Azores: Beyond All Expectations!

Let's start with this: I LOVE Portugal like crazy. BUT the Azores were still missing from the list of wonders I have visited in one of the most fascinating countries in the world. I had in mind an image of blue hydrangeas set against the ocean...and last summer, I decided to see them in person, along with Leo, who was (almost) 7 years old at the time, and his dad Guido, who patiently follows me on my travel adventures without making too many sarcastic comments.

First, some "technical" details!

The tour, which took place from 08/11 to 08/26/2018, included the following stops:

· Turin-Lisbon (with a stop in Barcelona on the way) with 1 night in Lisbon

· Lisbon-Ponta Delgada with 4 nights in Sao Miguel

· Ponta Delgada-Horta with 3 nights in Faial and a day trip to Pico

· Horta-Santa Cruz das Flores with 3 nights in Flores

· Flores-Ponta Delgada with 1 night again in Sao Miguel

· Ponta Delgada-Lisbon with 2 nights in Lisbon (that was a must!)

· Lisbon-Turin (this time direct)

Note: In hindsight, purely from an economic standpoint, it would have been better to return to Lisbon directly from Faial (and thus visit Flores first) and skip the second stop in Sao Miguel - this was something I hadn't considered at all when planning the trip - not to mention the early wake-up at 5 a.m. to catch the plane...but this allowed us to visit Ponta Delgada (a little Lisbon!) which we otherwise wouldn't have had time to see during our first visit...so it didn't turn out too bad!

In Lisbon, we stayed at the Turim Iberia Hotel (€104 for a triple room without breakfast + round-trip taxi booked with Rideways from Italy for €34) the first time and at the magnificent Jupiter Lisboa Hotel (€326 for a triple room for 2 nights with breakfast) on our return.

In Sao Miguel, we spent 4 nights in Mosteiros, enjoying the spectacular company of Luis and Joao from Casa Da Falesia (which has already been highly praised in other reviews on this site), paying €380 for their property just steps away from the house. The rental car, picked up in Ponta Delgada with Ilha Verde and booked from Italy, cost us €160.

Upon returning to Ponta Delgada, we stayed in the city at the Hotel Canadiano (€134 for the triple room, with breakfast and round-trip airport shuttle).

In Faial, how could I forget the incredible beauty of our stay at Casal do Vulcão (€480 for the entire cottage), just steps from Capelinhos? The rental car, also booked with Ilha Verde, cost us €212, plus a nice fee of €30 because we picked it up after 7 p.m. due to the flight from Sao Miguel arriving late!!!!

In Flores, we stayed at the charming Moradias Estação Radio Naval in Lajes das Flores (€229 for the cottage), paying, however, an outrageously high price for the rental car, €224. No comment.

As a paper guide, we used "Azores" by Susanne Lipps, which I honestly wouldn't recommend: perhaps due to my habit of using the much more comprehensive Lonely Planet, I found it a bit lacking in references to even important places that are an absolute must-see (for example, the Poço Ribeira do Ferreiro lagoon in Flores: I find it absurd that she didn't even mention it!).

I believe the use of a navigator is essential: some places are only easily reachable by making good use of it, as it can happen that the road signage - especially in more remote areas and on unpaved roads - is lacking.

And now let's get into the details!

The Vueling plane from Barcelona lands at 8:15 p.m. in Lisbon, and so, despite the convenient Rideways taxi booked from Italy dropping us right in front of the hotel, we are a bit tired and decide to have dinner there. The menu is nothing special (especially considering the late hour at which we show up for dinner), but the staff is very friendly and willing to make modifications to our selections. The triple room is very spacious and clean. I chose this hotel absolutely by chance, primarily based on price and its location not too far from the airport, but I am sure that with a little more careful searching than mine, you can find something significantly cheaper.

With Ryanair, we finally land in Ponta Delgada at noon, pick up the car (a Yaris that has definitely seen better days) and make our way to Mosteiros, which is about a 40-minute drive...a drive that I spend repeating non-stop, "Look at the hydrangeas! What did I tell you? There are hydrangeas! It's full of hydrangeas! Isn't it amazing? Look at this spectacle!" without anyone strangely throwing me out of the moving car. Maybe they are just too tired. Jokes aside, the road is truly a magic of blue and pink blooms and, as if that weren't enough, there are stunning scenic views of cliffs and various ocean vistas...the first approach to the Azores couldn't have been better, sunny weather included.

