Day 2: São Miguel Island, Azores

Our day started with a visit to a small church called Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Paz, which sits at the top of a hill and has tile images at each landing on the stairs leading to it. Of the handful of scenes depicted, I was surprised to see Gethsemane since it’s not as common in Catholic art. But by then I was less surprised to see hydrangeas in the landscaping, as they were planted along the roads all over the island. Beautiful, and no small feat to keep them trimmed! 

Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Paz

View from Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Paz

From there, it was a short drive to our hike to Lagoa do Fofo (another volcanic crater lake, but on the opposite side of the island from Sete Cidades). The trailhead was unassuming and it almost felt like we were cutting through someone’s farm to start our rainy hike. During the steepest part at the beginning we crossed paths with a tractor, and I wouldn’t have minded hitching a ride. But once up, the trail flattened and we cut through a pine forest before following along a concrete water channel. This came in handy for me, as I was able to rinse off my muddy sandals repeatedly during that section. We entered a valley and it felt like a lost world of scrubby bushes and tiny birds before reaching the lake. 

Trail along the aqueduct

Hiking in the mud with adjacent aqueduct foot bath

Hiking in the caldera (Kara for scale)

Hiking in the caldera

Lagoa do Fofo

Enjoyed these fragrant flowers along our hike

The hike back wasn’t as grueling, but I was worn out by the time we got back to the car, so I only agreed to the idea of visiting a nearby lake because I thought it was a short walk to an overlook. Not quite–more like a short and steep hike down to the lake, but Lago do Congro also had its charms. It was also on the way(ish) to Furnas, so named because the geothermal activity that formed the islands is still going strong there. 

Lago do Congro

Again, my inner geology nerd geeked out as we walked around the Caldeiras park of mini geysers, calderas, and fumaroles bubbling away. Ever ones to tame nature, they had landscaped the areas around them and even put dainty tile signs near the named features. The sulfur smell was unavoidable, but that didn’t prevent me from sampling the cooled water from a drinking fountain–and wishing I hadn’t. Too many minerals for my tastebuds! Luckily they sold corn on the cob across the street that was steamed by the ground without tasting like it, which helped to clear up my taste buds.

Caldeiras park

fumaroles

River along Caldeiras park

At this point Kara truly indulged me with a trip to a nearby thermal bath called Poca da Dona Beija. There was a line to enter and a time limit, but it was just the thing to calm my tired muscles at the end of a long day. They had several outdoor pools of various temperatures, with the hottest water closest to the source.

Entrance to Poca da Dona Beija

Poca da Dona Beija

Fully relaxed, we drove back to our hotel and the rains picked up so as we arrived in Povoacao, it was pouring. I opted to brave the elements to find a place to eat on a Saturday night, and had the streets virtually to myself in the downpour as I walked to a nearby restaurant. I must have looked pretty bad when the restaurant owner gave me a paper towel to dry myself off with before even handing me a menu! It was a small family restaurant with good food, but the highlight was when the family celebrating a birthday at the table next to me shared a slice of their cake. A small but kind gesture before I sloshed back to the hotel and sleep

birthday cake from a stranger

Day 1: São Miguel Island, Azores

As we landed in the Azores, the cloudy skies matched my fuzzy knowledge of the islands. I’d heard of them, but knew little else. Fueled by excitement more than sleep, we headed straight to Sete Cidades, an extinct caldera with several lakes. The pictures in our guidebooks were incredible, but at the overlook we were in the clouds with nothing to overlook. Still, we enjoyed a brief hike to see the remains of an aqueduct called Muro das Nove Janelas, and driving down into the caldera enjoyed the village of the same name and views across the lakes before driving up, out, and to the coast. 

Muro das Nove Janelas

Pines through the arches of Muro das Nove Janelas

The sun was shining in a sleepy village of tight streets and homes with their favorite saint on the walls, and as we walked to the beach I was blown away by the beauty of Ponta do castelo. I knew from my geology classes that we were just off the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and that these islands were formed volcanically, but wasn’t expecting the clear turquoise water and black basalt formations just off the coast. There wasn’t much of a beach here, but I eagerly clambered down to the boulders for a closer look and was giddy to see olivine crystals shining back at me, confirming that these materials got their start deep in the earth. 

