June 4, 2016 - Tanya's in the Azores and More - Day 16 - São Miguel, Portugal

Elisa's Daily Scoop
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The Archipelago of the Azores & "Tea"

Hey Folks - Enjoying another Saturday here on Long Island.  

While he kiddies are riding, I'm hanging out in Riverhead at Tanger Outlets.  A few returns to take care of and working on my blog.

Yesterday, was a fun day with the kiddies.

Took Kelsey and her adorable friends to town for some lunch and walking around the stores!
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I cannot believe how these girls are growing up!  

Moving on to today and the topic at hand...with Tanya still traveling on her European trip to The Azores and more...I have been trying my best to round out her amazing travels with fun facts and information about the many places she is visiting.

The Azores a pretty interesting destination.  Located off the coast of Portugal, they are a group of islands which form an archipelago in the mid-Atlantic.  

Let's take a closer look at the Archipelago...

16 Fun Facts About the Archipelago of the Azores

1. The Azores, officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal, composed of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean about 850 miles west of continental Portugal and 2,561 miles east of New York City.

2. There are nine major Azorean islands and an islet cluster, in three main groups. These are Flores and Corvo, to the west; Graciosa, Terceira, São Jorge, Pico, and Faial in the centre; and São Miguel, Santa Maria, and the Formigas Reef to the east. 

3. All the islands have volcanic origins, although some, such as Santa Maria, have had no recorded activity since the islands were settled.

4. The Azores are actually some of the tallest mountains on the planet, measured from their base at the bottom of the ocean to their peaks, which thrust high above the surface of the Atlantic.

5. Mount Pico, on the island of Pico, is the highest point in Portugal, at 7,713 feet. 

6. The size of the islands vary with São Miguel being the biggest at 227.5 square miles and Corvo, the smallest at 6.6 square miles.

7. The main industries are agriculture, dairy farming (for cheese and butter products primarily), livestock ranching, fishing, and tourism.

8. The culture, dialect, cuisine, and traditions of the Azorean islands vary considerably, because these once-uninhabited and remote islands were settled sporadically over a span of two centuries.

​9. The Azores may have been known to the ancients and were included on a map in 1351.

​Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira, Azores (credit: wikipedia)

10. The Portuguese arrived in 1427 with the discovery of the islands of Santa Maria and São Miguel, but colonization did not begin until 1445 under Diogo de Sevilha or Gonçalo Velho Cabral.

​11. Due to its strategic geographic position, the archipelago was to become one of the axis of navigation between Europe, the Orient and America during the course of the 16th and 17th centuries.​

12. During the colonial period, the Azores were a stopover point for treasure fleets returning from the New World, and many ships were lost there due to hurricanes or pirates.

13. Angra do Heroísmo, the oldest continuously-settled town in the archipelago of the Azores and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

14. The climate of the Azores is very mild for such a northerly location, being influenced by its distance to continents and the passing Gulf Stream and as a result, temperatures remain mild year-round. 

15. the Azorean people, who are primarily Roman Catholic and the Festival of the Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles in Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel, is the largest individual religious event in the Azores, and takes place on the fifth Sunday after Easter.

16. Today, the islands of the Azores are popular for hiking, whale-watching, blue marlin fishing, surfing and diving.

SHOPPING is a pastime that is near and dear to me and my cuz, Tanya!

With today being Shopping Saturday here on TC, I was curious to know what the most popular items were to purchase on the islands of the archipeligo.

Although the main attractions are the historic, sights and beautiful landscapes, there is no shortage of stores.  Handmade clay dishes, vases, embroidery, and lace-woven items are certainly NOT in short supply.

The Azores area also known for pineapples, which are readily available at supermarkets and at the airport.

Gorreana Tea Plantation, São Miguel, Azores

"The archipelago is the only place in the region where tea is grown," according to IExplore "with numerous outlets around the islands selling it."  
São Miguel’s Gorreana Tea Factory and sample various types and strains.

São Miguel is home to the oldest and currently only, tea plantation in Europe, Gorreana. They have been cultivating tea since 1883, keeping with the original traditions of the Orient for five family generations.

Visited annually by tens of thousands, Gorreana's boutique, factory and museum located in the county of Ribeira Grande is the perfect place to enjoy a cup of fresh picked tea while admiring the original 'Marshalls' machinery that dates back to the 1840's.
Hey Tanya -I know you loved visiting Gorreana last year!!

