Our first stop, Sao Mateus.

From there, we continued along the south shore capturing the magnificent views.

We continued on to Sao Joao where we stopped at this museum.

This museum is densely packed with all kinds of information about the sperm whale- how it eats, how it hears, how it floats… you name it, it was covered. We spent over an hour there, reading display after display, overwhelmed at times with the extent of the detail. To top things off, no one was even there to collect admittance fees. There was simply a box where you were to leave the fees in good faith.

We continued on to Ponta Rosa and spotted this windmill.

Even better up close.

Our next stop was Lajes. But we couln’t help but admire this view along the way.

A view of Lajes from across the harbor.

We liked Lajes- A small be beautiful old town.

Pico was easily seen from Lajes.

Another view of Pico.

A highlight of Lajes is the whaling museum. It was somewhat similar to the whaling museum in Horta on Faial, but plenty enough different to keep us entertained. In the end we were glad to have stopped there. This photo shows a boat used for whaling. Note the paintings on the right wall, one of which I used in my Horta TR.

A replica of a whaling boat. This one is only partially finished, to show how the boats were built. The Azoreans modeled their boats after American whaling boats, but modified them (like making them longer) to be more appropriate for their needs.

From Lajes, we continued eastward on the southern coast. The island was more lush and green the further east we went. This photo was taken from near Ponta do Arrife.

The roads felt more like tunnels through a canopy of green.

After rounding the eastern point of Pico, we caught a good glimpse of the neighboring island Sao Jorge.

Some of our most beautiful photos of our entire trip were taken from Ponto do Espigao.

Pico is truly a paradise.

Shortly after, we cut inland, seeking out different views of Pico. But we found some other spectacular views along the way.

The town of Sao Roque below.

Pico was splendid.

And the views turned mystical as we passed through the clouds.

Finally, a glimpse of Pico from the mountain house where hikers begin on the trail to reach the summit.

As daylight began to close in on us, we headed toward Sao Roque.

Before having dinner in Sao Roque, we spent a little time exploring the center.

This statue of a whaler facing Sao Jorge is commonly photographed.

A closer view.

And that’s the last of the photos we have of our trip to the Azores and our Honeymoon. It has been over a month now, since we have returned home. Undeniably, we live in one of the most amazing and beautiful places in the world, and we feel privileged to be here. Yet, at the same time, our minds continue to drift back to our time in the Azores. With it’s unspoiled beauty and culture, the Azores are a treasure far removed from the rest of the world.

I don’t doubt that we will find ourselves there again.

Complete List of Honeymoon Trip Reports:
Barcelona
Gaudi
Spanish Pyrenees
Climb of Tosa d’Alp
Cardona Castle
Montserrat
Five hours in Lisbon
Horta Part I
Horta Part II
Island of Faial
Island of Pico, Day 1
Portugal and The Azores Highest Point: Montanha Do Pico 7,713′
Watching Whales & Swimming with Dolphins
Pico Adegas, Gardens, and More
Island of Pico

We awoke one particularly misty morning and didn’t let the weather thwart us. We headed out to explore some of Pico’s back roads by bike. Once off the main roads, we hardly saw any traffic at all.

One of our stops that morning was at the Botanical Gardens.

We wandered around for probably over an hour.

And we didn’t see any other visitors.

We had the whole place to ourselves, except for this little loving creature.

Another afternoon we took the bikes to a slightly different area- to explore the adegas on the northwest coast of the island.

A cool house we passed along the way.

Our first stop was in the village of Cachorro. We stumbled upon this house first.

In front of the house there is a well, as seen the photo. This is an example of a type of well that occurs all over Pico, called a “tide-well”. These wells were dug near the sea so that sea water could enter. In the process, the water becomes partially filtered or brackish, which is more easily used than pure sea water.

We also explored the cool coastline there.

Water crashed in an out of the narrow volcanic passages, sometimes with explosive power.

We were amused by an old passageway that was developed over a volcanic arch. It was clear that the passageway is no longer used, but it was not blocked off. So, we went on it anyway.

Cachorro is most known, currently, for its adega. And adega is a place (often several buildings) where village wine is made and stored. Though this particular adega was not open for sight-seeing, there was a shop that featured the local wine and allowed us to taste some of them.

After Cachorro, we continued onward by bike to Lajido, shown in this photo.

