Today's lunch is taken at the village of Sao Joao - the buffet style meal is the poorest of the excursion lunches and more interest is shown by the group in a nearby Flemish windmill and a group of dolphins that swim past. Our next stop is at the harbour in Lajes do Pico where there is a whalers' museum created in old boathouses. In Sao Toque we stop to admire a statue of a whaler

(right) Jeanette samples Aguardiente (the local firewater)

After drinking the local firewater, this portion of volcanic rock

has an uncanny resemblance to a dog

Our tour of Pico island ends when we return to Faial on the 6pm ferry - leaving behind us the views of Mount Pico which, at 2,351-metres, is the highest mountain in Portugal. The next day (Thursday, May 23rd) we fly rom Faial to Sao Miguel and return to the Hotel Marina Atlantica. We spend the day relaxing at our usual cafe in Ponta Delgado and at at the nearby marina.

 

Our last full day in the Azores (Friday, May 24th) includes an optional tour in the morning which has two main objectives: Lagoa do Fogo (Fire Lake), and Sao Miguel's second largest town, Ribeira Grande.

 

Our first stop on the tour, however, is at the Ceramica Vieira Pottery

The pottery uses traditional methods in an old-fashioned factory to produce a variety of handmade objects. An interesting item on display is a model of a lady wearing a traditional cloak that incorporates a cowl - the capote.

 

Driving inland, we soon pass through Remedios, the island's highest village. Continuing to climb, we reach 947-metres, where we stop for views of Fire Lake.

We only have 40-minutes in Ribeira Grande - too short a period to explore what appears to be a most interesting town. We have brief views of the Town Square, the Church of Espirito Santo, and the riverside. However, we do make time for coffee and cake and to taste fruit liqueurs at Mulher de Capote