Our next stop is at Algar do Carvao - an ancient lava tube located 550-metres above sea level. The interior is very wet, with few stalactites or stalagmites, but there are some rare silica formations on the ceiling

Our final stop is at a viewpoint that provides a prospect of the bay where our hotel is situated and the bulk of Monte Brasil beyond. As we head back to the hotel we have a number of sightings of the type of black bull that we saw in this morning's video

Saturday/Sunday, May 18th & 19th: two days without excursions that we utilise to explore more parts of Angra do Heroismo, before we fly to our next island (Faial) late on Sunday

Over these two days we explore many of the town's mosaic paved streets and visit the Saturday market (where the items for sale include baby rabbits); the City Museum (left); tour the Palacio dos Capitaes Generais; climb the steep Memorial Hill; buy a sugar-paste leg in the hope that its magic powers will help with Jeanette's painful knee; revisit both the Duque da Terceira Gardens (with its multitude of frogs) and the adjacent cafe; and the Forte de Sao Sebastio - the latter requires a fairly stiff climb past a mixture of old houses and modern developments to find that the fort now houses a Pousada

As the bus passes through the villages of Santa Barbara and Doze Ribeiras, the guide points out different facets of the local architecture, including a small wooden windmill built on a stone base; triangular chimneys designed to cope with high wind levels; and small enclosures made from the local black volcanic rock that are used to grow vines.

 

At Serreta (at the western end of the island) we find another colourful chapel, and we also make stops at the cliffs at Ponta do Amino and to observe the crashing waves at Ponta dos Biscoitos