Today the weather got us once more – it was raining and raining hard (supposedly the previous proper rain had been back in April – so, imagine our chances here).

We nevertheless were picked up for a morning tour of the island. First heading out for the Pico Castelo Viewpoint (with the visibility bad enough, that most did not even bother leaving the bus). From here we continued the trip around Pico do Facho to the Mirodouro da Portela. We were now in moderate rain – with OK views of town (the wind nevertheless killed my umbrella).

The next stop was in Vila Baleira – the island capital – itself, where we did proceed by foot – looking at the statues, hearing explorer stories, checking out the church (which was open for a church event some time later) – and culminating in a visit of the house of Christopher Columbus (well – his vacation home, he supposedly stayed in for some weeks – to use the island’s climate for the benefit of his sick wife).

We left town for a visit of a weird combination of bird zoo and park – the Quinta das Palmeiras. En-route we had a stop, to check out one of the traditional windmills on the islands – Moinho das Lombas.

A trip around the golf course and the Pico de Ana Ferreira got us to Ponta da Calheta (the South-Western most end of the island, I had already been to yesterday) – before making it back to the hotel.

The rest of the day was at leisure – without big activities for me – except for a quick bath in the Atlantic ocean (water temperature: ~21°C; air temperature: ~19°C).

We made it from the small port straight to the hotel – with the rest of day at leisure. I made it immediately out for a walk along the beach to the the South-Western most point of the island – Ponta da Calheta. From here it was back and on to Vila Baleira, the island’s capital for a walk around town.