i’ve mentioned before that i’m kind of obsessed with lava and molten rocks, and there’s lots and lots of it in the azores! we’ve visited the excellent museum at capelinhos, walked over the ashes that covered the whole island of faial after the 1957 eruption, and then kept seeing it everywhere, to my heart’s delight.
this time, we’ve also seen lots of lava tunnels — some tiny and more like pipes, and others tall and several hundred meters long. it was brilliant!
will we ever get tired of hiking these canadas, the narrow paths bordered by wonky stone walls that skirt the fields in pico? not likely! :D here are some photos from PRC9PIC, just so that i can remember it later:
the last part of the trail is all near the coast, through rocky beaches and lava flows, the spray of the sea in our faces. we were so busy enjoying it that we somehow missed the casa do fio, the place where once the underground communication cables resurface. oh well!
we haven’t seen a cagarro (aka cory’s shearwater) yet, but we have heard plenty of them in the middle of the night, cackling somewhere in the backyard of house we’re staying at in pico. they spend all their time in the sea, and come back to land during the night to check on their nests, so there must be one somewhere behind the house. :| the sound is loud and super creepy… gave us a proper fright the first night!
we’ve taken the boat to pico, where we’ll be staying for some time, half-working and half-exploring the island. the small town we’re staying at is called calheta do nesquim (after a dog named nesquim, who is said to have saved some shipwrecked people, many years ago). right by our house, there’s a circular trail (PR11PIC) that goes around the town and up to the whale watching hut, so of course we had to give it a go!
halfway through the hike, we found a friendly dog that decided to follow us around for a few kms… and then eventually got more interested in a local mechanic and left.
i love these rural paths, bordered with black stones and covered in moss. tiny volcanic stones crunching underneath our boots, the ominous sky, the cows munching on grass with a sea view. now and then, the sun shines through the clouds and the whole island looks green green green, as if we were on drugs or watching color for the first time.
i don’t know what it is about the azores… we come, and i always feel silly that we haven’t come sooner.
our hiking boots are still wet and the weather isn’t helping them dry… so today we put on our other shoes and went for a stroll on the local botanical gardens here in horta, which were amazing! there are so many species of plants that are endemic to the azores, but they’re threatened by other exotic or invasive species introduced over time. so a part of the job of the local scientific community is to study these native plants, collect their seeds and participate in projects that ensure they can thrive again, all the while educating people.
in contrast with the dry, muted landscapes of the south of portugal, the oceanic subtropical climate here makes everything radioactive green, and i find myself looking around in awe at how luscious this green is, especially in contrast with the volcanic soil. the leaves make pretty patterns too, and i couldn’t resist photographing them:
i wish i could bring these all home in my suitcase! :D