The two times I've been to São Miguel have been in the winter, which is the easiest way to ensure you feel off the beaten tourist path. It even felt like I was one of very few tourists in the airport :) My actual destination was Flores, so I spent quite a bit of time in the airport. I was glad the delays gave me time to run errands and stock up on groceries. When I'd planned to visit São Miguel last year, I ended up getting stuck on Flores for a few days, so didn't have nearly enough time to explore in the end. This is inspiration to try again!
Great pictures and now I'm hungry after seeing that food.
When you travel, do you find that in any of these countries do they speak any English at all? I know in a lot of countries English is a second language, but since I'm American and speak only English, I wondered how it would be to travel to foreign countries not knowing the language.
Thanks for your comment. The Azores, although islands, are part of Portugal. In the tourist areas, as in many European countries, English is spoken. It's not always fluent English but you can get by fairly easily.
It's helpful to learn a few of the common words in the language of the country you visit - that's always appreciated. Using a language translator on your mobile device such as Deepl can also come in handy. -CW
I'm not sure I will ever make it to the Azores, but it is nice to go there with you through your newsletter. Tourism would be a lot sweeter if they just outlawed cruise ships. The influx of that many people anywhere is always painful.
I loved loved loved the pictures with the blue hydrangeas. I have grown many of them but none that could compare to the beauties you discovered on your trip.
I'm glad you continue to find out about your ancestors. You and Paul are where you should be. I miss you both.
My mother's name was Hortense which in Portuguese means hydrangea. It's always been one of my favorite flowering shrub.
The island was full of these and although many were past the blooming stage, I was happy to see many that still were showing off their glorious colors!
Thanks for the write up. We loved our visit the Azores and it was great to be reminded of how awesome Sete Cidades was. Reading your tour notes has me itching to return. We avoided the touristy places and spent most of our time in Furnas and Ribeira Grande. Both municipalities were amazing with many natural feautures to behold and hidden gem villages and dining options. Across the island, there was so much amazing, fresh, unprocessed, and delicious foods every where we went.
Oh Carol- this looks lovely! I have heard from folks in this area of New England that the Azores are really beautiful and it would seem that this is true based on your descriptions and Paul’s great photos! Clearly this must be added to my ever growing list of places to see and enjoy! Will you go back again to have another explore? And did you find the climate similar to what you experience where you are now living not far from Lisbon? I always enjoy learning about places you check out and find your perspective reflective and interesting! Thank you for sharing this with us all!
Sounds really interesting! I think genealogy would be fascinating but I have stalled even going there as with a last name like mine (Smith) I feel overwhelmed before even beginning! Irish? Scottish? English? All of the above! Craziness! Besides that Portugal has nicer weather than all of those places! And I am so looking forward to my upcoming return visit in 2027!
Off to New Zealand for a couple weeks this coming Sunday. Dreading the flights but eager for adventure, beauty and a friend not seen in over 30 years! As always, my best to you and Paul!❤️
Thank you so much! A brand new beautiful place! Looks like we shall have some lovely weather! I hope in some small way I can do this place some justice with respectable photos! Will try my best!
It would be an easy flight for you from Boston. I think the next time we travel back to the U.S. (not in our immediate plans right now), we would fly from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada airport, spend a couple of days in Sao Miguel, and then fly to Boston. Makes it much easier and less stressful, I think.
The Azores experiences a micro climate, so much different weather than the mainland. Our visit in late September had not-so-great weather. There was a hurricane circling the islands and we experienced high (very high) humidity, lots of rain, wind, and very dense fog. I'm told that the fog is normal but usually burns off so you can try to plan visiting the places with views accordingly.
We plan to return to the island. There is more to explore, especially with my Azorean ancestry and I think there still may be relatives living there. I'm working on a long list of items that I would like my Genealogist to research before making plans for a return trip. Stay tuned! - CW
Ever so interesting! And one of the perks of renting a car is being able to visit these remote villages. Thank you for sharing your experiences. When we finally make our trip to the Azores we will keep these tips in mind. If you happen to visit the pyramids on Pico do write a report! I just found out about them in Portugese Class last night😉
Thanks for writing about your experience on Sao Miguel. We will be visiting the Azores in late April for 8 days. Its a scouting mission as much as a vacation. We have targeted Pico Island as a spot for a potential vacation home and will be looking at properties there for four days with friends who live part of the year there.
