Ola e boa noite! Last weekend, I switched Airbnb spots to the little cliffside town of Relva and I’m SO happy I did. I was just going to fold a quick little bit about Relva into this post but the more time I spent here, the more I felt it deserved its own highlight. So I’ll write about that next!
On Sunday, I took one last guided tour around the northern and western parts of the islands to the more iconic spots on São Miguel (like the images that pop up when you do a Google search for “the Azores”). To my pleasant surprise, I had the same tour guide as my last tour. He was awesome and made the day even better.
Our first stop was the town of Ribeira Grande, which is on the northern coast. The town has some incredible architecture, including gothic-style churches. The church pictured below with the darker-colored tower was constructed out of limestone (which is a softer stone… also found in southern Indiana, of all places). The bells they wanted to install were so heavy, that they were afraid the limestone structure would eventually crumble. So they decided to construct the bell tower out of lava stone found here in São Miguel, which is one of the strongest stones in the world.
Another really fascinating fact was that the stone tiles in front of the church (picture below accompanied by my feet) were individually cut by hand to form this insanely unique surface. That sounds like the shittiest most backbreaking job in the world…
Next, we stopped at a nearby stunning double waterfall. There are no shortages of waterfalls here but I can’t say I’ve ever seen one like this one. Stunning!
Then, we headed to one of the most iconic places in São Miguel – Lagoa de Fogo, or “Lake of Fire.” It was named Lake of Fire because back in the 1500s when the volcanos would become more active, the area around the then-crater would catch fire. The crater eventually filled with rain water, thus being known as Lagoa de Fogo.
We were lucky to get such an awesome view of Lagoa de Fogo because due to its high elevation, it’s not always visible due to dense cloud cover. The sightseeing gods were on our side and we were able to get some epic pics!
Before we knew it, it was time for lunch! More amazing food. More phenomenal Vinho Verde (green wine - which I found you can get in the U.S. when researching “for a friend”). More local liquor. This time we tried pineapple and passion fruit liquors – and of course the mack daddy honey moonshine that separates the women from the girls (and again, challenge gladly accepted). I even taught our tour guide the phrase “down the hatch.” He loved it!
I will say one thing…the Portuguese LOVE to drink at lunch. Even during the workweek. And not just one drink – like a whole bottle of wine. It’s really impressive. They even serve beer at fast food places like Burger King or McDonald’s. Wild (and I’m totally here for it).
After lunch/afternoon happy hour, we headed to another of São Miguel’s most iconic spots – Lagoa das Sete Cidades or “Lake of Seven Cities.” The lake actually looks like two separate lakes - one blue (top) and one green (bottom). That’s because the green lake is more shallow and the algae give it the green color (hard to see in my pic because of the cloud cover.
Legend has it that when the King of Portugal came to visit, he brought his daughter – a blue-eyed princess who unexpectedly fell in love with a green-eyed shepherd. The king had betrothed her to another back on the mainland and forced her to end it with the shepherd. So it’s believed that she cried enough tears to fill the blue part of the lake and the shepherd cried enough tears to fill the green part of the lake. Our tour guide kept referring to me as the blue-eyed princess from this tale. Boy if he only knew.
On another note, our tour group was so much fun! There were people from the U.S., Ukraine, Germany, and Spain. Meeting people from different places is one of my love languages so I had a blast with my new friends. :)
We hit up a few more scenic spots before heading home…
And at last, after an incredible day, I caught my first sunset in my new spot. Not quite like the sunsets at home (especially sans golf cart) but still gorgeous.
The more I see of and experience São Miguel, the more I love it. The best way to describe it is if Hawaii and Iceland had a baby. Volcanoes, waterfalls, streams, cliffs, and its own unique vibe. This place is so very special. ❤️
Amor e luz (love and light),
MW
You look soooo happy! And that makes Me Happy!, enjoy every second!,,
What a wonderful time you're having, so glad you're sharing this with all of us! You go hoosier!!!