I purposely planned a 60 hour layover in the middle of the Atlantic on the tiny island of Sao Miguel, which is part of the Azores. Why? Because why not?
Starting off my 10 day early September getaway, I had 10 hours to decompress from a busy summer and chose to explore the harbor front area after stowing my bulky clothes book-bag at the airport lockers. So I meandered through old cobblestone streets lined with quaint cafes, reveled at lavishly ornate churches, indulged in the prevalent gelato stands and eventually even enjoyed a nap under a charming shade tree.
Before I could blink, I was off and ready to tackle numerous hiking trails on Madeira island (which was an easy additional 2 hours on a small jet plane further). After walking +145k steps or +52 miles throughout our adventures, I’m so thankful I built in time on the back end of my trip to revisit the Azores to recuperate.
Before the sun arose, I was already landing back in the capital of Ponta Delgada and joyfully sat along the rocky coastline to enjoy the first rays of light. After dropping my bags at the hostel, I made my way to the ATV operator to explore the top tourist destination of Sete Cidades. We zipped up to the highest point on the island and breathtaking views of the volcano caldera. Five uniquely colored lakes flanked the shore side, quaint town and we thoroughly enjoyed weaving around the single track trails crisscrossing the cliffs. Best excursion ever!
Day 2 is a blur of napping, reading, blog writing, pool time, leisurely walks and vacation wind down.
Not ready for this adventure to end BUT no regrets…. I love this adventure life and start planning to bring the next dream to fruition!
FearlessAdventures 