A trip to Azores and Lisbon, Portugal

My friend Nat and I just got back from a trip to Azores and Lisbon, Portugal!

Annual Trip Tradition

In 2010, the year after we graduated college, Nat and I decided to create an annual tradition of traveling internationally together. We found that we travel very well together, primarily because we both love exploring new places, walking around everywhere, laughing, and eating delicious, local food.

The tradition has been going strong! Our previous trips include:

• A cruise from Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Paris, Bordeaux, and Marseille France
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Ostional and Monteverde, Costa Rica
• Buenos Aires and Mendoza, Argentina
• Cusco, Machu Picchu, and Lima Peru
• Koh Yao Noi and Chiang Mai, Thailand

We were supposed to go to Banff and Jasper in Canada last year, but had to cancel after I found out that I needed heart surgery. That was bummer, but I am very lucky to have the opportunity to go on amazing trips with my best friend (almost) every year!

Here’s an old, blurry, small picture of us cheers-ing on our very first trip! We looks like babies!

And 8 years later we are off to Portugal!

Itinerary

Here was our itinerary for the week:

• March 9: Fly from Denver to Boston to meet up with Natalie. Then fly from Boston to Ponta Delgada, a 6-hour flight.
• March 10-14: Stay in Ponta Delgada and explore the island, the fly to Lisbon.
• March 15-17: Stay in Lisbon and explore the city, then fly back to Ponta Delgada.
• March 18: Hang out in Ponta Delgada for half a day, then fly to Boston and stay overnight.
• March 19: Early morning flight to Denver.

Some other details:

• Car: We rented a car through Discover Car Hire. Since neither of us can drive a stick we had to rent an automatic, which is much more expensive. We also got a wireless router so that we could access the internet for directions while we were driving around. The car was basically a little toy car. I hated driving it. I get anxious with rental cars in general, but driving one in a different country was a whole different ball game. It’s a personal problem. Natalie did fine with the car and there was basically no traffic ever anywhere, so it was really easy to get around.
• Ponta Delgada Airbnb: The place was great! The Airbnb was studio apartment located a short walk away from the center of the city. Everything was clean and updated. The hosts were very nice and gave us helpful list of places to visit around the island.
• Lisbon Airbnb: This place was great too! Again, it was close to the center of the city, was clean and updated, and had great hosts.
• Ponta Delgada Hotel – We had one night in Ponta Delgada after Lisbon and before flying back to the US. We stayed at the Comercial Azores Guesthouse. We weren’t there very long, but we had a nice room and comfortable beds!

Not for the fun stuff – sights, activities, and food! Just a head’s up that most of the links throughout the post are from Trip Advisor.

Sao Miguel Island in Azores

Sights & Activities

Ponta Delgada was our home base while we stayed in Azores. We chose a different area of the Sao Miguel island to explore each day. Everything was only a 30-60 minute drive away. Tiny island!

In and around Furnas:

• Miradouro de Santa Iria – A lookout point of the northern coast of São Miguel.
• Gorreana Cha – The oldest tea plantation in Europe! We took a self-guided walk around the family owned and operated factory while we enjoyed a complimentary cup of tea. They have basically been using the same process since the late 1800’s. After walking around the factory we went on a 3K walk around the tea fields.

• Poca da Dona Beija – Hot springs! This place had 5 different pools and it only cost 4€ to get in. Towels and hot showers were extra, but we brought our own towels and settled for quick, cold showers. We spent a little over an hour here (I can’t stay in hot water too long!) and tried out all the pools.

In and around Sete Cidades:

• Boca do Inferno – An overlook of Sete Cidades. This was one of the things that I was most excited to see, so of course there was a giant fog curtain with zero visibility. #betterlucknexttime

• Lagoa das Sete Cidades – A set of lakes in the crater of a dormant volcano. They look connected, but are ecologically different – one lake is green and one is blue. Our initial view of the lakes was very foggy, so we walked around the lakes and town until the clouds started to lift. We caught a decent glimpse from a lookout as we were driving back towards Ponta Delgada. Worth the wait!

• Salto do cabrito – A waterfall! I love waterfalls. This one was located at the bottom of a super steep hill, so we parked the rental car and walked down. The waterfall was beautiful and the walk up and down the hill was a nice, little workout.

• Caldeira Velha – A National Monument and UNESCO Global Geopark with hot springs. It cost 3€ to get in (more if you want to go in the hot springs). We didn’t stay long, but it was a beautiful place to walk around.
• Lagoa do Fogo – A view of a gorgeous lake! This was one of my favorite views of the entire trip! We lucked out with a pretty clear view (for once) and hung out there for a bit just staring at it and commenting on how pretty it was. Pictures don’t do it justice.

In Ponta Delgada

• Jardim Antonio Borges – A park in the center of Ponta Delgada. This park was better (and bigger) than I expected. There were crazy looking trees, tunnels, and caves, and lots of other cool looking things.

