Things to Do

People have been visiting the Azores for a long time. Columbus stopped for fresh water and veggies returning from his first trans-Atlantic cruise. Mark Twain stopped on Faial on his way to Europe and wrote about it. The first single-handed circumnavigator, Joshua Slocum, made Horta his first port of call and yachts have been stopping here ever since. Today over 1,000 yachts a year stop at Horta Marina on their way across the Atlantic. The first flight across the Atlantic, by an NC-4 of the US Navy, refuelled in Horta and between 1939 and 1945 Pan American Airways used Horta Harbour as a refuelling base for their Boeing Clipper flying boats. The trans-Atlantic cable companies all had relay stations in Horta and the fine houses they built for their managers remain. We don't have miles of golden beaches, nor do we have a rocking nightlife, but we do have peace, tranquility and nature; lots of it. We have some small beaches of black sand, and several man-made bathing places along the rocky foreshore. We have whales to watch (several companies run whale- watching boat trips from Horta) and we have miles of trails to walk. In summer the hedgerows turn blue with thousands of hydrangea blossoms and at night you can hear the weird cry of the Cory's shearwaters that nest on the cliffs. Recently a number of parks and protected areas on Faial were enlarged and

connected to form the Parque Natural do Faial. There are 'official' hiking trails on all the islands but there are also paths and lanes through the terraced fields everywhere so you can create your own trail. It is hard to get seriously lost on an island this size. You can take a half hour ferry ride to Pico and see the famous vinyards with their grids of black volcanic rock walls that store the sun's heat and then release it gently into the grapes. If you are in reasonable physical shape you can climb the highest mountain in Portugal at 2,351 metres. Or you can take a longer ferry trip to São Jorge a sparsely populated island, largely surrounded by cliffs and famous for its hiking trails. Back on Faial a favourite walk is the one around the perimeter of the central crater, almost two kilometres across. From it you can see all the island. Or you can explore the new land at the western tip of the island created by volcanic eruptions in 1957/58 and visit the volcano interpretation centre. Whale watching, sport fishing and scuba diving companies operate out of Horta. There is also an equestrian stable about two kilometres away Or if it is all to much for you, you can just relax by the pool with a book and listen to the birds!

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