Winding down....sadly
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Brutal coastal winds
1/4/26
We spent Friday, our last full day on the island, with the intent to hike. We arrived at a hiking trail on the north coast to discover the winds were even worse than the day before. Gusts were running probably 60-70 mph. To say that conditions were not conducive to hiking was an understatement.
We took a few photos, trying to shelter ourselves from the winds. But we failed miserably. The wind would whistle up the valleys between the hills at what seemed even greater velocity. We were able to briefly shelter by a cliff and take a few more photos. We tried to hike a bit further but that just wasn’t even remotely possible.
We spent Friday, our last full day on the island, with the intent to hike. We arrived at a hiking trail on the north coast to discover the winds were even worse than the day before. Gusts were running probably 60-70 mph. To say that conditions were not conducive to hiking was an understatement.
We took a few photos, trying to shelter ourselves from the winds. But we failed miserably. The wind would whistle up the valleys between the hills at what seemed even greater velocity. We were able to briefly shelter by a cliff and take a few more photos. We tried to hike a bit further but that just wasn’t even remotely possible.
Winds gusting 60-70 mph at times
We decide to head up the coast a bit and cut inland to try and dodge the winds. We stop in a small town we can’t remember the name of and have lunch in a snack bar. Laurie has had good luck finding decent soups here and this little bar was no different. It was, according to Laurie, “cute”. Sao Miguel island is full of these tiny establishments selling sandwiches, light snacks, beer, coffee, etc.
A snack bar along the way
We head inland to a waterfall Laurie wanted to see called “Salto do Cabrito”. The waterfall is in a gorge where they actually have a small hydroelectric generating plant. Laurie talks me into hiking down. It turns out she fooled me into getting a lot of exercise.
Straight up a cliff.
We found a small waterfall near a humming powerhouse. Laurie said if it wasn’t humming the place would be perfect. While correct, they’re doing hydro instead of oil based generation like most of the island, so it’s a trade off.
It was a half mile in each direction, and it also had an elevation change of probably 2000 feet. The road zig zagged up the face of a cliff at over 10 percent grade…..practically straight up and down! Down was easy……up was not as much fun. I arrive at the top of this geographical stairmaster sweaty and tired.
It was a half mile in each direction, and it also had an elevation change of probably 2000 feet. The road zig zagged up the face of a cliff at over 10 percent grade…..practically straight up and down! Down was easy……up was not as much fun. I arrive at the top of this geographical stairmaster sweaty and tired.
Laurie's "cute little waterfall"
We have done as well as we could with the weather and head back over the mountain to town. As you can see from the photo, the overlook at the lake was….not dramatic. We punched back out of the fog as we got close to the coast and headed on back to the apartment.
A wonderful view of the lake.....not
We decide to go to a fancier restaurant near our apartment as the rain has started again. While Portuguese food is actually very basic with not a lot of flavor, the ethnic foods on this trip have been superb. This was an Italian restaurant and it was simply fantastic.
A wonderful pizza
We started off with focaccia and spreads, then moved to what I thought was sliced tomatoes with mozzarella and prosciutto. I was wrong. It was some kind cooked tomato dish with an egg, parmesan, and shaved Iberian ham. I looked at this and was disappointed and it wasn’t close to what I expected. I decided to try it anyway.
What I discovered was simply amazing. It was light, incredibly flavorful…….it was perfection. It was totally not what I expected……..it was so much better. This was one of the most amazing Italian dishes I’ve ever had. Laurie was totally in agreement…..it was loved by both of us.
What I discovered was simply amazing. It was light, incredibly flavorful…….it was perfection. It was totally not what I expected……..it was so much better. This was one of the most amazing Italian dishes I’ve ever had. Laurie was totally in agreement…..it was loved by both of us.
An amazing Ponta Delgada restaurant
Laurie had some kind of pumpkin/sweet potato soup that sounded nasty to me and Laurie thought divine. We shared a pizza that was 100 percent fresh ingredients, of which I’ve included a photo. It too was excellent. The restaurant was called “etc. Osteria Bar” and was in my opinion the best meal we had during our trip.
Our apartment from the docks (the tall one)
We wake up on our last day and go downstairs to a restaurant/bakery that we’ve eaten at repeatedly for breakfast. After this we take a short walk and take a few final photos of Ponta Delgada. We stop at a sidewalk cafe for our final tangerine sorbet, a light desert we’ve grown to love.
We go back to the apartment to do our final packing. Jose, our landlord, graciously allowed us to leave late as no one was booked for that night. The apartment was simply phenomenal and Jose has been great! After hanging out for a while, we load up, drive to the airport, and return our rental car.
We go back to the apartment to do our final packing. Jose, our landlord, graciously allowed us to leave late as no one was booked for that night. The apartment was simply phenomenal and Jose has been great! After hanging out for a while, we load up, drive to the airport, and return our rental car.
Locals out for a swim in 60 degree water
The rental car agency is actually in town where we picked up but for an extra 5 euros (around 6 bucks) you can return at the airport. This was less than half what a taxi would cost so it was a no brainer. Go Rental Car was a good agency and I would not hesitate to rent from them in the future.
We went through the rugby scrum of getting on an international flight in a small airport but it went okay. Our flight was unremarkable and we had no issues. There are not a lot of choices on their onboard entertainment system, but other than that it was your typical flight and pretty much on time. No complaints about Azores Airlines.
We went through the rugby scrum of getting on an international flight in a small airport but it went okay. Our flight was unremarkable and we had no issues. There are not a lot of choices on their onboard entertainment system, but other than that it was your typical flight and pretty much on time. No complaints about Azores Airlines.
Boston airport Hilton. Very nice.
We get into Boston and go through the Global Entry line at customs. We get through in less than 3 minutes. Baggage took a bit longer to arrive but once we got our bags, we headed to the Boston Airport Hilton to spend the night.
The Boston Airport Hilton is surprisingly on par with similar Nashville hotels. The hotel restaurants are a bit pricey, especially compared to Portugal, but the food was good. It is connected via a covered walkway to the airport. I would definitely stay here again. It’s top notch.
The Boston Airport Hilton is surprisingly on par with similar Nashville hotels. The hotel restaurants are a bit pricey, especially compared to Portugal, but the food was good. It is connected via a covered walkway to the airport. I would definitely stay here again. It’s top notch.
Skybridge from the hotel to the airport
Boston has been a real surprise. We enjoyed our visit to the seaport on the outbound trip and the airport is really well put together. They have lots of ground transport options with the subway (The “T” in Boston), ferries, and lots of busses coming right to the airport. You can get just about anywhere in the area directly from the airport. The airport is really well done.
Off to the airport for our Delta flight to Nashville. We’ll do a wrap up soon. Thanks to everyone for following along and we hope you enjoyed our trip!
Off to the airport for our Delta flight to Nashville. We’ll do a wrap up soon. Thanks to everyone for following along and we hope you enjoyed our trip!
