Beautiful Azores

One place I have lived before I would like to go back to is Terceira Island, Azores. The island is one of 9 in a chain about 900 miles west of Portugal. The climate is mild--it rarely gets above 80 degrees and rarely drops below 50 degrees. There is some humidity, but the ocean breezes and mild climate made it comfortable most of the time. Terceira is about 10 miles by 20 miles, a rocky, volcanic island with beautiful flowers, lots of cows, and miles of ocean.

On the left is a picture taken from our front yard. The ocean was about 100 yards away. Rainbows were a common sight after rain. Can you see why I miss this place?

We lived there for 2 years (2000-2002) when my husband was stationed at Lajes Field, a Portuguese air base that had an American presence too. We lived in base housing, which was a small 3-bedroom unit of a quadplex. That was the only down side to living there. The house could have been a little bigger.

Some of our favorite activities were finding new cafes and restaurants, exploring the island, golfing (beautiful course, inexpensive to play), and enjoying the view from our front porch.

What brought back some of these memories is I made Steve a birthday dinner Sat. night. The theme was Portuguese food, and we had some friends over. I made Caldo Verde (green soup), Alcatra (pot roast cooked in wine and seasonings), and bought Portuguese rolls (from the commissary) as well as Vinho Verde (green grape wine from Portugal) at Trader Joe's. Everything tasted good and we had a super time with our friends. After dinner, before the traditional cake and ice cream, I made Portuguese style coffee drinks. My favorite is the Galao, steamed and foamed milk with a shot of espresso poured over. The coffee and milk form layers that are pretty. It is topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon.