AZORES  - DAY ELEVEN - Pico North

Blogs: Day 1 - Getting There | Day 2 - Central | Day 3 East | Day 4 West | Day 5 Last Day | Day 6 To Pico | Day 7 Madalena | Day 8 Pico Mountain | Day 9 Pico to Faial | Day 10 Pico East | Day 11 Pico North | Day 12 To São Miguel | Day 13 São Miguel North East | Day 14 São Miguel North West | Day 15 São Miguel Furnas | Day 16 São Miguel Pineapples | Day 17 São Miguel Baths | Day 18 São Miguel Filling the Gaps | Day 19 São Miguel ABF

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Today was another road trip day finishing off the circuit around the island. It's our last day on Pico - tomorrow we leave for the final and largest island, São Miguel.

On the way up north we decided to try the mountain by the lake for a THIRD time.  FINALLY!!!!   We got the "money shot"!  No fog!  No Clouds!  No rain!  Just...BEAUTIFUL!!!

And hit GOLD this time. We finally got our perfect mountain pictures! Note the grassy moss clumps that cover everything.  Wendy sent the upper right photo to the owner of the AirBnB.  She loved it and asked if she could use it for her marketing of the island.  WE'RE FAMOUS!!!

Another natural swimming pool upper left.  The only beach we have seen is on Terceira and not one on Pico.  The reason is the entire coastline of Pico is volcanic rock. There are 26 active volcanoes in the Azores, 8 of which are under water also known as seamounts or submarine volcanoes. Pico Mountain is still active with steam fissures at the top.  We saw a video of it at the visitor center and it's quite spectacular.

On the left is a typical house in the Azores made from volcanic rock. On the right is what happens when it is abandoned as many are.

Another abandoned house almost completely over grown. Then we reached the North West tip of the island which is the only place where you can see both islands. Pictured is Faial on the left and if you look to the right you could also see São Jorge.

Then there was the "straight road". This is actually a tourist attraction because it is the longest straight road in all of Portugal. Only 9 km (5.5 miles) without a single bend. Crazy stuff. Been to Nebraska lately? The I80 has a dead straight section 72 miles long!

Of course plenty of cows in, on and next to the road!  Unlike US cows, Azorean cows are truly intrigued and interested in you visiting them.  They make eye contact, moo lovingly at you and are....like all Azoreans, very welcoming!  Even shy guy in the background is engaging.

The contrast between the coast and the mountain area is pretty dramatic. The coast is all lava rock, here you can even see the lava flow formations. The interior is super green with moss covering the ancient volcanic flows.

We then headed to Lajes, a port town in the South for lunch. 

It is a very quaint town, they even dress up their dragon trees!  Why? 

We went to a restaurant in Lejas called Comme Ci Comme Ca, which in French means So, so, not good not bad. Strange name for a restaurant, however the owner was born in France.  He wanted a play on words and was an absolute delight giving us a guidebook and places not to miss on our next island. 

We shared fish & chips and seared tuna steaks, absolutely flavorful and with 2 beers cost less than $30.  SO MUCH FOOD!  We have leftovers for dinner tonight!

The first thing to note on the menu is that it is only in Portuguese. I have been to many restaurants in Europe and every one even remotely close to a tourist area has menus in English and the local language.  Nope - Not here!  YAY!!

Also, I loved that the vegetarian section was blacked out with a sharpie! Sorry vegans.... no food for you!

And finally... (there are THREE of them)

Pico I have loved your policy of providing plentiful, clean, stocked pubic restrooms (unlike Terceira) ... but... you broke my faith today! This beautiful rest room next to a picnic area and natural pool WAS LOCKED!! $%#&* YOU, PICO!

And FINALLY #2...

I get the cow, sure, but the sign below it? Cars with dandruff? Falling pebbles in a stone landslide? Cars with fairies flying around them? Or perhaps cars pooping bubbles? ... We had to Google it. Actually it means area prone to bad weather, fog, rain, snow, etc. Hmmmmm....Yup - that was everyday except today when we FINALLY saw the mountain!

And finally #4

For your viewing pleasure, a video of the drive from the main road to our AirBnB parking spot.  Wendy had an "OH CRAP!" moment on a 40 degree grade!  Um....not the word she actually used.

Tchau y'all!  Sea you on our next island!