We are starting to get organized for our trip back to reality on Thursday. The past couple of days have been overcast, with rain off and on, but still quite warm at 17*C range. Here are some of our thoughts from this trip. We’ll also include some of our favourite photos, which truly don’t do this island justice, but are specific memories that we’ll always think about when looking back on our time here.

Thoughts About Pico

If you are Canadian and want to have a break from the cold, Azores/Pico is a great option, with temperatures ranging from the lows at night around 15*C and highs up to 22*C. It’s a moderate climate.

If you need help to plan your time here in the Azores you can’t go wrong with contacting Carlos, Laura and Egidio. The links to their social media and contact information are here. Our stay here has been enhanced tremendously by booking through this team and getting to know them personally. Great people who are super knowledgable about the Azores. This team guided us through everything including accommodation, car rental and personal tours of the island. https://www.facebook.com/LIFEWellnessAzores/mentions and https://www.picoholidayexperts.com/-vacation-experts–pico-azores

Come and stay longer. There are so many areas to explore and an abundance of beauty at every turn, literally. We would take a winding road down into a village randomly as we traveled around, only to find another gem and stunning view. We have been here four weeks, got out most days and still feel like there are areas that need more exploring.

It’s super safe here, with no noticeable crime of any kind. You can find yourself up in some very remote areas with very few people around, but at no time does it feel unsafe. There aren’t any ticks, harmful spiders, snakes or predatory mammals to worry about. You can wonder around aimlessly in the quiet of the wilderness and be completely worry free.

The people are friendly and, in most cases, can switch to English easily. We found that even when talking with people that did not know English we could jester and communicate with the few words of Portuguese that we have learned along our journey.

The Portuguese language is beautiful to listen too. When sitting in small cafes, having our daily afternoon galao we could hear the many conversations going on around us, not knowing what was being said, but still enjoying the sights and sounds. Even the debates were friendly in nature. We assumed they were either talking about politics or soccer :-).

Cows will be a key memory for us. Even in the highlands, on some crazy remote roads, we’d come across farmers slowly driving their trucks along the road with a herd of cows following along closely as they were being guided to another green pasture. When we reference green pastures it is hard to capture exactly how green and lush these fields are. For the most part the cows appear to be well looked after and have amazing views as they graze.

We enjoyed the freshest of seafood, and tried many of the local favourites while here. You need to be okay with getting your fish served complete with the head and giving you the side eye as you eat, and be aware of bones, but it’s very tasty.

We enjoyed the local bakery pastries and breads. The bread seems to be more sweet than what we have in Canada.

The soothing sight and sound of the constant waves seen from our balcony was welcome after a long day of exploring. What is it about the draw of water?

The rugged shoreline is fascinating! Each cove is completely unique and worth visiting.

The resourcefulness of the people is quite impressive. Whether building endless walls to protect the vines, or enhancing the natural shoreline to create safe swimming areas, the effort required is admirable.

Ties between Canada and Pico have been a constant story when meeting people here. We have lost count of the number of folks that have lived in Canada at some point in their lives. Each story is a personal one that we have enjoy hearing. The one theme we heard over and over again is the strong connection to Pico Island and, after being here for a month, it’s obvious why.

Rainbows are plentiful and the excitement to see one never disappears.

The shoreline protection and cobblestone mosaics are impressive. Our trip over to Horta on Faial was a great way to see just how labour intensive it is to create and maintain these master pieces. This is hard, back breaking work done by crews who chip off pieces of different coloured rock and fit it all together like a giant jig saw puzzle.

Tip of the Day:

Coming here in the off season is very affordable.