Today we wanted to go to the far northeast corner of the island to the town of Nordeste. Sao Miguel is just over 40 miles long and between 6 and 10 miles wide so distances are not ever too great. Where the freeway/limited access highways go, one can make good time driving. But the old highway goes up and down and in and out of deep ravines, so that going to a nearby village can be easily twice as far as the crow flies and at times very slow. Such is the case for much of the northwest coast. Nordeste was considered another island for much of its history because the easiest and fastest way to reach it was by boat. We took the new highway to the east and then north across the island until we came to Formoso. We wanted to try again to find Cha Porto Formoso so Kris thought we should get off the main highway and head into town to find it. But we ended up retracing what we had done on Monday when we couldn’t find it. I suggested we go back to the main highway and sure enough, it was right along the way. We watched a short video and then our guide showed us some of the old and new machinery they use to make tea. We were given a chance to try their delicious Broken Leaf tea in the charming old stone tea room. We all enjoyed the experience far more than Monday’s more limited experience. As we drove on, we came across signs for Parque Natural da Ribeira dos Caldeiroes. This was listed as a “can’t miss” so we stopped by. There we found the lovely Achada waterfall surrounded by lush vegetation. The area was famous for having 10 watermills but severe floods in 1986 destroyed most of them. Three have been acquired by the municipality to help restore and protect the natural park area of Ribeira do Caldeiroes. One mill has been restored as a working museum and an ancient miller demonstrated (with no English) how they grind corn there still today. We drove on with a few stops for Miradouras (viewpoints, remember?) until we reached Nordeste. There is a parking lot just off the main square so we left the car there and walked around town a bit, seeing their church and plaza and the famous 7 arches bridge. There was a snack shop next to the bridge where we shared a big pizza for lunch. While we ate, the rain that had threatened all day began as a heavy mist that continued much of the afternoon. It was a bit of a problem because the big appeals of the northwest coast are the fabulous viewpoints and most were now covered in fog. But we gamely made several stops at garden-like picnic areas to look over the ocean, including overlooks to see the beautiful and ornate lighthouse of Ponta do Arnel. Much of this end of the island is covered by two natural reserves: Pico da Vara and Tronqeira E Planalto dos Graminhais. They are best for hiking, have only gravel roads, and the travel book said not to bother if it is rainy because you can’t see anything. So instead we stayed on the main highway and slowly wound in and out of the ravines until we came to Povoaçao. On our way into the village we saw a watermill that was listed as another “don’t miss” and so we stopped by. This one was 150 years old and had been abandoned for about 50 years when the government decided to restore it as a site of interest. It has the original mill and much of the original wood, with new replacement wood where needed. We were shown around by a guide with good English. They had a tray set up in the Gift Shop with about 10 of the liqueurs made on the island for tasting. We bought a bottle of the coffee liqueur and it was a really good price. Afterwards we drove around the village a bit, and had the biggest scare of our trip. Marv turned down a narrow road that got narrower and narrower as we descended steeply. We got to the point where Marv was worried about the mirrors and sides of the car. We reached the bottom and there was an open gate we barely fit through, a high curb, and a deep gutter. Marv wasn’t sure we could make it but we really had no choice-there was no backing up that hill. With fear and trepidation we eased over the curb, cringing as we scraped bottom. At the first opportunity Marv parked to check the car and recover his wits. There was no damage and after some walking around, visiting a small zoo and the water front, and a cup of espresso with a pastry, all was well and we were ready to go on with the day. The road took us inland again and through Furnas, approaching it this time from the southeast. We were surprised to come in past some steaming, bubbling calderas at the edge of town with lovely gardens all around and convenient parking. We ended up spending about an hour walking around them and marveling at the boiling water, steaming mud and sulfur smell. Marv drove out of town on a road that gave us a last chance to get some pictures from far above the village and then past the calderas where they cooked our food the day before then back to the coast. In Vila Franco do Campo we tried to find a good fish restaurant on the waterfront, which the book promised, but we didn’t find anything open, either because of the time of day or the time of year. We ended up driving back to Ponta Delgada and finding a nice restaurant there that turned out to be right on the water, just beyond the road that goes along the harbor, but it was dark so we couldn’t really see the water. I think I had the best dinner (quails and mashed potatoes) while Marv had a steak, Heidi a pork steak, and Kris a steak sandwich. It was late by then and we returned to the villa for a bit of reading and bed.
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