(c)travelincousins.com

Tea Fields of Gorreana, São Miguel (c)travelincousins.com

(c)travelincousins.com

Well, my dear peeps, that's it for today!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN:
SAÕ MIGUEL, PORTUGAL

Well Helloooo São Miguel!

GREETINGS one and ALL from the oh so beautiful Azorean island of Saõ Miguel.

I woke up this morning feeling a bit like Snow White.
*which is kinda funny - because while in Honfluer on this same trip I felt little Belle from Beauty and the Beast!

Waking up here in the private home that we are renting within the lush forest of Furnas. The sun peaking through the Japanese Cedar trees and the peaceful sound of native birds chirping away as if to say Bom Dia! (Good Morning in Portuguese)

The living room in our rental (c)travelincousins.com

The kids were in shock and awe as we arrived on site and they really couldn't believe how amazing and perfect it is.
So needless to say - none of us really want to leave...

We are all so incredibly impressed with this property/home that I've even adjusted our itinerary in order to spend more time exploring the amazing grounds right here...

Plus, as remote as it seems and may sound, we are only a 5 minute walk into the center of town!

Let me back track just a wee bit - 

We arrived here on Saõ Miguel around lunch time yesterday and immediately headed to the car rental desk to pick up our pre-paid station wagon - the largest vehicle (car) that they offer and the largest that could almost comfortable fit of the tight streets of Ponta Degada.

Well after waiting on a longer line than expected (since there are only 5+ flights per day from Lisbon and less from anywhere else), but since one counter was covering 4 different rental companies and with only 2 desk agents - I guess it sort of made sense.

Anyhow, I'm not really griping about that...

And I hate the idea that I am griping -
I'm here in freakin' PARADISE for goodness sake!

But what I have to acknowledge is the fact that we pre-paid for a certain car class prior to beginning this vacation, and when we walked out into the car lot, we were led to a small tiny little economy sized car that would in no way shape of form fit all of us and our luggage!

So rather than us all lugging these bags back into the terminal. I sent Dave back in to straighten out this mess. And when he did come back he had the keys to a station wagon - but he also had an upgrade bill.

The company claims that the station wagon class that was booked and paid for was the same "class" vehicle as the little Economy car they tried to put us in.

Needless to say I was not happy - but didn't want to waste anymore of our precious vacation time on this matter (I'll be dealing with this once I get home).
And this wasn't the first time that we've dealt with the issue of rental agencies and the listings of different car class descriptions.
​It's a BOGUS scam.

Well moving on, we were hungry and looking forward to lunch at the highly acclaimed Rotas The BEST restaurant in the Azores!
Which never disappoints, but since we were held up at the airport longer than expected, we got take away (take out), and headed for the oasis that we are staying at.

Eating our take out lunch on our wonderful little patio. (c)travelincousins.com

But for pictures sake, let me start at the beginning - 
Our day started in Terceira and we went back in Angra do Hermosa for a lovely stroll and for bit more shopping.

Terceira (c)travelincousins.com

Monte Brazil in the background. Terceira (c)travelincousins.com

Angra do Hermosa (c)travelincousins.com

Angra do Hermosa (c)travelincousins.com

Jardín Botánico de Angra do Heroísmo (c)travelincousins.com

While out and about, we also found all of these cute little frogs just doing there thing in a pond at the ​Jardín Botánico de Angra do Heroísmo.

(c)travelincousins.com

(c)travelincousins.com

Angra do Hermosa (c)travelincousins.com

Following our time in Angra, we begin heading to the airport - but first we wanted to check out the amazing view from the Serra Du Cume lookout (that happened to be socked in with fog on Thursday when we made our first attempt).
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Although it still wasn't perfectly clear, it was still perfectly awesome!

Serra Du Cume lookout (c)travelincousins.com

Serra Du Cume lookout (c)travelincousins.com

Serra Du Cume lookout (c)travelincousins.com

Serra Du Cume lookout (c)travelincousins.com

Met a couple of friends at Serra Du Cume lookout (c)travelincousins.com

Then off we went to island hop from Terceira to Saõ Miguel.

Lajes Field (c)travelincousins.com

Arriving in São Miguel (c)travelincousins.com

Arriving in São Miguel (c)travelincousins.com

And the rest is history :)

Today the plan is all about waterfalls, and going back to Cha Gorreana!

Meet ya back here tomorrow for all the scoop from today,
-T