The Azores are volcanic Portuguese islands. They’re like the Hawaii of Europe. My visit was the result of a combination of nudges, the first on January 2, my first day back to work for the new year when I was feeling resolution-y. I met a Blue Line passenger during my morning commute who said he was 60 years old, from Winston–Salem, and passionate about travel. His message was, “What are you doing? You’re not tied down, and you have a job. Few people are fortunate enough to be in your situation. Have you been to New Orleans? Well go!” So I was researching New Orleans (and other vacation options) when Travelzoo sent a deal for the Azores. I’d never heard of the Azores, but the photos looked amazing and the cost is relatively low if you can get to Boston. Well, sure!
The Azores are trendy right now. Between the travel bloggers and the increased plane routes, one native told me he’s seen the tourism economy explode over the past three years. The other thing travel blogs are raving about is solo travel. (And how much of a pain the Boston Logan airport is.) I read that solo travel is the best, and that it is a more social experience than traveling in a group. “Nah,” I thought. But it didn’t take long to run into another woman traveling solo to the Azores. We ended up chatting because the rumors about the Boston Logan airport turned out to be true, and we found ourselves at a closed airline counter outside security without boarding passes or check-in kiosks. Anyway, we traded travel tips about our home states, she answered my questions about Iceland, and when we landed in the Azores we swapped contact information in case we needed anything during the trip (which would have been great if I had an unlocked phone … more on that in another post). But it was nice to know that the rumors about the solo travel community are true.
The Azores are nine islands. I chose to visit Terceira (because I wanted to walk in a volcano) and São Miguel (because it’s the main island and because of this photo). Starting in Terceira was cheaper, so I landed at 6:30 a.m., drove my rental car to the hotel, and slept until noon. This is the view from my room. You can see the hotel rooster in the sunshine and a volcano (not the volcano you can walk through) shadowed by clouds. The weather in the Azores changes constantly (they say you’ll feel four seasons in a day), and the weather forecast for my visit was “60 degrees and mostly cloudy,” which made it tricky for taking photos. (“Should I wait for the sun to come back? But if it takes too long, I won’t have time for the next thing!”) It was definitely a trip where the problems were first-world.
But because of the weather, the Azores are lush. Even the hotel tennis court is green. I took this on my first trip outside the hotel to explore the island’s main town, Angra Do Heroísmo.
And because they are volcanic islands, there are plenty of decorative black rocks available. All of the sidewalks in major towns (if there are sidewalks) have black and white rock designs. Sometimes it’s birds or shells or sea creatures, and often it’s geometric designs like the one above.
The fort! The Azores were a logical stopping place for ships returning with spices from Japan or gold from trading, so the islands were plagued with pirates and privateers. Construction on the Fortress of São João Baptista started in 1593.
The gate to the old fort. A newer, active military base sits behind the fort, and there are plenty of restricted access areas around the fort and in the nearby forest.
The fort has cannons.
Another thing the travel blogs mention is how hard it is to find vegan food in the Azores.
The few restaurants that do offer vegan food usually have one item, sometimes not listed on the menu. So I’d wander in and ask if they had anything, and then they’d have me sit down and surprise me with what my food would be. This is carrot soup. (Lunch is often a special set menu of three things, like an appetizer, an entree, and a drink.)
The few restaurants that do offer vegan food usually have one item, sometimes not listed on the menu. So I’d wander in and ask if they had anything, and then they’d have me sit down and surprise me with what my food would be. This is carrot soup. (Lunch is often a special set menu of three things, like an appetizer, an entree, and a drink.)
And that’s why Captain’s Table was so exciting. The proprietor said I was lucky to have found the place because his is the only restaurant on the island that has a dedicated vegan section in the menu.
Captain’s Table actually has soya meat! (And vegan cheese, which I didn’t get to taste.) Everything was delicious. The produce on the trip was especially remarkable–the lettuce always looked like it’d been picked minutes before being served. Captain’s Table works with small organic farms for their food (which had to be the case because the only supermarket chain I saw on the island had dollar-store quality produce).
“Diocese de Angra.” This is the courtyard in front of the church.
Igreja do Santíssimo Salvador da Sé. (Complete with its plants for sale and its Porsche.)
A statue of Pope John Paul II.
The walk up to Memory Hill.
The Memory Hill obelisk is made from stones from a c. 1474 castle.
Memory Hill has two signposts, one for the Azores and one for cities of the world.
The view from Memory Hill.
Going down the hill to the botanic garden.
A pigeon takes a drink.
Duke of Terceira Garden.
A teapot!
Portas de Cidade (City Doors). This is the view up from the marina. In the morning the water is filled with preening ducks.
Igreja da Misericórdia. I wandered past this church when school was getting out, flooding the streets with high school-looking students wearing fabulous dark Harry Potter-esque capes over their uniforms. They stood in small groups and smoked for a bit then assembled in this courtyard, broke out the guitar, and started singing delightful choral music.
The beach! And the marina.
The beach!
Hiking the volcano you can see from my room. (Monte Brasil.)
The viewpoint at the top of Monte Brasil.
They have a mosaic of the view!
There are also deer at the top.
The deer are friendly (or aggressive). They meandered over and surrounded this kid who was engrossed by his phone. At one point the deer started snorting at him (like his foot was on their grass?) and he flipped them the bird.
Speaking of, they also have birds at the top of Monte Brasil. This turkey will gobble at you if you get close enough.
And this rooster will crow at you.
Dinner at A Minha Casa.
This is the veganized version of their vegetarian burger (no bread). The fries were fresh-cut and the salad had a delicious balsamic dressing.
The alarm clock outside my window, and a Monte Brasil deer!