Adventures in the Azores-Part III - Hot Springs and the Ocean

Hey guys! This is part III of my time in the Azores, you can check out part I and part II.

I just want to polish off the 3 part series before 2014 is over. The rest of the year looks like it'll be very busy with lots of friends coming to town so I probably won't get to do as much blogging.

The final stop in our Azores trip was to a spa by the ocean, in a place called Ferreira.  I haven't been to many spas in my life but I thought this one was special since it was right by the ocean and the pools in the spa use the natural hot spring water. The best part is that there's a hot spring right at the beach, that's accessible to anyone. The water gets really hot to ~50 C , but there's also the cold atlantic water coming in to the area. The locals really enjoy the contrast between the hot and cold and many will come in the summer.

The little red roof is where the spa is located

The waves were high and dangerous that day. The water levels were very high so it was not suitable for swimming. And the reality was, with the water so high up, it's very difficult to feel the hot spring waters contrasted with the cold ocean waves since the pool is filled with cold water.

I ended up not going into the natural pool and just got a massage at the spa instead. In general, the spa was located in a beautiful area and it was fantastic to use their facilities that had the same mineralized waters that was pumped from underground.  Here's a few shots of the views at the spa.

This ends the 3 part series on the Azores. I also did a highlight reel if you are interested.

Have a good weekend!

Memories of the Azores

This is a highlight reel of my time in the Azores, you can check out parts I-III here 

I was originally going to include this section in Part III but I felt like I needed to do it justice and not clutter up the Part III post. 

I had an amazing time during my trip to the Azores and to be honest, I didn't expect myself to like this place so much. It was a beautiful and scenic place with very warm and friendly locals and I can't wait to go back and explore the other islands and drink more milk!

Things I will miss from the Azores

1) Sunrises

I've never been an early riser but because the sun rose around 8 AM everyday, I did get to catch many beautiful sunrises without having to be up too early.

2) The Food

I think I've talked at length about how much I love their dairy. I also loved a lot of the other foods found on the island, like the fresh fish, and the salty chorizo! I liked the chorizo so much that I bought some at Loblaws to make at home.

flaming chorizo

There's a lot of ice cream cones/ popsicles that are not available in North America as well, this one had a chocolate shell with nuts and a chocolate center.

3) The Landscape

There were rolling hills and cliffs with steep drops everywhere. I loved the variation in the landscape. And of course, the hot spring and spa was amazing!

Trying not to fall off the edge

4) The Plants

There were many hydrangeas and other flowers on the island while I was there. I kind of wish I can go back in the summer time just to see everything blooming.

The endemic moss that's in a heart shape S2

5) The Pineapples!

There were pineapples everywhere that were super fresh! I wish it was like that in North America. But, its probably a good thing since their juice is basically a meat tenderizer and my tongue got really numb from eating all that pineapple on the trip.

I hope you've enjoyed my series on the Azores, I know I did :)

Have a good weekend!