Many of the buildings in Lajido are dedicated to wine-making and storage, making Lajido the home of quite a large adega.

In just the last year or so, the adega has been turned into a museum. We got our own private tour of the facilities.

The distillery.

More buildings that are part of the adega.

Vineyards with Pico peaking out above.

Used for smashing grapes.

Ox and other animals were used to transport wine barrels over the rugged volcanic terrain.

The barrels of wine were dragged over miles of terrain that looked like this. You can even see the grooves from the carts ingrained in the rock.

Some houses in the Lajido village with Pico behind.

This church was established years ago for workers who could not travel miles to Madalena to attend services there.

A beautiful Lajido house.

After our tour, we again tasted some local wines. And, of course, upon purchasing some of them, we stuffed the bottles into our backpacks only to bike miles back to our hotel

On our way out of town, Frank caught this nice image of Pico.

On another evening we enjoyed this copper bowl of seafood. But, we weren’t just seeing food. Those little shrimps were looking right back at us!

We also enjoyed the lights from Horta across the way.

And the lights which decorated the harbor of Madalena were beautiful as well

Up next- our last Honeymoon TR!

Complete List of Honeymoon Trip Reports:
Barcelona
Gaudi
Spanish Pyrenees
Climb of Tosa d’Alp
Cardona Castle
Montserrat
Five hours in Lisbon
Horta Part I
Horta Part II
Island of Faial
Island of Pico, Day 1
Portugal and The Azores Highest Point: Montanha Do Pico 7,713′
Watching Whales & Swimming with Dolphins
Pico Adegas, Gardens, and More
Island of Pico

We embarked from Madalena and headed for the southern side of the island. Here the seas are deep and rich with squid, perfect for the Sperm Whales who like to feed on them.

Frank ready to watch some whales, complete with an oversized PFD that acts doubly as a neck pillow.

Our first sighting, however, was not whales. We first spotted dolphins. This type is called the Common Dolphin.

Notice that is is easy to spot the dolphins under the water, especially with the aid of polarized lenses.

Our next sighting- Atlantic Spotted Dolphins. This pod was particularly friendly and I just wanted to jump in the water with them, right then!

Then, we spotted some whales. Sperm whales to be exact. We saw 15 of them over the course of about an hour or so. These are just a few pictures selected from the many. Sperm whales dive deep in the ocean to feed on squid but can often be seen resting at the surface like this between dives.

The whales are just “catching their breath”, preparing for the next dive.

And it is never very long before they dive into the depths of the ocean.

Sometimes they “wag” their tails at us as they dive.

And, rarely, they really stick that tail up in the air. Commonly referred to as “love-tailing”, we aren’t sure why they do it. But, we were happy to be ‘loved’ by this young whale.

On our way back to Madelena, we came across a pod of Risso’s dolphins. These dolphins are a lot more shy, but still fun to see.

The Risso’s dolphins have grayish skin at birth. But, fighting and other interactions lead to scarring on the skin which appears white. The older the Risso’s dolphin, the whiter the skin.

A short video of the Risso’s dolphins we saw.

Risso’s Dolphins off the coast of Pico Island, Azores from 14erskiers on Vimeo.

Swimming with Dolphins
After seeing all the wonderful dolphins during our whale-watching excursion, I wanted to swim with them. The dolphins played with us in the boat, swimming towards us as we arrived, and swimming along with us as we continued on our path. Some of the companies that offer whale-watching also offer opportunities to swim with them. So, we signed up.

We arrived at the office where we had signed up, ready to swim with dolphins. As they shoved us into rental wet suits and snorkel-gear, of which most people who were signed up to swim with the dolphins actually brought with them, we realized we were in for the real thing. Frank, having never snorkeled before and a bit tentative about his swimming skills after growing up in land-locked Colorado, opted out. He would not be joining me in swimming with the dolphins. I’d be going it alone, along with 5 other foreign tourists. I quickly identified one man who stood out from the group of four Germans. “Hello, my name is Brittany.” In a thick accent that I couldn’t quite distinguish, “I am Anatoli.” “Where are you from?” “Ukraine, but I live in Pennsylvania now.” A math professor at Penn State, we were instant friends… as well as snorkeling partners.

So, there we were, four German, one Ukranian, and one American, all decked out in wet suits on a small zodiac equipped with a driver and a guide. We searched for dolphins and came upon a large pod of common dolphins.

The driver took the boat through the pod, looking for a group of young males who are more apt to play along with us (as opposed to females with young babies to protect).

He found some, and two Germans dropped in. Only two people are allowed to swim with the dolphins at once.

Each pair is given about 10 minutes to swim with the dolphins before being called back to the boat. Then, the process repeats, beginning with the driver looking for a group of ‘bachelor’ dolphins.

Not quite evident in the pictures, the seas were quite rough that day. So, please excuse the crooked and the poor-quality photos. It was difficult to capture good pictures when being bumped around all the time! But, note this set of photos. Here, the dolphins are riding the waves! They look like they are having fun

Snorkeling with the dolphins is one of the most surreal things I have ever experienced. On the boat, it’s noisy, bumpy and chaotic. But, the moment I dropped into the sea, it was serene. The waves were choppy, but I stuck my face into the water and, with the snorkel peaking above the water, didn’t notice the waves anymore. I kicked and I floated, not paying attention to the cold that surrounded me. I didn’t notice my snorkel partner, and I didn’t notice when the boat left. Suddenly, there I was, the deep blue of the ocean on all sides- I couldn’t see the bottom. But, that didn’t matter because the dolphins were swimming all around me.

The dolphins never touched me. But, they were curious. They came and swam right by me, some even mothers with their young. They looked me in the eye. And they talked- like you hear on the TV shows. But, it’s always different when you hear it with your own ears. The guide told me to talk to the dolphins, with this squeaking sort of noise. So, I tried it. And the dolphins talked back. Every time I made the squeaking noise, they dolphins made the same noise in reply. I was talking to the dolphins.

Two snorkelers, out in the open deep blue ocean, with the dolphins.

In the course of about an hour, I was able to swim with the dolphins three different times- each being an experience I will never forget.

Complete List of Honeymoon Trip Reports:
Barcelona
Gaudi
Spanish Pyrenees
Climb of Tosa d’Alp
Cardona Castle
Montserrat
Five hours in Lisbon
Horta Part I
Horta Part II
Island of Faial
Island of Pico, Day 1
Portugal and The Azores Highest Point: Montanha Do Pico 7,713′
Watching Whales & Swimming with Dolphins
Pico Adegas, Gardens, and More
Island of Pico

The ferry- a carless one.

As the ferry pulled from the dock, this group of young sailors moved out of our way. I couldn’t help but reminisce because I grew up sailing in dinghies like these.

But now I wished we had a boat like this to take us all over the Azores and beyond

Goodbye Horta and Faial.

Hello Madalena and Pico.

The Madelena port is guarded by these picturesque rocks which we passed along the way.

Much smaller than Horta, Madalena has it’s own beauty.

Madelena’s harbor is much smaller too

We enjoyed the quiet life in Madelena. But, we explored the town in just a few short hours. So, we decided to venture elsewhere. Again, we rented bikes from the tourist information center. Although these bikes weren’t free, like they were in Horta, they were mountain bikes that were in good shape and could get you all over the island, provided you were willing to pedal them that far

Our first destination was the vineyards of Criação Velha.

No one knows for sure when vineyards were established on Pico. But, it is thought that they were established shortly after its settlement in the mid-15th century. Pico’s primary industry was wine-making until the mid-1800′s when disease (Oidium) and insects (Phylloxera) killed the majority of the treasured verdelho grape vines. Before the decline, Pico wines were exported from Horta to locations all over the world.

After the failure of the verdelho grapes a new type of grape was eventually introduced- the American Isabela. It thrived and vineyards began to be restored in the 1990′s.

Biking through the vineyards was a fantastic way to see them.

As you can see, the vineyards here look a lot different than traditional vineyards. Growing grapes here was difficult, due to lack of soil and high winds. People began stacking the volcanic rocks like fences to create microclimates for the vines- protecting them from the wind and giving the vines the warm days and cool nights that they need to thrive. Settlers also often created soil for the grapes by crushing the volcanic rock, often creating a bowl-shaped concavity in which the vine was planted. These obstacles and unique techniques are the reason that the Criação Velha vineyards have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Moinho (windmill) do Frado adds beauty to this already scenic landscape.

After visiting the vineyards, we turned our sight onto the beautiful rugged coast line. A fisherman enjoying a nice day among the volcanic rock.

