Faial, Pico and Maybe Lorenzo

 The half-hour flight from Terceira to Faial on Sunday left right on time.

The taxi driver from the airport pulled a fast one by dropping us at the beginning of the narrow street on which our Bed and Breakfast was located. After ringing bells at two wrong house we found it. The blue and white one.

Looming over everything was the news that hurricane Lorenzo would hit the Azores on Wednesday and probably cancel our flight on Wednesday to the island of Flores. At this writing (Monday evening) that seems very likely. As of this revision (Tuesday evening it is definite.) The Wednesday flight to Flores has been moved to Thursday afternoon.

We took advantage of today's (Monday) great weather to take a 30-minute ferry to the nearby island of Pico and were particularly gratified that, due to bad weather and poor visibility, while some people had been waiting for seven days to climp its extinct volcano mountain, the tallest in Portugal, we saw it immediately and clearly. That was part of an excellent three hour taxi ride which also featured the fascinating stone-wall vineyards of Pico and its seaside lava terrain from the last eruption 300 years ago.
My inability to rearrange the photos forced me to leave them in mostly reverse chronological order.

Ferry flying Portugese flag leaves Pico on way back to Faial.

Lava walk on Pico, beautifully equipped with walkways.

Fields equipped with cows

Terrain equipped with extinct volcano

Roads equipped with cows

Ocean equipped with swimming pool

Vineyard equipped with stone fences

Vineyard equipped with windmill or giant coffee pot

From B&B window in Horta on Faial: Sunrise over Mount Pico

Breakfast in Horta: Galante (like Capuccino) and croissant with fresh, riccota-like cheese

View of Horta from ferry leaving for Pico

Mt Pico, famous but rarely seen

Mt. Pico with coffee pot and vineyards

Finally, shots from our room in Horta the next morning.

And a small reward for a successful day - a white wine from Pico.

On Tuesday we tried for the 2 1/2 hour hike around the rim of an extinct volcano but it was totally fogged in.

We settled for a nice hike at a lower level and lunch at Genuino restaurant, owned by a man who sailed solo around the world twice.

Placemats show his route

Swordfish

Small fried mackerels which Emma loved and ate in their entirety

His route is also shown on a big map.

Fish soup

Alternative hike had good visibility

 

Horta in the background

Official hurricane warnings have been posted. And the marine patrol is ready.

We plan to move to a nearby hotel for the last extra night. Charming as it is, Casa Buonavento has too much neighborhood noise outside our window at night.

Before settling in for the evening we walked along the marina to look at the graphics left by sailors over the years. Hundreds of them line the walls.

END