Day 6 (August 10, 2021): Sao Jorge

It was an early rise, to catch a ferry from Madalena to Calheta on Sao Jorge (island #3) at 7:45 AM. The gal from Whales Rent-a-Car met us at the ferry terminal right on schedule, at 7:15 AM, to close our rental contract. We then joined a long queue to check-in for the ferry, which was packed and ended up leaving 30 minutes late. It was a nice crossing, however, and we pulled into Calheta just after 10 AM.

We had arranged a taxi to meet us and take us to the airport, where we had arranged a rental car. All rental cars have been sold out on the island since late June. So we felt very lucky to have snagged one. However, when I called to let them know the ferry had been late, they told us they had given away our car. It was quite

upsetting but long story short, we worked it all out and got one, thankfully.

Having resolved that situation, next on the list was getting a Covid test to meet the Canadian government entry requirement when we land in Toronto on Thursday night. A very kind nurse at the local health centre agreed to arrange it for us, so we set off for Calheta again, where we had landed on the ferry, and got our Covid test at noon.

After a lunch in Calheta, we set off to tour the eastern half of the island. (Calheta is roughly in the center.). Having taken in many of the island’s sights, we arrived at our hotel (on the very opposite end of the Island) at 5:15 PM. We had dinner in the village and did a swim in the hotel’s pool before the sun went down. What a spectacular setting! And what a full day. 

Grey skies as the ferry sailed along Sao Jorge Island to Calheta. Here is a distant view of Velas (where we are staying), one of the two largest towns on Sao Jorge. 

And this is the view of Sao Jorge’s coastline, just before arriving in Calheta. Notice the difference in heights between the two villages above, and how high the coast rises!  Simply incredible. These high coastal

cliffs, known as faja, are the most well-known features of Sao Jorge. 

Interesting tree in Calheta. 

The Church of Santa Catarina in Calheta, constructed in 1639. 

Shoreline in Calheta, looking over to Pico Island. 

Cross on the heights overlooking Calheta. 

A view of one of Sao Jorge Island’s most impressive cliff areas, south of Calheta. 


The view looking down on Calheta. Notice Mount Pico in the top right. 

The view from a miradouro (viewpoint) in Ribeira Seca. 

Truly beautiful trees on the heights of Ribeira Seca. 


Driving in Sao Jorge is extremely stressful, if you don’t like heights. Switchbacks, steep roadside cliffs, and ridiculously steep grades all combine for white-knuckle driving. Fortunately, around 2/3 of the way down-Island, the road turns inland. The shot above and the one below show the typical scenery, where cows graze in abundance, and hydrangea hedges are prolific. 



One of the never-ending hydrangea hedges in Sao Jorge Island, with Mount Pico in the background.

The 13km switchback road from the highway to the coast that leads to Faja Sao Joao was so scary, we had to stop and turn around a couple of kilometres in. We had to settle for this view from the heights. 

On all the islands, the Azorean have organized an incredible network of look-off points called miradouro. We never miss a miradouro! And it has become a real joke when we see a sign for one to shout “Miradouro!” in the best fake Portuguese accent we can muster! This is the miradouro near Topo in the  extreme southeast of the Island. 

The Portuguese word for a lighthouse is farol. Built in 1927, the Topo lighthouse features a cylindrical tower attached to a 1-story keeper's house. The original lens in the light was replaced after being damaged in an earthquake in 1980. 

Topo, at the very eastern end of Sao Jorge.  The island just off the coast is called (quite unoriginally) Topo Island. 

The “natural pool” in Topo. 

The soil is high in ferric oxide - looks strangely similar to Prince Edward Island!

The Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário in Topo dates from 1761.

Convent of Sao Dogo in Topo. 

Historic windmill in Topo. 

We’ve seen so many cows over the last six days, a bizarre affinity and sympathy seems to have arisen in us for them! So to see these poor cows being hauled off to (likely) slaughter was a little disconcerting. (Mind you, we both had steak for dinner. So I guess we got over it.)

One of Sao Jorge’s highest volcanoes, as seen from the highway heading back up-island.

The Igreja de Santa Bárbara Church is in Manadas. The church’s interior is regarded as the greatest artistic treasure of São Jorge Island.  

Port and natural pool in Manadas. 

Pam in Manadas. 


Sao Jorge is well-known for its cheese, which we sampled as an appetizer with dinner.  And I’ll use my after-dinner espresso shot to explain another tradition here in the Azores, which is also found in mainland

Portugal: People stop in to coffee bars all over the place for a quick shot of espresso. They down it in a few quick gulps, leave a Euro, and are gone. It’s all about getting a coffee fix, not about a social interaction.



Our accommodation is an apartment in a boutique hotel-apartment complex, comprising very architecture, with a wonderful view of the village of Velas, Mount Pico, and the mountain ledge above us. 

I close this blog entry with a similar view to one I shared from the ferry this morning: the village of

Velas, pre-dusk in this shot. This is Velas as seen from the hotel’s pool deck. The village has a lot to explore, which we look forward to unpacking tomorrow.