Meanwhile, some rocks were being bombarded by waves.

Then we made our way uphill toward the lava tube / cave called Gruta das Torres, passing densely forested areas along the way.

We also passed this little guy all tangled up in his own rope.

Up high in the hills, the coast was still beautiful from afar.

Gruta das Torres has only been open to the public since 2005. But, they still have a great establishment.

Though a lava tube formation, Gruta das Torres feels to most like a cave. In order to participate in the cave tour, you are required to don these helmets complete with underlying hairnets.

The “skylight” is really the entrance of the cave, shown here.

And down we go.

The cave was beautiful inside.

After the cave we headed downhill back to Madalena.

It was only 7pm, so we went swimming Lacking beaches, there are plenty of these “swim holes” around Pico.

It was cold, but nice.

We finally sat down to dinner around 10pm. We were greeted with a feast- salad, bread, potatoes, and several different cuts of chicken, beef, and pork.

The Rio Grande Steakhouse takes pride in where their food comes from, all from a farm not far away in the village of Bandeiras. The one on the left looks the most tasty to me

Our night was complete as we happened upon this traditional Azorean dance performance. A great way to end our night, and a fantastic first day on Pico.

Azorean Dance, Pico Island from 14erskiers on Vimeo.

Next up- Whale watching and swimming with dolphins!

Complete List of Honeymoon Trip Reports:
Barcelona
Gaudi
Spanish Pyrenees
Climb of Tosa d’Alp
Cardona Castle
Montserrat
Five hours in Lisbon
Horta Part I
Horta Part II
Island of Faial
Island of Pico, Day 1
Portugal and The Azores Highest Point: Montanha Do Pico 7,713′
Watching Whales & Swimming with Dolphins
Pico Adegas, Gardens, and More
Island of Pico

In order to explore Faial outside of Horta, we rented a car. Faial is small, being only about 7 miles long and 5 miles wide. We began heading west first, out of Horta, enjoying the fantastic coast line along the way.

A lighthouse hear Capelo.

The coast line with the volcanic moonscape of Capelinhos in the distance.

Capelinhos is a very interesting site. In 1957, a volcano began to erupt just off the coast of Faial. It erupted several times within the course of about a year. First below the sea, the volcano eventually grew to above sea-level. Eventually, the lava flow grew enough to attach itself to the island of Faial. Faial was suddenly about 1 and 1/4 square miles bigger. In the process, a lighthouse that was once right on the coast became partially buried in volcanic ash. It still stands today, seen in this photo.

Check out photos and read about the events of this well documented eruption on the Capelinhos website.

Despite its lack of vegetation, Capelinhos is still beautiful.

Near the Capelinhos lighthouse, there is a swimming area. As I said previously, the Azores are not known for their beaches. They don’t have very many of them. But, they do have many of these developed swimming areas among the rocks along the coast. They are quite nice.

Today, the lighthouse has become a museum. Don’t let the size fool you. The museum is largely underground, with rooms upon room telling the story of the eruption, describing how volcanoes form and the different types, and highlighting major volcanoes world-wide. There are videos and holograms, among other cool audio-visual displays.

After Capelinhos, we continued on our island tour. This view overlooks the village of Praia do Norte.

More beautiful coast line with Hydrangeas in the foreground. Hydrangeas have been planted all over Faial- so many that it is often called “the blue island”.

Typical Azorean roads.

Many of the roads are bordered with Hydrangeas.

A beautiful valley on the northern side of the island.

The valley is densely covered with lush foliage, besides the ubiquitous Hydrangeas.

Hydrangeas are even used in place of traditional fences, as seen in this photo.

In the afternoon, we headed to the top of the volcano, called the Caldeira.

The story of the Caldeira….

A tunnel leads to hiking access.

There is a hiking trail that follows the entire circumference of the Caldeira. Though we didn’t have time to do the whole hike (about 2.5-3 hours, and we needed to have the car back by 5:30) we walked along the rim for a ways.

It was spectacularly beautiful.

Perhaps the best part about the Caldeira were the views of neighboring Pico. The clouds made for a surreal scene.

After the Caldiera, we headed to Praia do Almoxarife. Not only is this town the home of the original Flemmish settlers back in 1467, but it boasts one of Faial’s best beaches.

Everyone was swimming, and so did we. Like many of the Azores beaches and swimming spots, Praia do Almoxarife was equipped with full changing facilities including showers.

