Azores — Day 1

… starts with

this view and

this cat and this coffee(s)… all prepared and ready for me, as well as

the breakfast table, where I also find a lovely note. Obrigada José-Maria, what a warm welcome — this is why I love traveling with airbnb!

After breakfast I’m ready for my first explorations…

Left or right? Not an easy decision, when you have these options to choose from :)

Making that right turn literally TURNed out to be good, as it led me directly to this quiet beach

where I enjoyed the sand, the sun and myself for a while

until I got hungry.

I didn’t expect much in terms of vegan options from the little snack bar at the beach and was delighted to see at least fries on the menu… until I saw the few sad fries on a plastic plate in front of me. I’ll spare you the pic… and let you enjoy the view instead…

Back in the town of Furnas I stopped at the famous Caldeiras (I’ll share more about them later), one of the places on the island where volcanic activity is literally right in your face — and up your nose for that matter!

What a magical place but see for yourself!

After a short stroll around the fumeroles (smoking holes) this view

led me astray and directly to a wonderful island gem with coffe, vegan(!) food that was not fries, wine and Paula — who went out and beyond to cater for my many special needs :)

By the time I finally left Chalet da Tia Mercês it was dark and time to go to

which I did after

unpacking and organizing my 13,8kg of luggage :)