Traveling Imperfectly: Resting in Horta

Ruth: The sun returned yesterday, bringing back with it my optimism. My moods have been as volatile as the weather this trip. This morning I woke up after a rough night in which I couldn’t get comfortable. I needed an extra dose of coffee and Buddhism to get me back to something resembling human.  In my darkest moments I was considering canceling my trip to Japan in April, fearing my back issues would be too much of a problem. 

By noon the dharma talk was kicking in and I was sitting in the sun at Porto Pim’s waterfront sketching the old Port gate. I rarely paint outside, generally preferring a comfy chair and table, but I found a nice perch on a lava stone wall that worked well. 

The podcast was on imperfection. After half a life spent chasing perfection I find myself taking a u-turn and trying to embrace all that is imperfect. Travelling always throws me a bit of a curve ball. Every trip comes with plans for the perfect experiences. The stakes feel even higher when I have taken a leave without pay from work. Travel, like life, is unpredictable and imperfect, much like me. Now that I have reminded myself of this I am much more content. 

Tomorrow, Gord and I are heading over to São Jorge Island without our bikes. I am riding well on reasonable terrain, but São Jorge is quite vertical. We will rent a car for a few days so we can see most of the island and return to Horta next week. 

For now, I am enjoying the beautiful weather in Horta as I sip a cup of tea. 

I Love the Azores

Gordon:  Our visit to the Azores has coincided with an extended period of unseasonably poor weather.  When we arrived at the beginning of February the locals were talking about the great winter they were enjoying.  That changed almost immediately, and since then it has rained almost every day.  There have also been periods of near record low temperatures, though from a Canadian perspective they were still quite pleasant.  The long term forecast is for more of the same.  While we would rather have better weather, we have enjoyed ourselves very much, and we will happily return to the Azores.  Here are a few reasons why we like these islands.

In Calheta de Nesquim, where we stayed for eight days, there is an older, avuncular neighbour who came by each evening to feed and sit with our landlord’s cats when she was working elsewhere on the island.  He is one of the few people we have met whose English is poorer than my Portuguese, so we would chat a bit in Portuguese.  On the evening before our departure I told him that we had to leave the following morning.  He gave me a warm handshake and told me how much he hoped we would be back next year.

We cycled the length of Pico on a very windy day.  At one point we turned down a short side road to visit a viewpoint overlooking the sea.  The scene along the shore was primeval, with foaming white water surging and crashing over lifeless black basalt.  Much of the coastline on Earth must have looked like this during the first two billion years of our planet’s history.  After a few minutes if oohing and aawing, our glasses were covered with salt spray.  Looking about through the haze, I noticed a sign for a washroom.  Seriously doubting that it would be open, I went over to give the door a tug.  To my surprise, it was in fact open, and moreover, well-supplied with soap, toilet paper and paper towels.  Coming from a province where we are constantly told that we cannot afford public services, the level of free, public infrastructure in the Azores is astounding.  In addition to the numerous washrooms, there are frequent roadside rest areas and viewpoints that are meticulously maintained.  Many are horticultural marvels.  Almost every village on the sea also has a public swimming area.  These generally involve some modification of the shoreline to allow access to the water, but they are typically scenic and charming, with the open sea metres away from a safe swimming area.

On our cycle along the coast we escaped one rainshower by ducking into a posh bakery.  Like many bakeries, this one was also setup as a cafe.  We each ordered a chicken sandwich from the display case.  Made with a pastry dough, and filled with chunks of chicken in a sauce, it was sublime.  Encouraged by this delight, we went on to share an enormous piece of “the French cake,” chased by rich espressos.  It was so good we ordered the same again to takeaway (minus the coffee).  Throughout the lunch the server chatted entertainingly with us.  She also complimented me on my Portuguese, which always gets me chuffed.  The bill for two excellent meals for two people: 11 euros, less than $17 Canadian.

Although we have no interest in purchasing a second home in Europe, if we were to do so it would probably be in the Azores.  As the neighbour in Calheta suggested, what we will do is return again.

Ruth: Gord chatting up one of the rare uncommunicative locals. He was trying to warn her of the dangers of wearing the traditional capote in modern crosswalks. 

Cycling from Calheta to Madalena

Ruth: Today was the day we had an “opening” between storms to cycle around the south side of Pico to the port town of Madalena, about 54kms away. With winds blowing at 40kms per hour we set off just as the skies opened up. The rain felt like hail hitting my face.  “I can get on a plane and fly to Lisbon or just fly home” I thought. We have cold rain to enjoy in Victoria. I was making plans in my head when the rain stopped and the sun came out making everything sparkle. Relief made the scene look even more magical. And so it went over much of our ride. 

