I think that what I will remember the most about Ponta Delgada are the sidewalks and street cafes. The sidewalks are all made with volcanic rock and white stone. And they all have different themes with no two sidewalks being alike. And more impressively... it was all laid by hand! Just beautiful.
The streets of Ponta Delgada come alive with street cafes. It is rare to see a restaurant that has its patrons inside! Ponta Delgada has some food trucks but they also had a wine truck! Folks would get a glass of wine and just go sit down somewhere to enjoy. No prohibition on drinking a glass of wine on the street there.
Sao Miquel as well as the other Azorean Islands is a volcanic island. The island is lush and green. While they are known for their dairy products cows are not the only thing they raise. All over the countryside you will see small crops being grown. What is interesting is that there are no really big fields just many small plots. The farm plots are separated by trees or bamboo that serve as a hedgerow. Occasionally there are small stone fences around the field. So... the whole countryside looks like a patchwork quilt.
Patchwork
It is so pretty to look at. And so different from the large scale farming that we are used to seeing. Even the animals are kept in these small enclosures but often they just roam free. There are no barbed wire or electric fences keeping the cows in so if they want to go to another field they just go. Cows walking in the street makes driving a bit interesting.
Typical Hedgerow
Cows on the move
And there is no rushing them along - they just go at their own pace! Such an interesting place - the people are like the cows... no rushing. If you go out to eat it takes awhile as they expect you to just enjoy your meal. They seem perplexed when you are asking for your check. Crazy Americans - always in a hurry! I could definitely get used to this laid back lifestyle.
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