Azores - Day 2 — RachiePie

Our second day in the Azores was spent in the eastern part of the island. We started by driving to Nordeste, the wildest and most remote area in São Miguel. It reminded me of Jurassic Park! It was so lush and green - I kept waiting for a velociraptor to come out of the foliage! We stopped at two viewpoints, Miradouro da Ponta do Sossego and Miradouro da Ponta da Madrugada. The views were so beautiful and the people here keep everything so manicured. There was always a gardener trimming bushes, raking leaves, or sweeping up debris along the roads and at the viewpoints.

We also visited Farol do Arnel, the oldest lighthouse in the Azores. It started operating on November 26, 1876. We read online not to drive down to it as the road is very steep and most cars do not have enough power to get back up! I'm glad we followed instructions as it was very steep and made for a bit of a trek hiking back up!

We then headed inland to Lagoa das Furnhas, one of the three main lagoons in São Miguel. Built on the lagoon is a nineteenth century gothic church, Hermitage of Nossa Senhora das Vitórias. On the opposite shore of the lagoon are hot springs – Caldeiras – where you can see boiling water in the holes and geysers.

We are staying in the town of Furnas for the next three nights. The town is the sight of one of the most active volcanic phenomena on the island. Just walking around the village, you can see multiple boiling water, mud springs and mini-geysers!

We ended the day at our hotel, Furnas Boutique Hotel Thermal & Spa, as they have both indoor and outdoor thermal pools to relax and soak in. Once you get in, it is hard to get back out!!! They were so relaxing and it was a nice way to end our day of sightseeing.