Angra do Heroísmo
Happily, the rain is gone! WIth how much rain was expected, there was a chance we’d have travel troubles today but it was relatively smooth sailing.
Our flight to take us over to Terceira was scheduled for 12:40 so we had a lazy morning, packing up while finishing up the bottle of champagne from last night and the dessert we had picked up at lunch but never got around to eating. Our transport back to the airport was right on time - 3 hours before the flight - which got us to the airport way too early. The counter wasn’t even open to check our bags in. So we waited for that and then got some warm beverages and headed back out front of the airport before heading through security. The airport, despite being one of the largest in Portugal, is quite small with not a whole heck of a lot to keep one occupied. It did end up getting a bit chilly outside so off we went through security and settled in by our gate for the wait for the flight. This time, we got to walk to the airplane when it was time to board. It was a small plane, though no where near as small as what we had in Belize, it was still pretty small. The flight was quick and easy, landing at the Terceira airport (also one of the largest in Portugal) and we quickly were through and found our transport driver, a lovely young woman who told us all sorts of interesting things about the island as she drove us into Angra do Heroísmo. For me, the most surprising was that there was running of the bulls on the island - and quite a bit. We were arriving just at the start of the season but when things really get going, it’s every weekend in all the little towns across the island. Who knew?!
While we weren’t arriving at our hotel incredibly early, we were still too early to check in so we dropped our bags and headed into town to see about some lunch and start poking around. We had hoped with our flight landing around 1, getting our room a bit early would be a possibility and could just have a lazy day all around but with that not happening, we walked into town. The hotel is on the edge of things, tucked at the end of a little bay so we’re not in the centre of everything.
A short walk got us into town and I just love this place. The buildings are all so colourful and remind me of somewhere but I can’t put my finger on it. It’s so vibrant! We found a little spot to have a sandwich and while there, we realised we were fairly close to things and had the time so we might as well visit the museum & garden we had planned for tomorrow. It was an easy walk to find the museum and we spent a nice hour or so learning more about the history of the city and the Azores, in general. Then, it was next door into the gardens - Jardim Duque da Terceira. These gardens were quite planned and manicured - and more extensive than I expected. We climbed up and then down, enjoying the warm weather and the lovely surroundings. Finally, we headed back to the hotel, got checked in and settled in, ending our day at a nearby restaurant where we had relatively decent pizza.
Tomorrow is our only hike for this island, hiking up the volcano that we can see from our hotel room - there is a tree blocking a good chunk of the volcano but we’ll get a better view tomorrow when we’re up close.
