Last full day

Wednesday, April 04, 2018
Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, Portugal
We slept in today, knowing the weather was not looking good. It was nearly 10:00 when we headed to breakfast. No rain but 20 to 30 mph sustained wind!
After making a couple of sandwiches and packing an extra layer, plus raincoats, we headed up around the NW coast. We could see that the higher elevations were pretty socked in, so we’re hoping for a coastal hike.
We took our time, pulling off at most of the lookouts. Our first sidetrack was near Doze Ribeiras, where we drove down through the lava walled pastures. This green quilted landscape never gets old. 
We followed a herd of dairy cows being driven by a teenage boy down the middle of the road. The boy made no effort to get them to move to one side so we were stuck for at least 15 minutes. Don’t know where they were going, but some of them were so full of milk that their legs were spread far apart and they could barely move.
From the coastal road, just before Biscoitos, there was a cross-topped lookout. With some difficulty, we found the small farm road to the base of the hill, where we parked the car. The last 1/4 mile was a steep path that we climbed in a gale force wind. We took several pictures but are sure they are out of focus because it was impossible to keep the camera steady!
Our hike destination was Baias de Agualva, a 2.5 mile loop taking in the coastline and open pasture. The rain had moved in by the time we reached the trailhead and the wind had not subsided - it would not be a hiking day.
We opted for cheese tasting and a glass of wine at Queijaria Vaquinha, the largest cheese producer on Terceira. We sampled several cheeses and bought a large wedge to bring home. 
We were back in Angra before 4:00 and walked into the city center for souvenir shopping. We got two embroidered dish towels.  And, we couldn’t leave Terceira without some Amelia Cakes from O Forno bakery. 
When Amelia, the last Portuguese queen visited Terceira for the first time, the locals made very special cakes which took her name, in her honor. We each had one at O Forno’s with a coffee and bought six to bring home. 
Our Last Supper would be at The Pirate, with Jack Sparrow right at the door.   This is another highly recommended seafood restaurant, overlooking the Angra harbor. They bill themselves as a gastro pub. 
One thing setting them apart from anywhere else is their draft, craft beers. We ordered a dunkel and a porter, and an order of six barnacles.
For dinner Sue’s Captain Morgan steak which was the day’s special came with a glass of wine, coffee and dessert (Dave got to have both beers, though only 1/4 liter glasses). Dave ordered the grilled squid and shrimp.  Both of us were very happy. So full that we had to take the dessert with us. We were charged a euro for the plastic container. That brings us to another observation. The island is super clean with no trash or graffiti and they recycle everything. We can’t understand how a place in the middle of nowhere can do this, and yet, many places in the US cannot??!!

Comments

2025-02-16

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank