SÃO MIGUEL, 7-14/06/2022

Part of the Eastern group of the Azores (along with Santa Maria), the biggest, most touristic and most populated island in the archipelago, São Miguel, is home to a bountiful amount of breathtaking landmarks and sceneries and is possibly the strongest epitome of the Azorean spirit.

Colour: “green island“. The colour, along with blue, the should be used to describe every single island of the archipelago maybe. Here is certainly due to the predominance of pastures, Japanese cedar forests, endemic species.

First impression: I would have never thought that the idea of “more touristic” could actually be appealing to me. As you might have rightfully guessed I normally tend to prefer off the beaten tracks places. Well, at that stage, all I craved for was comfort, ease, social interactions and starting the day without having to fight to arrange every single detail. When I landed in Ponta Delgada, I was picked up directly at the airport, taken to my hostel, shown on a map what to do in town, and made to believe I could rely on my hosts for whatever I needed. You can’t imagine how lucky and grateful I felt to see reality living up to my hopes.

days spent: a whole week

days recommended: honestly a week was perfect. But if you wanna rush it I guess 5 days could also do (always, of course, if the weather is on your side)

how to go around: if you made it til here and read the previous three blog posts, I bet you know the answer already: rental car or scooter. Did I get a car myself? NO. Why? Well, there’s a price you have to pay when you visit a more touristic place that somehow can’t really satisfy the needs of all its visitors. The price is called competition. Which is, in this case, won by those crazy planners who made their reservation at least three months ahead of their holiday. And obviously, that naive free soul of mine had to take the scraps. So, an overpriced scooter (32 euro/day) it was. The rental car rates, starting from 200 euro/day, are anyway completely off limit for a backpacker. Little I knew that I would have actually comfortably been on the passenger sit of a fancy car for more than half of my stay (thanks Barbara for being one of those crazy planners I mentioned before).

Weather: here I really saw the infamous 4 seasons in one day that my travel book had described. I went from sweating in my swimsuit (yes, you read correctly: SWIMSUIT!), to freeze in 5 layers of clothing while being blown away by an unforgiving wind. I got soaked while riding my scooter, I cursed the fog for preventing me from taking in some legendary views, I screamed out of excitement for reaching a landmark as the sky cleared up… an emotional rollercoaster that could suddenly surprise you with highs, lows and vertical loops. Meteoropathic? ME?

luck factor: a solid 8/10! Finally right? I know I’ve been so whiny lately, but c’mon, there’s enough people out there pretending that the sun always shines (both literally and figuratively). In São Miguel I can easily say that I finally managed to enjoy myself. What did the trick? Some sunny days for sure, the unspoiled beauty of the island and its diversity (there’s a reason if so many tourists pick it as their only destination in the Azores), pushing my personal dramas aside but mostly sharing this experience with Barbara. As you might remember I met the Croatian born, then Munich based scientist in Faial and we had a very uplifting night of gin tonics together. After her flight to Flores got canceled twice, she opted to just skip the pink island and join me on São Miguel. In Barbara I found not only a travel companion on my same pace, with whom I could make memories and share the joys and sorrows of being a tourist in the Azores, but a proper friend. We got to know each other at our most vulnerable and honest. And it’s probably one of the things I will cherish the most out of this trip.

what to do:

• Ponta Delgada. the island’s main hub, the first real city I came across during this holiday. My first impression was not the best, but that also has to do with the fact that I unexplainably got lost in the poorest district and then found my way through a red light district back to the old town, which is actually very traditional and pretty, especially at night. Offers chances for whale watching, a botanical garden (Jose do Canto), awesome food joints, an underground farmers’ market and, in its suburbs, the Arruda pineapple plantation (worth to visit at least for its very photogenic green houses). Don’t be surprised if you risk your life hundred times a day as you walk on the pavement and cars driving along its incredibly narrow streets almost skim over you.

Since both of us failed at spotting any whales in Pico, me and Barbara decided to give it another go in São Miguel. The tour was nowhere as informative as the ones we had, but at least we spotted three sperm whales and a calf. “How was it?” you might ask. Well, where do I start… Before visiting the Azores I had this unrealistic expectation of whale spotting meaning whale breaching. Keep on watching YouTube for that. I got laughed at when I asked if it was even a remote possibility. Fair enough. Whale spotting is more like seeing a caudal fin swiftly submerging and never reappearing or a wonky dorsal fin emerging from the water and flapping back and forth as these gentle beasts float and take in some oxygen. I hate myself for even thinking that but Barbara actually said it out loud before I had a chance: “how underwhelming!”. However, we both felt happy that, at least, we got our chance!

