Exploring and enjoying the island of Terceira was a treat for Bob and Tania.

• On a tour around the island they stopped at a few interesting places.  The Furna do Enxofre was an example of how alive these islands still are in terms of volcanic activity.  The releases of CO2, sulfur, and other combination gasses left Tania holding her nose (truly she is...whew!)  The forests in the Serra de Santa Barbara area had huge areas of white hydrangeas which was a nice treat to see.  Beautiful!

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• On their way to see the Algar do Carvão they noticed a small group of people walking on top of what appeared to be an outdoor bullring.  It was the weekend fun for the locals.  The young men were practicing for their "touradas à corda" (street bullfighting)  which Tania and Bob found out is a weekly event in the various outdoor rings and villages.  They apparently have "rent a bull" programs where the local town folk pool their money and hire the wranglers to bring a bull (or bulls) into the village set them loose.  This is preceded by a gun or fireworks to notify the streets are not safe (and in some cases we heard even the bars are not, as the bulls can come through the doors  and go inside - with the resulting crowd jumping on the cigarette machines, bars, etc.)  The wranglers are supposed to control the bulls with long ropes...but...and afterward another gunshot or fireworks signal all safe when the bulls are secure again.  Here the wranglers are separating the group to set one loose in the ring.  A man shows his small son what can happen if he does not behave.

• In this case the poor small bull was no match for these young men.  It basically would stand in the middle of the ring looking like it just wanted its mother back.  Even though they called  this bullfighting, Tania and Bob called it "bull harassment".  But nothing bad happened to the bull or the guys and it was just exercise for everyone for the day.

• Sometimes the young men would just hang over the wall tormenting.  As you can see the bull could have cared less.  This particular ring was built in October of 1967.  Being a sporting event, you can always count on the concession stand to be nearby.  In this case it was parked on this major road all afternoon. 

• The Algar do Carvão was just down the road from the bullring.  It is famous for its grottoes that reach a depth of approximately 300 feet.  These grottoes contain large stalactites and stalagmites and a very cold (almost freezing) lake at the bottom.  You descend down a series of steps and the views are amazing.  Unfortunately Tania's camera was not able to capture the true feeling of this area.  They had never seen anything like it.  Truly spectacular.  The so-named "cathedral" area is so large it is sometimes used for concerts.  A site to see for sure!

• They rented a car another day and drove the island.  The "Miradouros" or viewing stops were beautiful once again.  From the Serra do Cume overlooking Praia you could see the port town itself as well as down through the plain and the interior of the island.  They stopped in Angra do Heroísmo to catch up with their friend David Slagle.  Dave was sailor they had met starting in Bermuda last year.  He was in Angra to have some work done on his boat.  Here he and Bob try to balance a "Sagres Beer Can" on their shoulders.  Good Job guys!

• Angra was having their annual "Sanjoaninas" Festa which honor St. Anthony, St. Peter and St. John.  It is a huge event that lasts over 10 days.  Lots of food, drink, music, "touradas à corda" (street bullfights), and the traditional bullfights take place throughout the town.  Here is the port area and the "Pousada" (hotel created from Castle São Sebastião) above the port was spectacular.