Freddy Duarte

Graciosa is another Island of the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Located 31 miles North-West of Terceira, Graciosa is very small, about 25 sq miles (60 Km²) and it has about 5000 habitants. The main municipalities are Santa Cruz, Praia, Guadalupe, Luz and Carapacho.

The island is characterized by its windmills and natural beauty. It’s an extremely calm place, and the inhabitants are very calm and friendly. It is common to see an old man riding his donkey on the way to feeding their cattle. Graciosa also produces its own wine and cheese, which are awesome by the way. The “Linguica” produced there is also quite unique and tasty.

The municipality of Praia hosts one of my favorite Azorean sand beaches, with very clear waters. Carapacho is home to a very unique place. It has volcanic springs that are used by visitors for medicinal purposes.

Knowing the island as well as I know it, I recommend a few destinations:

• Barro Vermelho – Great picnic area by the ocean, very relaxing, you can fish and swim as well.
• Carapacho Hot Spring Baths.
• Monte de Nossa Senhora da Ajuda – a small hill located in the heart of Santa Cruz, offers a great view over the island’s main municipality.
• Ethnographic Museum, which displays several cultural and whaling artifacts and memories.
• Caverns: “Bolos, Lembradeira, Manuel de Avila, Labarda, Furada, Linheiro, Cardo, Gato, Castelo, Calcinhas, Queimado, Vermelho, Cao, Urze and Luis”.

There you go. Some basic information about this beautiful island of the Azorean archipelago. This is a place you want to spend 2 weeks just to relax and be away from everything bothersome about society in general, like sounds/air pollution, traffic, etc.

Azores

Being the Azorean that I am, I’ve decided to add a section dedicated to these 9 Portuguese marvels. It’s coming soon as a separate page in my site. There will be pictures, valuable info for tourists, sites to see, and lots of other stuff about the islands. For now, enjoy the following about my favorite Azorean Island – Terceira.

Ilha Terceira (aka worlds biggest amusement park) is an island in the Azores, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, with an area of 396.75 km (I measured it myself). The island’s length is 29 km and the width is 18km; the perimeter is 90 km. Population is about 55,000 (in the summer it raises to a peak of 55,001 – because I’m there.)

The western part of Terceira is covered with vegetation. The northern part of the island (Biscoitos) is made up of a volcano. The highest point in the island is the peak of the Santa Barbara mountain, at 1,022 m. Don’t ever try to go up this mountain on a 1985 Toyota Starlet carrying 5 people aboard (personal joke: Lote, Kaka, Joao Maluco, Paulinho and me).

Terceira Island is divided into the municipalities of Angra do Heroismo and Praia da Vitoria. Angra do Heroismo, the historical capital of the Azores, is the oldest city in the Azores, dating back to 1534. Its historical center was classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The main economic activity in Terceira Island is live-stock raising and dairy-based products. The island has two ports in Angra do Heroismo and Praia da Vitoria, and a US military base in Lajes.

Touradas: event held daily from May 1 to September 30 is the tourada a corda (bullfight with ropes). It consists of letting a bull, tied to a rope, loose in the streets with some controlling the rope and some challenging the bull. Touradas may be held up to three times a day.

Peeps: Francisco Ferreira Drummond (January 21, 1796 – September 11, 1858), Portuguese historiographer, paleographer and musician, was born on Terceira Island.
Nuno Bettencourt, elite guitarist (ex-Extreme, current Drama Gods)

On March 16, 2003, US President George W. Bush, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Manuel Barroso met on Terceira to discuss the Invasion of Iraq, which began four days later, on March 20.

Azores