The tickets to return from the Azores were much more expensive than a return flight on Monday, so Marshall and I stayed an extra day to explore more of the island. We didn't have any set agenda and let the day unfold in front of us which was lovely.
After taking Alana and Paul to the airport, we went back to the AirBnB and lounged around and packed up by 12:00. It was nice to be able to have a place to just chill with our beautiful view over the ocean for just a couple more hours. We then headed to the north side of the island where we ended up in Ribeira Grande and walked along the "boardwalk" above the beach and then went into the town for an espresso. The cafes were lively on early Sunday afternoon and the town had a little square so we were able to sit outside and just take it all in. We then decided to order a couple of beers and limpets (little mussel/oysters) which are marketed across the island. Yum!
We took a quick drive to the center of the island to check out the Caldeira Velha (which we knew we couldn't enter, but wanted to see if we had been there on our last trip). Thanks to the blog, we confirmed we had been (but at that time, you could just park your car on the side of the road and walk in - no tickets, busses, etc.). While still a sleepy island, this was one clear evidence of tourism hitting the island.
We then headed to our hotel on the north shore outside of Calhetas and lounged by the infinity pool while we had some sun (it was a tad windy), but warm enough to read our books and relax (and each boy called to tell us about their weekend while we were on the pool deck). 🩷
We chose a restaurant further east to explore additional parts of the island. Definitely a more local food in a sleepy little town on a Sunday night. Marshall humored me on the drive back to check out some look outs and we stumbled upon a natural swimming pool as well as the location of the old whaling trade. The north side of the island is definitely more sleepy, the shores more stunning and the waters more rough, but very beautiful.
What I will remember about this trip - the multitude of picnic tables (which we used!), cows (still named Joe as a shoutout to our last trip here), miradouras, hot springs, hydrangeas, cheap beer and espresso, caldeiras, men hanging at the cafe, seafood, many birthday cakes, local cheesecake, beaches (a surprise to me that it was warm enough to be at the beach and get into the ocean), and the local festival in Villa Campa do Franco. I'll try to forget about the Extended Stay America, but will remember our day in New York fondly.
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| our AirBnB in Villa Franca do Campo |
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| Ribeira Grande |
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| limpets! |
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| view from the church |
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| outside our hotel |
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| pool time! |
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| on the phone with one of the boys |
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| stops along the way home |
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| whaling town |
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| rainbow the morning we got up to leave |
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