And what can I say about Luis and his son Joao that hasn't already been said...they are special people to whom we wish all the happiness they deserve. First of all, they show us the delightful cottage they rented to us (Joao's vacation house, who lives in Ponta Delgada), with two floors, a beautiful garden with a view of the cliffs, and a former barn painted in bright colors converted into an "observation tower", and then the Casa Da Falesia to which we have free access from a side gate, which, aside from the sensational view, boasts a beautiful swimming pool and a labyrinthine garden with giant hedges, various gardens, and a pond with countless frogs.

It's time to open the suitcases, and Joao takes us on a drive around Mosteiros to point out the main points of interest and utility (the bakery, two small supermarkets, the pharmacy, the best restaurants which we unfortunately didn't get to try, the natural pools...); we then discover that Sunday is the day for suckling pig on the main beach...needless to say, our lunch (or maybe it was a snack since it was already 4 p.m.) will consist of more than one delicious and inexpensive porchetta sandwich accompanied by a couple of beers and Coke for Leo.

This beach (supervised!) is a bit of the center of the town's entertainment; we will find out in the following days that beach soccer/volleyball matches and various barbecues are often organized against the backdrop of the cliffs that rise above some of the most fiery sunsets I have ever seen.

Also, the natural pools, our first contact with solidified lava, are definitely picturesque and, that same evening, we have an aperitif with focaccia at the Sunset Poço da Pedra kiosk (which, according to Joao, also serves delicious coffee) while admiring them, for now, only from above until it gets dark.

After a dreamy breakfast in the garden, we are now sure that Eden on Earth really exists, and we set out for Caldeira Velha, about a fifty-minute drive away. The landscape is absolutely unexpected! It feels like being in some tropical jungle! Palms, flowers, and plants that seem to have come from Jurassic Park, giant ferns tree-like, vines...and the fantastic (cold!) waterfalls that feed the pond at the highest point of the park. Better to warm up in the hot pools below, heated directly from the underground hot springs. The entrance to the park costs €8 for adults while it is free for children up to 6 years old and has both a comfortable changing room and showers. At the entrance, a paper wristband is provided which allows access for two hours, after which you would have to return to purchase a new ticket...but the place is small; in my opinion, the time allowed for the visit is more than sufficient.

In front of the entrance, there is a small kiosk that sells souvenirs and makes sandwiches and hamburgers; we stop there and eat "street food" again...my hamburger is filled with stick-style fries and green olives...original, let's say...but not bad at all!

Continuing on the same road, within a few minutes by car, you arrive at Miradouro do Pico da Barrosa which has a magnificent view of the underlying Lagoa do Fogo, our first caldera...despite the cloud settling over us that is increasing the chill, the landscape is very striking and we walk up to the Estação Emissora right above the lake. We see some groups of people on the underlying beaches, but alas, Leo is not a great walker, so I often avoid making him walk long steep stretches and/or uphill to avoid whining and existential gloom...yet from up top, it seems to me that a walk right down to the lake could be worth it. I mentally note to return there when I retire and Leo is on vacation somewhere where he won't have to walk with his fellow children, and we get back in the car, destination Lombadas Valley!

The guide doesn't particularly emphasize this area, but we like it a lot, both for the landscape (it seems like seeing the mountains of Hawaii!), and for the uniqueness of a naturally carbonated water source that springs from a spring in a derelict building (the one on the left bank of the stream with what remains of a round window up high), falling into a pond full of water lilies and very green algae. The stream can be traversed upstream on a trail that winds through the mountains...but I also mark this as a "to do" for retirement.

This place - also absolutely unexpected - is reached by taking the main road ER3-1 towards Furnas and then turning right before crossing the EN1-1A (it's practically the valley parallel to the one where Caldeira Velha is located); it's not difficult to get there given the scarcity of roads and dubious intersections, but it's advisable to have a navigator as it's not very well marked. The journey is about a half-hour from Caldeira Velha on a road that starts out paved (hydrangeas everywhere!) and then becomes unpaved for a good stretch.

After doing some grocery shopping at one of the small supermarkets in Mosteiros, we take a quick swim in the ocean from the main beach while we wait for the magnificent sunset that obviously does not disappoint, followed by dinner at home, in the garden, under a sky peppered with stars.

Note: on the road that descends from Caldeira Velha, there is the turnoff for the Cascata do Salto do Cabrito that we don't have time to visit, but from the photos on Google Maps, it looks pretty nice!