With our day complete, we headed back to wonderful Horta.

Next up- the island of Pico!

Complete List of Honeymoon Trip Reports:
Barcelona
Gaudi
Spanish Pyrenees
Climb of Tosa d’Alp
Cardona Castle
Montserrat
Five hours in Lisbon
Horta Part I
Horta Part II
Island of Faial
Island of Pico, Day 1
Portugal and The Azores Highest Point: Montanha Do Pico 7,713′
Watching Whales & Swimming with Dolphins
Pico Adegas, Gardens, and More
Island of Pico

As I said in our previous blog about Horta, this city is historically a port that has been used as a resting and refueling station for ships/sailboats that were crossing the Atlantic. Thus, the Horta harbor has become a popular destination for current sailors who are just out on their own ocean adventures.

This harbor is most known for the murals that these sailors paint during their time on-shore. They have covered the harbor with their stories. The murals can include the name of the boat, where they’ve been, where they are going, their website address, they names of the crew, and more. Growing up a sailor myself, I wanted to make sure to give this harbor the time it deserved.

Every inch that could be painted on, they used. Murals seem to only last about 10 years before the weather and sun get the better of them. As they fade into oblivion another mural is painted over it.

No matter what they painted, it was clear that these people were on the adventure of a lifetime…. and some of them had been living that adventure for years.

You could feel the energy, the spirit, the camaraderie…..

And then it dawned on us. They are just like us. Though we may live our adventures in the mountains, these people live their adventures at sea. Like us, they spend any free time they have and much of their income just to live their adventure. They befriend other world-traveling sailors as we have befriended ski bums in ski towns all over the world. Sailors and skiers are of the same mind, but live in different realms of the Earth, part of a different tribe.

Gazing at all these murals inspired us too. We hope some day, a long-ways down the road, to live our own ocean adventures. Around the world on a sailboat? Suddenly it has become a real possibility for us and we have talked about it regularly since visiting this harbor. Of course, we have our work ahead of us. Research is key, and money is too. But, if there’s a will there’s a way. And all of you know our thirst for adventure

And as it turns out, we are not the only Coloradans hearing the call of the sea. Anyone know these folks from Bailey?

All of these scenes brought up nostalgic sailing memories, and even a song which I sang back in middle school, part of which I had sang solo in our choir concert. It went something like this…

When I was young in Scarlettown
I had a single dream:
To sail away across the sea
to lands I’d never seen.

He asked if I would join him
to search for lands unknown.
And then I knew I had to leave home.

The lighthouse that guards the harbor.

A view of Horta from the pier.

At the end of the harbor we stopped in the local tourist information office and rented bikes. Actually, “rent” is a slight misnomer. We actually “borrowed” them. The bikes are free, with the only stipulations being that you don’t leave Horta and you return the bikes before 8 pm that day.

We used the bikes to head over to Porto Pim, which is the original harbor. In 1878 the harbor changed to the present-day location. I assume the switch was for two main reasons: 1) a need for larger boats to dock and 2) less need for protection (especially from pirates, which had been continually thwarted at the old Porto Pim). Porto Pim is best viewed from a hill that stands above it called Monte da Guia. In this photo, Porto Pim lies at the bottom and all of Horta lies above. You can also see the present-day harbor.

Another view, with Faial’s caldera the high point in the distance and the Forte de São Sebastião at the pointy shoreline at the bottom.

The hill also allowed us to see other volcanic calderas that vanished into the ocean.

Porto Pim also houses one of Faial’s better beaches. The Azores are not known for their beaches. Really, they are few and far between. But, this beach was big and inviting.

One of the entrances to the beach is through the old fortress, Portão Fortificado de Porto Pim. I believe this was built in the 17th century.

And the beach continues.

Another view looking across Porto Pim at the old whaling factory, with the volcano on the neighboring Pico rising behind.

The whaling factory was used to harvest and refine parts of the whales that the whalers killed. Now that whaling is no longer practiced, this factory has been converted into a whaling museum.

One of the first things you see in this museum is this video called The Last Whalers. Made in 1969, it documents the lives of whalers. It is disturbing in the sense that you actually witness the killing of a whale. But, in capturing this, you begin to understand the respect whalers had for these whales, the hardship of that kind of life, how whaling has tied the Azores to the States, and the overall history of the Azores as well. Like an excerpt from a chapter of Moby-Dick, this video is worth the watch.

