San Miguel Island, The Azores, Portugal
Just as in all these Azorean Islands, Sao Miguel Island has a volcanic origin. Around 30% of the electricity used on the island has a geothermic origin as well, through deep (+6000 ft) wells sunk into the rocky ground. The rest is from expensive oil brought in from the mainland. But the surface is painted in all the imaginable tones of green, divided into many squares marked with lovely dry rock walls, spotted in many places with Frisian cows, which provide the island’s second input of economic resources: milk and all its by-products.
Today we visited one of the smaller industries of the island – a pottery factory, where even the clay has to be imported from the mainland. But the highlight of the day was the visit to that part of the island which still has a strong volcanic attraction: the Valley of Furnas (Furnaces). Here we faced boiling sulphurous water and mud, and steam leaving the rocky soil from hundreds of fissures and cracks. We then visited an old botanical garden, with enormous Araucarias, as well as many other interesting exotic plants. From here we went to another part of the valley, where, as can be seen in the photo, the “cozido” or stew is cooked in big aluminum pots, put into the steaming ground for six and a half hours, and then pulled out with heavy steel hooks. Quite a feast!
Just as in all these Azorean Islands, Sao Miguel Island has a volcanic origin. Around 30% of the electricity used on the island has a geothermic origin as well, through deep (+6000 ft) wells sunk into the rocky ground. The rest is from expensive oil brought in from the mainland. But the surface is painted in all the imaginable tones of green, divided into many squares marked with lovely dry rock walls, spotted in many places with Frisian cows, which provide the island’s second input of economic resources: milk and all its by-products.
Today we visited one of the smaller industries of the island – a pottery factory, where even the clay has to be imported from the mainland. But the highlight of the day was the visit to that part of the island which still has a strong volcanic attraction: the Valley of Furnas (Furnaces). Here we faced boiling sulphurous water and mud, and steam leaving the rocky soil from hundreds of fissures and cracks. We then visited an old botanical garden, with enormous Araucarias, as well as many other interesting exotic plants. From here we went to another part of the valley, where, as can be seen in the photo, the “cozido” or stew is cooked in big aluminum pots, put into the steaming ground for six and a half hours, and then pulled out with heavy steel hooks. Quite a feast!
