Sejam Bemvindos, Sam e Kat!!

Enjoying a walk in the Angra jardim

When we got our call to the Portugal Lisbon Mission, Sam and Kat expressed interest in coming to see us. Of course, we said, "Of Course!!!" In February, 2016, we all got serious and chose the what we wanted to do, researched flights and bought all the airline tickets.

Then we had to wait until the end of August!! We were very glad to meet them at the Lajes airport after an eventful journey (though it wasn't SATA, the often delayed airline that raised their anxiety level.) But they arrived, and it was a wonderful reunion.

Our week together was split between 2 islands. First, Terceira and then São Miguel. We were glad to show off our island and looked forward to exploring another island.

Angra

 First, the Fortress of São Filippe/São João Baptista do Monte Brasil

This is the fort at the foot of Monte Brasil. Its walls were part of our daily view from the windows in our apartment. The fort was started in 1594 by the Spanish to protect their interests and was named Forteleza do São Filippe in honor of King Phillip II. Later in 1642, the Portuguese drove out the Spanish and renamed it Forteleza São João Baptista in honor of John IV of Portugal. (Thank you, Wikipedia!)

It has been an active military base for centuries and continues to be so today. We often would pass the gate as we would do a hike or walk up Monte Brasil. If we said Hi to the guard, he often would snap to attention and salute us. There are parts of Monte Brasil you can't go to because it is secure military property.

Below is a picture of the base from the road above.

I always wondered how we could visit the church that we could see from the road and just before Sam and Kat arrived learned that they give daily tours. It was a good thing to do on the day they arrived (after a morning nap). It was close and did not require a lot of time!

This is the crypt underneath the church.

It was a nice and cool on a relatively hot afternoon!!

A group picture at the doors of the church.

The inside of the chapel is simple. The tile roof is pretty impressive.



It is an active church with services each Sunday.

O'er the ramparts we could see .... the ocean! It was also a good view of Angra.

The same general place, but looking inland to São Mateus and the countryside.












There are actually several interesting places to walk to in Angra. Nearby to our apartment is an old fort that houses a pousada, (a hotel). They have done  a good job preserving the look of the fort as you can't really see the hotel until you are inside!!

this is the view of the fort from the road by the port. It is quite a climb to get up to the fort on our morning walks in that direction.











Below is a view of the fort from Monte Brasil on the other side of the bay. You can see the colored buildings of the pousada. but you have to be higher than the fort to see those buildings. It is a fun fort to explore going up and down stairs and ramps to the various levels.

 Dennis and Sam pose at the entrance.

Sam and Kat are on the ramparts looking towards Ribeirinha - away from Angra.

You can see the fort walls are like cliffs down to the water. The white building on the left is part of the pousada.

A very special couple!!
















You can see the end of Monte Brasil in the background.

AH!! Sam and Dennis found Vasco da Gama! Look like friends from a LONG time ago!

We went to visit Fátima Silveira, a member of our branch. She wanted the temple work done for her father, who she adored and her mother. Janet was able to get the dates and information needed to request the ordinances to be done -- as well as her mother's parents and about 4 generations of family. (Janet had way too much fun and learned a lot about doing family history in the Azores!)

We asked Sam and Kat if they would be willing to do the temple work for her parents and her mother's parents before they came to Terceira, which they were very glad to do!! It was a special visit as they brought the completed temple ordinance cards and talked about their feelings about the temple and their experiences there as they were doing the ordinance work. She was delighted to meet Sam and Kat! She thinks Sam's smile is wonderful! I agree!

One thing Sam really wanted to see was a tourada -- the bull on a rope. There just happened to be one near Praia on Thursday. So Kat went with Janet to a baby shower at the church (a very rare event in the branch) and Dennis and Sam went off to see the bulls.

Again, you see the very traditional dress of the rope holders. They are getting the bulls ready to release.

They always have the rope on the bull BEFORE it gets out of the box.That is quite a task with a bull that just wants to get out and shaking his 'box'!!

 They do all they can to keep everyone safe!!








 Sam and Dennis had a great time!! The bull came close enough to give Sam an opportunity to tease him with his hat -- from a protected place!

