Thursday, February 8, 2018

February 8, 2018 The Azores.

We woke early this morning. I went back to sleep. Deb stayed up. Finally, at 7:30am, i opened my baby blueish-greens and started my day.
At 8:00am we feasted on eggs and coffee and other breakfast goodies then jumped in the pueguot and off to the sightseeing.
The roads are mostly two lanes and very thin two lanes at that. The cars are all sub-compact models. Speed limits are around 80km/hr. If you don't keep up the residents will hang on your tail until they can pass you. Oh yes, they do not keep the speed limit either.
You, really, can't get lost on this island because, well, it is an island. One road runs around the perimeter of the island and then you have side roads going to the interior.  Tomorrow i will have some specifics but we must have traveled 150 to 200 km today. Quick math, half the KM distance and add a little for good luck, then you have miles. 100km = 60 miles, etc.
we drove the western half of the island and saw the extinct volcano caldera, the extinct 5 star hotel, the not so extinct ocean side and many little towns. I have some nice photos that will post later in the week.
We found a restaurant/bar/spa on Mosteriouso. The spa refers to hot springs which they have captured and piped to a swimming pool. Also, at this site was a lava field. Old and black. At one spot the lava had been hollowed out by the ocean and opened a hot spring. Swimmers come to this spot and swim in the warm water all the while hanging on to ropes. The surge from the ocean can draw the unsuspecting out to sea.
We lunched in a little town at Chico's restaurant. good food. good service. The menu was in Portuguese and English. Nothing special about the food. Tasted good and looked good. Just a restaurant!
If you have ever been in a mountainous area you know that the road is never straight. The rule applies here. On the west end, the one we drove today, you could not find a half kilometer of straight road. Try that with the natives barking at your back bumper! I have seen motor scooters but no big motorbikes. Too bad 'cause this would be paradise.
 We visited a 5 star hotel that never opened. It was built on a bluff with fantastic views of the island's caldera. Unfortunately, the owner thought he would have many sunny days. Seems the island receives 200 days of rain. oops. The shell of the hotel is amazing to walk through. Ignore the sign at the entrance saying, "DANGER". It is just dirty.
Tomorrow, we drive the eastern half and take a dip in a volcanic pool.
Bom Noite.

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