Elisa's Daily Scoop 16 Facts About São Miguel, PortugalHello guys! Another Sunday - no sunshine (insert sad face) but it's a great day to sit inside and relax. Gianna has tons of studying to do for her Science test tomorrow. So, we are already hanging out in the den with our respective work. Riding yesterday at the barn was fabulous. The girls were incredible!!! Their jumping and galloping were truly wonderful. I hung out at the outdoor arena watching Vito Giambanco, the founder and owner of Dream Come True Farm as he was training the two year old race horses, Magnificent Dream and Miracle Dream. Whenever a baby is born at the barn, they always ave "Dream" in their name. So sweet! Tanya is continuing on her trip to the Azores - I"M STILL SO JEALOUS CUZ!!! lol - but oh, so happy for you. Her and the gang have been making their way through São Miguel, the largest of the nine islands of the Azores. 16 Fun Facts About São Miguel, Azores, Portugal 1. São Miguel Island, is also referred to locally as "The Green Island." 2. It is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. 3. The Island is named for the Archangel Michael or, literally, Portuguese for Saint Michael. 4. São Miguel covers 290 square miles and has approximately 140,000 inhabitants, with 45,000 of these people living in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada. 5. In around 1427, São Miguel became the second of the islands discovered by Gonçalo Velho Cabral to be settled by colonists from continental Portugal. 6. In the early 15th century, Infante D. Henrique first authorized the settlement of the Azores, and many settlers from the historical provinces of Estremadura, Alto Alentejo, Algarve and Madeira travelled to São Miguel. 7. The fertile soils and temperate climate attracted settlers from other countries, notably French people and cultural minorities such as Jews and some Moors. 8. The first capital of the island was Vila Franca do Campo, which was devastated by a major earthquake and landslides in 1522. 9. The destruction of the earthquake elevated Ponta Delgada to the administrative and economic status of capital and business centre beginning in 1546. 10. São Miguel is bisected by many faults from the northwest to southeast in the direction of the Terceira Rift, a triple junction of the Eurasian, African and North American tectonic plates. 11. There are eight geomorphological structures on São Miguel that correspond to the formative features that built the island. 12. The Sete Cidades Massif is an area that occupies the extreme western part of the island, and corresponds to a central volcanic crater and lake-filled caldera, with various cones, deposits of pumice, lava domes and maars. 13. The Água de Pau Massif region includes the Lagoa do Fogo (Lake of Fire), many lava domes and pumice cones. 14. S. Miguel is also the island in the Azores with the most to offer, particularly its town of Ponta Delgada which has historic monuments, turn of the century architecture, parks and cobble stone streets, a modern marina, restaurants, shopping, bars, night-clubs, and ocean-front cafes. 15. Top sites include: Convent and chapel of Our Lady of Hope, known as "Convento de Esperanca" or simply Saint Christ's Church (Igreja do Senhor Santo Cristo), is home to the magnificent statue of "Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres" (Christ of Miracles), the patron of the largest religious festival in the Azores. 16. Other noteworthy sites include Museum Carlos Machado in Ponta Delgada, Lagoa do Fogo (Fire Lake), Ermida da Senhora da Paz (Our Lady of Peace Chapel), which provides an excellent view of the village and of the islet. The "Ilheu" (Islet) of Vila Franca do Campo, which is also a great swimming hole. Ok, so let me tell you about the craziness we had last night. UGH! Kelsey was a bit anxious to sleep out east at her dad's house this weekend. I guess kids go through periods of separation anxiety with their moms and so she is experiencing this lately Well, anyway, she changed her plans with her dad to not sleep over on Friday night, but to sleep there last night, after her day of riding at the barn. She was definitely a bit anxious when I said goodbye to her yesterday at the barn, but figured, she would be just fine once she got back home with her Dad. At around 9pm, she contacted me very distraught; and asked if I could come an get her. Of course, that was the least of the issues - I would drive out there in a heartbeat if she needed me. However, I thought perhaps she was just having some anxiety and with the comfort of her dad, she would settle down. We were communicating on FaceTime and I told her I would definitely come, but to talk to her dad and see if she could settle down. I told her she was very safe and her dad loved her. For some reason, this did not help - nor did his comforting - and she called me back (on FaceTime, which by the way is an amazing technology because you can absolutely "see" what the other person is feeling). Anyway, she was visibly agitated and when her dad was trying to calm her down, she started to have a full-blown anxiety attack - telling me she couldn't breathe and yelling to her Dad "No! I can't stay!!" It was heartbreaking to watch her so upset and then on top of it, Gianna was with me and she got totally upset and crying seeing her sister freak out. Needless to say, I got myself going, jumped in the car and drove 40 minutes to meet her and her Dad at a middle meeting point. The kid was so upset, but literally passed out in about 5 minutes of getting in the car with me and Gianna. Poor thing - but also, poor mommy - the stress of her being so upset took so much out of me. It's such a difficult transition for her. Hopefully, things will get better, but sometimes, kids just need their moms. Ok - need to do laundry, vacuum and make a nice pot of vegetable soup now. See ya back here tomorrow!! -E xoxo | Tanya's Daily Scoop |
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