Our exploration of the island included a hike along the coast near Agualva! We had done the hike about a year ago with Elders Hobson and Pickrell and at that time, it was a very windy day and the waves were astonishing. This time, it was a beautiful, sunny day. And while the waves weren't wild, we noticed so much more of the beauty of the area. It was a completely different hike, but equally as enjoyable!! 

First, the steep descent down a ribeira -- a ravine dug out by a stream. 


These yellow flowers were the current season bloom. They were all over.

 It was very lush and green and we enjoyed the descent!

 The ravine opened up into a 'valley' bordered by large cliffs on one side and the ocean on the other. We saw the yam farm again.

Here also was a house with an entrance way that begged for a picture.

I think Sam is glad he doesn't have to live here. He would have to duck every time he came home!! 

It really is a beautiful coastline. 

It is hard to capture the beauty in pictures. You should come here sometime!!

Doing a selfie!!!

 
Leaving the coast line (though you really never stop seeing the ocean!!) we walked through the grassy places, with the cows contentedly eating in the neighboring field.

I often wondered if the cows really appreciated the beautiful place where they lived. Especially those whose pastures went right to the edge of a cliff with the ocean below. Maybe they don't look past the stone walls.


We also did our obligatory visit to the Gruta do Natal and the Algar do Carvão

The Gruta do Natal is a series of lava tubes that you can walk through. It got its name because they opened the caves for public viewing on December 25, 1969 and there is a traditional Catholic Mass in the lava tubes every Christmas (Natal). 

Dennis and I weren't going to go through. We had been there before and didn't feel the need to go again. But we wanted Sam and Kat to see it! Dennis had been there the week before so they just let him go in for free. And then they just added my admittance as well, just to be nice. The Gruta was VERY busy that day with several bus loads of tourists so they weren't out very much money (it was only €3 each)

You have to wear helmets because there are some low lying ceilings and volcanic rock is like glass and you could get a nice cut on the head if you weren't careful. And you wouldn't want to trip and fall either as the walls and floor were also very rough!! 

Then, we went to the Algar do Carvão. 

The stairway down to the center of the volcano is exposed to the light from the volcano opening above and with the dripping water, the algae find it a good place to grow!! 

Our turn for a picture in the 'Cathedral'. It was still just as beautiful and we always enjoyed taking our guests and visiting it again!

São Miguel

Our adventures continued on Monday when we flew to the island of São Miguel. We had been there twice for zone conferences, but that was just land at the airport, take a taxi to the church, go back to the airport  at the end of the conference and take off to go back to Terceria. We were excited to explore!! There are many things to see and do on this island. We decided to focus our time on the western end in the Sete Cidades area

Kat had found through Airbnb a beautiful home in Várzea, a small village very near the caldeira (volcano crater). You can see the big house in the photo below -- that is our place!! It had been the local doctor's home who was very generous with the residents there. In the upper right corner, you see the high edge of the caldeira. That is our goal for the next day!!

And the hills were very beckoning!! Dennis and I enjoyed our morning walks seeking for paths that took us up!! The picture above of Várzea is from one of those walks.

To the left, is the abandoned windmill at the top of a hill. We had a very good view of the village and the ocean on the other side. 















 On Monday, once we were settled into the house, we went to a beach nearby!! One fun and fascinating feature of a volcanic island is the natural pools that are made by the volcanic rocks on the coast. Some islands, like Terceira, have made concrete platforms and walkways to the various natural pools. Here on São Miguel, they just provide ladders to get into the water. 

The one below was a particularly exciting one. There are ropes stretched across the water and when you get in the water you grab a rope and hold on. Then the big waves come in and toss you around. Dennis (of course) is the one furthest out. Sam is the closest but he is on his way out to enjoy it with Dennis. Dennis said that actually the further out was not nearly so forceful as closer in when the waves approached the rocky edge. Kat and I enjoyed watching them and taking pictures!! This particular pool has some natural hot springs that feed into it, so the water is not quite so cold, especially when the waves are not so big. 

Victoriously leaving the pool!!

When we got there, there was a group of young adults enjoying the scene but no one was in the water. When Dennis got in, they got brave enough to try it.  





The next day, Tuesday, our only full day on São Miguel, was devoted to exploring the Sete Cidades area. We left our home around 10 a.m. and within 10 minutes we were approaching the rim. We saw a sign with the symbol for a view point on the road to the right. So, yes, let's go there!!