We own hearing clinics in South Carolina, so we control our own schedule and eventually want to use our Azores olace as a bridge to European travel so the five hour flight from Boston or JFK - that really appeals to us. We can fly up to BOS or NYC after work on a Thursday, catch an early flight to Sao Miguel and be enjoying ourselves in Sao Miguel by Friday afternoon. The dream is spending a few days (or more) on the front and back end of a visit to various European cities so we arent so jet-lagged and out of sorts when we visit them. Thats why Sao Miguel Island may be where we buy. PDL Airport has direct flights all over Europe. Thats the upside to it becoming a popular tourist destination and so we decided to add three days in Sao Miguel and a day on Failal Island to the trip. Our friends who live on Pico said Horta may really appeal to us. Its the main city on Faial.
We have a second trip planned in October and will add Madera to the itinerary and see where we want to plant a flag. I have been studying Portuguese daily since the end of November. I enjoy it and am committed to learning the language to the point where we could work there if we chose. I’m addicted to helping people hear and kinda suck at being fully retired.
In future trips to the Azores, we also want to explore the other islands. They all have their own unique qualities. It sounds like you have a good plan in place for Portugal/Europe and having work/life flexibility is key.
Flying from Ponta Delgada back to the U.S. for a visit (not in the plans right now but in the future), I think we'll fly from Lisbon to PDL, spend a couple of days on the island, and then fly from PDL to Boston. I'm getting tired of long, tedious, exhausting air travel, so this really appeals to me.
Hope you have a wonderful trip in April. Keep me posted on how it goes. - CW
Thanks for your comment, Rolando. We didn't get to Lagoa do Fogo. Unfortunately, the week we were there, part of a hurricane was circling the islands creating some intense rain and fog much of the time. We were fortunate to be able to see as much as we did between the raindrops! Hope to get back there another time to see more. - CW
The two times I've been to São Miguel have been in the winter, which is the easiest way to ensure you feel off the beaten tourist path. It even felt like I was one of very few tourists in the airport :) My actual destination was Flores, so I spent quite a bit of time in the airport. I was glad the delays gave me time to run errands and stock up on groceries. When I'd planned to visit São Miguel last year, I ended up getting stuck on Flores for a few days, so didn't have nearly enough time to explore in the end. This is inspiration to try again!
Azores are great.
Great pictures and now I'm hungry after seeing that food.
When you travel, do you find that in any of these countries do they speak any English at all? I know in a lot of countries English is a second language, but since I'm American and speak only English, I wondered how it would be to travel to foreign countries not knowing the language.
Hello Kathleen,
Thanks for your comment. The Azores, although islands, are part of Portugal. In the tourist areas, as in many European countries, English is spoken. It's not always fluent English but you can get by fairly easily.
It's helpful to learn a few of the common words in the language of the country you visit - that's always appreciated. Using a language translator on your mobile device such as Deepl can also come in handy. -CW
thank you
Lovely photos, and country as well;)
Obrigada!
Just so beautiful thank you so much for your content absolutely love it💯💯💯❤️❤️❤️
Obrigada!
Lovely. On our list to visit once we move to Portugal in July.
Beautiful pictures! Azores is on my list of places to see. Thanks for sharing your journey.
I'm not sure I will ever make it to the Azores, but it is nice to go there with you through your newsletter. Tourism would be a lot sweeter if they just outlawed cruise ships. The influx of that many people anywhere is always painful.
I loved loved loved the pictures with the blue hydrangeas. I have grown many of them but none that could compare to the beauties you discovered on your trip.
I'm glad you continue to find out about your ancestors. You and Paul are where you should be. I miss you both.
Thanks for your comment, Mary.
My mother's name was Hortense which in Portuguese means hydrangea. It's always been one of my favorite flowering shrub.
The island was full of these and although many were past the blooming stage, I was happy to see many that still were showing off their glorious colors!
Miss you too.-CW
Thanks for the write up. We loved our visit the Azores and it was great to be reminded of how awesome Sete Cidades was. Reading your tour notes has me itching to return. We avoided the touristy places and spent most of our time in Furnas and Ribeira Grande. Both municipalities were amazing with many natural feautures to behold and hidden gem villages and dining options. Across the island, there was so much amazing, fresh, unprocessed, and delicious foods every where we went.
