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Pico Island: A full day tour of the
island from the port of Cais do Pico
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At 6:30am, before we were awake, the Island
Sky slipped quietly out of the port at Velas (São
Jorge Island) and made the 10nm crossing to Pico
Island. We awoke as the ship was approaching the port
of Cais do Pico.
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The port of Cais do Pico. |
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Our scenic road trip
today afforded views of Mount Pico from every angle. From
Cais do Pico we drove in an anti-clockwise direction. Our
first stop was at Cachorro to see the unusual landscape
and the "blow holes" in the cliffs. Then on to
Moinho Do Frade for lovely views across the sea to Faial
Island (our destination tomorrow) and also amazing views
of the local wine cultivation from the top of a windmill.
Travelling a bit further, we stopped at São Mateus
for some wine tasting from a local producer, before going
on to Lajes do Pico, where we had lunch at "O Lavrador"
followed by a fair amount of free time, enabling us to walk
along the coast to see more windmills and to visit the Whalers
Museum. Our final stop was at Lagoa do Capitão, a
small lake with a variety of birds and some cows nearby,
before finally heading back to the starting point. Click
the map for a larger image. |
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We were lucky enough
to get seats right at the front of the coach today. Here,
we are on the road from Cais do Pico towards Cachorro. |
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After visiting Cachorro,
we set off towards our next stop... |
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...driving through the
town of Madalena... |
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...until we parked here,
close to the windmill, from where we could see the island
of Faial, which we would be visiting tomorrow. |
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Back on the road and
looking forward to our next stop for some wine tasting. |
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Arriving in
São
Mateus, where one of our tour managers, Sue, was waiting
for us at the wine tasting venue with glasses raised! |
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The wine-maker's mother
seemed to be very much in charge of proceedings at the tasting. |
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Lucas, the wine maker
himself, didn't say a lot... his mother did most of the
talking and was very entertaining. |
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We enjoyed the experience
and to a certain extent, the wines themselves, but weren't
tempted to buy. |
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...to the restaurant
for lunch with a view. |
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Mount pico could be seen
from all of the stops today, not always without some cloud
cover. |
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After lunch, we were
driven the short distance into the town of Lajes do Pico,
where we would be given about an hour and a half to explore
the place, take a walk along the coast and visit the Whaler's
Museum. |
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Leaving Lajes do Pico,
we began our drive back towards the port... |
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...but there was still
one more stop at Lagoa do Capitão, a small lake where
there were a variety of birds and even some cows grazing
nearby. And yet more views of the dominant Mount Pico.
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The final leg of the
tour as we drove back to the ship at Cais do Pico. |
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At 6:00pm we sailed and
enjoyed some lovely views of Pico Island as we sailed 17
nautical miles... |
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...to the port of Horta
on the Island of Faial, where we arrived at approximately
8:00pm and remained overnight. |
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Two delicious desserts
this evening. Lemon tart... |
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... and chocolate roulade. |
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