Volcanic phenomena reach their zenith on São Miguel, the main island of the mid-Atlantic Azores. Inside Furnas volcano's massive crater, we found a lake, a village, bubbling ponds, steaming geysers, hot and cold mineral water springs, and ground so hot it's used as an oven.
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| Attendant opens pot of stew, which cooked underground for six hours at Furnas Volcano. Sao Miguel, Azores. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
At 6 a.m., restaurants and villagers bring pots containing beef, pork, chicken, potatoes, cabbage, sausages and carrots to the calderas, where attendants bury them in the torrid soil. We arrived at noon, when they dug out the pots. A mouth-watering aroma wafted up with the steam, as the attendant lifted a lid.
Nearby Terra Nostra Garden Hotel serves the stew daily, along with coffee and dessert. Before lunch, there's time for a dip in the tea-coloured thermal pond, behind the hotel. Afterwards, we strolled through the 12.5-hectare Terra Nostra Gardens and admired ferns, topiary birds, red azaleas and pink belladonna lilies.
Tea and liqueurs
São Miguel is home to more surprising plants — Europe's only tea plantations. Neatly clipped tea bushes surround Gorreana Tea. Inside the factory, women sorted leaves, as we sampled cups of orange pekoe. Mulher de Capote, a shop in Ribeira Grande, sells more fortified beverages — São Miguel's famous passion fruit and pineapple liqueurs.
We watched workers planting pineapple bulbs and harvesting the fruit in greenhouses near the capital city, Ponta Delgada. The city's market is a colourful feast of fruit, vegetables, flowers, fish, cheese and tasty preserves.
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| Randal and Gamy stand sells local preserves, honey and herbs at Ponta Delgada market. Sao Miguel, Azores. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Good restaurants abound. At O Baco, we enjoyed monkfish, prawns and rice. Hotel Talisman's Palm Terrace Café serves cod cooked with garlic, olive oil and lemon in a roof tile. White wines, from the volcano island of Pico complement both dishes.
No visit to São Miguel should end without a drive to Sete Cidades. Inside a 12 kilometre-round crater, a blue lake and green lake meet. Azoreans told us the story of a blue-eyed princess and a green-eyed shepherd who cried so much, when their love was thwarted, that their tears filled the lakes.
It's a scenic place where lava and legends meet.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Portuguese Trade and Tourism Commission: www.visitportugal.com
More things to see and do in the Azores:
Pico, Azores Has Whales, Wine, Underground Walks and UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Azores Island of Faial Has Volcanoes, Scrimshaw & Sailors' Art
Terceira, Azores Has UNESCO World Heritage City, Holy Spirit Houses, Wine and Cheese