Ilha Graciosa, The Azores, Portugal
In Portuguese, Graciosa means small and cute. This is the name this island has had for hundreds of years. It is the second smallest island in the whole archipelago of the Azores, at only 62 square kilometers. Today cattle raising is a very important industry for milk, as well as for meat. A great amount of these products are exported yearly. Agriculture also plays an important part here, and Graciosa carries most of its trade with Terceira, one of its neighbors in the central group of islands.
We landed with our Zodiacs at Baja de Folga, where buses awaited us. On we moved to the north through green forests and grasslands, seeing quite a few Holstein cows in the green fields. Our destination for the morning was Santa Cruz da Graciosa, the capital of the island. Here we enjoyed the dragon trees and araucarias on the main square, as well as a lovely town museum, which included one of the last whaling boats used for hunting sperm whales. Here one can also see some jawbones of these magnificent cetaceans, as well as some of the tools used by the whalers in their trade.
There are also a small number of old windmills, quite abundant in the 17th and 18th centuries. Today most are restored to their former grandeur.
As the afternoon wore on, we sailed on south to the channel between the islands of Sao Jorge, Faial and Pico. The photograph is from the highest mountain in Portugal, called Pico (Point), with an altitude of around 7200 feet, and also the only place on these islands that gets snow in winter!
In Portuguese, Graciosa means small and cute. This is the name this island has had for hundreds of years. It is the second smallest island in the whole archipelago of the Azores, at only 62 square kilometers. Today cattle raising is a very important industry for milk, as well as for meat. A great amount of these products are exported yearly. Agriculture also plays an important part here, and Graciosa carries most of its trade with Terceira, one of its neighbors in the central group of islands.
We landed with our Zodiacs at Baja de Folga, where buses awaited us. On we moved to the north through green forests and grasslands, seeing quite a few Holstein cows in the green fields. Our destination for the morning was Santa Cruz da Graciosa, the capital of the island. Here we enjoyed the dragon trees and araucarias on the main square, as well as a lovely town museum, which included one of the last whaling boats used for hunting sperm whales. Here one can also see some jawbones of these magnificent cetaceans, as well as some of the tools used by the whalers in their trade.
There are also a small number of old windmills, quite abundant in the 17th and 18th centuries. Today most are restored to their former grandeur.
As the afternoon wore on, we sailed on south to the channel between the islands of Sao Jorge, Faial and Pico. The photograph is from the highest mountain in Portugal, called Pico (Point), with an altitude of around 7200 feet, and also the only place on these islands that gets snow in winter!
