Over our first coffee this morning, we made a quick decision to take the ferry to Faial, the neighbouring island that we can see from our apartment. Many people we’ve spoken to have recommended this outing to us.

The ferry crossing takes about 30 minutes, and travels past the large rock formations that we see from our windows. It was great to get a closer look at these.

The main town on Faial is Horta, which we explored on foot this afternoon. It’s a more populated town than Madalena, with a lot more stores and restaurants open. The architecture is gorgeous and many very old buildings have been restored, as you’ll see in the photos.

We had lunch at an often recommended spot called Peter’s Sport Cafe. Apparently it’s a hot spot for the sailors that arrive in Horta’s large marina. It was super busy but we lucked out and snagged the last table. There are many flags, photos and stickers placed by sailors from all over the world hanging on the walls and ceiling.

After lunch we wandered around the streets and marina. There is a tradition amongst sailors that they must leave a painting on the marina walls and sidewalks, or suffer a serious accident at sea. This has turned the marina into a vibrant, colourful place.

The rain came and went as we explored, but we were dressed for it, and we found places to stay dry when necessary. It was a great way to spend the day, but we were happy to get home to our place on Pico.

Tip of the Day:

If you are able to do a long stay on Pico, visiting Faial and the other nearby island of Sao Jorge is easily done by ferry. Our round trip to Faial today cost only $30 for both of us.