 Soon we found ourselves on basically a one lane dirt road that just followed the rim.  In many places it was steep down on both sides. Fortunately (for Janet) the bushes on both sides hid that fact. And it was generally wide enough to have 2 cars pass (or pass a parked car). We weren't sure where we were going, but determined to find the viewpoint. Besides, it wasn't that easy to turn around!!

And we enjoyed the flowers in bloom along the road, mostly hydrangeas.



Then it came. Just a break in the bushes. The full caldeira spread out beneath us. It was breathtaking and absolutely beautiful. I had never seen anything like it!! It is so hard to capture it in a photo!!

 Proof all four of us were there!!

When we finally got to the official viewpoint, basically on the other side of the caldeira, it wasn't nearly as perfectly composed as the wide spot in the dirt road!! And there were TONS of people. But still impressive and beautiful.

Leaving the view area, we found a trail that led to other various smaller lakes. It was a hike with an up and over high cone hills and finally down to the lakes. It was a great hike with vistas from the hill tops and beauty up close and personal down below!!

One of the vista scenes!!

One of the lakes along the hike

Another lake. The little house is an old pump house.

The plants on the side of Sam are an interesting type that we learned about on Angra. They are like a sponge and can soak up to 15x their weight in water. It basically serves as a water storage for the island. When the weather is dry, the plants release the water. We found the plants on the natural rock walls along the trail, just dripping like it was raining (and it was not!)

On the way back. I was glad we didn't have to climb up the high and bare hill tops where it was quite windy. 



Instead we walked through a lush canyon. Here we are almost out and ready for the final walk to the car. The side slopes are lined with the water storing plants. 







We then went to the actual village, Sete Cidades. Sete means 7 in Portuguese, and I didn't know exactly why because I saw only one city!! Wikipedia says that Sete Cidades was a historical/mythical area from the 8th century and this area just inherited the name.
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Sam's great desire was to kayak in a volcanic caldeira!! We arrived around 4 p.m. and the kayaks rental closed at 5! So, Sam got his wish with an hour's exploration of the lake!! Kat and I enjoyed a stroll along the lake

The far out view!! 



Sam has now kayaked in a volcano and a fjord! Where will the next place be??

We got back home in time to fix and eat dinner. It had been a long and busy day with wonderful views and fun. It was such a delight to share it with Sam and Kat!!!

Wednesday dawned and we had until 6:00 pm when we turned in the rental car at the airport to return to Terceira.

First order of business: go to Mosteiros and go swimming.  There were natural pools and a beach with crashing waves and we wanted to do both!

Exploring around the rocks, looking for a good place!! 

Found a great pool! It was cold and Dennis didn't stay in that long. Sam and I are the people in the water.

The waves would come and crash on a small rock opening. It was pretty tame -- just my speed. We did get one really good one that knocked us off our feet! And the small rock barrier that the waves crashed over in the opening kept us from being washed out to sea with the back wash!

Then on to the sandy ocean beach! The view from the sandy beach was quite amazing. The waves don't look that wild, but they were strong. 

Janet thought about trying the waves, but decided it was just a little too rough. You don't realize the power of a wave until you get close to it and try to go through it! Sam and Dennis got past the crashing breakers and enjoyed riding the waves. The day before we had seen some surf boarders. I think this was just too early in the day (11am) for them to be out.

Enjoying the warmth of the black sand!

Then time to go home, clean up, pack up, eat lunch and start our drive back to Ponta Delgada and the airport. It was astonishing how much black sand we took home with us. It really stuck to us! 



We decided to drive around the coast of the island to Ribeira Grande and then use the via rapida across the island to Porta Delgada. We had plenty of time and might as well see more of the island.

First, though, we had to retrace our steps on the dirt road with the amazing view. We wanted to see the caldeira one more time!!!

Driving along the coastal road on the north side of São Miguel.


It was similar to Terceira, but the fields weren't as cleanly defined with rock walls. We still saw plenty of cows and it was all beautiful.

You really don't need to search to find photogenic places on São Miguel!!

It was a great trip to share with Sam and Kat. They were very accommodating to our desires. And we did learn how to have a take-your-time-and-enjoy-the-moment vacation!

The inevitable always happens. Time goes and suddenly it is time to go. Here we are at the Ponta Delgada airport, eating our brown bag dinner while waiting for our flight to Terceira.