Another breakfast in the garden of Eden and we set off for Furnas! To get there we take the same road as the previous day and continue for about an hour and a quarter of travel in total. The famous fumaroles are well marked before entering the town and are really interesting to visit (if I'm not mistaken, there is a small entrance fee to drive in, about €2/3); there is a walk on wooden walkways that allows you to wander around, especially to witness, arriving around noon as it happened to us, the extraction of the pots of cocido, the typical dish of stewed meat and vegetables that are cooked using the heat of the underground water. The path around the lake in front of the fumaroles seems very relaxing as well (mental note: for retirement), completely surrounded by forest. To see the landscape from above, however, there is the Miradouro do Pico do Ferro, which we didn't go to.

Our attempt to taste the cocido at Tony's, which all the guides rave about, hits a total wall at the restaurant's door, as firstly, there's no room for 3 of us unless after 2 p.m. and anyway, the cocido must be booked at least the day before by phone! So, we pivot to Restaurante Banhos Ferreos, seeing on the sign promoting it that they should be cooking the blessed dish there too...and we are not disappointed: the place, as the name suggests, is a former thermal bath so it is very original architecturally, with tiles everywhere (although dad Guido says it resembles a sanatorium!) and the food satisfies us: I get the cocido - because I wasn't leaving Furnas without tasting it - and the other family members go for steaks and various sides after struggling to choose from a pretty rich menu filled with pictures. I discover that the cocido is like a mixed boiled dish typical of Piedmont, slightly drier and without any accompanying sauce, with various cuts of meat, including sausage (especially this: delicious!), chicken, and rabbit, and side vegetables like potatoes, cabbage (very good!), and carrots.

Despite the feast, we decide to go to Poça da Dona Beija, as we exclude that 39° water can cause a congestion. The place is indeed beautiful, with large stone pools set in a lush, similar-tropical garden. We don't understand why, but many people are spreading the orange algae that cover the stones on their faces...they must have some beneficial properties for the skin...who knows...to us, it looks very much like "Dawn of the Dead" and we don't take inspiration from it, we just make sure not to stain our swimsuits too much with indelible orange. The furthest pool, where a very fresh stream flows directly, is nevertheless the most pleasant: "only" 28 degrees.

On the way back, after trying the house pool, another dinner in the garden followed by collapsing on loungers to spot shooting stars in an extraordinarily dark night sky.

The day doesn't seem particularly sunny but we don't worry too much since, as we've already experienced several times, the weather here - as will happen in Faial - changes very rapidly and the clouds dissolve without rain, as quickly as they arrived.

We head to Lagoa das Sete Cidades passing by Miradouro da Vista do Rei from which the view is magnificent, and the two different colors of the lakes are plainly noticeable. The little town of Sete Cidades is nice as well as the church of San Nicola, festively decorated for a wedding that was just celebrated.

We return to Mosteiros for lunch and head toward the main beach, hoping again for the suckling pig but alas, this time we are out of luck (the owner of the kiosk on Rua da Areia informs us that the next day will be Grilled Chicken Day, but we won't be able to participate...) and settle for 3 classic hamburgers before finally heading to the beautiful natural pools.

Here the water is quite cold and not lukewarm as we expected...so we remain immersed very little, but we limit ourselves to admiring, walking along the edge, how magnificent the ecosystems that have developed in some deep pools are, which have colorful fish and algae, urchins, and crabs bustling among the folds of the lava. We couldn't miss a farewell drink to Sao Miguel at Sunset Poço da Pedra, while the sunset, once again, surprises and enchants us.

The sad moment of saying goodbye to Mosteiros and its wonders, humanity included, has arrived; Luis says goodbye with a smiling "Be happy!" that opens the heart.

Since the flight is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., we have plenty of time for one last swim at Ribeira Seca, which has one of the longest sandy beaches on the island, Santa Barbara, which we really love: the view can wander over the endless strip of white sand until it gets lost on the horizon. The place is supervised by lifeguards and has free changing rooms and showers.

For lunch, we stop at the highly-rated Tukà Tulà, located right at the beginning of the beach: a very "cool" place, as they say, but anything but snobby. Just avoid the mojito (terrible! Way too sweet and didn't taste even remotely of mint), then everything else lived up to expectations, from my chicken wrap, to dad Guido's squid ink pasta, to Leo's plate of calamari.

