Sista dagen - sol o varmt!

En varm och solig härlig dag avslutade vår semester. Vi promenerade flera gator som vi inte sett och gick vidare till Sao Rock utanför stan där vi lunchade på en omtalad fiskrestaurang. Vi fick svärdfisk.
Packade och klara för hemresa tidigt imorgon.

A warm and sunny beatiful day ended our vacation. We spent the morning walking streets we hadn't seen before and then went on to Sao Rock, a nearby village. Here we had lunch in a famous seafood restaurant. We had swordfish.
Now we are packed and ready to leave early in the morning.

Lördag - söndag

Lördag - Stora öturen. Vi besökte en teplantage och smakade på några av deras tesorter. Sedan åkte vi vidare till det vackra vattenfallet på nordsidan. Därefter fick vi en utmärkt lunch i Noreste. Och sen en kort promenad innan bussen gick vidare utefter kusten. Vi stannade på ett par rastplatser som närmast såg ut som parker. Efter en liten kafferast i Povoacau på sydsidan, där dom också hade ett litet gratis zoo, fortsatte vi hemåt. Det var en heldagsutflykt.
Söndag - solen sken, vi gick ut för att ta en långpromenad men det började genast regna så vi gick hem igen o läste ett tag medan solen sken igen utanför. Så nytt försök, det började genast regna. Men nu var vi hungriga så vi trotsade vädrets makter och letade efter nåt ställe som serverade mat mellan 3 och 6. Vi stannade så småningom i hamnen där vi åt (ungefär) scampi. Solen kom fram igen och vi studerade lokalbefolkningens söndagsnöjen i hamnen, fotboll, yetskiis, rullskridskor och några simmade faktiskt också.

Saturday - The Grand Island Tour. We visited a Tea plantation and tasted some of their differnt teas. From there we went on to a beutiful waterfall on the north side. After that onto Nordeste where a great lunch awaited us. After a short stroll through the village we stopped at two reststops that looked like parks. A short coffeebreak at Povoacau on the south coast where they also had a little zoo that was free, and then back home. IT was a full day.
Sunday - the sun was shining so we went for a walk and it started to rain so we went back home and read for a while. And the sun came back, a new try and it started to rain again but now we were hungry so we went on in search of a restaurant that would serve food between 3 and 6 in the afternoon. We ended up in the harbour eating shrimps scampi (sort of) and the sun came back. We studied the activities of the local population consisting of  soccer, yet ski, rollerscating, some perplex were even swimming.

Valar och earthquake

Så, idag hade vi bokat valutflykt. Vi trodde att vi bokat båten med överbyggnad men vi hamnade på en öppen liten båt utrustade med långa regnkappor och flytvästar tillsammans med en skrälldus med högljudda tyskar. Det första som hände när vi rundade hamnpiren var att vi blev översköljda. Tyskarna skrattade - fortfarande. Med tiden blev dom sjösjuka och tystnade alltmer.
Först såg vi det lokala delfinstimmet, men längre ut fick vi valuta för pengarna - vi såg valar! Det var Sillval som är den näst största djuret i världen efter blåval. Och utrotningshotad så även guiden var lite exalterad.
När vi kom hem trötta och blöta tog vi en eftermiddagslur och gick sedan och åt middag på vår favoritrestaurang. Där fick vi veta att det varit en jordbävning i natt. Som vi tydligen sovit oss igenom.

Today we went on a whale watch. We thought we had booked on a covered boat but we ended up on a small open boat. We were equipped with long rain coats and life wests, which turned out to be really helpful since we were showered by the waves. The majority of the group were German, who at the beginning were quite boisterous but became increasingly quite with the rolling waves. Some became seasick.
First we saw the local dolphins but further out it payed off - we saw the whales! IT was Fin Whales that are the second largest animal in the world. This animal is headed for extinction so even our guide was exited to see them.
Tired and wet we returned to the hotel for an afternoon nap and then we went to our favorite restaurant for dinner. We were told that an earthquake had erupted during the night. We had blissfully slept through the whole thing.

Onsdag, torsdag

Vackert väder! Vi tog en lång promenad i Parque Urbano, som ligger i utkanten av stan. Sen arrangemanget "Smaka på Azorerna" vilket bestod av mer eller mindre ätliga Azoriska specialiteter. Men ölen var god!
Torsdag hyrde vi bil och ett av målen var ett litet speciellt kapell som vi sett på bild. Men det låg högt upp på berget med en smal krokig väg ditupp som vi inte vågade köra, och den var för jobbig att gå upp. Men vi har i alla fall sett kapellet på avstånd så vi är nöjda.
Därifrån åkte vi till Terra Nostra- parken, en stor botanisk trädgård som vi tidigare sett en liten del av i ösregn. Idag sken solen och vi fick en underbar promenad bland blommor och fåglar. Märkligast var dom svarta svanarna.

Beatiful weather! We took a long. walk i Parque Urbano, in the outskirts of the city. Then we joined the Swedish group for "A taste of the Azores" which consisted of more or less edible Azorian food specialities. But the beer was good!
Thursday we rented a car. One of the destinations was a famous small church that we had seen a picture of. But the church was high up on a mountin top and the road was too steep and curvy so we didn't dare to drive and too tirying to climb. But at least we saw it at a distance so we are happy.
From there we went to Terra Nostra Park, a big botanical garden that we had seen parts of earlier in pouring rain. Today the sun was shining and we had a wonderful walk among flowers and birds. Most notable where the black swans.

