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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Feb 26, 2011 07:00 PM Angra do Heroismo - from UNESCO list
I think it is the nicest city of the Azores. It was vich in the past, with many monuments, churches and nice atmosphere... You can walk now the steep streets enjoying the beauty of the old architecture. No tourists at all! The best view of the city is from the terrace of Memoria monument - masonic-like structure up on the slope...
Back in the city you can have a rest in the one of many bars and cafes... Nice gargen in front of the former San Francisco convent is also worth a visit - I enjoyed there many exotic flowers... Once they have nine convents in this small town!
In the afternoon I took the public bus to Praia and onward to the airport on the northern coast of the island. I hope the flight will be on time so I will land in the late afternoon on my last island - Sao Miguel...
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Feb 25, 2011 07:00 PM Hard-core trail on Azores
I think that the highlights of Terceira Island are two nice caves (thanks Jurek for your recommendation) but I recognized that they are open only in the season. It starts on March 26th. Bad luck! If you want them to open off the season just for you it will cost you 50 euro on weekdays and 80 on weekend. I expected that they have other tourists or groups but is seems that I am the only tourist on Terceira! :) It was raining in Angra in the morning but in the afternoon I had some sunshine - I decided to walk along the trail recommended by the people from vulcanology museum on the waterfront of Angra (free and worth to see - they mantain the caves). Unfortunately public bus does not cross the interior of the island - they operate only along the coast, so I was hitchhiking again to get to the Gruta Natales - where the trailhead is located. Hitchhiking is easy!
They call this trail Misterios Negros since the main attraction are the black, dome hills made of volcanic lava and slag.
I did it with some effort... The trail is now very muddy and wet. It is also overgrown by bush, so in many places tall people like me have the problem to pass through. In the central part you feel like a Rambo in the dense jungle. There are some nice views of course. But in the winter it is really hard-core path...
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Feb 24, 2011 07:00 PM Terceira on the horizon!
In the afternoon my turbo-prop of SATA airlines landed on Terceira Island. The city Angra do Heroismo is the main attraction of the island - It is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. The problem is hov to reach Angra from the airport on a cheap... It is on the other side of the island...
I found the way: they have public buses here. Just in front of the airport there is a unsigned bus stop for Praia Vittoria. You will pay only 83 cents per ride. Then on the hour there are buses from Praia to Angra - this takes almost an hour and you will pay 2,65 eu.
Old Angra is really nice place - cobbled narrow streets, churches, bells calling every hour. It is in mine opinion the nicest city of the Azores. It was worth to carry my heavy backpack uphill to the little, cosy pension "Casa Sao Jose" - rua de Cima de Santa Luzia 15 ph: 96 51 41 309. I got there cosy room with bath and continental breakfast just for 20 euro - but this is off season price :)
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Feb 23, 2011 07:00 PM To Sao Jorge - greetings to Jorge Sanchez!
It was still dark when I was walking from my empty pension to the Terceira airport. No rush! Very few people were there and soon I got the information that the flight will be delayed "due to the late arrival". SATA has my bad opinion - so far they are always late. Terceira airport, where US military base is also located looks like well-equipped so it should work well!
The only advantage I appreciate is free wi-fi internet in all airports. Bring your netbook with you! You can use it waiting for delaled SATA flights!
Clouds were covering Sao Jorge Island when we were flying over this island. Plane landed in Velas after 20 minutes...
It is only like 6 kms from the airport to the town but my local fellow told me that he will call for the free transfer the staff of inexpensive "Residencial Neto". And they arrived! This pension is conveniently located on the main square of the picturesque Velas. 25 euro per room incl. breakfast.
I wanted to go for the trail the same day. Taxi driver (another 25 euro) took me to the trailhead on Serra do Topo (some 43 kms from Velas). Bad luck! It is 700 m above the level of the ocean and there was strong wind, fogg and almost horizontal rain. Sorry - I returned afret 10 minutes of waiting. Next time!
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Feb 22, 2011 07:00 PM After 4 days the plane arrived!
I was lucky today! After 3 days going to the Flores Island airport checking-in and then going back to the hotel I embarked the flight to Faial Island, then the second one - to Terceira. I saw the summit of Mt Pico only from the plane...
Sorry, no connection to may next island - Sao Jorge on the same day so I was forced to look for the cheap accommodation close to the Terceira airport.
Tourist desk was already closed but the guy from the car rental said that there in inexpensive residencial some 1 km away in the Lajes village. OK. I found it - turn right from the terminal building and go straight the main road until you will see "RER" sign.
Full name is "Residencial Ermida dos Remedios" ph.351 295 517 233. It was completly empty. They wanted 45 eu for the room with bath but finally I got off-season price: 25 eu without breakfast. The grocery is only 100 m away. Good place to stay for the early morning flight!
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Feb 21, 2011 07:00 PM Flores - my prison?
