Resting in The Azores

We only stayed in Flores for two nights. Nick was keen to fly home and I wanted to get back to the UK in time for the birth of granddaughter number 3 in early July and there is no international airport in Flores so we would need to go to Horta in the nearby island of Faial..

We spent some time on the first evening in the bar next to the small marina with a couple of beers for the men and a couple of glasses of ice cold vino verde for me as well as a taste of the local seaweed on bread (interesting and edible is all I can say). We also had a supper of a couscous like dish, the name of which escapes me. This was followed by a long and welcome night's sleep.

The next day we found the local supermarket and bought some fresh food, though the supermarket was very small and the choice of vegetables was limited to say the least. We also sent a couple of postcards, did the laundry in the marina launderette and then walked a mile or so to the local garage to fill our diesel cans for the trip to Faial the next day.

The journey to Horta in Faial took 24 hours, leaving at 10-30. It was a relatively uneventful trip motor sailing in very light winds with another sailing yacht visible behind us most of the way. The marina was  very busy at this time of the year, with several yachts at anchor (something only allowed when it is busy). We were rafted up on the quay alongside another English boat.

Horta is a very pretty town and we had a couple of nice meals in Peter's sports bar, one with Nick's friends Chris and Julia, who were holidaying in the Azores , having left their boat in Portugal. Peters seem to own a lot of things in Horta, bar, gift shop, airport cafe etc. and they tend to be pricier than some other establishments, though the food s good.

We hired a car and Nick drove us around the island for a couple of days, We visited the caldera in the centre and we walked around the nearby bay.

We also visited the site of the last eruption near a lighthouse that was once much farther out on a limb than it is now. The volcano centre was housed beneath the lighthouse.

We also drove all round the island and visited some natural sea swimming pools. Faial is very green and verdant and the flora is amazing with miles of hydrangea hedges, wild roses and nasturtiums and many other typical English garden flowers growing wild. The scent is delicious.

Nick drove down some roads that were little more than dirt tracks, particularly the one leading to a bird watching spot.

Interestingly, inside the hide a grey wagtail had chosen to make a nest and lay three eggs. She seemed unperturbed by our presence but I guess it is not a busy hide.

After  just under a week, it was time for me to catch a plane for the UK. Nick was staying for one more day then Scruffbag would be on his own for a week until our friend, Ralph arrived to crew for the next part of our journey..