Ponta do castelo

Olivine in the rocks at Ponta do castelo

Ponta do castelo

From there we headed back to the island’s main city, Ponta Delgada. We started with a quick visit to a military history museum in their old fort, which left more questions than answers. Thankfully we encountered a few American tourists who helped explain the island’s importance in WW2 to the Allies, and that there is still a US military base on another island. Strolling around the city center, I loved seeing the black and white buildings that incorporated basalt into their architecture.

Portas da Cidade (city gates), Ponta Delgada

Our overnight flight started to catch up with us, and we drove to our hotel in Povoacao for an early night. The hotel was a good deal, and I was delighted our room overlooked the ocean! I’d later learn this was also where the Portuguese first landed in the Azores.

Coastal view from Povoacao's harbor

Charleston, Day 4

We attended church at a local ward before visiting two more historic plantations known for their gardens.
 
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is known for its gardens in the Romantic style, which were designed in the 1840s and tries to look natural. They preserved four of their former slave quarters, each in different eras, to tell the story of those who lived there over the generations and gave a great tour telling their stories. Another highlight was their wetlands area with short trails that allowed us to (safely) see cranes, turtles, and alligators sunning in the middle of a pond!

The preserved slave quarters.

A gorgeous oak tree on the grounds.

The iconic pedestrian bridge

The alligator sunning on the wooden ramp in the pond was joined by a few turtles.

Our last stop was up the road at Middleton Gardens. In contrast to Magnolia Plantation, Middleton’s Gardens were in the English style with trimmed hedges, straight lines, and symmetrical gardens. Their azalea hedges were stunning in the afternoon sun, and the gardens were massive with plenty of areas to explore. The family played an important role in US History, including a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately, a descendant also signed a famous document–the South Carolina Ordinance of Secession. It’s for this reason that Union troops explicitly targeted the house just before the end of the Civil War as part of their destruction along the Ashley River, aided by newly-freed slaves. Fire gutted the house and the remaining walls collapsed in an earthquake in 1886, so the front steps are intact with piles of bricks to either side creating a powerful image and quite a contrast with the surrounding manicured gardens. As with the other estates, some slave quarters were preserved or restored, and here it was a bit more living history of making baskets and barrels, etc., as well as a demonstration rice area along the river.

Near the entrance to the gardens.

Azalea hedges for days

The remains of the main house. It was burned and ransacked in 1865, but the 1886 earthquake knocked down the walls.

View from the front porch toward the Ashley River

Entrance to one of the side gardens

A wall of azaleas framing one of the formal ponds.

In all, a great note to end our trip on as we began the drive back to Arlington–with another stop at Buc-ee’s, of course.

Postscript: Without any planning or discussion, the last morning of our trip we ended up wearing matching shirts!

surprise twinning

Charleston, Day 3

Not surprisingly, the streets were quiet the morning after St. Patrick’s Day–the perfect time for a walking tour of the historic area! There was also a light rain, but it seemed to make the pastel colors of Charleston’s buildings pop even more. Our guide was excellent at weaving together centuries of history (the good and the evil), notable individuals, and the stories behind some of the standout homes and buildings. We saw the streets that inspired “Porgy & Bess” during Charleston’s renaissance, and learned why some of the old homes had fake front doors on the side. All in all, a great morning.

Saint Michael's Church--one of the oldest in Charleston and sporting Tiffany windows

One of the beautiful homes

The city's old lots were long and narrow, so for these homes the "front" porches were on the side with a door leading into the home. These "hospitality doors" opened onto the porch. The second story's porch ceiling is painted blue, another Gullah tradition to keep away evil spirits (and apparently insects and birds).

French Huguenot Church, still holding services in French

For lunch, we visited Bertha’s. It’s outside the historic downtown so a bit of a drive, but this soul food restaurant was recognized with a James Beard award and the chicken was delicious.

Bertha's Kitchen

After lunch and closer to downtown, we visited the Charleston Museum. It’s the first museum in America and had a little bit of everything–history of South Carolina’s Low Country (with an emphasis on the Civil War), natural history with an emphasis on birds, textiles, even an Egyptian mummy. It truly gave me a greater appreciation for the city and its surroundings, but I also have to give them props for a clever artifact placement–in the ladies room there was a historic chamber pot on display.

