06.15 The newly awakened sun colours the horizon red. For the eleventh year in a row, it will be a journey and a travel journal around Easter. Since the last time I wrote a travel journal, I´ve had time to have a surgery in my left eye. The by cataract clouded lens is now replaced. The other eye will be adjusted after this trip.
07.14 The three gentlemen, Roberth, Christer and myself, are strengthened by the breakfast and ready to leave the Christer's apartment in Sundsvall. Due to the early departure from here both Roberth and I came to Sundsvall already on Thursday evening.
07.30 Because of the lack of buses on Good Friday we will now take a walk towards the railway station here in Sundsvall.
08.00 Christer is sitting next to me in carriage 3. Roberth is sitting in carriage 2.
09.22 The yellow sun is rising on the blue sky. It spreads its light and its heat across the white unbroken snow cover. It has been and is still extremely lot of snow this year. We will be without snow for one week now at least.
11.00 Arlanda airport is approaching. There we have a few things to take care of. Among other things we´ll eat lunch, pay for the accomodation we need when we are returning home, pay for our baggage and also check in the baggage. We, ourselves, are already checked in and have electronic boarding cards.
11.39 It went fine to pay for the morning sleep on "Rest and Fly", on the 8th of April. It is Christer and I who will pay for a few hours of sleep when we have returned. Our plans were hastily changed when the airline TAP moved our flight home from Lisbon. The departure time 12.10 was suddenly changed to 23.55. It involves both plus and minus. We get a half day in Lisbon as an added bonus on the way home. On the minus account, it will be a day without sleep on the way home, hence our scheduled resting time. Now the trio has gathered by the "Christmas tree bench", however no Christmas trees this time of course.
A light meal in new furniture at 7 Eleven.
Three men traveling to the Azores.
12.22 We have acquired information on what we´ll do with the baggage which we had not paid for. That will be taken care of at check-in. Then we have had lunch at 7-Eleven. Roberth and Christer have made a premier in the brand-new sofas that just had been placed there. The simple lunch consisted of among other things Italian sandwiches with prosciutto, a link to the last Easter trip.
13.21 The check-in woman at the counter was happy and grateful that we checked in our bags. Strangely enough there was no need to pay for them. This made us happy and grateful.
13.59 There was a smooth passage through security control. We went looking for a coffee place. In the pursuit of it, we found a corridor between the different gate wings. It was unfamiliar to Christer and me, but Roberth knew about it. Last time we were here Starbucks Coffee had disappeared and been replaced by a café called Fika. Now Fika has been replaced by Barino. Things change quickly at this airport. We once again walked in the corridor. The coffee break was made at Wayne's Coffee.
14.21 Aviator, said someone at the check-in counter 14A. We are mostly waiting to board the plane. Norwegian's flight to Málaga will soon depart from the neighbouring gate 13A.
14.42 Seats A, B and C with the number 27 in front is where we will spend a few hours. The Portuguese airline TAP and their Airbus A 320 R will take us to Lisbon where we will switch to the next flight later tonight.
The plane from TAP is waiting at Arlanda airport.
On our way to Lisbon.
We are flying over Göteborg (Gothenburg).
15.17 The light voiced pilot (a woman?) has announced that we, unfortunately, will be delayed.
15.34 The mandatory safety ballet before the flight is performed. We are moving towards the runway. I will, as soon as we have taken off, set the watch an hour back to adjust to Portuguese time.
CHANGING TIME ZONE
16.59 Time wise, we are now in Portugal. Logistically, we remain on board and somewhere over Western Europe. We have, to our surprise, been served a tasty meal. We thought that the food and wine weren't included. Obrigado TAP!
17.57 The approach to the airport in Lisbon is initiated. The airport's official name is Humberto Delgado Airport but it is mostly called Portela airport. It will be the third time on our travels that I land there. For my friends, it will be the second time. Roberth was with me in 2009 and Christer in 2013.
PORTUGAL
18.48 It was a long approach before we got contact with the ground. Just before landing we saw the long Vasco da Gama Bridge. Now we are out of the plane and wait for the next flight. We have a few hours of waiting ahead of us before it is time.
19.41 During the transfer, we have made a stopover at the Cockpit restaurant. We're here to dine assorted burgers and drink beer.
20.30 We were served savoury burgers and tasty beer. Now we continue to wait for a while.
21.14 Roberth thinks that I should write down everything that we say. It will be forgotten if I don't do it. We are now at the airport's Starbucks Coffee and to kill some time. What was it now that I should write?
We are landing in Lisbon. In the back ground you can see the 17 kilometers long Vasco da Gama bridge.
The dinner at Cockpit.
We are killing time at Starbucks Coffee.