In and around Nordest

• Parque Natural da Ribeira dos Caldeiros – A natural park with waterfalls, a water mill, and hiking trails. This was one of my favorite places! Everything was so green and lush and beautiful. We walked on one of the hiking trails for a little, but it was super muddy and we didn’t know where it led to so we didn’t stay on it long. We did snoop around an old water mill. There was an old woman inside that didn’t speak English and got us to buy a donut from her. Luckily for us, it wasn’t poison.

• Farol Ponta do Arnel – a lookout of a lighthouse.

• Ponta do Sossego – beautiful overlook of the ocean.

• Miradouro da Ponta da Madruga – another beautiful overlook of the ocean!
• Pico do Ferro – A lookout point over Furnas. We went here the first time we drove through Furnas, but we couldn’t see anything with all the fog. Second time’s a charm!

• Lagoa do Congro – A lake. This was an interesting one. We drove down a pothole-y, gravel road that was super deserted, then parked and hiked down to find the lake. It wasn’t actually that great of a viewpoint so we headed back to the car. On our walk back we saw so many people walking towards the lake. It was weird! Maybe we went on the wrong path to the wrong lake?
• Agua de Pau – A little town along the coast that has gorgeous ocean views. There was a couple getting their wedding pictures taken while we were walking around!
• Ananases A Arruda – A pineapple plantation! The plantation was free. You could go on a self-guided tour through the greenhouses that brought you through each stage of the pineapple’s life. There were so cute! Afterwards I was obviously craving pineapple, so I bought one at the gift shop. It was the best pineapple I’ve ever eaten.

Food

Since we were staying at an Airbnb with a nice kitchen, we decided to save money, go to the market, and make our own breakfasts each morning. We made breakfast sandwiches with bolo levedo (similar to an English muffin, but so much better!!), eggs, and ham or proscuitto, cut up some fresh fruit, and brewed some coffee. While we ate we sat, chatted, and planned out our day of adventuring.

Lunch restaurants and cafes:

• Restaurante Tony’s – This was a fun one. Tony’s is located in the town of Furnas where they have a lot of hot springs and geysers. We went there specifically to get cozida – a stew of meat and veggies that is cooked in the ground by geo-thermal heat. IN THE GROUND! So cool! It was delicious. Our waiter was a silly old man who pressured us to order wine. We finally gave in and asked for just a tiny pour, so of course he returned with two wine glasses filled to the rim.
• Green Love – This was just a little cafe in the tiny town near Sete Cidades. We both got a light, cheap meal and a coffee.
• Lourve Michaelense – Lourve Michaelense is a cafe where we spent a rainy afternoon in Ponta Delgada. We enjoyed coffee, pastries, and white bean tart while we read and waited out the rain.

• Restaurante Jardim – We stopped here for lunch as we were driving through the little town (village?) of Povoação. I ordered “steak on a plate with sauce” (I love menu translations sometimes). The sauce was a traditional Azorean sauce made with red wine and garlic.
• Café Central – This was our very last meal in Portugal. It’s a little cafe that has a giant patio with views of the beautiful Church of San Sebastian (Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião). Our plan was to stop here for a quick breakfast and then walk around Ponta Delgada one last time before heading to the airport. We ordered – I got some yogurt and granola, a bagel, and some fresh-squeezed orange juice – and ate and waited and waited and waited for our bill (service in Portugal isn’t the quickest). When it didn’t come we decided to stay a while longer and enjoy a glass of wine. It was, afterall, our last day of vacation!

Dinner restaurants:

• Boca de Cena – Our very first dinner in Portugal! Boca de Cena is a one man show. There is one man who does everything – seating, cooking, serving, everything. ONE MAN! Can you believe that? We got there right when it opened (7pm) and were the first ones in the restaurant, which gave us the opportunity to chat with the guy (I really wish we would have asked his name!) and order before the restaurant filled up and things got insane. The food was delicious! We had an octopus appetizer to start and each ordered a fish dish as an entree. Neither of us will ever forget the chocolate cake we had for dessert (that he made us order along with an additional glass of wine). Nat and I both agreed that it was one of our favorites.
• Bar-Restaurante Aliança – Neither of us were excited by this restaurant. We were exhausted after our first full day of driving around the island and were just tired and wanted a quick meal. Bar Aliana fit the bill. We probably would have enjoyed it more under different circumstances.
• Avenida dos Anjos – We weren’t really excited about this one either. The restaurant was located in a touristy area and it was easy to tell that they received a lot of American guests. We split some octopus salad and a fish and rice stew, both were very good. It just wasn’t as memorable compared to a few of the other restaurants.
• Rotas da Ilha Verde – Rotas is a cute vegetarian restaurant that is in an old house and only has service at 7:30 and 9:00 (or maybe it was 7:00 and 9:30, doesn’t matter). We needed to make a reservation in order to get a table. Both of us really liked this one! We had some quinoa crusted onion rings, tomato and zucchini rolls, mushroom ragu over rice, and rounded the meal out with a triple chocolate mousse. It was all delicious and was a nice break from all the meat and fish.
• A Tasca – This was one of our favorite restaurants/meals of the entire trip! We tried to go here two previous nights, but they were always packed! We finally made reservations for our last night in Azores. It’s a tapas restaurant, so we ordered a variety of things to share – grilled limpets, fried octopus, sausage balls, fish (can’t remember what kind!), and veal ribs. Everything was absolutely amazing!

