At Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel our first bit of excitement occurred right on the docks with a long overdue reunion with sailing friends, Matt, Jessica, and Georige (
s/v Elements of Life). We'd sailed in company with Matt and Jess during our first year cruising; it's been about 5-years since we parted ways and we had lots of catching up to do! Ponta Delgada was at our fingertips, and so we sampled cafes and bars, admired street art, visited the market, and strolled through the parks getting acquainted with the capital city of the Azores, chatting all the while.

Antonio Borges Garden
Matt and Jess were excited to show us their favorite sights around Sao Miguel. We rented a car and ventured beyond the city limits. Our first touring day found us on the eastern side of Sao Miguel where we found trails to waterfalls, volcanic hot-spots, and even took a moment for a spot of tea. It was a high intensity day!

Cha Gorreana Tea Plantation

Furnas - downtown

Lagoa das Furnas
Our second day of touring brought us to the western end of Sao Miguel, where we hiked up for a spectacular view of Lagoa do Canaria.

Lagoa do Canaria
We ventured down to the town of Sete Cidades, nestled between the blue lake and the green lake, and enjoyed a hike 'round the green lake before lunch. Sete Cidades was having a festival, our timing was perfect to watch the go-kart race!

36th Anniversary of The People's House - The People's House of Sete Cidades Presents CRAZY RUN!

The perfect end to our two days touring happened when we arrived at Termas da Ferraria; a natural, wave-pool/hot-tub.

The water beneath the ground here is boiling hot, it exits the ground at the back of the pool and meets the cooler ocean water entering from the Atlantic which keeps the overall temp warm to hot in varying degrees as one moves about the pool. People hold onto ropes strung across the pool to stay put during wave action.

Sao Miguel did not disappoint, and there is still so much this island has to offer! But we'll have to save some exploring for our next visit to the Azores, it was time to sail onward. Yet again, we parted ways with Matt and Jess, hopefully our next reunion will be sooner than another 5-years.