Artfully Ann's Adventures

Travel - May 8, 2013 -  Horta, Portugal

HI there!!!  Here is the picture of the calm sea I promised you the other day.  I've also included a map showing the jagged  line where we went off course to pick up the stranded boat.

Yesterday was to be Horta, but Horta was not to be.  The wind was blowing and the sea was rough.  The town had no dock.  We would have had to be shuttled in by boat.  Instead we roamed around the sea in circles all day.  We waited until early this morning to land in Ponta Delgada.  I'll cover that in another post.

If we had gone to Horta we would have seen a pretty little island.  What we saw was a small foggy shore in the mist.  Horta is on the island of Faial.  Faial is the smallest of the three "Triangle Islands" and an easy island to visit and get around. It has one the main airports in the Azores and there are several ferries every day to Pico from Horta. Ferries to Sao Jorge run daily in summer and three times a week in winter.

The town of Horta has several beautiful old buildings and it was of great importance on account of its sheltered harbor  When the first transatlantic cables were laid, Horta was the central communication station and many cable company offices were located here.There is one main volcanic caldera on the island. The walk around the rim follows rough paths and takes about 2 hours. Lower level walks abound in the event of misty weather and one particularly interesting area to visit is Capelinhos where in 1957 and 1958 several major eruptions occurred creating a volcanic peninsula and half burying a lighthouse.

Horta is a pleasant town to explore with many old shops, cafes and good restaurants. Peter's bar is renowned as a meeting place for travelers and locals alike. Foto Jovial is a small photographic shop in the center of the town where it is possible to purchase copies or just browse many old photographs of the Azores and their history.

Too bad I wasn't able to wander around and take pictures. 

 Instead I've decided to show you more towel animals I've not shown you.  Each night we are welcome by another darling creature.

I'll tell you all about Ponta Delgda next time.  We had a wonderful day!  Stay tuned, there is more adventure to follow.....