Dinner was an encore at Rodney Scott’s–it was that good! This time I had potato salad and hush puppies for my sides. And it was great fuel for our evening’s activity: a Pirates and Ghost tour of the historic downtown. Charleston is a colorful town in more ways than one, and it was fun to hear the local myths and legends while seeing additional parts of town all lit up at night. I also encountered a “map in the wild” in a hotel lobby–a Charleston couch!

Loved their fabric choice!

Charleston, Day 2

We had an early start to ensure we were in the first group to visit Fort Sumter. In all my history classes I’d missed that the fort was built on an island, and the ferry ride to it was a great chance to see the Charleston waterfront from a different perspective. As the first group, we got to help with the flag raising, and then had about an hour before taking the ferry back. The Fort was decimated, first by the Confederates attacking it and then by the Union retaking it, so there’s not a lot left to actually see but helpful signs and a small museum. A mortar shell that’s still embedded in an inner brick wall was a powerful reminder that this remains the most bombed place in America.

Approaching Fort Sumter

Successfully raised the flag

Mortar embedded on an inside brick wall in Fort Sumter

Our lunch stop was suggested by my brother Devan: Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ. It was delicious with a fun atmosphere, and when I mentioned my brother’s love of smoking meats, the staff graciously arranged for us to have a quick peek behind the scenes after the lunch rush. The pitmasters that day were awesome and rightfully took pride in their work, and it was so cool to see how our meal was made.

My favorite BBQ in Charleston

Lunch!

The pitmaster at work

Where the BBQ magic happens

Full of delicious food, we made our way to Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens. My favorite part of the grounds was the long Avenue of Oaks draped in Spanish Moss, but I appreciated their acknowledgement of its dark history alongside all the beauty.

Avenue of the Oaks

Outside the slave quarters, Gullah bottle trees are meant to capture evil spirits

I learned that in this region, it was rice that was the main crop, not cotton, hence its location right on a river. Their method of rice production was incredibly labor intensive and dangerous (i.e. snakes and alligators), and only possible with enslaved labor. This plantation also made their own bricks, so as a way of flaunting their wealth they built their slave quarters out of brick and were just off the Avenue of Oaks as you approached the main house. The main house today was only built in the 1930s, but the original slave quarters now have an educational area with a brief presentation on Gullah culture. Taking a quick tour of the grounds we learned how it still functions as a farm today and as a popular filming location, with the most famous probably being “The Notebook” and the miniseries “North and South.”

A filming spot from "The Notebook"

Boone Hall is on the outskirts of town and we opted to go to nearby Sullivan’s Island for dinner. It was probably calmer than downtown Charleston, but St. Patrick’s Day and a Friday meant the main drag was lively. Afterward we visited a beach and it was fun getting to put my feet in the sand, but it was way too cold and windy to stay there for long.

Spring Break in Charleston: Day 1

At BYU we didn’t have spring break, so when the class I taught at GW had theirs, I felt like I had to take advantage of it and go somewhere. That “somewhere” turned out to be a road trip down to Charleston, South Carolina. On the drive down we stopped at my first-ever Buc-ee’s to refuel and be blown away at the scale of their operations and cleanliness of their bathrooms. Succumbing to billboards, we also stopped along the “Pecan Trail” in Florence at ChocoBella for some delicious chocolate and gelato in a quaint downtown that looked like the setting of a Hallmark movie.

So much more than a gas station.

 

Arriving in Charleston in the afternoon, we visited White Point Garden and walked along the waterfront past Rainbow Row and Broad Street just as the sun was setting. We stopped by Peninsula Grill for slices of their famous coconut cake, and for dinner I had delicious shrimp and grits at a place by the water.

Azaleas and oaks in White Point Garden

Handy plaque along the waterfront

Rainbow Row

Broad Street sunset

The famous pineapple fountain

Peninsula Grill's Ultimate Coconut Cake--one of the best I've ever tried!

Shrimp and grits for dinner

Switzerland, etc.: Familiar Places, New Spaces—and LOTS of Chocolate in Between

How do you turn down an invitation to visit a friend when they're posted at the US Embassy in Switzerland? I saw a few Swiss highlights during my Study Abroad in 2000, but was excited to return with my travel buddy to visit the "Hotel Alto" and see a few new places. I made another StoryMap to map my trip: https://arcg.is/1yOTrO0