Flores - An Island of Flowers and Beauty

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July 6th 2012

Published: July 6th 2012

The island of Flores is the fourth smallest island of the Azores archipelago and has only about four thousand inhabitants, making it the second least populated. We feel very fortunate to have made our first landfall in Europe on this island. Traditionally the island of Faial, city of Horta is where most sailors make their European landfall. However last year a new marina was opened on Flores which... Read Full Entry

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Bob & Janice Waller

s v Tsamaya

Like so many others we love to travel and we love to sail so cruising makes a lot of sense. Janice has retired from Cornell as a business manager and Bob has retired from South Seneca school district as the high school principal. It's time to sell the house, get rid of whatever doesn't fit on our 40 foot Caliber LRC named Tsamaya (this means Travel Well in Setswana) and set off to see the world. Our reasons for publishing this blog is twofold, first to keep in touch with our friends and family and secondly to share our experiences. If you would like to receive notification when we have added ... full info

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Lighthhouse at Ponta Delgada

The lighthouse located at the north end of the island at Ponta Delgada.

Different Vegetation

As you get into the higher elevations on the island the vegetation changes to smaller shrubs and smaller cedars that almost look like bonsai due to the stunted growth.

Palm Trees Look Different Here

We were surprised to see that there are also palm trees here – they look quite different here without the white sand of the Caribbean.

Meeting the Clouds

While up in the higher elevation the clouds come in to meet you. We were fortunate that we it stayed clear for us to see. Others in the marina stated they had gone to the lakes & it was so thick with cloud cover they never saw the lakes.

Humidity is High

When in the higher elevations the roadside and hills are covered with moss due to the high humidity and moisture.

Forest of Cedar

The forest in the valley are cedar trees that are protected as they are part of a natural park reserve

Cows High on the Ridges

Cows seem to have adapted well to walking on sides of hills and on the mountain ridges The larger herds are beef cattle while many families also own milk cows for their own use.

One of the ports in Santa Cruz

There are 3 ports in Santa Cruz. This is the first one called Porto das Pocas where we saw a sightseeing boat come in that took visitors out to the island of Corvo.

The Water is Crystal Clear

Again, we continue to be impressed with how clear the water is here as hopefully you can see as well.

Santa Cruz Church

The church is Santa Cruz is impressive. Unfortunately we have not been able to enter any of them as they are not open and they do not have door handles on the outside- they must be opened from the inside.

Natural Swimming Pools

This natural swimming pool in Santa Cruz is a very popular place. We also heard it is a great place for snorkeling. Unfortunately we didn’t have the time or gear to try it out! This shows only one part of the pools

It Happens Quickly

It is amazing how line can get to this condition as we found out on our Atlantic crossing.

4th of July

We had a fun time celebrating July 4th at the picnic area near the marina with a few from other American boats in the marina. It was complete with grilled hamburgers and brownies for dessert.

Fireworks or Flares?

What do you do with expired flares? You of course have them as fireworks for the July 4th celebration!

Mowing in Flores

How do you mow the high grass here with all the hills and rocks? No need for lawnmowers here - just use weed wackers of course!

Inside the Church

After being in Lajes for over a week we finally found a day when the church door was open so we got to see this beautiful interior.

Looking for a WC?

Need a WC? It seems that every village has a public one available such as this one in Lajes.

Folklore Dancing & Music

We had a treat on July 5th as we were invited to the rehearsal of a local folklore group that were practicing for a competition as well as the Festival of Emigrants that will be held next weekend here in Lajes.

Theresa & Jose

Jose playing the guitar invited us to the rehearsal and Theresa who sings with the group visited with us making us feel very welcome. Both have lived in the US in the past but have returned to their homeland of Flores.

Bob & Jose Sharing Stories

Bob bought Jose a drink at the local bar/restaurant in thanks for the invitation to hear the folk music group practice.

Handmade Guitar

Jose is an accomplished guitar maker as well – this one he built while living in the US. It is a 12 string guitar made of sitka spruce and curly maple.

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Flores - An Island of Flowers and Beauty

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