ConDrome:

AZORES AGAIN - AZORES STILL....

FURNAS, São Miguel - When people speak of Furnas, they generally call attention to the hot springs,? the Terra Nostra Hotel and gardens, the lake, the sour mineral waters, etc. Actually, Furnas is more. All around the Freguesia there are mountains of greenery and, down below, along the village's streets, restaurants where one can find a fantastic meal at a reasonable price. Above all, there is the fantastic scenery that, in spite of the tourists, has yet to be spoiled. As an example, please see below:

ABOVE - Even the postcards don't exaggerate. I don't remember who sent it to me, but I kept it just the same... I hope the copyright holder doesn't sue me.

SETE CIDADES - It seems that no one ever takes a picture up close. It's always the Blue and the Green from the distance of the OBSERVATION POINT. Below - The Green Lake up close....

It should be noted, however, that the Azores is not solely scenery. Although I have some sad memories of distasteful Azoreans I once knew, many raised amidst considerable home violence, ignorance, and poverty, I also knew many others who lived normal lives, thanks to the environment in which they were raised. As proof, I am pleased to show my friend of more than a half century, who, in spite of the distances that separated us, has remained a true friend. Jacinto Maria de Sousa, an economist, also dabbles in many other activities - amongst them pineapple growing, which he does more for the love of a S㯠Miguel tradition than for the profit involved.CLICK CLICK CLICK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSPEp_YGVIo

When I was a boy, city sweeping in Ponta Delgada was a full-time job, thanks to the many animal-drawn carts used for every transportation purpose. When I left for America, for example, my mother and I did it by horse-drawn coach in view of the fact that we were bringing considerable baggage. That was in 1946. In 1969, however, this carro硠which I photographed in Faj㠤e Baixo was the only one I found. I did not, however, find any city sweepers in spite of Ponta Delgada's cleanliness.

The Irish like to brag that one of Ireland's great assets is that the island is covered with at least 14 shades of green. The Azoreans, on the other hand, call attention to the fact that, when it comes to greenery, no place beats S㯠Miguel. They even refer to it as "The Green Island". The irony is that, whoever looks at S㯠Miguel's coasts is likely to see a sand which is grey and a shore covered with rocks that once must have resided in the depths of a vocalno. One of my great surprises when I first spotted an American shore in the daylight was that  it was not completely covered by black rocks., as the shores that I once knew are. O Calhau", which is what our people called that rocky area along the coast, served many purposes. It not only stopped erosion and provided many stones for the walls that separated one's backyard from someone else's, but, as one can see in the above photo taken around 1942, it also provided space where one could sit while being photographed. Oh, what true and yet unbelievable stories I could write about the photo. Hollywood would have to go deep and far to match the lives of the simple people it presents - all, but one directly, or indirectly, related to my paternal grandmother's brother, Jacinto de Melo (next to her and wearing his cap backwards). I once, in fact, using one of the people above as an example for one of my Harvard term papers on MAGIC, SCIENCE, AND RELIGION got to meet Prof. Dr. I. Bernard Cohen who was most intrigued by my presentation in the old NATURAL SCIENCES III course. Strange days, they were, when people would dress up to be photographed in a rather ugly spot... * AN AZOREAN WITHOUT AN OCEAN (CLICK)  

LEFT - Vila Franca do Campo - S㯠Miguel's Original CapitaL                                                                  CLICK