Crew member Greg left for home, and we connected with John and Helena Almberg (friends we had met a few years ago) from s/v Petronella who made the crossing of the Atlantic at the same time as us. We opted to rent a car for the day and see more of what the island had.
Did I mention that the island is one giant series of volcanoes? The view from Serra do Cume, our first stop, was that of a massive cauldera which formed the earliest part of the island over 3 million years ago. The land is now all farmland, and forms a ’patchwork’ of cropland and grazing areas for cattle, sheep, goats and bulls.
After the heights, we drove down to Praia Vittoria, the other harbor on the island. Aside from Angra do Heroismo, our base, most towns on the island can be walked around in less than 20 minutes. We moved on.
Biscoitos was our stop for lunch. Little did we know there was only one restaurant on this side of the island, and Helena sweet talked them into finding a table for us without reservations. Terceira is known for their beef, and we proceeded to eat what felt like an entire cow! Carpaccio and bone marrow to start (an entire cow’s leg), steak, specialty pot roast, and tongue for lunch. The wine was from neighboring island Pico (Terceira is not known for their red wine). Delicious!
After lunch we back tracked and drove down to the lava pools. As the lava poured down to the sea, it eventually cooled and has been worn away by wind and waves. The result is a public swimming area that has lifeguards, but is pretty much swim at your own risk. Aside from cold water, the presence of Portuguese man-o-wars easily made me decide to skip the dip!
Recent Comments