And the next day -- it was time for Sam and Kat to return to the States.

Thank you, Sam and Kat, for coming.

We love you!!

Bem-vindo, Família Viera

With the Vieras inside a Volcano - Algar do Carvão (see explanation below)

There was one VERY good reason we were looking forward to the Sanjoaninas festa-- The Viera family weas coming to visit during that week. Linda's family had a family reunion in Italy where her mother is from and they made Terceira their first stop! The major reason is David's family is from the Azores, and his mother's grandmother was born in Terceira -- but more about that later! Of course, we were a second reason with translation, housing, maps and food all combined in one package.

Unfortunately, they arrived and left between all the big parades of Sanjoaninas and they still had to deal with the loud bands at night. Even so, we had a great 5 days together and when we went out of Angra, it was quite peaceful!

They arrived Sunday afternoon, after an almost all night stay in the airport waiting for the delayed flight. We picked them up at the airport, and then went directly to the Praia chapel for our afternoon meetings. Ariana provided the music for the interval song, and everyone loved her song and voice. She brought a very special spirit into the meeting.

Back home in Angra that evening,  we talked about our visit strategy to use the days effectively and then they went to bed quite early! It had been a loooong 24 hours!

Monday morning!! Time to discover!! David's main goal was to find some living relatives.  Fatima Pamplona had done a lot of work on his ancestry and he wanted to find some cousins on Terceira! We started in Altares, the birth place of his great great grandfather, Joachim Martin Alves. This village is on the other side of the island -- about a 30 minute drive.

We went first to the church, the center point in any village.

The church in Altares.







The building ( you can just see the corner on the right) next to the church was a museum, but it is closed on Monday's!!








However, as we learned more about the area, we discovered this was the school house that David's great grandmother attended. 

Dennis had contacted the president of the freguesia (basically, the mayor) and when he arrived, we discovered we could not go into the church as the pastor was out of town. However, he did know some old people who might know of his grandmother's family. We followed him in his car to a cafe where we met a 100 year old man who still had a very good memory and, obviously, knew everyone in that small village.

Look's pretty spry, não é??

But, he did not remember anything of the family.













Then, we learned of a fellow who was visiting from the United States who was very knowledgeable about the residents. He comes back every year!! Here is David showing him some pictures of the family when his grandmother and her sisters visited Terceira. (In case you are wondering, the Casa do Povo across the street is a day activity center for the elderly as well as activities for the community).

But David struck out in Altares. He decided that the family moved to Angra in the early 1900's and was lost to the memory of Altares. His great, great grandfather died in Angra. So, that was the next stop!

But, hey!! We are on the other side of the island and MUST go to Algar do Carvão, the volcano you can walk into. (I was going to offer to take anyone there that visited us, but we have moved to the continente and are in Évora right now!!) It is one of the must-see places on Terceira. Here we are outside the visitors center.

The acoustics are so amazing and we convinced Ariana to favor us with a short song.

We were getting toward the end of the hydrangea season. Many of the roads are lined with bushes in full bloom with these gigantic blossoms.


We were taking a short cut on a small road and it was so amazing!!

A perfect couple photo op on their anniversary!

And great for any couple!!











Tuesday and Wednesday were days in Angra. Linda and I had fun shopping and looking around the city. One morning, the two of us went whale watching. I could show you some pictures of a whale touching the top surface. Apparently there were several around, and occasionally you could see something. But with the boats bobbing in the not so calm sea, it was hard to know if I even got a picture of it. I just pointed in the general direction and clicked!!

One of the interesting parts of the excursion was seeing our town of Angra from the middle of the bay -- a very different perspective. Our apartment house is the building just above and to the right of the small yellow building!!! (There was a band that practiced in that building so we got impromptu performances on an occasional basis)

And while we were having fun, Dennis, David and Ariana were on a cousin hunt in Angra. First they went to the library where all the archives were kept. There they got some valuable clues where 2 sisters of his great-grandmother lived. Dennis's language ability and knowledge of the resources available and the streets of the city were invaluable and saved a lot of potential lost time figuring things out.

The foyer of the library has these beautiful, and very traditional blue tile scenes.

As it turned out, with little clues from the librarian, help from a store keeper next door to the now abandoned house, he was able to find 2 distant cousins, almost the only family still living on the island. Most of the family had immigrated to the United States.