Note: the guide mentions a very particular fountain in Ribeira Seca, "eaten" by lava during the last eruption...we didn't see it but, having time, it seemed interesting!

Alright, we really have to go. We return the car and set off for Faial...with a good two-hour delay and consequent charges at the Ilha Verde car rental that I've already mentioned.

With this Ford Focus already in better shape than the Yaris, we arrive at Casal do Vulcão (the very kind owner called me when we were still in Horta to tell me which was our cottage and that she would leave the key in the lock) when it's already dark and we don't immediately realize the beauty of the place, also because after nibbling on something quickly, we rush to bed.

With the light of day, the place reveals itself in all its splendor: the cottage (ours is the first on the left named Casal Principal) is spacious, with a large living room and kitchen area equipped with everything necessary for cooking and seasoning, two bedrooms, and a bathroom with a tub and shower. Outside, it's made of black rocks and white plaster with red shutters and all stands out against the very green hill behind. There's a pool, some games for children with a slide and swing, a barbecue, a large table with benches, an area for drying clothes. There's no reception: the owner - of truly exquisite kindness - comes daily to tidy up and clean the empty cottages and as a welcome gift, we find freshly baked bread hanging at the door every day, brought from the Bico Doce bakery located on the main road EN1-1A. Also heading towards Horta, two small bars/

supermarkets are quickly accessible within 5-10 minutes by car: the Cafè o Vulcao in Capelo and the Cafè Areeiro a bit further up, where one can grab what they need to prepare meals and breakfasts.

Leo and dad Guido cannot resist the temptation of having the whole pool to themselves while I cannot resist loading 9 kg of photographic equipment on my back and dashing off to see the Vulcão dos Capelinhos, reachable on foot from Casal in under 10 minutes.

Now: do you remember Munch's Scream? Well, I stay like that as soon as I catch sight of the lighthouse and the landscape behind it (and I stay in this position for the next two hours. Indeed, it's complicated to take photos like this). I know I've used enthusiastic terms up to here...so I don't quite know how to describe from here on, because what I see is beyond all my wildest expectations.

A long wooden walkway leads and channels the gaze to the lighthouse that rises over a Martian landscape: dark sand and black rocks rising steeply from the sea, blue and white from the waves. Behind me, the very green hills. And then there's a sharp point where the green becomes sand, marking the boundary of where the volcano reached when it devastated the island in 1957 for a whole year. The beauty of this landscape, forgive me if I sound sentimental, is simply touching.

On the right of the lighthouse, which can be visited for the price of €1 each (tickets are purchased at the volcano museum located across), there is an easy and highly recommended path - just wear closed shoes - fenced by a railing that allows climbing up the cliff for another viewpoint overlooking the sea below.

The walk to the volcano, however, which starts below towards the sea on the left side of the lighthouse, can only be visited with a guide that can be booked by phone by asking for the number at the museum. Unfortunately, we cannot squeeze in this walk in the following days, so this too...is for retirement.

After lunch, we check out the natural pools at Varadouro, which are towards Horta, leaving the main road and following the appropriate signs. It's a really fun place to splash around; there's a shallow, artificial pool for the smaller kids and a deep one where the ocean waves pass through a grate bringing fish along with it, plus a cove in the cliff where there's a high diving board for thrilling dives.

For dinner, we order something to take away from Restaurante O Varadouro: a fish with an unpronounceable name of which we have no idea what it is - but it's amazingly tasty - and a hamburger with fries which we eat under the Casal's roof, alongside a group of friendly Portuguese who offer us chicken thighs and mollusks (the famous lapas) grilled by them. And the world seems like a better place...a spectacle!

It's time for Leo and dad Guido to admire Capelo in all its glory, so we head towards the lighthouse and climb to the top; I squish myself against the wall (I suffer terribly from vertigo) but I still manage to appreciate the freedom of being able to gaze into infinity in all directions.

Late in the morning, we then try to reach the caldera of Faial's main volcano; total failure because at some point the dirt road branches off in several directions entirely lacking any signage. When we realize we've reached Horta without finding a way to ascend, we turn back, have lunch, and contemplate our next steps because, of course, I refuse to give up. Amid various maps and the phone's GPS, I try to figure out the snag...actually to reach the caldera from the Capelo area, it's better to go north, reach Ribeira Funda, take the EN2-2A setting the navigator for Caldeira do Cabeço Gordo (38.581012-28.706270) et voilà! We have arrived! From where you leave the car, there's a small tunnel that opens onto a beautiful panoramic balcony high above the caldera, or you can directly ascend to the crest. What a view! On one side, the very green volcano with its 8 km ring walkable in what I'm told is quite an easy walk (especially counterclockwise), and on the other, the horizon stretches all the way to Pico...two volcanoes for the price of one! An unmissable spectacle!