• Drive around the island and make the most of the viewpoints. If you ever wondered why the Azores are dubbed by many travel guides as the Hawaii of Europe, stop by one of the island’s viewpoints and you’ll know why: dramatic, imposing volcanic cliffs overlooking a furious, endless ocean and surrounded by lush vegetation of the deepest of greens, interrupted only by patches of colour from exotic-looking flowers. Sounds familiar? My personal favourites were: miradouro de Santa Iria on the northern coast,  miradouro da Ponta do Escovaldo with the best view on Mosteiros, miradouro da Ponta do Sossego on the eastern coast.

• Mosteiros. Possibly one of the cutest villages on the island, right at its north-west tip. So many emotions in just one place! From utter amazement at the sunny view of its impressive Hawaii-looking beach and signature volcanic rocks fiercely emerging from the ocean and the joy to finally get in our swimsuits and lay on its black sand taking in the sunlight that our bodies had begged for for weeks, to the shock and fear that followed an accident that involved my travel buddies. We decided to challenge some fairly reckless ocean waves. I dove in first and, as I emerged and checked the girls, I literally saw the most bizarre scene ever: Barbara being pushed by a wave and falling on Zoë, who for reasons unknown, was just few cm behind her. I smiled and dove underneath the surface again. After a couple of strokes, out of the corner of my eye, I notice that Zoë was being helped out of the water and carried onto the beach. At that point I rushed out to find her crying in pain. Long story short, the poor lovely girl that joined us that morning and had been on her holiday only for a couple of days, had to be rushed to the hospital to be then flown back to the States for further diagnostics. The fall of Barbara caused her a knee fracture (she’s all good now!). I mean, it still sounds surreal as I write it. I guess the chances of me being eaten by a great white were bigger! Karma can really be a bitch.

• Sete Cidades. After the accident on the beach and an ice cream to calm both of our nerves down, as the sky suddenly cleared up in the direction of Sete Cidades we promptly made our way there. It was doubtlessly one of the best ride of the whole trip. Stopping between the two lakes at the bottom of the gigantic caldera was astounding, but even more surreal was to break in the abandoned hotel towering over Vista dos Rei (king’s view), where a dozen actors dressed very convincingly as armed policemen were shooting a scene for a film. We ignored the warning to leave immediately the building, and, through a staircase in the utter darkness, we made it to the rooftop. And why not, to celebrate the achievement and our luck, I got naked for a few pictures with the most impressive background (crazy how comfortable I felt around Barbara, whom, at that point, I had known for only a couple of days, full frontal and all). It was definitely one of the highlights of the whole trip. Possibly because we were so afraid that, due to the fog that seems to linger around this spot most of the time, we would have ended up missing it.
• On my last day I less successfully approached Sete Cidades from another angle, the stunning viewpoint that somehow me and Barbara had missed: Miradouro da Boca do Inferno. When I made it there, under torrential rain and “polar” winds, instead of a view on extinct volcanoes, craters, lakes and caves, I just saw thick, cold, humid fog. I waited around with a few other tourists. The wind shifted the fog and allowed glimpses of small details of the landscape: one moment showing one thing, one moment showing the other. Eventually, after waiting for the weather to clear up for a good 30 minutes and listening to several Italian men mansplaining obvious stuff to their partners, I realised my patience was over and my body was almost frozen.

• Capelas and Rabo de Peixe. Two fishermen villages on the Northern west coast, very much out of other tourists’ itinerary. And for a reason! If the cliff stroll we had in the former was actually worth it since it gifted us with a view on a bizarre elephant shaped headland and kept us busy spying on old fishermen perched on perilous cliff points, the latter was a massive no go. My travel book described it as a cute and authentic corner of the island. It wasn’t. It was bleak and dodgy as it can get and, after strolling around its street with everybody’s unwelcoming stare on us, as they stopped doing their chores and waited for us to walk past in silence, we both felt uncomfortable enough to turn heels and leave. And, I mean, what else could you expect from a place that translated means “fishbone”?
• Praia Santa Barbara in Ribeira Grande. a wonderful spot for a stroll on the beach with paragliders jumping off the cliffs on one side and windsurfers taming the waves on the other.
• Tea plantations. On top of growing its very own pineapples São Miguel is also known to be the only island in the Azores which grows and produces its tea (black and green). Both Chá Gorreana and Fabrica de Chá Porto Formoso are family run tea plantations on the northern coast, with the former being the oldest in the whole of Europe. I definitely loved strolling around the plantation of Gorreana under a burning sun that forced me to shed at least 4 layers of clothing, as much as I enjoyed mine and Barbara’s tasting at Porto Formoso, where we very much behaved like middle aged tea-obsessed fancy Englishwomen.
• Lagoa do Congro. On the way from Ribeira Grande to Furnas, take an inland detour to the start of the trail through a raw and dense forest, where gigantic palms are growing next to blossoming trees, down to the small black lagoon in the depth of a volcano crater.

