Rainy days and Mondays don't get me down (like the song suggests), but they do present challenges when on vacation. Rain, because most of what I want to see here on Terceira is outside -- a verdant and lush landscape. Mondays, because, when it rains and you want to go and see a museum or gallery, they are often closed on a Monday.
So, it's a very good thing that we checked the weather on Saturday evening when we arrived here and decided that our outdoor exploring should be done on Sunday, not Monday. There is an old volcanic cone at the south of the island, just by the main city of Agra do Heroismo. It erupted as an island and then grew to join the mainland. It's a tall piece of real estate but there are well maintained walking paths with water and washrooms along the way for the hikers who take on the 7.4 km walk to the top and around. The fort overlooking the harbour is still in use by the military, but the guns on the promontory are not usable.
Thanks to Google Lens, I can now identify plants easily (even get a price for them).
The views of the city and the ocean are spectacular. You can do your workout up here overlooking the harbour.
Our hotel backs onto the major city garden -- a well kept showcase of plants from around the world. Those Portuguese sailors brought back all kinds of things from their explorations.
And the cooking on this island is slightly different from the big island of San Miguel. What fun to discover a new pastry flavour -- mulata is a slightly spicy flavour from a roasted pepper.
And when you are spending most of the day inside, you can start on some projects. I have begun my memory book for this, my 75th year. It will be 'Every Picture tells a story" and talk about all the things in out house that have a story attached. Also, I have taken on a crochet project different from the high volume hats and blankets that I usually do. This requires almost no material as the yarn is just a thread, but I managed my first snowflake. Not perfect, but promising.
