Portugal - Azores - Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores (4)

AZORES, PORTUGAL
Angra do Heroismo

Sent by Lurdes, a postcrosser from Azores, Portugal.

Portugal - Azores - Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores (3)

Cerrados
Terceira, Azores.

Sent by Silvia from Azores, Portugal.

Portugal - Azores - Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores (2)

Marina de Angra do Heroísmo (Angra do Heroísmo's Marina). It is a part of Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Silvia from Angra do Heroísmo in Azores, Portugal.

Portugal - Azores - Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores (1)

Church of Mercy, part of Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sent by Magl from Portugal.

Like the Tower of Belém and the Monastery of the Hieronymites in Lisbon, and Goa in India, Angra do Heroismo is directly and tangibly associated with an event of a universal historic significance: the maritime exploration that allowed exchanges between the world's great civilizations. Set in the mid-Atlantic, the port of Angra, obligatory port-of-call for fleets from Africa and the Indies, is the eminent example of a creation linked to the maritime world, within the framework of the great explorations.

Within the history of the maritime explorations of the 15th and 16th centuries, which established communications between the great civilizations of Africa, Asia, America and Europe, Angra do Heroismo holds an eminent position: this port on the island of Terceira, in the Azores, served as a link for almost three centuries between Europe and the 'New World'. Vasco de Gama in 1499 and Pedro de Alvarado in 1536 set up an obligatory port-of-call for the fleets of Equatorial Africa and of the East and West Indies during their voyages back and forth from Europe. A Provedoria das Armadas e Naus da India (Office of Fleets and Vessels of the Indies) was immediately set up there.

The site, admirably chosen by the first navigators, was protected from the prevailing winds by a series of hills; the port comprises two natural basins, that of the Beacon and that of the Anchorage (Angra) from which the village took its name. An impregnable defensive system was installed immediately following its foundation with the construction of the large fortresses of São Sebastião and São Filipe (today named São João Baptista). At the same time, it was decided to set out the city based on an original layout: the characteristic chequerboard plan of new cities was altered to take into account the prevailing winds.

Angra do Heroism thus offers a perhaps unique example of the adaptation of an urban model to particular climatic conditions. It has been conjectured, and not without reason, that the choice was imposed by the navigators and their cartographers. Angra was officially raised to the status of a city on 21 August 1534; during the same year, it became the seat of the Archbishop of the Azores. This religious function contributed to the development of the monumental character of the city where the cathedral of the Santissimo Salvador, the churches of the Misericórdia and of the Santo Espérito, the convents of the Franciscans and the Jesuits, were all constructed in the Baroque style. Even following the earthquake of 1 January 1980, Angra has preserved the better part of its monumental heritage and a homogenous urban ensemble, characterized by original vernacular architecture. (Source)

Portugal - Azores - Lagoa do Fogo

Lagoa do Fogo or Lagoon of Fire in São Miguel Island in the Azores.

The fourth of the four postcards sent by Antonio.

This is from Wikipedia : Lagoa do Fogo (English: Lagoon of Fire) is a crater lake within the Agua de Pau stratovolcano in the center of the island of São Miguel Island in the Azores. The governmental authorities do not allow any modern construction around this lake. This lake is the highest above sea level on São Miguel Island.

Portugal - Azores - Sete Cidades

A view of Sete Cidades or "Seven Cities" in São Miguel Island, Azores.

The second of the four postcards sent by Antonio.

This is from Wikipedia : Sete Cidades ("Seven Cities") is one of the most beautiful natural settings in the Azores, composed of two lakes in the center of a volcanic crater about three miles across. Located on the west side of São Miguel Island, it is the most popular national park in the islands. The direction of the lake as of the photo runs from northeast to southwest and is 5 km in length and about 1 to 2 km in width. This volcano is one of the most active in the Azores in the last 5,000 years.

