Ilheu de Vila Franca -Ponta Delgada

Day 6
We were debating whether or not to go whale watching today. It was very hot, and being the Canadians that we are, we prefer whale watching in cooler climates. Whale watching is available at the marina in Ponta Delgada from 40-70 euros depending on what you want to do. You can also swim with dolphins or go fishing for large fish. These trips are usually in small boats and are 3 hours long leaving in the morning or afternoon. Three hours on a small boat in the middle of the ocean wasn't going to cut it on our last day here. Especially if we didn't see any whales!

We opted for taking a small boat to Ilheu Vila do Franca. There is a white booth at the very end of the dock past the dive centre where you can purchase tickets to take the boat over. It is 4.50 Euros a person. The boat leaves every hour and returns from the island 10 minutes after the hour. It's not even a 10 minute boat ride.

Above is a bird's-eye view picture I found online. To the left you can see where the cliff divers jumped from. Inside is a rock and sometimes sandy bottom with clear greenish blue water. You can touch the bottom pretty much the whole way around. The little pool at the top right is a natural mini wave pool. A crevice in the rock formation allows ocean water to push through. There is no food or drink for sale here, and there is also no shade and very little sand. There is a washroom, change room and lifeguard. The locals were smart and brought coolers and beach umbrellas.

Buying tickets at the booth near the marina

The boat that takes you over

The island as we approach from the boat

Walking in, looking for the best place to perch

Shay in the mini wave pool

Water coming in

You can walk a little around the island and check out the views. There are certain points with signs warning you not to climb, and if the life guard catches you he will blow the whistle and send someone over to get you.

Close to where the diving took place. That side of the island is unavailable, due to falling rocks.

I would definitely recommend visiting this island. Bring lots of sunscreen, water and an umbrella if you can. We took the boat back and got a bite to eat at the snack bar by the hotel and beach. We had Mediterranean salad, cheese burgers, hotdogs and fries. Sangria and beer to drink, and lunch was under 20 Euros per couple. The hot dog may have given me food poisoning as I was up all night sick, but it could have also been a virus? After lunch we headed to the mall in Ponta Delgada: Continente Modelo. We bought a few things shirts, jewelery, shoes. The shopping isn't great on the island, but it was entertaining. The food court has Chinese food, a Burger King, a KFC and Pizza Hut if you require some comfort food.

We made it home and showered and changed. We were determined to find Rotas, the vegetarian restaurant Shay had researched. It was one street over from Bar Colegio where we were last night, and it was closed on Sundays. It was drizzling at night, but nothing to keep us indoors. We were very lucky this week, as this was the only bit of rain we had encountered. And we needn't worry, as Josie had umbrellas at the villa.

The cloth covered dining set, hanging upside down from above

Windows would blow open when a car drove by. Open your front door carefully!

Becky's Pineapple salad

                                  

Even the bathrooms were cool

We tried as much as we could, as this was the tastiest food we found on the island. We had filo wrapped pear and cheese, sauteed mushroom wrapped in rice paper, and rosemary and apple chevre for starters. Shay had the artichoke risotto, I had the grilled vegetables and polenta, and Jarvis had the cheese and Zucchini Penne. We had cheesecake, apple strudel and a berry meringue. Everything was amazing, including the owners. Our server picked out some tasty wine for us. Dinner for four, with four appetizers, four desserts, four main courses, two bottles of water and two bottles of wine cost 98 Euros. Eat here!!

Sete Ciadades -Mosteiros

Day 4
Today we planned to hike around Sete Ciadades, "Lagoon of the Seven Cities," near Mosteiros. We drove to the town down narrow winding roads following city signs. There were several times we thought we were going the wrong way, or might collide in a head on collision, but we somehow made it to main road that takes you into town. In the town below there are WC's (water closets) where you can go to the washroom before taking the hike. We have been impressed with the availability and cleanliness of washrooms on the island. We drove up a road that led us to a hiking trail. We found this by chance. We didn't notice any trail markers in the city, so we drove through and on a dirt road where a child was herding cattle, we noticed a sign so we followed it. Some people opted to drive the trail instead of walk it as it is up hill. We opted to park and walk towards Vista Do Rei. The way up took longer, being up hill, and the fact that we stopped to take many pictures of vistas and cows roaming the fields at extreme angles.

Sete Ciadades from a winding road above

Enjoying the view from a look out

 These signs are everywhere on the island. You can drive to the end of most streets and signs such as this one will lead you in the right direction. There are many roundabouts in Sao Miguel, and they are well labeled. All you really need to know is the city you want to get to. The streets are not well named, but signs will let you know where natural pools, beaches, restaurants etc., are located.

This was one of the signs we saw off the main road that let us know to look for a trail marker.

Views from the hiking trail, way up in the clouds

Cows soaking up the sun high up on the mountain

A milking station in one of the many pastures

A hydrangea fence

After making it about a third of the way around, we decided to head back down so we could visit a beach in Mosteiros to cool off. When we drove to Mosteiros, we followed signs leading us to the natural pools before heading to the beach. These natural pools were made from rock formations that filled up with sea water, and sea life! Locals would climb the dark rough rocks and dive head first into these little pools, it was very entertaining.

Water collects in these pools naturally. Many of the bottoms are very deep.

After a quick dip, we drove down to the beach in Mosteiros. It was very nice. This town had a very beachy atmosphere. There were ice cream stands on the beach that sold beer for a dollar and chips and ice cream. There were showers and bathrooms here as well. The sand is very dark, and a little coarser than in Vila Campo Do Franca. There are rocks at the bottom of the water, but they are quite large, and the water gets deep very quickly so they really only caused trouble when entering or exiting. The views were spectacular. Sunsets are beautiful here.

The sand is very dark. It gets hot! We headed through town and followed signs that said "restaurants." That led us to a narrow street, and at the end sat Restaurante Brisa do Mar. It wasn't bad. I had fried chicken, Becky the Salmon, Jarvis the squid and shrimp and Shay the tuna. We tried some traditional desserts, a pastry-like cookie and a lemon-custard like pie.

We wanted to head home to catch the sunset on the corner by our villa but a small road closure halted our progress. We thought we could make it through, but decided against it. Follow the Desvio signs.

It was like out of a movie.

We thought maybe we could jump it