Our time in Horta has been extended a bit because of a nasty weather system that is coming over and I rather wanted to wait out in the marina than being at sea with our group of youngsters. No one is very sad about that 😉 It gives the kids some more time to finish our dock painting and Faial is a very beautiful island to explore. We certainly made the most of the extra time we have unexpectedly received from nature. While the weather was still good we rented cars again to explore the rest of the island. We drove all the way up to the Caldeira which is a deep crater in the middle of the island. There is a nice hike all around the crater which is the morning activity. The first part is a bit challenging following a little track up along muddy grass and rocks. The views are stunning all the way, some clouds are blowing over the rim of the crater and falling down into the crater forming a mystical cloud dance. At some stage, we walk through the clouds but they disappear again soon and we’re able to see the ocean and the landscape around us. The vegetation we encounter really reminds me of my home country New Zealand, which I guess makes sense as the climate is quite similar. After our morning hike we head off to have some lunch in a small village by the coast, but sadly, a lot of the little places are closed, it’s a Sunday… Eventually, we find a really cute little vegan restaurant run by a single man who makes all of the meals from the things he grows in his garden. Perfect! It was worth every penny to see the faces of the teens eating this incredibly healthy meal. Although only a few kids actually complained and one even really enjoyed the meal besides Florian and Sander. The Restaurant that was placed pretty much in the middle of nowhere has a little stream running past it where lots of frogs are jumping around and having loud conversations. The wind rustles through the trees and nothing on this perfect sunny day indicated the bad weather that would soon arrive. After lunch, we continue to drive past the coast to Capelinhos learning more about the geographic background of these islands and enjoying some more amazing views of this rugged coast. 

For the coming days, rain and wind are forecasted, but we do want to stay active and of course, if we aren’t sailing through the storm we may as well get outside and be in the midst of it to feel its power. Time for the Guppy Games! The group gets split in two before the races are explained. They vary from Paddling our dinghy across the marina and hoisting a flag ( we did this before the worst of the storm hit… ) Who can do the most push-ups, a quiz, and some other fun running around games ashore. When the worst of the storm came over we went for a walk to the cape to watch the waves break and smash against the cape. I really love stormy weather, it’s amazing to see and feel the power of nature. It makes me feel so alive, to realize that nature is indeed still in charge and will always be stronger than us. It’s very humbling and very cool to have a life in which nature plays such a big role, grateful to have grown up and learned how to dance with the wind and the waves to get to the places I want to go, but at the same time remain the respect nature should have.

Laura