21.48 The transfer here in Lisbon is almost over. People are already queuing at the next gate.
22.03 We are now going to bring us a bit closer to the Americas. First we'll go with the bus the bus that will take us to the next aircraft.
22.20 We are now on board yet another plane from the airline TAP. Now we are going to fly straight to the west, out over the Atlantic Ocean.
23.00 Now for the second time today and the second time on the trip I will adjust the time. We shall soon land in the Azores which is another time zone away.
CHANGING TIME ZONE
23.56 We have now finished flying for today. We have reached the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The plane is now at the airport Aeroporto João Paulo II, in Ponta Delgada on the island São Miguel. The airport is also called Nordela. This is a new time zone, two hours after Sweden. In addition to the Azores it is just Cape Verde, and a few towns in eastern Greenland in this time zone.
Saturday 31st of March
00.17 We are now in the taxi going to our first accommodation on this trip. We'll stay two nights here in Ponta Delgada before further adventures.
00.56 Room number 2 at the hotel/guest house Residencial São Miguel (http://www.residencialsaomiguel.com) will be our first home on this trip. Our first assignment is to sleep. We will need it. The room feels crowded. It feels as if they put three beds in a room meant for two. Another interesting detail is that we have a large window that goes directly out to the sidewalk on the street outside. When it is open, you can simply step right into the room.
08.23 We slept well in our rooms. Night has become morning. The hospitality on the weather front is less comfortable. Heaven offers rain outside the window.
08.46 In the near future, questions will soon be answered about what breakfast is and means here, as well as the completely life-changing question, how is the coffee?
09.30 It is time for the answers to our questions. Breakfast is called café de manhã in Portuguese. This breakfast is highly recommended. The best was the mozzarella-like local cheese, and also the soft local bread called Bolo Levedo. The coffee was weak and lukewarm, that is bad. The time has come for us here in our tiny room to plan the day.
10.15 The small room start to creep up on us. We will, to avoid to be crushed, go out to see the city. Ponta Delgada is the largest city in the Azores and has about 70 000 inhabitants.
10.34 The city offers wet streets and squares. We are at the main square, Praça Gonçalo Velho (named after the island's first governor) very close to the port. Here is also the beautifully ornate gate of the city, Portas da Cidade. What is waiting around the corner?
Our street Rua Dr Bruno Tavares Carreiro seen through our room window.
Residencial São Miguel.
Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião.
The town hall in Ponta Delgada (Câmara Municipal de Ponta Delgada).
Portas da Cidade.
A whale on the wall.
11.03 My friends and I have walked around in a rainy city this Easter Saturday. Our walks have been restricted due to the weather situation. Now it's time for eleven o'clock coffee at Café Central.
11.37 Coffee to drink and something sweet to chew on is nice. Heaven has opened the gates during our coffee break. It is strong winds and rain. We got in here just in time.
12.18 We couldn't remain at the cafe forever and it's still raining. We have gone home to await better weather.
13.25 The drizzling of rain has turned to the chirping of birds. Weather is improving. We will soon head out for lunch. But do we have stamina, power and motivation to do so.
14.01 I'm really slow today. A reasonable explanation is yesterday's flights and the short night of sleep.
14.20 We went out from the hotel and walked down to the sea. We just arrived at the city's fort. It's called the Forte de São Brás. The constructions began in 1552 and was from the beginning a defence against the pirates. The weather is getting better and better, and the fort is actually quite mighty.
14.32 Roberth has just found a flower covered nun in statue form, Madre Teresa da Anunciada (Mother Teresa of Preaching).
14.40 It is now, as a link and as a transition to last year's Easter trip, time for lunch at the restaurant Bella Italia. Roberth who isn't that hungry, will go straight to the dessert. I have ordered pasta and Christer a pizza.
A rainy Easter Saturday in Ponta Delgada.
A beautiful fountain at Praça Vasco da Gama.
A canon at Forte de São Brás. Let´s hope it is not loaded.
A memorial for portuguese seamen who lost their lives in the First World War.
Roberth and the nun Teresa.
Peter is having lunch at Bella Italia.
15.30 It was good solid food and good beverages. Now we are going to hand euros to the owner.
15.46 The sun is shining. Christer just said 8. He says that 8 divided on three will be 2,70 euro each. We share the cost of the litre of wine we drank during lunch. We have just started a bench break. Roberth and I are barefoot. It is lovely to experience spring and warmth after the harsh winter at home.
15.51 There are sounds from the tires or road surface, as the cars turn in the corner not far from here. It is a proper squeaking.
16.15 We are once again on the move. What awaits us on this walk?
16.39 The sun shines on us where we sit on the steps of the Igreja do Colégio dos Jesuítas (the school church of the Jesuits). It is nice with contemplation sometimes. It is pure luck that brought us here. We saw a beautiful building at the other end of a street and went here to take a closer look. A question that has appeared is about our upcoming rental car. Will it have AC, PC, WC?
