highway verges, brought here as an ornamental plant in the 19th Century, thrived in the volcanic soil and loving the moderate, moist climate became widespread. We were a little early for the blooms.
Photo: https://www.travelnerdsblog.com/azores/hydrangeas-azores//
Gruta do CarvaoThe Carvao Cave is section of an ancient lava tube that has been developed to allow people to access it some what safely. Normally, it would have been an easy 25 minute hike from the Gardens but for the gusting wind and heavy rainfall that started shortly after we started out. It had us arriving a little wet only to discover that they were closed for lunch and we were told to come back later. Damn, forgot to read the fine print again. See link below for some history on the 5,000 to 10,000 year old tube.
https://grutadocarvao.amigosdosacores.pt/en/gruta-do-carvao
With the rain continuing, we hiked back to a local shopping centre for some lunch and a chance to dry off. It was still raining for our return trip so our time in the tube was chilly.
The cave is just a small section of the lava tube that stretches up to 2.5 kilometres from the coast at Ponta Delgada. A lot of the tube has been lost to development and weather. This section was almost lost due to highway construction. If you are into volcanos like we are, it is a Not To Miss visit in Ponta Delgada. The speleologist was very knowledgeable and entertaining.
They have two tours of the tube. We took the short one. They have a longer one that requires kneepads and crawling into the more narrow sections of the tube. I discovered several years ago that I suffer a smidge from claustrophobia when we were squeezing through some narrow passages in an Incan tomb in Chichen Itza Mexico so the long tour was not going to happen.
This was not our first lava tube. We explored the Thurston Tube which we found on a trip to the big island of Hawaii celebrating our 30th anniversary.
It was a wet walk back to the hotel. Thankfully the temperatures stayed in the mid teens which made it easier to deal with the rain. The wind was perky but we were able to mitigate it by staying in the lee of buildings as we made our way back to the hotel and the hot tub. We won't melt!
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