Terrific Terceira

Could I suggest to those of you who rave about Iceland that you one day visit the Azores? Especially if you are a good photographer. Never been to Iceland, but I imagine the volcanic activity here is just a lot older, though still somewhat active. 

I struggled to capture what we saw today, but it was incredible. The main photo is the Algar do Carvão, a volcanic chimney some 90 metres deep, with various caverns covered in colourful orange and white stalactites, ending in a flourescent blue lake (where I'm pretty sure I saw Gollum skulking).

We then went on to the Gruta do Natal, a 697m lava tube. We all had to wear hard hats and could have done with waterproofs... the first bit was fun (and you can give up at that point); the second part got quite scary when we had to crouch down to get through and I was beginning to feel quite panicky - but then we thankfully emerged into daylight again.

Two other highlights were the boardwalk that wended past smoking fissures (first extra with C&E, and Padre Luís) - the bright orange plants are junipers. And then the pools you can swim in at Biscoitos (last two extras), but it was getting quite cold and misty by then, so we gave it a miss - might go back another day if weather improves.

And those were just the highlights... 

Gratefuls:
- the privilege of seeing these stunning formations
- all the delights of Angra do Heroismo (that I haven't even mentioned)
- feeling cold enough to enjoy a hot chocolate

Please forgive short or non-existent comments, but you know how it is...