While we were in the Azores, Katie was playing around on the computer, looking at stuff on the internet. For some reason, she was on Amazon’s website and she decided to do a search for TrolleyDodgers. And guess what came up? Well, you’ll just have to go see for yourself. Here’s a hint . . . an author we know is listed on their website with his “not yet released” novel. How cool is that?
This will be my last blog from the Azores since tomorrow we’ll leave here at 9am to head back home. What an amazing, educational, cultural, fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience this has been.
The bullfight we went to tonight was interesting. It is one of those things that, like my first ever in-person hockey game, I can say I’ve done it and I never need to do it again. These bullfights are done in the street of a village. They board off windows, gates and doors along the street where the bull will be loosed and people line up along balconies, walls and the street to watch the event. Several men have big, very long ropes that are tied to the bull mainly for making sure he doesn’t just take off and go wild. Then crazy people (men, generally) jump and run out in front of the bull to try to get it to chase them. This goes on until they decide to stop.
We got there early so we could get a good spot. We found some space in a parking lot between two houses and squeezed in a couple of front row vantage points. A few minutes before the fight was supposed to start, it started raining a little bit, enough to hold off the start of the fight for a while. We stayed to watch one fight and then left. They usually do four of them in an evening. I’m not sure why it’s called a bullfight and not a bullchase because it seems that would be more appropriate. No one was really fighting. They were just kind of picking on the bull and when he got annoyed enough, he ran at them and they ran away. That was the extent of it from what I could tell.
But I’m glad that we went because now I can say I’ve seen a bullfight in person and it was just another experience of what it’s like to live on this island.
We all took dramamine this morning before the boat ride, so everyone is super sleepy tonight. The kids went to bed early because it will be a long travel day for us tomorrow.
I’m sure Jen and Neil will be glad to have their house back. With Holly gone, it will be down to just three of them after we leave. I’m sure it will seem nice and quiet! We certainly will miss them and their beautiful island home.
This morning we went on a dolphin cruise. We were all a little concerned that it was scheduled to be a 3 hour tour. In fact, Katie even said, “Who gets to be the millionaire?” Hilarious.
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We have now been here for a full week. Neil remarked today that it has gone really fast to which I responded that’s because we’ve packed so much into everyday. He was worried that we’d tried to do too much, but I reminded him that this is the only time we’re ever going to come here, so we want to make sure we do everything there is to do! And by the time we end the day tomorrow, we’ll have done everything!
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Today was a long and busy day. This morning Neil was participating in the retirement ceremony of a man who was the highest ranking enlisted man on this base and who has been in the Air Force for 30 years. He invited us to tag along. I’m so glad we went! It was a really neat ceremony. It lasted for about an hour and a half and Neil and a bunch of other Air Force people were standing in formation the whole time. That in itself was impressive! Several people gave speeches about him and then he got up and gave a speech himself. I told Jennie I felt so silly because I didn’t even know the man and I was crying! It was a very touching experience and one I wouldn’t have wanted to miss.
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Today was probably the most laid-back day we’ve had since we’ve been here. Neil and I went running again and then we all kind of just hung out around the house this morning. I did mounds of laundry (what a fun vacation activity — someone needs to invent disposable clothes that you take on vacation). Then we went and did some more souvenier shopping. Neil had to work for a bit this morning, but when he got back we went and had lunch and then most of us went to the Praia ridge — one of the highest points on the island.
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Doesn’t even come close to the real thing, but you can get a sense of what we’re experiencing.
I’m not even sure how to blog about our day today. I can tell you what we did — drove around the whole island, stopped at this really cool park, went swimming, shopped for souveneirs. What I can’t describe to you is what we saw today. Of course we took scads of pictures and you can look at them. But there is absolutely no way possible to describe the beauty of what we saw today. It was beauty of epic proportions. I have never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life. I think that I could live here for years and never be able to absorb the magnificence of these surroundings.
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So many blog-worthy adventures today it’s hard to know where to start.
Let’s start with getting up at the crack of dawn — oh, wait that wasn’t me. But I was up before 8am to go running with Matt and Neil. It was a pristine morning — brilliant blue skies, perfect temperature. Neil said he couldn’t remember seeing so few clouds in the sky since they’ve been here. It was one of the most beautiful runs I can ever remember. We did 3 miles, during most of which we could see the ocean. I’ve decided I want to live somewhere where the weather is mild all the time and I can do my daily runs near the ocean.
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Here’s Joel, Nic, Holly, Jennie and Jeremy on the wall behind Jen and Neil’s apartment.