• Furnas. Located on the caldera of an active volcano in Sáo Miguel’s inland, Furnas is known for its geothermal activity which is responsible for its fumaroles, the celebrated thermal baths (Parque Terra Nostra and Poça da Dona Beija, whose iron-rich water gave an undesired ginger touch to my platinum blond hair), its, in my opinion absolutely overrated, cozido.  Blame it on the fact that it is actually fairly quaint and pretty, or maybe on the fact that it’s home to a beautiful lagoon or even more to those hot springs that sound so appealing on a bad weather cold day… Wether you want it or not, you’ll find yourself driving to Furnas more times than you had planned to at the beginning of your stay.

• Villa Franca do Campo. On the central southern coast of the island, this town is mostly famous for the jaw dropping horseshoe shaped islet, right on the horizon. I tried several times to get a good shot, but, unless you have a drone, the chances of capturing its beauty are fairly small. Treat for the eyes, not for the camera.
• Parque Natural da Ribeira dos Caldeirões. An almost obsessively designed artificial waterfall park on the central-northern coast and the starting point for canyoning tours. We soon walked away from its more crowded part and followed a river upstream, until we came across a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the woods, exactly where not so many others seemed to venture.
• Salto do Prego and Sanguinho. a gem of a hike and mysteriously underrated, this trek was mine and Barbara’s pick on a cloudy yet warm afternoon. After about one hour walk on a small path in the thick forest, where we barely encountered any other people, we came across a majestic waterfall surrounded by enormous Monstera plants. We had to give in to its call, got rid of our clothes and plunged into its freezing water. A moment of pure adrenaline! Towards the end of the hiking loop we cut through a small village on the hills. Traditional cottages, “Wisteria Lane”‘s worth immaculate gardens, a stony silence and not a single human being to be seen. It was odd to say the least: the meticulous care for each single detail, as if its dwellers would spend days making sure every single weed would get ripped off and every plant would be pruned to its most attractive shape, yet the feeling of being in a ghost town. We both started wondering around, as if spell bound, and lost track of each other for a while. Eventually Barbara showed up with two delicious oranges she picked from a tree and the spell was somehow broken.
• Lagoa do Fogo. The highest waterbody in the central part of the island, occupies the caldera of the youngest inactive volcano on São Miguel. Definitely a landmark and a place where to rent a boat and go for a chill sail on its calm water. However, on a typical Azorean trend, the higher one place is located, the lower are the chances to actually be able to see it. Out of the 7 days I spent on the island, there was not even one day where the SpotAzores App showed something that wasn’t a thick grey wall of mist. On the last day me and Barbara spent together, one of the warmest and sunniest we had encountered, we tried our luck, and drove all the way up the volcano. As we drove past a scenic point on its summit, quite predictably there wasn’t anything to see but fog. We parked our car and walked back to be blessed with 10 minutes of sudden visibility. Like literally ten. Enough to take a few pictures and get my ass soaking wet as I sat down on the grass, posing for a portrait.
• Ribeira Quente. a very much secluded surfers’ favourite village and beach on the south-east part of the island. Better off to visit in the morning, when the whole shore is lit up by the sun. I didn’t necessarily love it but what left me breathless was one of the most spectacular waterfall on the island on the way down. Unfortunately there was no way to stop since it was right in between two tunnels.
• Termas da Ferraria. Right at the south-west end of the island, reachable through an extremely steep, hairpin bends filled, road, this natural pool has a pretty unique feature: hot thermal water finds its way through the volcanic rocks and is made lukewarm as the waves from the ocean rock in. Which means that it’s a wise decision to take a dip in the morning, when the tide is lower, and the water stays warmer. All around, the view is one of the best on the island: ubiquitous volcanic rocks and dramatic black cliffs. A treat for the eyes, especially at sunset.   