This is where they pulled the whale out of the sea to begin harvesting its parts.

The boilers. They boiled everything- from the fat to the bones to the meat. The sperm whales were especially treasured for their “spermaceti”, which is a waxy substance located in their heads. This substance was used in candles/lanterns and cosmetics, among many other things. Now we know that this substance changes density to help the whale to dive or rise when needed.

After Porto Pim, we headed back to central Horta and found ourselves at yet another historical location – Cafe Sport.

Cafe Sport opened on Christmas Day 1918 as just another bar in bustling Horta. But, in the 1950′s Horta became a popular stopover for trans-Atlantic yachts. As more and more sailors visited Horta, they found themselves at Cafe Sport and the bar began to build its unique reputation. Since then, Café Sport has witnessed a continuous parade of sailors, many leaving their own mark. Much like the murals in the harbor, sailors leave a flag in Cafe Sport.

It’s hard not to smile when surrounded by this nautical nostalgia.

Up next- other sites on the island of Faial

Complete List of Honeymoon Trip Reports:
Barcelona
Gaudi
Spanish Pyrenees
Climb of Tosa d’Alp
Cardona Castle
Montserrat
Five hours in Lisbon
Horta Part I
Horta Part II
Island of Faial
Island of Pico, Day 1
Portugal and The Azores Highest Point: Montanha Do Pico 7,713′
Watching Whales & Swimming with Dolphins
Pico Adegas, Gardens, and More
Island of Pico

Unless you live on the East Coast, you probably aren’t sure where the Azores are. When I describe to people that they are in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, most people picture the Canary Islands. But the Canaries aren’t really in the middle of the Ocean. The Azores that lie about 2000 miles from the East Coast of North America and about 1000 miles from Europe, right smack on the mid-Atlantic Ocean ridge. At the boundary of three tectonic plates, the volcanism in the area created this group of nine islands that belong to Portugal.

The original history of the Azores is a bit scant. But it is clear that Europeans knew about this group of islands in the Middle Ages and even appeared in maps in the 1300′s. Still, their official “discovery” happened in 1427 by Diogo de Silves, or in 1431 by Gonçalo Velho Cabral- depending on the source. Cabral is responsible for the first settlements, which happened in 1436 on Santa Maria first and then later on São Miguel. So, these islands were settled long before Columbus made his way to the New World.

From ECHO- A Natural Connection to the Azores, Log Books.

Though the Azores are not as well-known today, their location made them the center of many important matters throughout history. The Azores provided important refueling opportunities for ships between Europe and North American, the first telegraphs and phones relied on stations in the Azores, and trans-Atlantic flights used to stop here for rest and refueling as well.

Today, many Americans are unaware that the Azores even exist, even noted by Mark Twain during his visit to the area. But, ties between the Azores and America are actually pretty tight. In the mid-18th century, Americans had a crucial role in the development of the whaling industry in the Azores, which quickly became a major economic staple. Horta became the the sister cities to places like Nantucket, New Bedford, Fall River, and Cape Cod. Evidence of these ties can still be seen today: see Nantucket Today and New Bedford Whaling Museum (has an Azorean Whalemen exibit). As we visited whaling museums in the area, Nantucket and New Bedford were mentioned over and over.

Pico depicted by Russell & Purrington’s panorama Whaling Voyage Round the World, from New Bedford’s Whaling Museum website, but seen in various whaling museums in the Azores also

The whaling ties brought Azoreans to the US, causing a wave immigration. As the whaling industry declined, and was eventually forbidden in the 1980′s, the economy of the Azores declined as well. The younger generation looked for opportunity and with existing ties to the East Coast of the US, many of these Azoreans found themselves there as well. Still, even as Anthony Bourdain noted in his Azores episode (see video clip below, these relocated Azoreans are proud of their heritage. And recent prosperity in the Azores is bringing many of them back.

