Looking out my balcony window, I wasn't sure what kind of day to expect as the skies were a soup of thick clouds huddled together, ready to drop its rath. I played it safe and wore my rain jacket to the minibus as we went on our first adventure. As usual, hugging the coastal road, I fixated my eyes on the two islands that were lying in the bay and found out later to be Madalena Islands, the shorter one that is lying down as Ilhéu Deitado and the taller one that is standing up as Ilhéu em Pé. We eventually turned off what looked like a driveway and got out. We walked to an open area where our local guide, Susane, explained the island formation and how this environment has helped give the Azores this unique ability to grow grapes for wine. I also believe the Franscian priests were responsible for starting this when they came here and needed wine for Sunday mass. But with developing a vineyard, diseases can occur, and the California connection happens. The coastal climate makes it challenging, to say the least, with saltwater spray, wind, and just plain temperature. These black lava walls are why we see these fence pile stones as a natural protection for the vines to prosper. I enjoyed the windmill climb to view the area better as the clouds broke, giving up a beautiful rainbow on Faial Island and a group of ladies that found us together at the mill. We next moved on to another converted monastery turned into a museum delivering the whole history of the wine-making process. The grounds also had some unique trees, namely the dragon tree (one being 400 years old), which I found out later had some favorable properties for their use. We were next taken back to Madalena at the Pico Ferry Terminal, where I waited patiently for our ferry boat to arrive, which would take us for about a 30-minute boat ride. Boarding the vessel, I wormed myself around the second level, where others from our group decided to sit and enjoy the sea breeze as the ride began with the gentle motion of bobbing up and down. The channel gave me a closer view of the islands as I focused on the waves crashing their shores. Also, the cracked opening gave a clearer picture of its natural land bridge. It seemed like a moment later, and we were turning into Horta Marina and disembarking for our Hotel Faial Garden.
After settling in and having lunch, we did an Orientation Walk of Horta that was mainly of the marina that was special in a way with the painted messages on the breakwater walls. Susana, our local guide, had us walking away from the marina; we were taken to the Horta Museum, which was another converted monastery that showed the island's beautiful artwork of the Fig Tree Pith as well as its historical articles and events that occurred on the island and country. We were given free time after the museum, and I used the time to enter the Church of the Holy Savior since it was open and startled by all the beautiful artwork of this cathedral. I next wandered back to my hotel to rest up as I found out I was cooking my meal and pondered how that would work. To my surprise, it was a novel idea as we were given a wooden plate designed with a pocket to hold the hot lava stone with our assorted seafood pieces and sauces in place. I enjoyed my tiny squid being cooked as it danced on the rock. Arriving back at the hotel and downloading my pictures, I stepped out on the veranda and took some night pictures of the marina with a rainbow of colors from different sources.