Santa Maria - The First Island Discovered in the Azores, The Last One Discovered by Us

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October 14th 2012

Published: October 14th 2012

September 17 - September 25, 2012 (note - I have included many collages to include more photos - if you can not see them, click on the photo to make them larger) Yes, we had said that Sao Miguel would be the last island in the Azores we would visit before going to the mainland, but tropical storm Nadine had other plans. Earlier in August hurricane Gordon came through when we were in Terceira. Th... 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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It Was Cold!!!!!

We planned on summer but it definitely got chilly while on our exploration of the island

Walk to the Waterfalls

There was a pleasant walk into the waterfalls near the village of Maia on the southeastern side of the island

Stone Walls Everywhere

Our friend, Christa caught us while we walking along this path with a very high stone wall

Waves

Tried to capture a few of the waves we were seeing as the seas were on the wild side as the winds were building with Nadine in the area

Bob is still a kid!

So much for a serious photo with Bob around!

Gardens Everywhere

You definitely can tell that the people of the Azores love to garden as every square inch possible is used for plantings

Our Lady of Fatima Chapel

This church built in 1926 is reached by a staircase of 150 steps. The church was not open but the view was spectacular

Columbus

Columbus landed here near Anjos, Santa Maria and they have a statute to honor this fact

Chapel of Anjos

The arch is the only part remaining from the chapel that Columbus & his crew worshipped at on his way back from America. The current church was built in the 17th century

Mist or Low Cloud?

The Church of Santo Espirito appeared to be disappearing in the mist the day we were exploring the island.

Living in the Valley

This valley has a small stream that flows into the harbor - not sure if I would want to live down in the valley

Tropical Storm/Hurricane Nadine

Anyone in the Azores at this time will never forget long-lived Nadine! She stayed a long time and had an interesting path.

Waterfalls Created by Nadine

When tropical storm Nadine came through she created waterfalls where they didn't exist before - it was like turning on a faucet & then shortly after turning them off

Before & After Nadine

This small river changed dramatically from a small stream to a raging river when Nadine came through the area

View in Town

There are quite a few cafes that you can sit out on the main street in Vila do Porto

Main Street

We were surprised at how much was available in Vila do Porto.

Coming back from shopping

Our Wegman's recycling bags get well used for our trips back from grocery shopping

Another Shopping Day

Not all the buildings in town are in dis-repair as you can see by these lovely homes lining the main street.

Fort of Sao Bras

The fort located just above the marina was built in the 16th century when Portugal was under Spanish rule

View from the Fort

A few stovepipe type chimneys

These chimneys have square-based pyramids topped by a narrow-bore cylinder - very distinct looking

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Santa Maria - The First Island Discovered in the Azores, The Last One Discovered by Us

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