Looking from the edge of the crater to the lakes some 500 m (1,500 ft) below, one lake looks blue (reflecting the sky) and is called Lagoa Azul and the other appears green (reflecting the ground) and is named Lagoa Verde. According to a legend, the differently coloured lakes were created when a princess and her lover, a young shepherd, had to part from each other. The tears they shed at their farewell became the two lakes, with the water coloured like their eyes.

The two caldera lakes are one of the scenic highlights of the Azores. Since the first eruption about 20,000 years ago, 20 post-caldera eruptions have formed the 500 meters deep caldera walls. At the floor of the caldera six Holocene pyroclastic cones are located. A large group of pleistocene post-caldera trachytic lava domes, lava flows, and pyroclastic-flow deposits is found on the western-to-northern flanks. The most recent eruptions date to the 15th century. These eruptions occurred within the caldera and from submarine vents at the west coast of the island. There have been 4 Strombolian eruptions and 3 Surtseyan eruptions in history within a short distance of the shoreline.

The parish area is rectangular stretching from north to south. Farmlands of mainly pasture production are on the west and east with a forest in the middle. Piney forests cover the rest ot the area. One exception is near the farmlands in the west and along the central part of the lakes with a few forests except-for a tiny peninsula and along the bridge. A bridge is near the middle of the lake which provides access to the northwestern part of the island including Mosteiros. The parish is also accessible by an unlighted pedestrian tunnel through the crater. A small grassy area is to the southcentral portion of the shoreline and is surrounded by pine trees. There is another road connecting to the southwestern part of the island including Ponta Delgada.

Sete Cidades has a school, a church and a small square. The population in 2001 is 858, its density is 44.6/km² and the area is 19.22 km² mainly covering around the lake and the mountains near Sete Cidades. It is the smallest parish in population and the largest in area in Ponta Delgada.

There are mountaintops and hilltops including in the southwest, three west of Sete Cidades and around the lake. It is also one of the most visited place in the Acores.

Since 2006, Sete Cidades hosts the Green Trippin Camp, an increasingly popular trance festival.

Portugal - Azores - Caldeiras das Furnas

Caldeiras das Furnas or Fumaroles of Furnas in Furnas, a parish in the district of Povoação in the Azores.

The third of the four postcards sent by Antonio.

This is from Wikipedia : A fumarole (Latin fumus, smoke) is an opening in Earth's (or any other astronomical body's) crust, often in the neighborhood of volcanoes, which emits steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide. The name solfatara, from the Italian solfo, sulfur (via the Sicilian dialect), is given to fumaroles that emit sulfurous gases.

Fumaroles may occur along tiny cracks or long fissures, in chaotic clusters or fields, and on the surfaces of lava flows and thick deposits of pyroclastic flows. A fumarole field is an area of thermal springs and gas vents where magma or hot igneous rocks at shallow depth are releasing gases or interacting with groundwater. From the perspective of groundwater, fumaroles could be described as a hot spring that boils off all its water before the water reaches the surface.

A good example of fumarole activity on Earth is the famous Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, which was formed during the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in Alaska. Initially, there were thousands of fumaroles in the cooling ash from the eruption, but over time most of them have become extinct. Fumaroles may persist for decades or centuries if they are above a persistent heat source, or disappear within weeks to months if they occur atop a fresh volcanic deposit that quickly cools. There are also an estimated four thousand fumaroles within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. Around 2009, a fumarole opened up on Chair 3 at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort in California. A mesh fence and warning sign was put around the hole to warn skiers of the danger.

Another example is an array of fumaroles in the Valley of Desolation in Morne Trois Pitons National Park in Dominica. Fumaroles emitting sulfurous vapors form surface deposits of sulfur-rich minerals, which are mined in:

* Indonesia at Kawah Ijen and Arjuno-Welirang
* Chile at Chajnantour near San Pedro de Atacama
* China at Xingyan in Sichuan province
* New Zealand at White Island in the Bay of Plenty (now defunct)

Portugal - Azores - Caldeira Velha Thermal Pool

Caldeira Velha thermal pool in Ribeira Grande in Sao Miguel Island, Azores.

The first of the four postcards sent by Antonio who lives there.



Do you know where is Azores?