Fresh from his Intensive Portuguese Course at the University of Coimbra, Lukus was the first to arrive on Terceira. After a brief stay in Praia da Vitória, he found a lovely Air BnB in nearby Porto Martins with a view of the sea. Raymond soon arrived via Lisbon and we started exploring some of the unique sites on island, including the sulfur vents (Furnas do Enxofre), the verdant lava tube mine (Algar do Carvão), and the Christmas Cave (Gruta do Natal).

Porto Martins (east side of the island)

Sulfur vents and Caves (middle of the island)

Praia da Vitória (east side of the island)

Angra do Heroísmo (south side of the island)

House-hunting

We also jumped right into house-hunting, looking at a number of properties on Terceira. The bottom two photos are of one of our favorites: an 800 sq ft ruin with 1/5 acre garden, cultivated and ready to plant! We even met with two architects to discuss the process, costs, and timeline necessary to make the house habitable – alas, the thought of renting for upwards of two years while fixing up the house just seemed too much.