For dinner, we enjoy delicious takeaway fish from Restaurante Bela Vista on EN1-1A, and then off to bed.

Today is the day of the planned trip to Pico; I had purchased ferry tickets from Italy - online at www.ferries.it - just as I had made the reservation for Gruta das Torres via email which is our destination (ascension up the volcano, as you can guess, is not something!).

We leave from Horta to arrive in Madalena, where we disembark after a half-hour with our car in tow, since transportation is not that frequent in Pico and especially does not reach the cave. Since I booked for 3:30 p.m. (it's advisable to book a few weeks in advance given the heavy influx of people and indeed some tourists who showed up by chance could only peek at the entrance), we decide to take a swim at the natural pools of Cais do Pico after the little town of Santo Antonio, also to get a look at the island and its famous vineyards...the place is very nice, with natural and artificial pools, but the water is freezing, unbearably cold. We emerge frozen, and after a quick bite at the not bad buffet of the Snack-bar Aço right in front, we head towards the caves.

These can only be visited with a guide, and in our case, we had an excellent guide: Ivo, friendly, funny, and very knowledgeable with excellent English pronunciation. Highlight moment: when he had everyone sit down, we took each other by the hand and turned off the flashlights. The darkness and silence were absolutely magical, just like the small flame of Ivo's lighter which suddenly managed to illuminate the entire cave by itself! What an experience...and what can I say about the moment when, just before exiting, he had us listen to and watch the video recorded on his phone of an improvised choir of Italian boys singing "Bella Ciao" in a spot of the caves where the acoustics are particularly good? Fantastic!!! Chills!!! I think it was the experience that impressed Leo the most during the entire vacation...even now, months later, he sometimes draws us three sitting around the lighter's flame keeping us company.

Back in Horta, after a quick tour of the colorful port where anyone departing for the ocean crossing leaves a personalized mural, we dine on shrimp and wonderful lapas at the famous Peter's Café (it's worth a stop just for a beer with a port view with Pico on the horizon and a tour inside...a vibe from another time!), while the sunset paints the distant Pico volcano with a wonderful lava red.

And this morning we leave for the green (and windy!) Flores! We will be staying in Lajes das Flores at Moradias Estação Radio Naval, a former radio station converted into a residence, with spacious bungalows furnished with the essentials; hard to compete with the attention to detail of Casal do Vulcão, but indeed a few more "facilities" could make the stay even more pleasant (for example, providing the kitchen, which is equipped with both an oven and a microwave, with salt, oil, sugar, etc., just so it doesn't have to be purchased and practically left unopened at departure due to the practical impossibility of carrying them on the plane). The place, although a bit outdated, is kept clean and the managers, Mariana and her dad, are exceptionally kind, absolutely ready to answer our questions and promptly handle the small inconveniences that happened during our stay (one evening, a draft had turned off the heater and we were left without hot water but Mariana arrived within minutes to turn it back on even though it was late and she wasn't around). A bar, a restaurant, an ATM, and a well-stocked supermarket are just steps away. The beam of light from the lighthouse in front of our bungalow cutting through the night is a spectacle...so overall a very positive balance.

On the afternoon of our arrival, we only had time to do some shopping and try to reach the beach you get to by taking the dirt road that passes in front of the lighthouse and continues on a very steep paved road that leads down to the sea. Once at the marina, you continue on the left and find it in a sheltered cove with some shelters with tables and grills that, unfortunately, during our stay in Flores, we didn't manage to test.

Today we discover that we've ended up in Isla Nublar, Costa Rica, and any moment now, a pack of raptors will emerge from the jungle for a snack. The Poço Ribeira do Ferreiro lagoon located on the main road heading northwest towards Faja Grande (and whose existence Mariana informs us of) is a PEACEFUL place that, yet again, looks like it just came out of a Jurassic Park set. From where you leave the car, a path that gets steep at times (and very, very slippery on the way back in case of recent rain!) of about 800 meters crosses a lush and thick jungle to reach this incredible lagoon into which numerous waterfalls tumble from the mountains in front. The intense green predominates, the silence, interrupted only by the croaking of frogs and the calls of birds flying low over the water, is absolute. It's incredible how, here in the Azores, every place is more surprising than the previous one that already left us speechless. Chatting with a Dutch backpacking couple, we discover that Flores is a haven for hitchhikers: just have a little patience, and you'll always find someone kindly willing to offer a ride.