Things we learned about the restaurants in Azores:

• Waiters seem almost offended if you don’t order wine with dinner and espresso with dessert.
• Pretty much everything is served with potatoes – boiled, fried, mashed, or in fry form.
• Food and wine are cheap!
• It’s an island, so order the fish.
• Dinner doesn’t really start until 8:30/9:00, so if you go earlier than that you will be dining with the old people and American tourists.
• You won’t get your bill until you ask for it (which is super European).
• Most of the restaurants are tiny!

Lisbon, Portugal

Sights & Activities

• Tram 28 – A vintage tram that brings you on a scenic tour of the city. The tram got pretty crowded, but we stuck it out and got spots in the back with plenty of standing room and better views out the window.

• Castelo sao Jorge – A beautiful old castle with great views of the city, lots of Portuguese history, and some random peacocks. It costs 8,50 € to go in.

• LX Factory – An old fabric production plant in a run-down area of the city that was renovated into an area filled with cafes, restaurants, shops, design centers, and show rooms.
• Belem – A city located a few miles west of Lisbon. Besides indulging in a delicious pasteis (see below) we walked around the city admiring things like the Jerónimos Monastery, Belem Tower, and Belem Palace.

• Hennessy’s Irish Pub – It was St. Patrick’s Day and we needed to drink a Guinness.

Food

• Cais Das Colunas – This was our first meal in Lisbon. After getting up at 4am for an early flight we were a little out of it and just wanted to sit down and eat. We tried a couple of restaurants (all were closed) and finally ended up here. Cais das Colunas is super touristy as it’s located on a popular street with a lot of shops and other (identical) restaurants. At this point we didn’t really care and the paella was good!
• Marcelino Pao e Vihno – We stopped in this little bar and split some olives and a bottle of wine and hung out for a while.
• O Chiado – Another of our favorite restaurants! The waiter was so silly and pointed out that we were saying “thank you” all wrong – we thought you say orbrigado when talking to men and obrigada when talking to women, but apparently if you are a women you say obrigada to everyone. Oops. We ordered split a stew with pasta, veggies, and grouper and then split baby goat followed by rice pudding. Dinner at O Chiado was one of our favorite memories of the trip!
• Oprego – We stopped here for a quick breakfast before exploring the city. I had some muesli and fruit and Natalie ordered a chocolate croissant.
• Mez Cais LX – Mexican food was a nice change of pace. Can’t complain about delicious chips, guac, and burritos!
• Pasteis de Belém – One of the highlights of the entire trip. Pasteis (also known as pastels) are a traditional Portuguese pastry. They are little tarts that have a crispy puff pastry crust filled with egg custard and sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar. I’m pretty sure that Pasteis de Belém was the birthplace of the pasteis, but I could be totally wrong about that. Anyways, we each ordered one and is was the most amazing thing. The crust was super flaky and the custard was still slightly warm. This is a definite “must do” when in Lisbon.

• The Portuguese Bakery – We stopped here to grab a quick breakfast before walking around the city. I ordered an almond croissant and it was the best croissant I’ve had in years.
• Taberna da Baixa – A tiny restaurant serving typical Portuguese food. We split a pineapple chicken salad (my body was craving raw vegetables!), cod gratin, and pork cheeks. It was one of the better meals that we had, but the experience wasn’t as memorable as O Chiado, A Tasca, or Boca de Cena.
• Time Out Market – This market was pretty cool. One half of it is kind of like a farmer’s market with vendors selling fresh produce and the other half is a giant square filled with restaurants. In Denver it’d be something similar to Avanti or the Stanley Marketplace. I feel like this concept is more popular in the US than in Europe, because people seemed to be going crazy for the concept. I did like it, but it was so crowded and the atmosphere was a little overwhelming for me. We did have some amazing sea bass tartare there though!
• El Gordo Sul Americano – We stumbled into this restaurant while walking around the city in the rain. We were going to just stop in for a glass of wine, but then we saw that they had feijoada on the menu. We had no choice, but to order it. Our mutual love of feijoada stems from the very first meal of the very first trip we went on together in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was delicious!

The End

Holy smokes this was along post! I hope you make it to Portugal sometime soon!