A fieldtrip through the mountains of Ponta Delgada

Today we went on a fieldtrip through the mountains and valleys of Ponta Delgada where we visited a volcano, went to a botanical garden and swam in hot springs. Then we ate food that was cooked in the ground, visited both a tea and a pineapple plantation.

Today we went on a guided tour of Ponta Delgada. Our first stop was at a beach where the sand was black because of the volcanic rock, the nature science students went on a beach excavation and found lots of different sea creatures like sea urchins and crabs while the sea farer students went and explored the city. Our next stop was at a beautiful botanical garden where we got to swim in hot springs that were being warmed up by the volcano. The water was about 40 degrees Celsius so taking a swim was super relaxing and it was a murky orange colour due to the richness in iron.

Then we got to see how the natives traditionally cook their food in calderas which is a collapsed volcano and by digging holes in the ground and then burying their food in them it gets warmed up. We then got to try the food which consisted of some kind of soup as an appetizer and for the main course it was the caldera cooked meats and vegetables in a broth with some rice, it was very interesting and very different from typical Swedish food. And for desert we had an Azorean pineapple which is a bit sweeter and has a bit more acidity than a tropical pineapple.

The next stop was up in the mountains at a lookout point but the clouds were so low that you could barely see anything. Then we went to a really old tea factory where we learned a lot about how tea is produced, the different kinds of tea and the correct way to drink it. We all got to taste the tea and it was so good, most of us bought a bag to take home. We also went to a Azorean pineapple plantation, where we got to see how they grow pineapple in special greenhouses that introduces smoke into the atmosphere which speeds up the process and makes sure they all grow evenly. A typical Azorean pineapple usually cost about 15 euros but it is definitely worth a try.

The tour was really fun because not only did we learn a lot about the Azores but we also got to see the beautiful nature.

Knut