From ECHO- A Natural Connection to the Azores, painted by Manuel Joaquim Madruga, currently located in the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

So, how did we come about spending our honeymoon in the Azores? As we discussed where to go, we decided to nix the skiing. We figured skiing would be the center of many of our future vacations and that our honeymoon should be spent doing something we otherwise would not do. We wanted off-the-beaten-path, but didn’t want to deal with the hassles of Third World. One evening we sat down to watch one of our favorite shows, Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations- a food critic who travels all over the world telling tales of both food and culture. In this particular episode, Bourdain traveled to the Azores. I looked at Frank, “Why don’t we go there?” It certainly seemed to fit the criteria. We liked the idea of going to a group of islands that no one really knew existed. Further investigation revealed that is was indeed an interesting place. So, off to the Azores we went!

A clip of Anthony Bourdain’s Azores episode:

Links to Part Two and Part Three.

Faial is one of the smaller of the Azores islands, but still plays an important role in the history of the islands. Though the actual history of the settlement of Faial is a bit unclear, it seems to be documented that a hermit more or less settled the island first in the mid-1400′s. He was followed by some other Portuguese settlers that we know little about. But, true documentation begins when a group of Flemish, under the leadership of Josse van Huerter settled the island in 1467. They first settled in Praia do Almoxarife but had problems there due to a lack of potable water and relocated to a different valley to a town which which now bear the name of Flamengos, the Portuguese term for “Flemish people”. When a second group of Flemish settlers arrived, they concentrated around the present-day Porto Pim area, creating the Vila de Orta, a translation of Huerter’s name. Eventually, this name morphed into the city of Horta. Today, much of the Flemish influence has vanished, save the names of a few particular places.

Horta is a hub of history. As you walk around through the narrow streets and into the harbor it’s hard not to imagine it full of sailors. Or, better yet, being ravaged by pirates. At times, you feel like you’re in some Pirates of the Caribbean movie set – except you’re not in the Caribbean at all!

The bay.

Pico at night. It’s hard not to be mesmerized by the beauty of this volcano.

We stayed at a bed and breakfast called Estrela do Atlântico, literally translated “Star of the Atlantic”.

That is where we met Ruth. A modernized hippie turned hotel owner, Ruth is full of vibrant stories, like so many others here. Originally from Germany, she made her way to the States for college. Eventually she found her way on to a ship that was sailing across the Atlantic. When I asked her how she found herself in the Azores she replied, “The same ship.” Her ship had stopped for some time on Horta and before she left to continue her journey on to Europe, Ruth pledged she would come back and buy some property. That she did. Those were the days when trans-Atlantic ships were more frequent than planes, Ruth explained. Several ships arrived daily, yet planes arrived maybe once a week. Though a few flights arrive each day now, the Horta airport is small, only about three gates, something we are accustomed to as our own local airport in Gunnison is the same size.

The interior of Estrela do Atlântico was as colorful as Ruth’s vivacious character.

Our room was gigantic- a bedroom, living room, and kitchen- decorated in the themed color of blue… or azul… The name of the “Azores” is said to be derived from the word azul.

Art work on our wall showed how proud the Azoreans are of their history.

The views from our room were lovely.

We still had so much to explore in Horta… coming up next!

Website Resources
ECHO – A Natural Connection to the Azores
Azores Nation
New Bedford Whaling Museum
Nantucket Today
Wikipedia – Azores
Wikipedia – Faial
Azores Islands Info

Complete List of Honeymoon Trip Reports:
Barcelona
Gaudi
Spanish Pyrenees
Climb of Tosa d’Alp
Cardona Castle
Montserrat
Five hours in Lisbon
Horta Part I
Horta Part II
Island of Faial
Island of Pico, Day 1
Portugal and The Azores Highest Point: Montanha Do Pico 7,713′
Watching Whales & Swimming with Dolphins
Pico Adegas, Gardens, and More
Island of Pico

Cardona is a town that was founded centuries ago, largely due to a deposit of salt in the area. The corresponding castle was built largely at first to protect and monitor the salt mine. The castle was modified and rebuilt several times through the centuries but was eventually basically abandoned as the need for a fortress became obsolete. Eventually, the castle became part of the Spanish Parador system- this a group of high-end hotels that are built in historical buildings in Spain. Cardona Castle opened as a parador in 1976.

The salt mine, still in use today.

The interior and exterior of the castle were dotted with plaques talking about various aspects of the castle, such as this one detailing the overall history.

The entrance of the hotel.

The exterior of the castle.

The “cafeteria” was more like a bar- a really sweet bar- located on the top of the castle with excellent views.

