What should I wear only???? This typically female question tormented not only me, After we had made the ride in a day for the next day. Auf Reiten waren wir an Bord irgendwie nicht eingestellt 🙂

But the next morning we had found something both, the is “horse riding suitable” felt. If our assessment was right, würde sich dann im Laufe des Tages zeigen 🙂

With the car we drove today tomorrow then more directly directly to the stud by patio. To 9: 30 we would meet our guide Diogo and the other fellow riders Alex. Of the two only best had been reported us. It was after a short briefing on the route then finally, our horses.

With or. on this young lady, I should spend the day today: At “Diana” was the name of the program, a little Princess as she stood in the beech. One of the best "Cruzado Portuguese" Mares of the Azores, cute, reliable and willing.

Also Dietmar would spend the day with a young lady, except here I hope the name would not program. “Devil” described on the Internet as the cool lady, a black beauty without stable airs. That sounded so promising.

The starting point of our day's ride was not of Justice but, but a coupling in the West of the island. Two horses had spent there the last night. So, we invited the two ladies on the trailer behind the Land Rover and drove off. At an intersection somewhere in the nowhere Diogo parked the trailer. On the other side of the road, we could make out two horse heads in the thicket. Die beiden warteten schon ungeduldig auf ihr Frühstück 🙂

After a good portion pellets were cleaned all horses and saddle. After the last declarations, it was then: Upgrade and get rid of. Good, that the “Cruzado Portuguese” not so great are advised. So we both were no more embarrassments in the saddle.

Riding is somehow but as “Cycling”, man verlernt es nicht 🙂 So folgten wir erst einmal der Hauptstraße, What was not a problem with the really safe horses (not for cars, TRUCK or even garbage truck :-)) This gave us a good feeling ever. Unfortunately you never know, how well horses are trained, until you're really on it.

Then it was on to sand- and gravel roads to the sea. Diogo shows us many beautiful corners of the island, die wir ohne ihn wahrscheinlich nie gefunden hätten 🙂 Auch die Trab- and Gallop tracks were well chosen. The horses went forward willingly and diligently, could be kept but also easily again, What is unfortunately not always of course, as we well know from your own experience.

Unfortunately, I got always the dirt in the face as the last rider at the end of the Group. Aber einer muss ja wohl hinten reiten 🙂 Ich unterstelle den Herren mal keinen Vorsatz, was die Einteilung der Reihenfolge angeht 🙂

After three hours I knew slowly no longer, auf welchen Teilen meines Popos ich noch sitzen sollte 🙂 Gut, It was time for the lunch break. From our saddle bags we could conjure up today a decent picnic :-). Our picnic was in the immediate vicinity of the lighthouse, the we had yesterday already visited. So we renounced a repetition of the museum visit and were lazy in the Sun, While there formed Alex Fort. This place is the westernmost point of Europe, by the way. But politically not very correctly Faial is located just on the European continental plate, Meanwhile, Flores and Corvo in the West on the American plate located. The African plate is located in the South of the Azores. All plates are drifting apart to 2, 5 cm per year and the Azores in the Centre are you should urgently complete earthquake insurance for his house. Sounds maybe strange, but is so!

After a one hour rest for riders and horses we continued to the end of the world, more specifically in the village of Norte Pequeno and the bar “FIM do Mundo”.

Here we came up again and have been hosting quite excellent local products. The island of Sao Jorge cheese was very tasty, Fortunately, our next goal is :-. The men enjoyed also the one or the other beer is (but only in very small bottles ;-))

Our horses enjoy the rest. Sunk to the belly in the green stuff, they could appease their hunger finally. Vorhin am Vulkan war für sie nicht wirklich was zu holen gewesen 🙂

After about an hour we reached the crossroads again with the coupling. This time the other two were allowed to go home with horse, Diana and Devil remained all alone in the forest. The two obviously enjoyed their freedom, and after the extensive rolling a few funny buck jumps were in there.

We were not so dynamic. While we helped on the farm away to clear just the gear, were then glad, go back to the Marina. A hot shower and then the weary limbs stretch out, mehr wünschten wir uns heute nicht mehr 🙂

After we had spent Monday with all sorts of organizational things, as for example of purchasing a car rentals, could go on Tuesday morning at last.

The anticlockwise, we followed along the road on the South coast up to the Western tip of the island. Here in the years 1957/58 to come by a volcanic eruption of new land to the island's area. The old Lighthouse stands since somewhat lost far away from the coast.

Over a year later Faial was shaken by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions . Many houses were abandoned at this time, some through the thick clouds of ash spill, some destroyed, others remained undamaged. The fruit- and vineyards, they were in this part of the island, conquered then the natural over the years. But often you can see still wine grapes or banana plants between Laurel trees.

Next to the lighthouse, an old whaling port was, which is now used as a natural swimming pool. In the we would like run up but with the SUMMER. A rock“Teeth” In addition to the next certainly some concerns would have prepared us.

The entire history of the Azores, and also of the volcanic eruption of 1957 is explained in a very modern and informative Museum right. To disfigure the impressive landscape not by a building, can you find built into the Museum below the lighthouse in the background. Von oben kann man nur noch ein bisschen davon sehen 🙂

The architecture and the design of the Museum is impressive. So it made us really fun, To learn about the Islands.

But then a strengthening was attached. Everywhere on the island, you will find picnic areas. Unfortunately we had nothing for a picnic. Restaurants and bar were not especially well represented, but sometime around 2 P.m. we had found but have a cookies.

The grill was the Caribbean standard more, but the food smells really good. During the very long wait, ran together again the water in the mouth us, wenn wieder andere glückliche Gäste ihr Mittagessen erhielten 🙂 Aber irgendwann hatte die Folter eine Ende und wir waren an der Reihe 🙂

We were sated and happy on the North Coast still a digestive walk. The weather had cleared up now and most of the time the Sun was shining.

Before we headed back to the port, did we organize even a special trip for tomorrow. On the Internet I discovered here a way to ride out on the island of Faial. The website had an idea of good but we wanted to make us a picture of the horses on the ground. Pferdebesitzer sind ja bekanntlich die anstrengendsten und anspruchsvollsten Kunden 🙂 In der Nähe des Restaurants trafen wir auf eine Gruppe von Reitern. With the obtained directions we wandered around awhile in the first, to us Google maps finally pointed the right way.

The Office of patio is located in this red windmill – Trail & Lodge (http://en.patio.PT/index.html). Viktor and Anja, both originally come from Germany, have accumulated here on the island in the past twenty years very special. So we decided, morgen einen Ganztagesausritt in den Westen der Insel zu unternehmen 🙂

We did visit the caldera planned for tomorrow then still on the way back. Slightly cloudy although, but great views. Up here, we were still all alone, before it went back in the lively Harbour.

In the Harbour, the teams of the local sailing club with the traditional whaling boats for the popular races between the islands of trained. Without keel with the large sail area, you need at least six people, to have enough counterweight, so that the large sail area didn't puts the boat on the side. How small the world is actually was aware, als wir hier wieder auf Viktor von Patio stießen 🙂 Der segelt nämlich regelmäßig mit seinen Freunden in Horta 🙂