Home / Azores - May/June 2019 / Pico 22
The "Black Island" is the second largest with just 15,000 inhabitants.
- 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. - 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. - 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. - Grape Plant Walls
Grape Plant Walls This vineyard was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004. - whaling-museum
Whaling Museum A tourist in the obligatory pose with the harpooner. - 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. - 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. - 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 - 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. - 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. - alter2
Alter Closer view of the alter. - alter
Alter - floral-arrangement
Floral Arrangement These flowers are real. - floral-arrangement (2)
Floral Arrangement These flowers are real. - 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.