Ribeira Grande
Day 2 of hiking! Today I got smart and grabbed screenshots from the hiking guidebook so that we knew where we were supposed to be going!
We headed out this morning, arriving at a parking area for our hike around 9. Today’s hike was Cascada Salto del Cabrito - reported to be a 7.5km circular trail with a mere 230 metre gain in elevation. In the end, it was just shy of 7.25km but the elevation gain was closer to 280 meters. We started near two streams, both of which the guidebook told us would need to be forded. Yup. Forded. I don’t ford a lot of things but hey, you only take your first post-pandemic trip in honour of your 40th birthday once, right? Well, early birthday present to me - bridges had been built over both streams since the guidebook was last updated! The first stream would have been totally fine but the second stream… Well, it was nice there was a bridge though it was a bit sway-y and low with the rope railing for my taste. EDP was not allowed on the bridge at the same time as me and I definitely had a false start before I whimpered my way across. Then, it was pretty much smooth sailing. The ascents today were much more gradual than yesterday and we were primarily on roads through the country side. We saw lots of cute little geckos, sunning themselves on the stone walls before we made it to Caldeiras, a little village with a thermal spa (appeared to be closed) and a small restaurant (definitely closed.) We continued on out of town, seeing lots of little fumaroles (where volcanic gases are vented from the ground) and then following a pipeline running from an old hydro station before heading to the waterfall we were en route to see. I didn’t quite appreciate that we’d be on a narrow, metal grate just over the pipeline, suspended over a gorge, followed by an incredibly steep metal stairway to lead us into the gorge but I guess every day has its surprises!
Our timing for arriving at the waterfall was excellent - there were only a few people and they were wrapping up so we had uninterrupted viewing for a few minutes before the place started teeming with people. One thing I have learned about the Azores is that whatever you are hiking to also has a parking lot you can drive you. And most people choose to drive. Most people probably know about the metal grate over the suspended pipeline with it’s accompanying steep stairs. Anyway. We only had a short distance to go to get back to the car but it involved an unfortunately steep climb up the road. So many steep climbs…
From the car, it was a short little jaunt over to our first of two planned hot springs visits. Today’s was Caldeira Velha. I believe you can walk over as part of this hike but it would have extended the hike by quite a bit and involved jumping a gate at a power station, which didn’t sound like the smartest idea. With no lockers, we left almost everything in the car, save for our bathing suits & towels, getting admission with the 1:00 cohort. That left us enough time for a little snack (someone had coffee, someone else had ice cream) before heading in. The hot springs had 4 different pools, though we really only could find 3. We started in one that was a bit cooler and quite empty to start, letting the warm water soak into our tired bodies. Then, it was into a warmer pool - I think it was in the high 30s? Also quite lovely to soak in. Then, we ventured off to try to find the final pool, getting up to it and discovering it was cold. We did not go in.
It was then time to move on to the Praia de Santa Bárbara beach in Ribeira Grande where the plan was to have a drink/lunch overlooking the black beach. We found the beach with relatively little problem since there was parking very close by but there were no cafes. There were definitely buildings that used to be cafes. But no longer. So we watched the waves crashing in for a few minutes from the edge of the boardwalk before deciding it was time to move on. I was really looking forward to that drink, too.
We then moved on to the Gorreana tea plantation where we saw how they grow and process their tea before trying several lovely samples, purchasing some to bring home, and enjoying a passionfruit tart and an orange cake.
That should have been us done for the day but sadly, the tour company we had booked a Lagoa das Furnas canoeing morning with had emailed earlier to see if we were able to switch from the morning trip to the afternoon trip. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to work due to our gin masterclass booked for late afternoon so we figured we had lots of time since our drinks in Ribeira Grande didn’t work out so we would head to Furnas while we still had the car and see the area, even if we couldn’t canoe the lake. So off we went. It would have been quite interesting to canoe out to the middle of the lake, which is in a crater but we satisfied ourselves with walking around, seeing the fumaroles and where they cook the famous cozido das Furnas, a stew that is cooked right in the ground by the volcanic heat. We didn’t stay around long enough to try it, wanting instead to get back to Ponta Delgada.
On the way back, we got stuck in one of the infamous Azorean traffic jams. It wasn’t too bad, mostly the traffic was on the other side of the road but there’s always one that has to break away from the pack and hang out on the wrong side of the road. Of course, I’m talking about a herd of cows. It was being shuffled along by a farmer so it didn’t take long at all for us to pass through but it was still funny to see.
Back in Ponta Delgada, we found ourselves a bottle of chilled green wine, the balcony, something to read, and basked in the sunshine until it was time to head off to dinner. Sadly, while our appetiser was very tasty - duck and mushroom croquettes because you can take the girl out of Belgium but you’ll have to pry her croquettes from her cold, dead hands - the main course was uncomfortable, at least for me, since I had a glass of red wine spilled on me. On my light grey sweater. On my dress. On my suede shoes (grey, not blue…) And there wasn’t a lot that could be done in the restaurant so that was less than fun. Also less than fun - the woman who knocked the glass over didn’t even have the decency to apologize and the restaurant staff couldn’t be bothered to bring water or a cloth while I tried to sponge out as much of the wine as I could. Nope, it was bathroom paper towels and EDP’s water for me! If it hadn’t been for the croquettes and the recommendation for a good coffee place from the gentleman at the table beside us, the evening would have been quite disappointing. At this point, I’ve been able to get most of the wine out of my shoes (the laces may be toast) and I think turning the shower on the dress is leaving that stain-free but the sweater is questionable. And it’s the only sweater I brought. Sigh. The hotel is going to do what they can, which is all I can ask, but maybe I’ll end up starting a new fashion trend?
