7/14/24 Sao Miguel Island & the Caldera of Sete Cidades

Sao Miguel covers 290 square miles and is home to the largest and most populous of the Azores Islands. There are approximately 140,000 inhabitants (45,000 residing in Ponta Delgada, the archipelago's largest city).  

Sao Miguel Square. 

It was the second weekend of July when we arrived, 

and the townspeople were celebrating the last day of their festival honoring the Holy Ghost, the third person of the Holy Trinity, and a landmark Azorean fest calendar since 2004.

Even the mayor made a speech, invited us to the ceremonial sweet bread and milk, and later posed for a group photo with his new American "friends." 

(The bread was tasty, but the milk was warm. I just couldn't drink it.)

In the afternoon, we boarded 4x4 vehicles for Lagoa das Setes Cidades, a geological complex nestled in the crater of a dormant volcano and centered around the largest freshwater reserve in the Azores. Unfortunately for Chris and me, we were the smallest in our group of 5 and forced to be crammed into the back seats while our 3 people over 6 feet lounged comfortably.

It wasn't painful while we were on the highway, but once we reached the entrance to the site, after torturous bumps, holes, and cliff-hanging narrow death drops, I could barely walk, let alone exit the car when we reached the legendary twin blue and green lakes of the caldera, which represented the tears of star-crossed lovers (a green-eyed princess and a blue-eyed shepherd).

Listen to the wind...

Then there were the ubiquitous, humongous, oversized, beautiful hydrangeas...

Frolicking in the hydrangeas.

Catia and Barb (Photo courtesy of Catia.)

Jennifer posing.

My new travel photo.

(Photo courtesy of Catia.)

Using my head to give you a sense of scale...

These things are massive!