Oh Carol- this looks lovely! I have heard from folks in this area of New England that the Azores are really beautiful and it would seem that this is true based on your descriptions and Paul’s great photos! Clearly this must be added to my ever growing list of places to see and enjoy! Will you go back again to have another explore? And did you find the climate similar to what you experience where you are now living not far from Lisbon? I always enjoy learning about places you check out and find your perspective reflective and interesting! Thank you for sharing this with us all!
Sounds really interesting! I think genealogy would be fascinating but I have stalled even going there as with a last name like mine (Smith) I feel overwhelmed before even beginning! Irish? Scottish? English? All of the above! Craziness! Besides that Portugal has nicer weather than all of those places! And I am so looking forward to my upcoming return visit in 2027!
Off to New Zealand for a couple weeks this coming Sunday. Dreading the flights but eager for adventure, beauty and a friend not seen in over 30 years! As always, my best to you and Paul!❤️
We can’t wait to see you in Portugal in 2027! Safe travels to New Zealand. I look forward to seeing all of your beautiful photos! - CW
Thank you so much! A brand new beautiful place! Looks like we shall have some lovely weather! I hope in some small way I can do this place some justice with respectable photos! Will try my best!
Hello Barb - thanks for your comment.
It would be an easy flight for you from Boston. I think the next time we travel back to the U.S. (not in our immediate plans right now), we would fly from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada airport, spend a couple of days in Sao Miguel, and then fly to Boston. Makes it much easier and less stressful, I think.
The Azores experiences a micro climate, so much different weather than the mainland. Our visit in late September had not-so-great weather. There was a hurricane circling the islands and we experienced high (very high) humidity, lots of rain, wind, and very dense fog. I'm told that the fog is normal but usually burns off so you can try to plan visiting the places with views accordingly.
We plan to return to the island. There is more to explore, especially with my Azorean ancestry and I think there still may be relatives living there. I'm working on a long list of items that I would like my Genealogist to research before making plans for a return trip. Stay tuned! - CW
Ever so interesting! And one of the perks of renting a car is being able to visit these remote villages. Thank you for sharing your experiences. When we finally make our trip to the Azores we will keep these tips in mind. If you happen to visit the pyramids on Pico do write a report! I just found out about them in Portugese Class last night😉
Thanks for writing about your experience on Sao Miguel. We will be visiting the Azores in late April for 8 days. Its a scouting mission as much as a vacation. We have targeted Pico Island as a spot for a potential vacation home and will be looking at properties there for four days with friends who live part of the year there.
We own hearing clinics in South Carolina, so we control our own schedule and eventually want to use our Azores olace as a bridge to European travel so the five hour flight from Boston or JFK - that really appeals to us. We can fly up to BOS or NYC after work on a Thursday, catch an early flight to Sao Miguel and be enjoying ourselves in Sao Miguel by Friday afternoon. The dream is spending a few days (or more) on the front and back end of a visit to various European cities so we arent so jet-lagged and out of sorts when we visit them. Thats why Sao Miguel Island may be where we buy. PDL Airport has direct flights all over Europe. Thats the upside to it becoming a popular tourist destination and so we decided to add three days in Sao Miguel and a day on Failal Island to the trip. Our friends who live on Pico said Horta may really appeal to us. Its the main city on Faial.
We have a second trip planned in October and will add Madera to the itinerary and see where we want to plant a flag. I have been studying Portuguese daily since the end of November. I enjoy it and am committed to learning the language to the point where we could work there if we chose. I’m addicted to helping people hear and kinda suck at being fully retired.
Thanks for your comment, Michael.
In future trips to the Azores, we also want to explore the other islands. They all have their own unique qualities. It sounds like you have a good plan in place for Portugal/Europe and having work/life flexibility is key.
Flying from Ponta Delgada back to the U.S. for a visit (not in the plans right now but in the future), I think we'll fly from Lisbon to PDL, spend a couple of days on the island, and then fly from PDL to Boston. I'm getting tired of long, tedious, exhausting air travel, so this really appeals to me.
Hope you have a wonderful trip in April. Keep me posted on how it goes. - CW
I was there last year. It's a magnificent island, full of splendor. Did you go to Lagoa do Fogo?
Thanks for your comment, Rolando. We didn't get to Lagoa do Fogo. Unfortunately, the week we were there, part of a hurricane was circling the islands creating some intense rain and fog much of the time. We were fortunate to be able to see as much as we did between the raindrops! Hope to get back there another time to see more. - CW