Here is David in front of his great-aunts house. (Obviously, from the roof, no one is living there). The house is just up the hill on a corner intersecting our street (though the name changes down below). It was amazing how close his family lived to us!

This is Orbela. She was widowed very young, never remarried and has no children. She lives in a corner house on a street near to our church. She was so pleased to meet Dave and fell in love with Ariana.

We walked past her house MANY times and had no idea we were near to David's cousin!!

This is Joaquim, Orbela's twin brother. He is retired and spends his days on his little farm with goats, pigs and a big garden. He is a very generous man with his produce. He has one son, also named Joaquim.

We have since gone back to talk to them several times. David sent a picture for Orbela and one day when the sister missionaries needed a 3rd sister companion, I asked if we could also stop by Orbela's house to deliver the picture. She was very friendly and we had a good visit.

She also said that one day she had lots of grocery bags to carry home, and the sister missionaries stopped and helped her carry them. She appreciated their service and remembered them!

We also visited José and Fátima Pamplona. Fátime had done a lot of family history work on his grandmother's ancestry. It was a great opportunity for David to thank her for her time and expertise!!  Thank you, Fátima!




And we got some fun thing in too -- like a Tourada: the bull on a rope. Basically they close off a section of road (and this one a particularly busy route with buses and all) 4 times for 20 minutes each time to let a bull loose on the street. There are 4-5 men on the end of a rope attached to the bull that helps to control it. When the bull is released from his box, they send up 1 rocket. When the bull is reboxed, they send up 2 rockets and everyone knows the road is safe. The backed-up cars have a chance to get through, although the spectators also go out onto the street. It is quite fun to watch from a distance!!

Here we are, on top of the wall next to the Nunes's house, members of the Angra Branch. They really don't like touradas, but stay home to make sure their home is safe. There are a lot of people on the street!

And we just had to buy donuts from the street venders!

(In case you are wondering, yes, we have a young missionary with us. No, it is not p-day. Yes, she is legal. Her companion had left on Monday and her new companion wasn't coming until the evening of the tourada and she could not stay home alone. So she joined our merry group!. Dennis, Sister Bateman and I left half way through the tourada to go to the airport to pick up Sister Rust. Sister Bateman had a fun time shopping and doing all the touristy things on a Tuesday and Wednesday! And thank you Ariana for sharing the living room couches. We had a very full apartment!!)

These are the rope holders. They are specially trained and their white shirts in that style and black hats are the uniform of the team! Always!

Looking down from our perspective on the street. The truck/trailer has just delivered the 4 bulls in the boxes at the bottom left. The boxes are shaking and jumping with a bull that wants to GET OUT!!

And here is the bull in the street.

Many of the men gather in the street but as soon as the bull starts to run to them, they high tail it away. There is usually one man (trained) to tease the bull with an umbrella to get him riled up.

A Walk through the Park! The Angra jardim (garden) is near to our house. We enjoy walking through it and seeing the currently blooming flowers and enjoying the peace.

Here the Vieras are sitting by the grandstand, mimicking the picture David had of his grandmother and her sisters in front of the same grandstand!

The garden landscaping is very well done.!

Exploring Angra!!! And we met up with Vasco da Gama himself!!!

This is a new sculpture. They finished remodeling the square and installing Vasco in time for Sanjoaninas!!

It has become one of the popular photo spots in Angra.

Note: Being Portuguese, Vasco da Gama is a very important person in Portugal. He and his brother Paulo da Gama's came to Angra during one of their voyages where his brother died and was buried. 

Of course food played an important part of the visit!! After all, you HAVE to eat!!

We had some traditional Portuguese dishes that I have learned here. David made the comment that rather than introducing him to the food, it brought back many memories of celebrations and eating the same things back with family in California. At least we were authentic!!

We did find a wonderful fish restaurant in São Mateus, just down the road from Angra. We ordered the assortment plate and enjoyed it all!!!








Thursday morning before they left on a jet plane, we enjoyed a hike on Monte Brasil. The white lilies were in full bloom.

It was wonderful to take a walk with Linda again. We have been walking companions for over 20 years. That's a lot of walking and talking!!

Thank you Linda, for being a wonderful friend!

Thank you Viera's for coming to see us. It was a wonderful week!