Privéwandeling - Sete Cidades / Mata do Canário

We boekten een wandeltocht door Cete Cidades, maar helaas bleek het een regenachtige en mistige dag te zijn. Onze gids, Hugo, maakte er echter een heel plezierige dag van. We begonnen bovenaan bij het oude hotel en liepen langs de bergrug en vervolgens naar de weg naar de stad. Hoewel we de meren niet van bovenaf konden zien, zorgden onze gesprekken met Hugo voor een mooie wandeling. Eenmaal in de stad presenteerde Hugo ons een zeer mooie bagelunch en vanaf daar wandelden we terug op een pad vrijwel recht omhoog het gezicht van de caldera. Ongeveer een wandeling van meer dan 10 km. We raden dit bedrijf en onze gids Hugo zeker aan.

Joanna was our tour guide on this beautiful trek. Scheduling this on the morning of our arrival after an overnight flight seemed questionable before we began. We took a beautiful drive from our hotel to Sete Citades where we began and 11 km hike up and around the volcanic rim to the highest point on the island, stopped for a picnic lunch just after we began the descent. Joanna pointed out geological features, names of birds, plants, and trees that we asked about. We experienced the four seasons in a day that so many Azoreans talk about during our five hour adventure. We had a nice coffee and pastry treat at the end of the walk. JoAnn is shared several recommendations for eating around Ponta Delgado. She told her us about her experiences with Portuguese visitors to the island and her own visit to the mainland earlier in the year. She shared some of her more memorable tour groups and about her on impressions with the variety of tourists she welcomes to the Azores. We had wonderful conversations about the natural beauty and the balance of protecting that still having tourists enjoy the many wonders of the Azores. We shared some political and worldview thoughts and thoroughly enjoyed the whole day. We learned that her boyfriend is a bartender and manager at a culinary school restaurant located directly under the large concrete steps on the marina of Ponta Delgado. We later had an evening meal there that was creative, beautifully presented, and delicious amid a very scenic setting. The student servers were all so delightful!