After all were accounted for this morning, our local guide, Gabriella, led us through Furnas. I saw a lot of houses that were labeled shops of artists as well as just beautifully manicured yards. True to my heart was the bakery, and I was surprised to see bread hanging on doors for daily freshness. I love their morning rolls. As we arrived closer to the calderas, my nose and eyes gave me an indication that something was different. The air spewed with sulphuric aromas, and my eyes were tearing with disgust from the hot vapors engulfing my head. Walking along a fence-in path, I could see close up the popping bubbles rhythmically spitting as some areas had bags of corn on the cob dropped in for dinner. This stew gave a rainbow of colors as the algae glowed reds and greens.
We came upon some drinking fountains where you were invited to taste the sour or mineral water, but I am not much into drinking non-carbonated water without a twist and skipped that. We returned to the hotel and got onto a bus for a short ride to Furnas Lake. The lake road took us past a chapel called Capela de Nossa Senhora das Vitórias, or Chapel of Our Lady of Victories, built by Jose do Canto for his ill wife. They are interred there as we continue to the Monitoring and Research Center of Furnas. We entered the building and were given a tour and an explanation of their work. I walk the grounds and gravitate to the lake. Back on the bus, we were taken next to Antigo Pomar das Caldeiras da Lagoa das Furnas, where the Cozidos were being cooked for the local restaurants for 5 or 6 hours, consisting of mixed vegetables and blood sausage—a traditional Portuguese dish cooked in the ground by these geo-themals. After watching our Cozidos being loaded onto a van, it was time to return to our hotel for the Cozidos Lunch. I ate everything but the blood sausage as it seemed to me to be too mushy and a taste not of my favor. After lunch, we gathered in the back of the hotel on the path of the mineral pool for a tour of the Terra Nostra Botanical Garden Park, given by a second-generation master gardener, Carina Costa. The Carina talked about the park's history, monuments, and plans for the gardens and vision. I thought the park was one of the most unique parks I ever visited. After the tour, we had the rest of the day free.