Furnas

Waterwheel

Furnas is one of the larger towns on Sao Miquel.  It is the site of an active volcano.  There are two main calderas and there are several thousand people that live around the volcano.  It is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the Azores. 

These houses are some of the most beautiful homes I have seen in the Azores and they are literally right across the street from the fumaroles.  The fumaroles are in the center of town and as you approach the smell of sulphur is strong.  Fumaroles are openings in the earths crust near a volcano where hot sulphurous gases escape. 

 This is what the folks here see everyday and yet they just go about their business.  We were the only ones ready to run if the ground started to shake!

 The steam and smoke from the fumaroles just envelopes the whole area.  As you walk near them you can actually feel the heat under your feet.

 And there are boiling hot springs.  It is quite an experience to sit and watch the water boil from the volcano underneath.  They actually have a restaurant here where they put a stew in the ground and the heat from the volcano cooks the food.  

 We made this trip to Furnas with our good friend Bill.  He arrived from the US to help us make the final passage.  The engine arrived and Emanual is busy with the installation.  So we rented a car to take Bill to see the island while Emanual worked.

 Bill is holding his breath while I snap a picture.  Trying hard not to breath in all that volcanic gas.

Furnas is a beautiful area also but I do not think I could bring myself to live that close to an active volcano.  Just a little too close for comfort.