Fluffy

Wow, I seem to have spark a debate on not only my translation abilities, but also whether Schnappi is cool or not. Go me! By all means, if someone has a better translation, please post it. I welcome comments of any kind and am pleased to have people reading my blog.

Anyway, here is a rundown of my trip to the Azores (Terceira Island). I left out the boring work details as they are, well, pretty boring.

Day 1 - we went to a local village’s bull run. This is apparently a national pasttime in which they put up barricades along the street, sort of in Mardi Gras fashion but more hefty. Then they release an angry bull into the street (attached to a long rope). The object is apparently for men in the village to taunt the bull and touch it thereby proving their manhood. Most of them leap over the barricades whenever the bull gets within 100 yards. It seemed cruel but at least no one kills the poor bull. In fact, I was rooting for him. I got a bit too bold and at the prompting of my comrades, I jumped out into the street to grab the end of the rope and pose for a quick photo. However, the bull handlers turned around and saw me, grinned brightly, gave me one of their hats to wear and offered me the rope. That was awesome and made for a good photo. As soon as the bull came back, I fled and lept back over the barricade. The bull was tired and stood right next to us - I could actually reach down and gently pat the fellow. How many people can say they petted a bull, eh? Afterwards, we went to Praiafest (”beach fest”) which is their huge annual street party. The guys found 70 Euro cent beers so needless to say, good times were had by all.

Day 2 - we drove around the beautiful island, which is only 11 miles x 18 miles. The coast is not beaches, but rather gorgeous rocky cliffs. Some were ideal for local swimming holes. The land is all blocked into neat little squares bordered by stone fences that look straight out of Scotland. From the airplane it looked like a lovely green quilt. Also, I think there are more cows there than people as most of the fields had at least several cattle. I took some stunning photographs as well.

Day 3 - I went swimming in the Azores! The water was terribly cold and choppy but I had to give it a try. After all, how often does one get a free trip to the lovely islands of the Atlantic? We then drove up to a dormant volcano and a petting zoo. Did anyone else here know that fawns make noises? They sound almost like a human baby, but sweeter and far cuter. A young buck had gotten loose and seemed to enjoy walking next to us - beautiful creatures, by the way. Afterwards, we went to a local restaurant where for about 18 Euros, they bring you various cuts and varieties of meat. You actually have to tell them to stop when you are done. Of course, it was delicious, but the best part of the meal were the roasted pineapple slices they brought after every few meat servings. They were sweet and juicy, which helps cut down on the saltiness of the meat.

Day 4 - I wanted to go hiking but the rest of the group wanted to go shopping. Turned out to be a good idea because it rained heavily, far too heavily for hiking. I bought some interesting candleholders because I figured I had to have something to prove I once went to the Azores. Dinner was especially good - steak on the rocks. They bring you a steak on a sizzling hot metal slab so it cooks as much (or little) as you wish. For people who love rare steak, it was a delightful treat. Afterwards, we went back to Praiafest where the guys were making jokes about the local mascot of the rooster (use your imagination). I wound up walking thru a fountain to cool off, which felt marvelous after a long day. Three galloas and some pastries later, and it was 3am and time for bed.

Day 5 - 2nd worst experience flying home (the worst was 8 hours at LAX). At least this time I had some company. But after all of the fun and good luck, I figured it was only natural for bad karma to hit us hard.

All in all, it was wonderful. I highly recommend exploring the Azores, but be sure to do it during their annual festivals.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 15th, 2005 at 3:23 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.