The castle walls had plenty of these slots meant for a bow and arrow. Notice how the slot is angled, so someone on the outside couldn’t shoot an arrow directly into the slot without it bounding off the wall.

The water tower, at the top of the castle.

The window to our room is on the upper right of this part of the building.

The interior was beautiful as well.

The lobby.

Our room, classic.

Other rooms.

The restaurant was in the dungeon. Despite all the plaques detailing how people were tortured in these quarters, we ate there anyway

One of our dinner plates. This one was supposedly a local classic.

A view from our window.

The views from the castle were stunning; Pyrenees in the distance.

A view of the town of Cardona below the castle.

A Roman bridge that remains unfinished.

We enjoyed an evening in the town of Cardona.

They must be trying to tell us something about beer.

A view of the castle from town.

Only about 1 to 1.5 hours outside of Barcelona, Cardona is a great place to visit if you want to stay in a castle. Sure, it’s fairly expensive, but it’s not awful- and it is worth the splurge. We will forever enjoy telling people that we stayed in a castle for our honeymoon

Next up- Mont Serratt.

Complete List of Honeymoon Trip Reports:
Barcelona
Gaudi
Spanish Pyrenees
Climb of Tosa d’Alp
Cardona Castle
Montserrat
Five hours in Lisbon
Horta Part I
Horta Part II
Island of Faial
Island of Pico, Day 1
Portugal and The Azores Highest Point: Montanha Do Pico 7,713′
Watching Whales & Swimming with Dolphins
Pico Adegas, Gardens, and More
Island of Pico

Find all the gear you need for traveling at

How did we decide to go there? Frank and I considered a number of National Parks and other parks located in the Pyrenees. We Googled them, looked at the images that appeared, and chose the park that had the most remarkable mountains, in our opinion. The Serra del Cadi are most characterized by the peak known as El Pedraforca. Of course, it is far more mesmerizing in person than on the Internet. (from the East)

A map of the Serra del Cadi can be seen here.

Though Pedraforca dominated, there were plenty of other majestic scenes offered to us by the Serra del Cadi.

The village of Manceners.

Another perspective of Pedraforca, seen from the south.

Pedraforca from the southwest.

The southern region of the Serra del Cadi are marked with many tiny villages, like this.

The Serra del Cadi can be as green as Ireland.

Or, just a couple of miles away, it can feel like you’ve been transported to the Utah desert.

We rented bikes to help us take in some of the amazing scenery the Serra del Cadi had to offer.

But, sometimes the best scenes were the local inhabitants – like this pig who liked to chase his chicks.

I particularly enjoyed the village of Gosol, where Picasso once lived for a summer (1906).

But the most stunning scenes were viewed from just above Gosol, at the Col de Josa.

Still, Pedraforca dominated the scene and dominated our photos.

We were amused by translations.

Even better.

We enjoyed our stay in the sleepy town of Baga, a nice change of pace from bustling Barcelona.

Baga is a medieval town whose center, much like this church, was established in the 1300′s.

The medieval Palace.

As was much of Catalunya, Baga was once the home of Cathars. Cathars are considered to be a Christian sect that flourished in the 13th and 14th centuries, whose practices often conflicted with those of Catholic Rome. Therefore, the Cathars were considered heretics by the Catholics and were eventually persecuted. They fled, and their last hold out was Catalunya. Today, their path of “escape” can be retraced and is called the Route of the Cathars or the Cami dels Bons Homes. The route is shown below.

The medieval center of Baga held both beauty and character.

But perhaps the most fun we had was our first dinner in Baga- Their only customers for the evening, they opened the restaurant for us, turned on the lights, and called the chef! But, the food was delicious

The harbor of Horta, on Faial, with the volcano Pico on the neighboring island of Pico, rising behind.

Horta as seen from a nearby point.

We rented free bikes from the tourist info center

We biked through vineyards on Pico- not the typical vineyard, but they worked with their “volcanic” resources. This area is currently a UNESCO heritage site due to their historic and unique ways of growing grapes which actually produce quite good wine! The island of Faial is in the distance.

Pico from the town of Lajido on Pico island, where we biked to visit a historic wine distillery.

We went whale watching.

And swimming with dolphins.

A sunset view from near the mountain house midway up Pico volcano.

Southerns coastline of Pico with the village of Sao Joao.

More southern coastline.

Northern coastline, near Pont Espiago, with Pico volcano on the left.