Day 19: Faial - Caldeira, Volcano & Beachtime

23rd July 2020

Today we're going to the neighboring island of Faial!

Our ferry leaves at 10:15, so we start directly after breakfast on the winding coastal road to Madalena.

By the way, this morning there is (still) not a single cloud to be seen above Pico!

Arriving at the ferry terminal, we pick up the tickets.

I already booked the ferry from home 3 weeks ago, as the schedule indicated only 2 ferries in the morning (8:15 and 10:15) and we definitely want to spend the day on Faial.

Although there were recommendations in various forums not to book a ferry in advance, as there wouldn't be much going on due to Covid-19, my decision was absolutely right!

As a pedestrian, you might have been able to get on board, but not with a car: the ferry is full!

The family behind us, who wants to go on the ferry 'spontaneously', will have to wait for the next ferry after 1 p.m.

Phew, I'm glad I booked, otherwise our day on Faial would have come to an end!

The husband joins the line of cars in front of the ferry terminal, while I go with the kids inside the terminal and wait for boarding.

In the ferry terminal, we see a vending machine - a PharmaShop24 vending machine - with a very dubious content...

One brand seems to dominate here :-)

It's interesting what the Portuguese can 'get' in a ferry terminal... hehe.

Through the window, we see the Atlantico ferry docking and shortly afterwards the husband is allowed to drive onto the ferry (backwards!). He already knows this procedure from our trip to Greece - they also boarded the ferry backwards there....

The only problem is that our Focus doesn't have a reverse camera (our previous rental cars, the Fiat Tipo Kombi & Peugeot308 Kombi had one....)

But he manages without it (after all, he managed to get campervans onto ferries in Canada :-)) - and the employees help with maneuvering and guiding.

Shortly afterwards, we are also allowed to board the ferry.

Important for non-Portuguese: you need your passport or another form of identification for the crossing!!! (At least we had to show our passport ticket, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to board....)

Strict mask-wearing is mandatory throughout the entire crossing - yes, even outside!

The crossing takes 30 minutes and the weather is beautiful!

There are clouds only above the islands, otherwise we can enjoy the unusually blue sky. The sun is really intense, it won't be cold today.

Punctually at 10:45 we arrive in Horta

My foot feels a bit better today. Apparently, the movement is good - at least that's what I'm telling myself.

We don't have any big hikes planned for today, but just getting to the ferry and off the ferry is more steps than I thought.

We meet the husband outside the terminal and drive to our first viewpoint for today, the Miradouro de Nossa Senhora da Conceição

From up here we have a great view over the bay and Horta

In the distance we can already see the next ferry coming.

Our son has taken my old PowerShot camera and is looking for motifs. He is fascinated by the many geckos that are everywhere here on the Azores, and he even manages to capture one with the camera

We continue towards Caldeira

For the following 15 km of winding road to the Caldeira do Faial (Caldeira of Faial) we need about 30 minutes.

When we arrive at the parking lot in front of the Caldeira, there are only 2 cars there. Here we also see the markings for buses and it becomes clear to us what it must be like here during high season.

We go through the tunnel to the viewpoint overlooking the Caldeira.

We are alone - the drivers of the two cars seem to be the people we can see in the distance on the rim of the crater. I would have loved to do the crater hike, but it wouldn't have been possible with my foot and we wouldn't have had enough time today anyway.

But just looking at it is great too - the crater is really gigantic!

We take some photos of dandelions and upon closer inspection we see 3 more people walking inside the crater

After admiring the Caldeira, we take some pictures at the parking lot with a view of Pico.

However, Pico is still covered in clouds and seems to not want to take off its 'dress' today either.

Fortunately, the clouds have cleared somewhat here above the Caldeira, so the view was still quite nice.

The two colored flowers with different blossoms are fascinating and special. We already saw them on the hike at Sete Cidades

On the slope, I spot a horse in the distance. When I zoom in, I see that this horse is also tethered with a rope - in the middle of a steep slope...

The next stop is the Capelinhos Volcano.

GoogleMaps sends us up a side road, passing cows, but after the first cattle grid, we leave and turn back. The road turns out to be a terrible dirt road and I refuse to continue driving it.

In Pico, it was still somewhat manageable, especially since the roads were signposted and there were other cars on the road. However, this road here doesn't make a good impression at all - so we turn back.

We decide to take the 'officially signposted' road instead

Unfortunately, the condition of the road changes abruptly and we have to avoid several potholes while driving along the coast

We turn right after the town of Praia do Norte towards the Vulcão dos Capelinhos (Capelinhos Volcano).

The landscape changes very quickly and based on the black-gray sand and scree hills, we can see how the volcanic eruption in the 1950s changed the landscape

Already on the way to the volcano, we can see the famous old lighthouse

We drive on until we reach the parking lot by the sea, where there is a bathing area with rock pools. However, since it is currently high tide, most of the paths and ladders are submerged in water

Further on, we stop at the Miradouro Ponta Furada, where we have a nice view of the sea arches

We are starting to feel like taking a refreshing swim in the sea, so we head to Porto Pim beach, located behind the port of Horta.

We drive past the crowded beach parking lot to Monte da Guia, from where we have a fantastic view of the bay and the beach Porto Pim.

A bit further there is a view of 2 craters in the sea

But now it's time to go to the beach!

In front of the port, we see a sailing school on the sea. Now we realize that not a single sailing boat or boat in general is on the water, even though Horta is THE sailing port par excellence.

Thanks to Covid-19 - all the ships have to stay in the harbor.

A sad year for the sailors who either got stuck here or weren't even allowed to come at all

We find a parking space and walk to the beach.

The beach is - atypically for the Azores - very bright and consists of the finest sand. Even though the sand is so light - it is just as scorching hot as the dark beaches on Sao Miguel. Without water shoes, you immediately burn your feet.

The parking lot is full, but it seems that the visitors are spreading out well at the beach.

I limp into the changing room to change (there are changing rooms, showers, and toilets here) and obediently wear my mask, as ordered by the sign on the door, although I am (once again) the only one wearing a mask. The locals walk around without masks...

We had the same experience at the beach of Praia do Fogo in Ribeira Quente on Sao Miguel, where we were among the few people wearing masks in the sanitary facilities

The beach is great, very flat sloping into the sea, and the water is not as cold as we thought.

We spend almost 1.5 hours at the beach swimming, sunbathing, and chilling! Oh, how nice - like a real 'summer vacation'

Reluctantly, we pack up and leave the beach around 6 p.m. Since our ferry departs at 8:15 p.m., we need to hurry if we still want to see Horta and the harbor.

We quickly find a parking space not far from the famous Peter's Cafe, which also has an outdoor restaurant where we have dinner right away

After dinner, we quickly go to Peter's Cafe shop, where the husband and daughter treat themselves to one of the famous polo shirts.

A visit to the famous 'Peter's Cafe' is a must, of course.

We continue to the harbor. We drive a bit further along the harbor with the car, so that I don't have to walk so far, and luckily we find a parking space right in front of the stairs to the harbor.

Here, the circumnavigators of the world have immortalized themselves with many colorful pictures along the harbor wall.

At 7:40 p.m., we leave the harbor and drive a few streets further to the Horta ferry terminal.

Our ferry is already ready to leave at the harbor. The husband joins the line of cars again, and I sit with the kids inside the terminal.

After the cars have been loaded onto the ferry, we foot passengers are finally allowed on board as well.

We sit down on the deck in the front row again and watch as some cars with packages etc. are loaded onto the ferry by quad.

During the return journey, we enjoy the final view of Faial

To avoid the winding coastal road, we take the EN-3, the straight hinterland road on Pico, for the return journey.

From here, we also have a nice view of Faial again before we drive into the low-hanging clouds of Pico

I spend the evening on the terrace for a long time and enjoy the breathtaking starry sky, including the comet Neowise and the Milky Way!