After taking an exorbitant number of photos, we head towards the more famous Cascata do Poço do Bacalhau in Faja Grande, a 90-meter waterfall that plunges into a really icy pond but that doesn't stop us from immersing ourselves, even if only for a short time, and swim to receive the water jet - now practically vaporized - directly on our heads; in the meantime, the classic heavy but short downpour erupts (we'll get caught in quite a few during our stay!), but as we are already drenched...

For lunch, we are inspired by the restaurant Papadiamandis located right at the point of the island that is the most western in Europe; we gaze into the infinite, take some classic tourist photos, and finally eat: a garlic-laden octopus, however delicious and tender, fish, and very honest carbonara spaghetti (no comment) for Leo. If the weather was warmer and the sea less rough, there's a bathing area here, with concrete slides sloping into the sea, diving boards, and sun loungers on the large lawn in front of the restaurant. We get a good splash even just staying on the rocks and then return to enjoy the waterfall panorama. On the way back (remember to be astonished by the basalt columns of Rocha dos Bordões visible from the road), we make a small stop to visit the lovely water mill located on the left while heading towards Lajes just after the parking lot of Ribeira do Ferreiro and, if I'm not mistaken, before the fork for Fajazinha, a town with barely 70 souls, towards which we then make a detour to see if we can book the famous "with a view" restaurant Por-do-Sol, which, however, is still closed; we then return home to relax a bit and conclude the day watching from the window our lighthouse illuminating the night under yet another downpour.

Although I suffer terribly from seasickness, having discarded the idea of a day trip to Corvo due to the really rough seas, I would have liked to visit at least Gruta dos Enxaréus, reachable only by boat and supposedly magnificent, but unfortunately, I was unable either before or locally to contact anyone organizing this tour except at honestly exorbitant prices for a ride of just over an hour. The tour operator suggested by the guide didn't have boats available (Mariana's dad, teetering on his uncasted leg, called to inquire for me!) and the one advertised in Faja Grande didn't respond to either my phone call or email...oh well! I'll save on Xamamina...

We then head to the central area of the island towards Reserva Natural de Morro Alto and, moving a bit randomly and often taking the wrong road, we see from above the splendid lakes of Lagoa Funda, Negra, Seca, and so on...very scenic and their colors vary depending on the bottom and the light of the sun that comes and goes.

Since we didn't get enough cold the previous day, we then return to take a dip at Cascata do Bacalhau!

While waiting for the flight to Sao Miguel at 5 in the afternoon, we take the chance to quickly visit Santa Cruz and swim in its famous natural pools, really cute and organized with concrete platforms and ladders that allow you to swim even in coves sheltered from the waves. A quick sandwich at the Buena Vista Café above and we head towards the airport.

Upon arriving in Ponta Delgada, the shuttle from Hotel Canadiano comes to pick us up, where I had booked a triple room for one night, and I can only highlight the kindness of the receptionist and the cleanliness and spaciousness of the room, as I didn't have the time to try anything else.

In 10 minutes, continuing down Rua do Contadores towards the sea, you arrive in the city center, a pleasant discovery: as already mentioned, it feels like a little Lisbon! Restaurants are abound: we opt for Arco Da Velha on Rua dos Mercadores which leaves us more than satisfied also due to the overwhelming kindness of the waiters and the owner.

We then return to the hotel very early because in the morning we face an early rise at 5 a.m. to return to the mainland...and thankfully before the definitive return home, we still have 3 days in my always beloved Lisbon to finally introduce it to Leo.

What can I say...beyond, beyond, beyond all expectations. Even now that I write months later, I have in my eyes the blue of the hydrangeas, the green of the leaves in Flores, the pink of the sunset on Pico, the red of the shutters at Casal do Vulcão, and the ash gray of Capelinhos in Faial. YOU MUST go. YOU MUST return. You will not regret it. And if you need information, feel free to write to me; it will be an immense pleasure to respond! Happy travels!