The Green Island of São Miguel in the Azores

Portugal's territory includes two sets of islands.  In January 2022, we visited Madeira, which is to the south, just off the western coast of Africa.  This year, we decided to visit the other set of islands, the Azores, which are due west of mainland Portugal, in the middle of the Atlantic.  Azores Airlines began direct flights from Faro (the airport of the Algarve) this year, so it was an easy two-hour flight to the largest island, São Miguel also known as the Green Island, where we spent a relaxing week.

Ponta Delgada

We stayed in Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores archipelago.  It was established in the 15th century and has served (along with cities on other Azorean islands), as a waypoint for explorers and sailors for centuries.  

Sete Cidades

Most of the attractions on the Azores are outdoors.  So while we were based in Ponta Delgada, we had a rental car which allowed us to see all the gorgeous scenery, usually with a drive of an hour or less.  On our first full day, we traveled to Sete Cidades on the western part of the island. 

The area of Sete Cidades includes a massive volcanic crater three miles across, and the views there are the ones in all of the Azores travel brochures.  At the bottom of the crater are two lakes, one green and one blue due to the reflection of the sky and nearby foliage.  In reality, the lakes are connected and simply separated by a road/bridge.  Our first stop was the Vista do Rei overlook.

Next, we took about an hour hike to get to the Boca do Inferno Viewpoint, which gave a slightly different view of the Sete Cidades area.  Unfortunately, there was some cloud cover on this day, but the images were still spectacular. 

After stopping for refreshments and tea at a small village on the lakefront, we continued to the western edge of ​São Miguel island and the Miradouro (overlook) da Ponta do Escalvado.

Mid-Island Sites

Ponta Delgada is on the southern coast, in the middle of ​São Miguel.  The most populated areas of the island are in this middle section on both the north and south sides, and there are lots of beautiful sites to see.  

Lagoa do Fogo is another crater lake on a high point in the middle of the island offering spectacular views.  The area is often covered with clouds, but we were able to get one nice day of partial sun.

The north coast of São Miguel tends to be where many of the local "Micaelense" live.  We enjoyed a very popular (in Portugal) Netflix series, Rabo de Peixe, ​that depicted life in one of the hard scrabble, working class villages.  Yet even here, the scenery is stunning. 

Village of Furnas

While São Miguel does not currently have any active volcanoes, it doesn't mean there is no thermal activity.  In the village of Furnas on the eastern side of the island, we saw numerous cauldrons of bubbling water, and sulfurous fumes filled the air.  The residents of Furnas have used this thermal heating for centuries, particularly for a famed dish, Cozido das Furnas, which is cooked underground using the heat of the volcanic vents.  

The dish Cozido das Furnas is cooked underground by volcanic steam for 8-10 hours and must be ordered a day ahead from the restaurant.  It consists of ​chouriço, blood sausage, pork (let's just say a variety of cuts), and vegetables.  It had a noticeable smokey flavor and was really quite good.  

In Furnas, Terra Nostra Park includes wonderous gardens and a large thermal pool where people can bath in the "medicinal" waters.  The garden's inception dates back to 1780, when the then United States Consul on the island of São Miguel, Thomas Hickling, in 1775 built his summer residence.

Azorean Food & Drink

Because the Azores are part of Portugal, the food and drink are not surprisingly similar to what we would have back on the mainland.  But there were some unique things which we sampled, along with some surprise finds.

​There are only two tea plantations in all of Europe, and both of them are on São Miguel.  We took a little tour of one facility and then hiked amongst the groves of tea plants.

​Cutting tea leaves

​Processing the tea leaves

On a recommendation from a friend, we visited A Mulher de Capote, a manufacturer of various liquors including gin, vodka, fruit liquors, etc., all made locally in the Azores.

Ready for a party in Arkansas!

The Azores makes a large proportion of Portugal's cheese because there are so many cows that graze on the grassland hills.  Grapes are grown on several of the islands, so quality wines are produced with their own unique terroir.  We went to a private cheese & wine tasting, where we were able to enjoy these delicious products.  

We ate in several very nice restaurants in São Miguel, but our biggest surprise was to find a smokehouse in Ponta Delgada.  Jonny's Smokehouse in the downtown area served authentic smoke meats, something we've missed since smoking of meat is not common in Portugal.  We had the brisket sandwich and the chicken wings, and they were very good.

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​We enjoyed our stay in São Miguel, and we have every intention of returning to the Azores.  Next time, we will probably visit other islands, perhaps Pico and Faial, as they are only a few miles apart, so are easily visited together.  We can't wait!