17.15 After a short shower of rain, we are down by the sea again. Next we'll find candidates for the evening feedings.
17.33 The big blue is unfolding before us. We are on some sort of artificial vantage point, Escadaria Portas do Mar. We have walked up here via the stairs or did we walk on a stand? It is difficult to determine. Here a number of lovers have inscribed their names. We are wondering if anyone is mentioned in more than one couple.
We experienced spring in a nice park.
Two men and a tree.
Igreja do Colégio dos Jesuítas.
Many go whale watching on their Azores trip.
Christer is walking on Escadaria Portas do Mar.
Dinner at Mercado do Peixe.
18.25 We saw a cow outside a souvenir shop. The shop next door sold food. We went into it and bought some things for the evening, but also to bring with us on tomorrow's trip. Now when we are at home again and will see what we do next. The cow was so clearly not a living such, but yet one of all of the cow statues that pop up sometimes when we are travelling.
19.37 We have as mentioned, retreated to the hotel room for a moment and look at the TV. A Portuguese channel has just shown a program about Zlatan Ibrahimovic upcoming matches for the American soccer club LA Galaxy.
20.11 It seems as if we need to eat dinner today as well. I wonder how hungry Roberth is now. He had a lighter lunch than the rest of us.
20.44 Soon it is time to test some of the seafood at the fish restaurant to the Mercado do Peixe. The restaurant is popular. We were lucky, to get a table. A movie about all the fantastic Azores can offer us visitors is shown on a TV.
22.23 It was grilled shark for the other two. I am allergic to fish and instead had a skewer with squid and shrimp. To this we drank Vinho Verde (green wine). We had green beer two years ago in Prague. Everything was rounded off with delicious desserts.
Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião is beautiful at night.
Sunday 1st of April
08.56 What a joke! The weather is really not on our side this Easter weekend. It is sprinkling rain and misery out there! Today we will collect our rental car out at the airport. We will have a comforting breakfast and hope for better times.
09.25 It is April fool's day, and Robert has posted pictures of snow-covered palm trees on Facebook to see how easily deceived people back home are. Sure, the weather is miserable here, but not as bad as that. We wonder if we managed to fool anyone.
09.42 Once again the singing of the birds has started to spread in the sky. It doesn't rain as much anymore. We are about to leave the room.
10.13 Weather brightens this Easter Sunday. It is appreciated. Today we will do a car trip in the beautiful nature.
10.35 Polite words were exchanged at the reception at the check-out. A short walk took us down to the Praça Gonçalo Velho where we have seen parked taxi cars. We entered a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the airport. We are now on the way!
10.47 We are back at the airport Aeroporto João Paulo II. It is time for the final preparations before we go to SIXT's office and get our pre-booked rental car. These preparations consist for example of withdrawing of money. It is good to have real money with us out in the countryside.
11.05 We had been told that the car would be ready to be picked up at 11.00. Everything is now clear, I have signed the papers and I've got the key to the car. Now we just have to find it and drive away. We were persuaded to take a full insurance on the car and got a really good car, an Audi equipped with GPS.
Peter and Roberth at the airport in Ponta Delgada.
It´s time to collect our rental car.
Our Audi takes us to the western parts of São Miguel island.
A car is faster than a bike.
A first stop in the nature.
The road goes through humid forest areas.
11.14 It went fine to find the car out in the parking lot and to get into it. The car from the rental company SIXT had staff out in a kiosk at the parking lot that handed the key to us and showed which car was ours. I have managed to set everything as I want it in the car, everything except the side mirrors. I will have to ask for some help.
11.22 I got the help of the orange dressed man from the SIXT and now it's off.
11.34 The excellent map readers at my side and behind me have successfully navigated us out from Ponta Delgada, out in the countryside west of the city. It is a bit jumpy during my driving. I'm not entirely accustomed to the automatic geared car. It was not the car we had ordered, but now we got a machine Audi with GPS thanks to the insurance we signed.
11.54 The car and we in it bounced on. We turned wrong in one place and ended up on a road in the interior instead of the road along the coast we planned to take. It was positive and we now stopped at a place with beautiful nature. The humid climate allows the growth of a very special forest with moss on the tree trunks.
12.24 We have travelled further and have now stopped at the viewing point Miradouro da Vista do Rei above the two crater lakes Lagoa Verde and Lagoa Azul at the village of Sete Cidades. Sete Cidades means the seven cities. These cities, according to the legend, was founded by banned Spanish bishops and sunk here. The actual crater lakes are as you can imagine an old crater. The current form came into being after a strong volcanic eruption 1445. According to another legend the lakes got their names after an unhappy love story, in which a blue-eyed princess and a green eyed shepherd weren't allowed live together. They were, however, allowed to meet one last time and cried so much that their tears formed these lakes.