Where to eat:

• Rotas da Ilha Verde (in Ponta Delgada). a tasty and unusual all vegetarian/vegan menu in the cutest petit restaurant ever, where pastel colours, attention for details, dried flowers, vintage furniture and ceramics seem to be straight out of a fairytale.
• a Tasca (in Ponta Delgada). Mine and probably everybody’s favourite restaurant on the island. Serving the best traditional food at reasonable prices in a very homely and cozy atmosphere. Either make a reservation or expect to wait for a good hour before being seated. I ordered slow cooked beef stew the first time and bacalao (dried and salted cod) with chorizo and bacon the second. Both times incredible local wines.
• Louvre Michaelense (in Ponta Delgada). What used to be a haberdashery is now a fancy bistro and shop selling high quality local products. Food is quite good (I ordered pancakes with fried chicken, bacon and maple syrup, which actually took me a whole day to be able to digest), but the vibe is definitely a bit too boogie.
• Intz48 (in Ponta Delgada). looks like a Berlin hipster place and has probably even more expensive prices. The waiter was super nice though, beyond what waiters normally do in the Azores (I can’t really say most of them try too hard to be nice…). Had a banana bread dipped in butter and a warm ham and cheese sandwich with a 4,50 euro flat white (crazy when an espresso is normally 65 cents…).
• Ta Gente (in Ponta Delgada). A hip and slightly posh (with the exception of me and Barbara in our backpackers’ outfits) cocktail and tapas bar with a wide selection of gins. Not cheap, but the perfect spot to kill time while waiting for a table at “a Tasca”, which is just around the corner.
• Calçada do Cais (in Ponta Delgada). A traditional and quite touristic restaurant, which surprised me with an amazing sesame breaded tuna steak with glazed apples.
• Café Ilhéu (in Mosteiros). An unassuming restaurant with a view on the northern coast of the island from its terrace. Big portions, cheap price, fairly good food, great place to be on a sunny day. I had a tuna steak with salad for lunch (even the worse tuna in the Azores is better than any tuna you’ve had in continental Europe) and espresso to fight my early afternoon drowsiness.
• O Miroma (in Furnas). The fact that I found it closed twice should have been an omen. However, since everybody on São Miguel seemed to be obsessed with this place, me and Barbara tried a third time and had “luck”. As we walked in we had a lukewarm welcome by the waitress, as if she was annoyed about us being there. If Barbara’s overpriced unseasoned salad and rice felt like a joke, my traditional boiled (using the steam from the hot springs) mix of vegetable and meat cuts “cozido” was even more disappointing: dry, flavourless, chewy. I was honestly pretty incredulous, especially after my Portuguese friend Marcelo had praised this traditional dish so much. So guys, up to you, but I personally found both the restaurant and the famous cozido das Furnas very disappointing.
• Padaria Glória Moniz (in Furnas). I was meant to stop there quickly to get a bite but somehow felt very cozy and found myself chatting with a lovely barista for a while. The food was delicious (I tasted their traditional bolos toast with chorizo and cheese and an incredible caramel cake) and very affordable.
• Tuká Tulá. a cute beach bar on Santa Barbara beach, great to grab a beer/coffee/brownie to go and then stroll along the shore. The girls working there are super cool. As “Cold” from Maroon 5 played on the radio, we all shamelessly joined in singing and put on a little performance.

personal highlights: I’ve got several here! the summer feeling as I dove into the mighty waves of the beach in Mosteiros, stripping down naked for no obvious reason on the to rooftop of the abandoned hotel towering over Vista dos Reis and taking in the majestic view on the two lagoons, the queer filterless convos me and Barbara had, the delicious traditional cusine, the scooter ride at sunset from Furnas til Villa Franca do Campo, skinny-dipping and feeling so alive (and a bit irresponsible) in the ice cold Salto do Prego, being on the road with Barbara, soaking in the hot thermal water of Furnas and release all the tension and frustration as the rain falls…

Feeling as I left: I felt extremely exhausted, physically and mentally, from all the overthinking and heavy moments I had to deal with while visiting the other islands. 19 days had gone by, my head wasn’t necessarily clearer, but I acknowledged issues that urgently needed to be addressed.

I was however extremely grateful for the good time I had in São Miguel, possibly my favourite island in the Azores, where I finally allowed myself to enjoy that holiday feeling that I had really longed for and to embrace the unpredictability of this breathtaking and mysterious tucked away corner of Europe.

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Canon EOS 300, Kodak Gold 200 (35)

Miranda Sensomat RE, Kodak Portra 400 (35)