The Azores

Here’s a fun fact about The Azores: When the Portuguese arrived on what is now known as the island of Santa Maria, they found it populated by many birds, thought to be goshawks. The island’s name comes from the Portuguese word “açor” meaning hawk. However, according to ornithologists, there have never been goshawks in The Azores. The birds those settlers saw in 1432 were most likely buzzards.

Here's what I like about this story: The Portuguese were not deterred by a little misunderstanding. They rolled with it. They didn’t change the name of the archipelago to “The Buzzards.” If you look at the Azorean flag, you’ll see a giant golden goshawk, wings spread, beneath an arc of nine stars representing the nine islands.

View from the top of Sete Cidades

I’ve heard it said that the land of The Azores is what it might look like if Hawaii and Ireland had a baby. Volcanic craters, beaches, lush green pastoral hills, and a temperate climate. What could be a better destination for our spring break vacation? I was excited and nervous about what to expect. Would we be able to navigate our way around? How do you pack light when you want to hike, swim, and explore? As I was reading about our hotel, I came across their suggestion for dining attire—"sophisticated beach casual.”

Sophisticated beach casual? What does that even mean?

Island of São Miguel

We flew into São Miguel, the largest of the nine islands, which is located in the Atlantic Ocean about 950 miles away from mainland Portugal.

a lemon tree 

Right away, I knew I was going to like it here. I loved the patterned sidewalks and vibrant colors of Ponta Delgada. I loved the lemons that looked like oranges, the wandering roosters, and the blue and white tiles. I loved the coastal views of  seaside villages, their signature orange roofs dotting the landscape.  What caught me off guard was the weather. It was 55 degrees with 35 mile gusts of wind. I was so busy packing and picking out my swimsuit, I failed to anticipate that March comes in like a lion. Or is that a buzzard? No matter–we didn’t let the blustery chill dampen our spirits. Like the Portuguese settlers, we rolled with it. “Sophisticated beach casual” turned into layers. Lots of layers.

hiking with roosters

beautiful blue tiles

city gates of Ponta Delgada

FURNAS
We spent the first half of our week in the city of Furnas. Furnas is known for its fumaroles and hot springs. We hiked past calderas and waterfalls, marveling at the variety and beauty of the volcanic gorge.

wandering past waterfalls in Furnas

Back in town, we sipped from fountains of spring water rumored to have therapeutic benefits for whatever ails you–from dandruff to flatulence. We soaked in the steamy thermal pool behind our hotel and finished the day with some cozido– the local stew traditionally cooked in the ground with geothermal heat.

Sipping from the healing fountains

Over the next few days, we ventured out to nearby towns. We hiked along the Northern coast in Maia and toured Cha Gorreana, the oldest tea plantation of Europe. We explored the Nordeste coastline, an area so remote, it’s often called the tenth island. 

The tea plants of Cha Gorreana

the coastline of Nordeste

SANTA BARBARA

For the second half of our trip, we moved to Santa Barbara for closer proximity to the western half of the island. No matter where we hiked, we saw cows. Apparently, The Azores are known as the land of the happy cows. Approximately 30% of all Portuguese dairy cows live here. Some say there are more cows than people. In order to be an officially certified happy cow, farmers have to meet over 200 requirements involving various aspects of sustainability and animal welfare. All of this is to say the cheese here is delicious.

hello happy cow!

While we saw lots of cows, we didn't see any whales. The Azores are on the migration route of several species of whales, making them the target of whale hunters until 1987. Now, the focus on finding whales is eco-tourism, conservation, and education. March is early in the migration season and the tourist boats weren't running due to the windy conditions. Instead, we walked by the old whaling company and the nearby church where women used to pray for the safe return of their husbands out at sea.

coastline views

praying for the safe return of the whale hunters

While many of our days were overcast, the sun came out on the day of my favorite hike. As we walked around the perimeter of Sete Cidades, I could not take my eyes off the blue and green crater lagoons. Breathtaking!

View from the top of Sete Cidades

As you can see from the above picture, we're wearing many layers of "sophisticated beach casual." The best things we're wearing are our big smiles. We loved our time in The Azores.