12.50 We went down along a serpentine road to the shores of crater lakes. The car is parked at a car park where the two lakes meet and we just met a group of ducks. They were uninterested in us until Roberth brought out his whiskey bottle that would be packed on. Suddenly the ducks got interested in us.
Roberth is investigating typical Azores forest.
A view towards Sete Cidades.
Roberth and one of the most famous views on the Azores.
It´s important to park on the right side of the sign.
The road down to the lakes.
Some ducks greeted us welcome to Sete Cidades.
13.11 There is a small gravel road along Lagoa Verde, the green lake. We walked along it and found a stone table and some stone benches. It is time for snack here, a little bit of your own bread and beverages.
14.11 We got up and walked to the centre in the village of Sete Cidades. Here we are having coffee at Bar Casa do Povo. On the way here we met a small dog and went along a road adorned with pine needles and bits of flowers and leaves in beautiful patterns. It is a tradition here to decorate the streets at festive moments.
14.55 We are refilled and emptied. Liquid has gone in and out of the bodies. We have also managed to get back to our car by the lakes. Now we roll on, first west, then north and finally east. We also saw beautiful decorations on the ground in front of the village church also, however, in the other colours.
15.09 From Sete Cidades we went westward and has now reached the coast road at the height of the Várzea. Now, the journey continues to the north coast of São Miguel.
15.27 We have a wonderful car. It is the first in the line of cars. The local population seems to think that I drive too slowly.
16.02 Two estimators (passengers that help to navigate), a car radio, a new automaton speed car, an unknown road and a Danish woman who continually speaks on Roberth's GPS app, this is very impression for my part! I have asked the comrades to sift through the impressions so that I can focus on driving.
16.44 Finally, finally, I have parked our Audi. We are in our own little house at Quinta de Santana (http://qsantana.com/en/). We are in Santana, a small village just to the east of the town of Rabo de Peixe on the north side of São Miguel. Now I'm going to unwind after the trip. It wears to be on the toes all the time. We were welcomed to our rooms but the official check-in will be done tomorrow at the same time as we check out. Strange, but that is how it is.
Even birds like whiskey.
Lagoa Verde, Sete Cidades.
A light meal by the lake.
New bird visitors at Lagoa Verde.
We are walking into Sete Cidades village.
The streets are decorated in Sete Cidades.
17.37 After having settled in our various bedrooms, we are now about to leave our small house for a while. We want to make an ocular inspection of the area. We would particularly like to locate a nearby restaurant, which we received tips about and also try to find some sort of nearby shop where we can buy something for the evening in our house.
18.27 The walk here in the Santana has given us a restaurant to visit in the evening. They said that we were welcome back later. In addition, we have looked at the agricultural tools that were arranged behind the restaurant, seen simple buildings in the residential areas down by the sea and also a lot of car traffic. It is more interesting to study the traffic than to be a part of it.
18.39 Not much was done on our walk. We found really nothing of value in addition to the restaurant. We are now at home to wait for the next dinner.
19.10 What just happened qualifies as a tradition now. I have just used the bathtub. This with a bath in a tub began for sure last summer in Russia. Since then, Portugal now included, five additional countries have joined.
19.50 A short evening walk took us to the agricultural association's restaurant, Restaurante da Associação Agrícola de São Miguel (http://www.restauranteaasm.com). Here it is full in the main dining room. We'll have to wait a bit for our turn. Why did they not ask us to book a table when we were here earlier in the afternoon?
The village church in Sete Cidades with colourful decorations in front of it.
Christer and Peter is back by the lake, ready to move on.
Christer and Roberth is waiting at the door at Quinta de Santana.
We´ll stay one night here. Is it a house, a room or an apartment?
This evening´s excellent dinner restaurant.
Planning next day´s route on the floor.
21.00 The thing with a table and chairs resolved fairly quickly. We were led away from the main part of the restaurant and expected to be seated in a slightly small room but to our surprise, we ended up nicely positioned directly in front of a bar counter. We were served delicious here and the wine, Murá Cheia was tasty. Now we are waiting for coffee and Beirão, a Portuguese liqueur.
21.40 Beirão is heavenly and wonderful liquor. Now we have come home to the Quinta de Santana again and start to clear the debts, in other words, move money between each other with the help of Swish.
22.36 To always be alert tear and wear the body. Or, it might depend on other things. I am, regardless of the reason, in need of sleep. Tomorrow is a new interesting day. Then we'll see more of the island we are on, São Miguel. We will focus then on the eastern half of the island.