There was no way the camera could document much of our morning, and even getting it out to quickly snap a picture when the sun peeked out was risky. I took the photo of the huge wave with my cell phone because the salt spray was everywhere. The seas were huge and the waves unbelievable. Great surfing curls if they didn’t end by crashing into a horrific jagged lava field. 

The wind never quit but the rain did for a hour at the end of our ride. The island is just gorgeous in the sun. We had glimpses of  Pico and could see how far down the snow cover was. Our host Adelina said that it was only 8 degrees this morning and that she has not seen temperatures like this here for years. It is certainly not ideal for cycle touring, but I must remember it is February. 

Distracted cyclist taking a selfie in the sun. 

Waiting out the storms on Pico

Ruth: Slowing down is hard for both Gord and I, but probably a good thing for us to try once in a while. Today is the first day I haven’t gone out for either a walk or cycle, other than to pop down to the port and look at the waves. 

My back is telling me that walking is not in the cards right now. For some reason it is acting up, so perhaps I will listen to its requests for rest. I get into a nasty loop when my back spasms, triggering anxiety which in turn makes my back pain worse. It’s a tough cycle to step out of, but with the help of meditation and medication I am feeling much better. I am a master at catastrophizing, a talent that I am seeking to unlearn. 

I am not sure how the word “cat” ended up in catastrophe, as our host’s cat seems incapable of worry. She showed up at our doorstep this morning, completely soaked.  Instead of spending the day worrying about the possibility of being wet and cold tonight, she just settled in on my tummy and went to sleep. I must learn from this teacher. 

My morning has been nicely spent reading and listening to the purring sound of gratitude. 

Here are a few pictures from our ride yesterday, between the rain storms. 

Calheta de Nesquim: Life in and around the Village

 

Ruth: We have settled into Casa do Avô Faidoca on Pico Island. We get out most days for a walk and a bike ride, but there is more rain and wind coming so we will be hunkering down for a few days. The difference between the rain and sun is dramatic. We don’t pull the camera out in the wind and rain. 

It is very beautiful in our town of Calheta de Nesquim. The village is tucked into a south facing bay and is warmer than many parts of the island. Bananas, figs, oranges and even pineapples are grown in sheltered spots. 

This is also the birth place of Portuguese Joe, who jumped his whaling ship in search of gold and eventually made his home in British Columbia.  We are staying with one of his relatives, Adelina Silveira. She is possibly the best hostess we have ever had.  Adelina has ensured that we are well supplied with her home grown oranges, mandarins, bananas, sweet potatoes, and eggs, and her homemade wine and jam. There is a tiny shop where we can buy bread and anything else we might need, ranging from fishing tackle to bras and boots. There is also good restaurant run by a German family within walking distance.

We have been going out with our bikes each morning to explore all the neighboring villages. Our climbing knees are getting excellent workouts as we climb out of this village and down into another, only to climb up and out again. The grades off the main road are very steep, but there usually is at least one road out of every town that is less challenging.

I am joining Gord on most rides, but yesterday I did turn down the hill at about 400 meters to save my knees. I am quite happy reading and painting for a good chunk of each day. 

Three Hour Tour: Take 2

Gordon:  Today I rode up once again to an elevation of 950 metres on the high plateau.  Without the opaque fog and hurricane force winds of my last outing, the experience was quite different.  The Azores have been described as Ireland meets Hawaii, a characterization that resonated as I cycled along the plateau.

São Roque to Calheta de Nesquim: Dodging the Downpours

Ruth: Weather is so important when travelling, and winter travel is sometimes hard. Today we managed to dodge a couple of major downpours on our way around the eastern tip of Pico. When we spotted the first wall of water bearing down on us we popped into a bus shelter to use my phone to locate the next bar. We joined the locals there in watching an American sport fishing show. The guy next to us explained that it is the same show every day. He grew up in California and spoke perfect English. There is so much English spoken here that Gord is getting very few chances to speak Portuguese.

We are now staying in a house in Calheta de Nesquim that is owned by Adelina, who was also our host in São Roque.  It is a wonderful house where we plan  to stay for a few nights. Adelina offered to carry some of our luggage to save us hauling all of it over another ridge. She has kept us well supplied with oranges, mandarins and bananas from her garden. 

Adelina is related to Portuguese Joe, who jumped ship from his whaling boat in 1859 to join the Cariboo Gold Rush. He never made it to the Cariboo, but instead settled in what is now Stanley Park in Vancouver. Later, he and his family lived for many years on Reid Island, not far from our cabin on Valdes Island.  Portuguese Joe, a colourful early settlor in B.C., is the subject of a book and a movie.

Since the storm Pico is now covered in snow.