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Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Rocha da Relva










Gordon:  Today we went on another hike.  All of our walks have been quite different from each other, but all have been gorgeous.

This morning we walked down from a road west of Ponta Delgada to the tiny seaside community of Rocha da Relva.  The trail that we took to the village is the only access: there is no road and the boulder strewn coast is too rough to land a boat.  The beautifully crafted and mostly paved path works its way down the 500 foot lava cliffs, passing a few rustic houses and their tiny, terraced fields.  There are many grape vines, their branches trained a foot off the ground on numerous short supports.

The quaint village stretches along the sea for almost a kilometre.  It has an open air chapel and some seating facing the sea along the well-maintained trail.  Although this was no doubt a functioning village in the recent past, it was unclear to us whether it remains as such or is now only used seasonally.  We did see a few people, including a young man who was bringing supplies down with a pair of horses.  The stunning setting and access made us think of remote villages in Italy and Greece, before they became tourist attractions.  It remains a mystery to us that the Azores are not overrun with visitors.




2 comments:

  1. And here I sit in Victoria with gout! Grumble, grumble....

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  2. My feet are a world of pain too, but I don't think it is gout. I hear thatis very painful, take care of yourself.

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