S/V Aphrodite

We have stayed here for much longer than we expected. The streets which were foreign to us just a few weeks ago now feel like home and strangers like family. Our experiences here are ones we are not likely to forget.This is a great story, one which is characteristic of how we live now and how very fortunate we are.After spending several days working on the boat we decided to take a day of rest, rent a car and see this lush island of Terceira. The island is small so it did not take long to traverse half of it seeing some of it’s great wonders. After a fantastic lunch in a small sea-side restaurant, we stopped at a wine museum in the town of Biscoitos named for the small flat lava rocks that abound there. In the mountains, the mineral pools and volcanic flumes were less dramatic than on the larger island of Sao Miguel, as were the volcanic lakes and lagoons but there is a cave here which would knock your socks off! Algar Do Carvao is located in the center of the island. It is a volcanic cone in which an impressive pit developed between two different volcanic edifices. As we entered the cave we started a deep descent into the vent of the volcanic pit which then opened up to a huge cavern like area, followed by another steep vertical descent ending in a lake of crystal clear water. The cave offers perfect acoustics and is used occasionally for musical concerts. The top of the conduit allows light to enter the cave and supplies the necessary sun for the walls to amass with ferns and mosses, all the while we were aware of a steady light rain dripping down upon us. Unfortunately, our pictures do not do it justice.As we were returning to the boat we stopped at a cheese factory that was closed for lunch when we passed by earlier. While inside a young guy heard us talking about how similar the area is to San Francisco and Petaluma and initiated a conversation with us. Within minutes his fiancee was translating for us, we were introduced to the propitiator as well as her family and invited to watch the “running of the bulls” from the windows of her cousin’s home which opens directly onto the main street where the bulls are released! Well, it didn’t take us long to accept the offer and we proceeded to spend the rest of the weekend enjoying the incredible hospitality characteristic of the lovely, endearing people on this island. Words just can not describe the experience we have had over the past week. This is the week festival of Saint George which is a bit like Mardi Gras and is the biggest event of the year on this island and lasts 11 days. Parades occur every night starting about 9:300 and people stay out eating and listening to music in the streets until the sun rises. We truly felt enveloped by the islanders; were treated to incredible meals and opportunities which made visiting this island a most memorable experience.According to the Portuguese, the “Running-of-the-Bulls” in the streets started here, In Terceira, when the islanders resorted to using their greatest asset, their bulls, to drive an overwhelming forced of armor-clad invading Spaniards into the sea, thus defending their homeland. Now, the bulls are released into the streets a few times a year in celebration. Standing witness to that event was awesome.