It was another windy morning when I was walking for the third time to the Flores Island airport. During check-in the lady at the desk told me that already 120 passengers is waiting on Flores Island for the "evacuation" to the world... At 11.00 am they announced that the next information will be at 11.30. A crowd of the people was waiting in the cafeteria, looking from time to time to the northern horizon. Will it come today?
At 11.30 we got just a message: flight delayed, anext message at 12.00! In the meantime weather changed to the better - a lovely sun was shinning when they informed: flight is cancelled!
It is bad idea to wait in the airport: I know that for some reason they do not fly in the afternoons, even if the weather will improve... I went back to the hotel with a new voucher.
I do not want to lose the time: taxi took me to the trailhead and I was walking soon to the beautiful lake with the waterfalls in the background. Sun was still shining - I have good pictures. Then I was walking to the picturesque calderas: Rasa and Funda - returning at 7.30 pm
Am I the prisoneer of Flores Island? Due to the delayed arrival and four days of waiting here I will miss a chance to visit next island on my trail (Pico) and to climb the highest mountain of Portugal. That's life! Until tomorrow!
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Feb 20, 2011 07:00 PM Stranded on Flores Island
In the morning I walked again to the Santa Cruz airport with all my stuff. They checked my luggage to Horta. I got the boarding pass and I went to the cafeteria...
After an hour there was announcement in Portugese: flight will be delayed, next info after half an hour. OK! After half an hour they repeat the same. After another 20 minutes I got the message that the flight is canceled like yesterday... Are you sure you kept your fingers crossed?
It was windy - but here it is normal - but quite clear - in the morning I saw nearby Corvo island. So why they did not fly?
The procedure was exactly the same: they issued voucher and send me to the same 4-star hotel!
In the afternoon I took the walk along the coast to the village of Fazenda. There is nice church and great view from the cliff to the north.
Tomorrow I will walk for the third time to the airport with a good hope... Maybe?...
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Feb 19, 2011 07:00 PM The plane did not arrive...
Flores Island, Azores. In the morning I went to the north of the island to visit little setlement of Ponta Delgada and the lonely lighthouse built on the northern cape of Flores. It was very windy morning on that side of the island, but I had also some sunshine. The coast is high and the views from the cliffs were another attraction on the route.
At 11 am I was already back in the airport. Local people say that if the wind is blowing along the short runway the plane can land, but if it blows across they cancel flight. It was blowing along today!!
I was sure I will fly! They checked-in the backpack and issued my boarding pass. I was waiting in the cafeteria. And... At 12 they announced that flight will not arrive because the bad weather at the destination - some 300 kms away...
Bad luck! They sent all local people home. Me, I got again the hotel and meal voucher and I stay again in the 4-star hotel!
Do not think I like it.... I have delay. The next chance to fly off Flores will be tomorrow, 12. 30 pm - please, keep your fingers crossed!
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Feb 18, 2011 07:00 PM Great coastal walk
Flores Island, Azores. Public transport does not work on weekends so I was forced to take a taxi to get to the Faja Grande on the western coast of the island. I can recommend the only English-speaking taxi driver on the island - Silvio Medina (ph.918 804 210)
The landscape of the western coast is much more interesting and dramatic then the east. We passed the empty interior with green hills and waterfalls. Silvio left me in Faja Grande - little fishing village. Then there is a choice - the trails go north and south along the coast. The northern trail is closed at the moment due to the damages so after enjoing the high waterfalls falling down from the wall of the green mountain I turned south.
It is definitely better to be here in the afternoon for the best pictures. I was climbing high cliffs with the great views of the ocean. Then went down to the little, sleepy villages and climbed again. Almost 5 hours on the trail in the strong wind!
I was lucky to find the lift from the nice harbour of Lajes back to Santa Cruz where I live. Tiring but very interesting day!
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Feb 17, 2011 07:00 PM Backpacker in the ****Hotel!
Horta, Azores. Yesterday flight to Flores Island was cancelled due to the bad meteo conditions. SATA airline put us to the minibus and took to the best Horta Hotel: the 4-star Faial Resort.
Igot a luxury room and the buffet meals were also included.
In the afternoon I went down to the Horta's old town: there are a lot of nice colonial buildings and churches, but they are not as nice restored like those in Ponta Delgada.
Today after breakfast they put us again to the minibus and transfered to the airport. Our luggage was checked-in again and I got new boarding pass to Flores. Now I am waiting again in the same cafeteria, looking to the rough ocean. They said that we have to wait: when the plane will arrive the captain will take the decision - to fly to Flores Island or not...
Later - in the evening: Wow! I am on Flores Island. Happy, walking narrow streets in the sun and very strong wind.
Just 300 m from the terminal I found Hospedaria Maria Alice Pereira. The old lady charges 20 euro per room with bath, but no breakfast.
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