Road trip around Ilha de São Miguel, the Açores
The Azores Islands are volcanic, and in fact the last eruption happened on this island in 1563, but there is a lot of (little) earthquake activity.
One of the famous sights here is the view of the Sete Cidades; two lakes in a crater. That is just one of the craters, left from one of the volcanoes, on this island of many eruptions.
We ate carrot bread and coffee at Louvre Michaelense Café two blocks over, got our car from the parking lot up the street and took off across the island.
The furthest point from us on the island is about 53 kilometers, so it is not too hard to string together a couple sights, spend the day touring, and use up a teaspoon of gas. After the drive today, I figured one tank of gas would last me about three months here.
So we drove the narrow streets out of the city, cringing a little as the side hazard warning buzzers kept going off. (I hate the sensors in these new cars. Anytime you are within a few inches of something the alarms go off. The first few times it happened I almost jerked over, and really some of the streets here are so narrow you are skimming by the parked cars less than six inches on the right, the buildings less than six inches on the left and so it is one long continuous alarm for two blocks. It’s worse when you are parallel parking, and don’t even get me started about backing up into the space with the over-hanging hydrangea plant… If I buy one of these new cars I am going to get those damn things disabled.)
Out of the city, we headed north and west, through green green fields defined by rock walls and thick hedges of blue, purple and white giant hydrangeas. The cows are just pretty pets placed here and there to make the scene perfect.
We are amazed at the lush greenery, and the overwhelming amount of flowers. This is so different than the Canary Islands; after a couple weeks of brown barrenness this is a shock to us.
Up we wind, into the mountains. It seems crazy, but the roads are pretty steep, and the volcanoes rise sharp so that you end up in a cool rain or fog after just a few miles.
Our first stop is a little pullout, the Coal Peak Viewpoint. It is raining and cool, and I didn’t bring a coat because back in Ponta Delgada it was muggy warm. But “cool” is a relative term, it must be about 75 degrees, so I jump out and look. The clouds hang just above me, and the rain makes it a little hazy, but I can see down on the narrow part of the San Miguel Island, the ocean on both sides, volcanoes in the distance. Closer to me are the neat little partitioned fields, with trees and flowers everywhere.
The lakes in the crater are part of the Sete Cidades Parque, a national park” of sorts. Sete Cidades is also the town down by the lakes. The two main lakes are the Blue Lake and the Green Lake. It is actually one big lake with a road built across it, splitting it in two. At certain times the way the light reflects on the water makes it appear that the “two” lakes are different colors.
Not today.
Today, for us, they both look a watery sort of green-blue.
That is not what I thought was so cool, however. What I found interesting is how, from the first viewpoint called Miradouro da Grota do Inferno (this is the most famous view) you can actually see another two smaller lakes in small craters nestled in by the one big lake (that is two lakes).
Aye-yi.
I hope you can see it in my photo (above).
Go on, click on it to make it larger.
You know you want to...
This viewpoint, the Miradouro da Grota do Inferno, is pretty fun. It is crowded, so don’t expect a “wilderness” experience. But you drive in down the dirt road (Trust me - don’t park out on the “main parking lot” on the main road.) and keep going to the end. If it is all parked up there is room to turn around and work your way slowly out to a space. Then it is a short, steep walk up a dirt stairway slash path to a cool kind of trail on a ridge top, the slope falling away dramatically on both sides of you. The path is wide, you are plenty safe, but the visual effect is cool. At the end of the ridge you will see the crowd all clustered around taking essentially the same photos that you see here.
But it is a wonderful view.
I had to wait about five minutes to get a spot to step up and enjoy it (after the tour bus group left) but it is really nice.
This view is lower and totally different. Instead of the three distinct craters and lakes, you are looking down on the “two” lakes hoping to see one magically appear blue and the other green.
Alas.
What is the color of water anyway?
Still beautiful.
The road is now heading down down into the village of Sete Cidades. You pass through a straight section of road I called Flower Alley, but it is really the same old EN9-1A that we have been driving on. This section of the road, all the way into town is lined with huge bushes of those purple, blue and white Hydrangeas. It is pretty spectacular and overwhelming to see. I mean, they grow wild everywhere, but here they threaten to take over the road.
I had a neighbor in our old ‘hood who grew the prettiest hydrangeas by his garage. He took such good care of them, and I cringe to think of the road crews coming through here just chopping them back like common weeds.
When we got into Sete Cidades town itself we parked by the pretty little São Nicolau church, and ate lunch at the São Nicolau Restaurant where I had the biggest, baddest local cow fresh steak for a mere €15. It came with fries. I never order steak at a restaurant, but at this price how could I resist?
Gail had a terrible goat cheese and bread, so she ate off my plate. With wine and waters and coffee we walked away about twenty-five euro poorer.
As of today, July 26 2019 they are repairing the road down into the springs, so you have to park up on the top of the cliffs and walk the road down. If they are still doing the repairs when you visit, do NOT try to push your luck and park way up at the end of the road… it is a single lane and cars coming in and leaving and turning around at the same time made a real jam. We watched. I was fortunate enough to park back a couple hundred yards, so we got out easy.
If the road is repaired, however, there is a good large parking lot at the bottom of the cliff. and it saves a long walk down and back up.
The hot springs are free. There is also a café with hot-spring pool and spa that you pay to enter. We got a water at the cafè.
There is a WC and a couple changing rooms down by the cove, and two lifeguards are there as well. Ropes are strung across the coves, as the ocean is pretty rough and big waves wash in. You have to swim since most places you can’t touch, and even if you can you are constantly swept off your feet, back and forth. There are ladders so you can climb in and out.
So imagine a small “bay” in the middle of a lava field. Cold ocean water is sweeping in on regular waves, while hot water is rising underneath you. It is all mixed to a comfortable temperature, sometimes a little warmer, sometimes a little coolness washes over you. You feel hot and cold swirls on different parts of your body at the same time.
I really like it, much more than a plain old hot spring.
We were at a similar place once, Sorgeto, on the Italian island of Ischia in the bay of Napoli.
These are the very cool places you never forget.
After swimming around until our arms were tired, then sitting in the sun watching the people bob up and down like little corks, we changed back and walked up to the car. We were heading back to Ponta Delgada, but along the way we passed the Lighthouse Farol da Ferraria built in 1901.
Then, on the winding road along the coast we got sidetracked and ended up at a little viewpoint, the Miradouro do Pico de Mafra, looking over the village of Mosteiros. This was so pretty we decided to come back (and we did on our last day).
Finally, we passed the only remaining, working windmill on the island, the Moinho do Pico Vermelho.
It was a great road trip full of interesting and beautiful touristic views. And the Ponta da Ferraria hot springs were perfect!