Sundays on Terceira Island

  What to do on a Sunday on Terceira

Vacation Sundays can sometimes be a difficult day to fill.  Everything seems to start slower on a Sunday and, depending on the area, many things may be closed.

This is somewhat true in the Azores.  As part of Portugal the Azores is a Catholic country; for the locals Sunday is a day for family and possibly church.  That was the day we saw parents taking a small child to the park or to a café for ice cream.  So, on both our trips to Terceira, we carefully planned what to do with our Sunday.

On one trip we visited the Museu de Angra do Heroisimo – closed on Monday but open on Sunday.  Entrance is a very reasonable 2 euro during the week and is free on Sunday.  Housed in an old convent the building itself is interesting and the exhibits are well done and varied with historic items, furniture, and a few old films of the island.  Being museum fans, we spent nearly four hours going through both the permanent and changing exhibits!

Inside the Museum/Convent Church

Intricate furnishings
on display

Museum Courtyard

On our other island Sunday, we planned a hike on Monte Brasil.  At the base of this hill is an old Spanish (yes Spanish) fort much of which is still in use by the military.  We could see the fort from our Pousada, and it is visible from everywhere in Angra.  It is an easy walk from the hotel to the family park at the entrance to Monte Brasil but it’s all up hill from there! 

The Chapel was closed -- but we could
peek in the door.

With a simple picnic in a backpack we first walked through the fort entrance and stopped by the military gate guard.  The military hosts tours of the fort and we double checked times for that afternoon so we could take a tour after our picnic hike.  The road up Monte Brasil heads away from the fort so up the hill we started.  After just a few minutes walk up the main road, a side trail leads to Saint Anthony’s Chapel.  This dirt trail is an easy, level walk along the side of the Monte  We were there on a gorgeous day.  A fair number of locals were walking or jogging the trail, but it never felt crowded.  There were fields of Cala Lilly that must have once been cultivated but have naturalized and were blooming in time for Easter; there were views across the bay to Angra and an overlook where we could see the seaside walls of our Pousada;   there were also several overlooks with benches – one was a perfect place for our bread and cheese picnic.

The ocean side of the Pousada Sao Sabastia

Looking down into a caldera on Monte Brasil

There are a variety of dirt hiking trails up Monte Brasil; there is also a road that goes up and around.  This particular Sunday we weren’t dedicated hikers so after the side trail to the Chapel, we chose to walk up the road, stopping at overlooks, and occasionally moving aside to let a car go past.

We kept a good eye on the time knowing we wanted to be back at the fort for the tour and we managed to walk up to the guard station with a minute to spare.  The Guard directed us to a small office waiting area and about 3 minutes later the soldier who was on tour duty arrived.  He made a quick copy of our ids and then one other tour guest arrived.  Each stop on the tour had an explanatory sign in both Portuguese and English and our guide was able to add information in both languages as well.  

As the fort is still a working military base, we were careful not to take pictures until our guide told us we were welcome to take pictures but only of the buildings that were open to visitors. 

The inside of this church
is now very minimalist but
was once quite ornate.

The tour included a look inside the church, a stop at the original front gate (that included a look in two rooms that were used as prisons – dank, windowless chambers – really dungeons!), and a walk down a long passage to one of the old ‘secret’ entrances.  

Outside of the church in the fort

The Old Entrance to the Fort

Standing in the "Secret entrance" and looking at the bridge that leads up to the original entrance ... while trying not to fall into a 'wolf pit'.  (Despite the interesting name no wolves were ever kept in a pit!)

 

The tour was well worth the time and we appreciated the military hosting this look behind those high stone walls!

After the tour we walked into Angra and stopped at a café for a glass of wine.  While we were sitting and enjoying the afternoon sun, we noticed that several policemen were blocking off the street.  The we started hearing marching band music and a parade of children, most in scouting uniforms came marching by.  Then came the adults; men in long white church robes, women in various colors of church robes, and a group carrying a float with Jesus on a cross.  The parade stopped just below us, and the men’s choir did a beautiful job presenting several hymns.  It was nice to slow down and just be in the moment.

The last thing to consider about Sunday on the island is that many of the restaurants aren’t open.   There are restaurants that do serve Sunday dinner so just be flexible and you’ll find a great meal.