- elysian
Elysian The Elysian was in Horta for a day. She is the 217 foot, $90 million dollar superyacht which belongs to Red Sox owner, John Henry. He apparently didn't know that we were in town. - Boat trip to pico
Boat Trip to Pico We took a ferry from Faial to Pico for a day trip. These outcroppings dotted the shoreline. - One of many vineyards
One of Many Vineyards Pico's main industries over the years have been wine and whaling and now of course tourism. Because the island is essentially a pile of basalt (lava rock) growing anything was a real task. They used the basalt stones to create barriers to protect the growing plants from the wind as seen here and these walls go on for miles. Some of the walls are hundreds of years old. The plants are a low growing vine. Verdelho, one of three traditional plants grown there and the most famous was wiped out by powdery mildew around 1850. It was replaced with resistant hybrids from America but other plant diseases in the late 1800s nearly wiped out the industry. Today Pico makes some of the best Portuguese wine Verdelho is making a comeback. - Grape crop
Grape Crop The walls were dry constructed and the tallest would be about 5 feet. - local-swimming-pool
Local Swimming Pool This is a "beach" and swimming pool when the weather is warmer. - the-beach
The Beach - pool-ladder
Pool Ladder - one-of-many-churches
One of Many Churches We stopped at the Bandeiras church in Madalena and the inside is quite spectacular. - a-little-ornate
A Little Ornate One might feel a little overwhelmed here. - my-azoris-breakfast
My Azoris Breakfast Where ever we were, the breakfast was always a buffet with numerous juices available and tray after tray of meats and cheeses. The also had the more traditional bacon and eggs, etc. - whale-butchery
Whale Butchery They would drag whales up this ramp to butcher them. - fat-rendering-fireplace
Fat Rendering Fireplace The fireplace was fitted with 2 pots for rendering the fat of sperm whales, the only whales they hunted. - 7-passenger-whaling-boat
7-Passenger Whaling Boat Whaling in the Azores was officially banned in the 1980s and the last kill was in 1987. Click Here to watch a 20 minute documentary on Pico whaling from 1969. Click Here to see a 1968 documentary narrated by Orson Welles. - Vineyard Windmill
Windmill In Vineyard Our first stop on the island was at a vineyard and this windmill was there. It was one of the few functional ones left on the island having been rebuilt in the early 2000s. Many of the other windmills have fallen into disrepair due to age and lack of maintenance. - Grape Plant Walls
Grape Plant Walls This vineyard was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004. - shore-walk
Shore Walk - basalt-bridge
Basalt Bridge I have read that the main difference between basalt and lava rock is that basalt is finer grained and less porous as a result of cooling quickly. - alter2
Alter Closer view of the alter. - floral-arrangement (2)
Floral Arrangement These flowers are real. - floral-arrangement
Floral Arrangement These flowers are real. - alter
Alter - fish-for-lunch
Fish For Lunch Being islanders, fish makes a large portion of their diet. However, I'm not an islander. - beef-and-pork
Beef and Pork I ate from this this platter. - elysian2
Elysian Another view. - whaling-museum
Whaling Museum A tourist in the obligatory pose with the harpooner. - sailor-records
Sailor Records One morning we walked to the marina which is a very popular stop for cruising vessels. Many voyagers leave a record of their visit as can be seen here. Literally every smooth surface in the marina is covered with these colorful documentations. - we-found-representation
We Found Representation - rafted-boats
Rafted Boats The harbor has a space problem so boats have to raft with other boats of similar size and kind. This row is three abreast for maybe 10 deep. - painted-pier
Painted Pier - debbys-horta-breakfast
Debby's Horta Breakfast - another-tourist
Another Tourist - angra-do-herosmo
Angra do Heroísmo Settled in the 1400's, more than half of the island's population lives here. - bull-ring
Bull Ring In the center is the newest bull ring. The bull statue in the rotary can be seen a little north west of the ring. - crater
Crater This is one of several volcanic craters on the island. If you look carefully, you will see Azorean soldiers at a rifle range on the left on the crater floor and as seen in the next photo. - rifle-range
Rifle Range While not a huge presence, there are military personnel on the island. - whale-boats
Whale Boats We visited a whaling museum and the whale boats were inside. - whale-boat-rudders
Whale Boat Rudders After harpooning a whale the line was run through a slot in the bow and then tied around that post on the stern. The rudders are in the boat transport position. - whaling-tools
Whaling Tools The inscription reads "There are three types of men: the living, the dead, and those who walk in the sea." The third tool down was used for butchering. - overlook
Overlook The island has many beautiful overlooks but they are best visited when the lighting is in your favor. Unfortunately, we had no choice in this matter. CLICK HERE - to see a short video of the natural wind barriers along the coast protecting the fields. - basalt-playground
Basalt Playground Swimming areas are a premium on volcanic islands so they make do with what they have. This is an example. - old-swimmin-hole
Old Swimmin' Hole These are the brave ones. - lava-beach
Lava Beach Luis, our guide, is giving Debby the scoop. - tiny-streets---tiny-autos
Tiny Streets - Tiny Autos Subcompacts are the transports of choice and for all intents and purposes all vehicles are standard shift. I was told that the only automatics were rental vehicles. - bull-stalls
Bull Stalls These are stalls connected to a practice ring. They are designed so they can move bulls around from above. This practice area belongs to the man who supplies most of the fighting bulls. - bullfight-practice--ring
Bullfight Practice Ring - hydrangeas
Hydrangeas The hydrangea season was a couple weeks away but here and there would be examples of what the island would look like shortly. - patchwork-quilt
Patchwork Quilt One large crater today is called a patchwork quilt. We were on the crater ridge which you will see in the next photo. - imperio
Imperio Empire of the Holy Spirit of the Twelve Rivers or Império do Espírito Santo das Doze Ribeiras CLICK HERE - to see a short video of an Imperio. - imperio-of-so-sebastio
Imperio of São Sebastião Each community has a chuch; each church has an imperio associated with it, but not connected to it. Imperios are small temple-like structures integral to the doctrines of the Cult of the Empire of the Holy Spirit. In some areas the buildings can be simple but in the Azores they tend to be ornate. From Wikipedia - - "...the cult of the Empire of the Holy Spirit is a religious sub-culture, inspired by Christian millenarian mystics, associated with Azorean Catholic identity." This sub-culture is alive and very active in the islands and also in diasporas in the US and elsewhere. - mother-church-of-st-sebastian-from-1455
Mother Church of St. Sebastian From 1455 This is the oldest church on the island and while it has changed some as a result of modifications and a fire it is used to this day. Not long ago it was discovered that beautiful frescos on the side walls had been painted over so restoration work is now in process.