LET'S GO TO SAN MIGUEL ISLAND (AZORES) #3

One of the biggest attractions in the Island is the typical dish called Furnas stew that is cooked in a very peculiar way. The dish is a stew made from pieces of pork and other meat, Portuguese smoked sausages and a lot of vegetables.

Why is it so famous in this Island? Because of the way it is cooked...

The ingredients are placed inside a large pan which is then covered with a bag. Then they put the pan inside of a hole in the volcanic soil that presents high temperatures. To finish they put a wooden lid and cover up the hole with soil.

The food stays underneath for seven hours in these natural kitchens. This is not only a tourist attraction but a popular Sunday lunch tradition to go there with the family, cook the dish and enjoy it in those magnificent surroundings. Feeling of excitement is present when the pot is removed from the ground. 
I couldn't miss having it at one of the various restaurants by the lake. Honestly, I didn't like it very much. The taste is totally different from the dish that is served in mainland Portugal.

After lunch, I had to walk through Furnas town to ease the diggestion...
Azores people are very religious and April and May are the months when each parish honours its respective Patron Saint. Coincidently, on that sunday, there was one religious parade.
We spent the rest of the day at the Botanical Park. This, for   its peculiar characteristic, which intentionally, I don't unveil it now, will be blogged in separate...
Enjoy the dish, don't eat much because you may feel it heavy in your stomach...

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LET'S GO TO SAN MIGUEL ISLAND (AZORES) #2

The weather was not bad, yet still cold and humid. The first stop was at a pineapple estate. Pineapple, is the exotic fruit that is produced in green houses, only in San Miguel island. At the exit, there was a nice store selling the most typical handicrafts and products (needlepoint, embroideries, whale bone accessories, liquors and, of course, pineapples). From there we drove to one of the lagoons or shall I call lakes? Up over there, the temperature was low but the breathtaking vistas made us not care about it. Owing to the absence of pollution - industry has no significance at all - the landscape takes on unique shades and colours.

As we continued our tour the weather was constantly changing. Azores are said to have the four seasons in one single day. I have doubts. I didn't notice any signs of summer...

The stop at an interesting and picturesque town on the eastern tip of the island, gave us a chance to see its eight-arch bridge, built in the XIX century and the town's main landmark. Although I don't like liquors, I visited the main shop annex to the liquor factory,just with the purpose of taking a few photos. The factory's symbol is the traditional costume: a long cape with a very broad hood, which dates from the 18th century. It's now only worn at traditional festivals.

The morning tour ended at the Gorreana tea estate. Family owned and operating since 1883, it produces the only tea grown commercially in Europe for over 125 years. Now, let's have a stop for lunch but before it, enjoy the slide-show...

~~ See you soon! ~~

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LET'S GO TO SAN MIGUEL ISLAND (AZORES) #1

The Azores are a real paradise for nature lovers. The nine islands are gracefully shaped, decorated by mountains and tranquil valleys covered with exuberant vegetation and beautiful lakes within the craters of extinct volcanoes. Outside the cities we see cows everywhere and if they happen to be on the road they have priority over any vehicle.

San Miguel is the main island, where I spent last weekend. Unfortunately the weather was not fine at all. As we get into the baggage claim lounge we see a section of a trunk of the so-called Japanese cedar (cryptomeria japonica), a species that is widely planted in the Azores islands.

Despite the cold and windy day, I visited the market that was not very impressive to me, apart the beautiful flowers for sale. There were stalls full of bananas, pineapples and colourful vegetables.

From the market, I walked through the old district but didn't see many people. The low temperature and the strong wind probably had made them stay at home. The city was too quiet for my taste. I returned to the hotel where I enjoyed swimming in the pool. On the following morning I had to get up very early (I'm a night owl) to play golf. 

As I opened the window and saw the heavy rain along with strong wind, I felt discouraged but I couldn't give up playing. My friends were waiting for me. Off we left to the golf club and half an hour later we reached it with no expectation of playing under comfortable conditions. It was very humid and the wind had not stopped blowing strongly. It never stopped raining for the nearly 5 hours on the course and the wind never stopped accompanying us, either. After lunch, the sky cleared up... It had not been our lucky day!

Fortunately, on the following day the sky was not very cloudy and we could enjoy a round island sightseeing tour. 

To be continued soon...

Meantime, enjoy the slide-show...

~~ Have a great weekend ~~

~~ Thanks for stopping by ~~