Day 9 São Miguel, Azores

The last full day tour, we are back with the same guides we had on São Miguel the first time. We started off by going to a ceramics factory. We were able to see the whole process from the piles of hard clay to the fired and glazed pieces in the store.

Next we went to the top of a mountain where we were once again in the clouds. There was an amazing view of a lagoon surrounded by never-ending greenery. One of the guides and Anna did handstands on a wall overlooking it all. It was a surreal experience.

After that we drove to another thermal spring. This one was less orange than the first one and it had an amazing waterfall. I hung out in a couple of the springs before getting dressed and wandering around the place to take photos. Once back outside the park, Joao, one of the guides, showed us some dogs that they breed to look like bears. Honestly they did kind of look like small bears!

We finished up the day with a critique of our photos with painter Andre Laranjinha. We presented the ideas for our photo books and were able to get some feedback. Then he showed us a film he made about the wine process on the island of Pico.

As it was our final night some of us walked around the city a little and saw a church completely lit up with small lights everywhere. It was an amazing image to end the trip with!

Day 6 Terceira, Azores

We had another jump flight that brought us from Graciosa to Terceira. Our first stop on this island was an Air BnB to be able to see the inside of an Azorean house. It was like a small cottage with cool rock walls partially painted white which cool objects on display all around.

After stopping at the house, we went to our hotel which was very different than any other I have ever stayed in. There was a physical key to unlock the rooms as opposed to a key card. It was actually really cool.

We all met up for pizza for lunch to get a little taste of home but still with an Azorean twist. It was absolutely delicious. After lunch I spent some time searching for souvenirs before getting ready to head to the running of the bulls.

As we were walking over to the running of the bulls we met an older lady who was asking for directions to the event. She ended up walking with us and we spoke about our families and her experience in the Azores and America. When we got to the street where the running was going to happen, a nice man immediately offered us a place to stand behind his wall. We gladly accepted and the women who had been walking with us joined us as well. She even bought me a bag of popcorn! The hospitality of the people of Terceira is unparalleled.

A good amount of the group ended up participating in the running of the bulls. It was really cool to experience the energy and pride the people had for this event even if I was on the sidelines!

Day 5 Graciosa, Azores

Today was the morning of the religious procession through the towns of Graciosa up to a mountain top church. At least one person from every household is supposed to participate and some even walk barefoot. I chose to not participate in the procession but rather watch and photograph from the sidelines until it was out of view. Afterwards I walked around the city taking photos and exploring before sitting in the park in the city’s center.

Once the whole group was back together we walked to the Museu Graciosa which was opened just for us. The guide showed us different farming tools, wine production tools, and other cool items from history.

After the museum the tour guides asked us if we wanted to see a whale and of course the whole group said yes! Turns out this “whale” is actually a giant whale shaped rock in the ocean near a big lighthouse. It was a pretty entertaining trick. We were able to explore around the lighthouse and down to a cliffs edge that looked into an ocean cove. I sat on the wall of a building away from the cliffs edge and just took in the views and listened to the sounds of the ocean. It was incredibly peaceful.

In the afternoon we saw some dwarf donkeys that are becoming extinct and are famous on Graciosa. As we were petting and taking photos of the donkeys, the owner drove up and invited us to his backyard to see the babies. He is a famous art director that is actually making a film about the donkeys starting the following day. Once in the back, we were led to another field and shown the other small donkeys. They really loved our Prof. Anna and nibbled on her constantly.

The end of our tour was more scenic overlooks of the island. One of the stops was at another cove surrounded by natural orange rock walls. I don’t think I have ever seen that color out in nature before.

Day 2 São Miguel, Azores

Today we had breakfast at the same cafe as yesterday before heading to our first lecture. Today the lecture took place at the Military Museum of São Miguel. It was a discussion about how photography can change the world and the project that Prof. Eduardo Marques was working on with the poor and homeless. He showed some examples of the photos that the homeless took and how thought out and intentional they were. I was truly blown away and very proud of the project they were putting together to send an important message.

After the lecture we had some time to explore the military museum. It was part of an old fortress for the World Wars so it was cool to explore all the tunnels and memorabilia. We were also able to go onto the roof of the fort which gave amazing views of the city and harbor. I absolutely love history so I really enjoyed exploring this place and hearing different stories about it.

Afterwards we went back to the hotel to collect everything we would need for the day. We had a full day tour and our first stop was at a small church at the top of a big mountain. We were literally up in the clouds and the view was incredible. Next to the church there was a maybe 20 foot cross that was truly awe inspiring. The inside of the church was actually pretty small and simple but beautiful nonetheless. I was able to light a candle for my grandmother which felt very powerful and peaceful.

Next we made out way to the thermal springs and botanical gardens. The springs were and orangey color which was definitely interesting. I had never been in a natural spring like that before and it was amazing. After swimming in the spring for a while I walked around the gardens which had beautiful flowers, ponds, and waterfalls.

The next stop was in Furnas where they use the natural thermal heat to cook their food in underground pots. It smelled like sulfur but wasn’t as overpowering as I thought it was going to and it was really cool to feel how warm the ground was. The cats that were wandering around definitely loved the warmth! We then drove to a restaurant that served food cooked in the underground pots. It was surprisingly very good.

Our last couple stops were at different scenic outlooks that gave us views of the island. The way the fields were set up and the dark rocky coasts reminded me of Ireland a lot which was very different than what I was expecting of a tropical island.

Day 1 São Miguel, Azores

We landed in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel around 6am. The plane was landing as the sun was riding and it was beautiful. We were all pretty tired from the overnight flight so we were very happy when we were able to check into our hotel early and change before breakfast.

We walked to a little cafe that had amazing pastries for breakfast. European breakfasts are very different than American ones but the light food was perfect.

After breakfast we had our first lecture at the University of the Azores, which was just a short walk from our hotel. This first lecture was about the historical gardens of the Azores by Prof. Isabel Soares de Albergaria. It was fascinating to learn about how the majority of the flora in the Azores was actually brought from other parts of the world. This led to a very unique landscape that I was not expecting.

Next there was a break for lunch before we headed back for our second lecture on the architecture of Ponta Delgada by Prof. Andrea Henrique Marques. We started in the classroom learning the history of how the city grew and how the marina changed based on the needs at the time. Then we left with the professor to continue the lecture on a walking tour so we could actually see the architecture in person.

At the end of the tour, the professor pointed out a few locations for the group to eat at for dinner. We chose a cafe near the ocean and this was my first introduction to the amazing cheeses the Azores produce.

After dinner we all headed back to the hotel and continued to hand out in a group in someone’s room. This was a really fun time for me because on my other study it took a longer time for everyone to get close with each other. Since our group had had multiple classes with each other we were already comfortable and able to have fun all together on day 1!