Tisdag -egen dag med vackert väder

Sovmorgon - äntligen!
Strålande väder och inget program. Vi vandrade iväg till grannbyn, 4 km bort, utefter stranden. Alla trottoarer är utsmyckade med olika mönster med vit kalksten mot den svarta lavastenen. Ju rikare områden, desto mer vit sten.
Trodde att vi skulle äta lunch på en omtalad restaurang, men den var stängd så det var bara att trava tillbaka igen. Lunch på piren då vi kunde övervaka en tremastad skonare från Frankrike, som la till.
Middag hemma på grönsaker från marknaden som ligger 5 min från oss.

Finally a morning to sleep in!
Great weather and no. program. We walked along the Atlantic shoreline to a neighboring village 3 Miles away. All sidewalks are decorated with white limestone against the black lava stone. The more prosperious the neighborhood, the more white stone.
We thought we would have lunch in a recommended restaurant, but it was closed so we had to walk back again. Lunch at the pier in Ponta Del Gada where we observed a schooner from France docking.
Dinner at home with wares from the local farmers marcet, 5 minutes from our hotel.

Måndag - tvillingsjöarna

Utflykt till tvillingsjöarna som också är en vulkankrater. På eftermiddagen promenad i botanisk trädgård med jätterädd o jättebambu som får oss att tro att vi blivit teskedsgummor!
Solen sken och det var skönt.
Vi släpade med en kikare och det betalade sig idag när vi såg delfiner från balkongen.

Excursion to the twin lakes, another volcanic crater. In the afternoon we walked through a botanical garden with giant trees and bamboo that made us feel like "the teaspoon lady". ( this a Swedish farytale about a woman who shrinkes to the size of a teaspoon when she utters the words "Göta Petter!")
The weather was Sunny and nice.
We bought binoculares and that paid off today when we saw dolphins from the balcony.

Lördag-söndag

Lördag: Regn, shoppa, sova, museum, middag -utsökt med live musik.
Söndag: upp tidigt, utflykt till Furnas som är en by med en sjö nere i en vulkankrater. Vi besökte ett forskningsinstitut som försöker rädda sjön från övergödning.
Här finns också områden med källor så varma att vattnet kokar.
Man kan höra mullret från jordens inre i dom kokande källorna. Där fanns ett område där dom gjort djupa gropar i sanden där dom gräver ner grytor med kött o grönsaker som får puttra många timmar. Slutresultatet var dagens lunch.
Naturen är helt underbar. En stor härlig park med varma bad - ungdomens källa. Vi avstod från att bada pga ösregn. Dygnsura tröstade vi oss sen med en Irish coffee i en bar i väntan på bussen hem.
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Saturday: rain, shopping, napping, museum, dinner - a great dinner with live music.
Sunday: up early, excursion to Furnas, a village in the mouth of the volcano. We visited a research facility who's goal is to save a lake that has been contaminated by fertilizers. Here are also springs so hot that the water boils. You can hear the grumbling from the inner of the earth in those springs. Part of the Azorean cuisine consists of putting meat and vegetables in a pot that they put in a hole in the grund and cover with dirt. This is then cooked by the heat of the ground until done.
This became todays lunch.
Nature here is beatiful. We visited a park with a warm spring - fountin of youth. Unfortunately it was pouring rain and we didn't feel like swimming. Soaking wet we comforted ourselves in a bar with an Irish coffee while waiting for the bus home.
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Deutsch? Francais? Espanol? Italiano? ... What Else?

Exploring on our own

Woke up fairly leihgt (8.30) to our delight the sun was shining but it was windy.
The goal of today was to find yoghurt without shugar. The second goal was to find the bus that would take us to the shopping center. ( because the local store only has very sweet, inedeble, yoghurt).
So we found the bus and stopped at the presidents garden and toured that. We had to show the passport to get in! Beutiful flowers, amazing trees!

From there we walked the rest of the day, at least a Swedish mile (10 km). All worned out we managed to stop and shop some more fruit and wine.
Some snacks and strawberries on the balcony before going out for dinner.
The house specialty is steak that you fry yourself on a hot stone at the table. It was positively delicious! (Wonder why we don 't do that?)

Now we are full, tired and happy and ready to go to sleep.

Lousy weather!

Today we went on an all day excursion to look at a couple of  volcano craters. Getting up on the first mountin where the view was supposed to be spectacular, it. was unfortunately so foggy that nothing could be seen. After that we stopped at a crater with hot springs. The forest around looked tropical with ferns (ormbunkar) large as trees, looking more like palms.
We didn't quite have the courage to undress and go swimming.
After that the tour went on to tasting liqeur - we decided the blackberry was the best. Then onto a very nice lunch. The rest of the tour was postponed (uppskjuten) due to the fog. So we have a raincheck until next monday.
Well at home we took a nap, went to the gym and a hot bubble pool.
The weather is supposed to be bad for a few more days :(

Aching feet after citywalk

Woke up this morning to a dazzling view from the balcony. We had ordered breakfast to the room. IT arrived and we could have fed an army!
On the way to the meeting place for the citywalk in bright sunshine, we stopped at an ATM and the rain started pouring. Two minutes later the rain was over and the rest of the day was nice.
The town of Ponta del Gada is charming and we had a wonderful time. After the walk was over we bought pineapples grown here, they are sweeter. And some cheeses made here and of course local wine.
Pictures of the city Will be another day. Now we are relaxing with leftovers and wine. We have decided a selfie a day is the theme of this trip. :)

Midnight local time - 2 AM in Sweden

We arrived with a little rain and 11 degrees. Our hotel is great. Big balcony with ocean view, two rooms and a kitchen. We found the bar :) . We can't wait to see Ponta del Gada in daylight!

Incheckade - The Azores next!

Relaxing at Arlanda with a cappuccino. We are waiting for a plane with airline SATA without Internet and we think the complete fleet is one plane going back and forth.
Let's hope they do have a compas!