Above: view from the roadside scenic overlook in Quatro Ribeiras Changes, Changes, Changes Raymond and I had a lot of changes this past month… Namely, I resigned from working at the ice cream shop at the marina and started working at a new hotel in the historic center of the capital. The thought of working…

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We just finished the 10-day-long Sanjoaninas Festival in the capital, Angra do Heroísmo (above, adorned with lights). Versus last year when we only participated in one evening of festivities, this year we could not avoid the party with both of us working in the city. Aside from the crowds in our respective places of work,…

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Sorry for the delay – what a busy month! We been working at our respective jobs in the capital, Angra do Heroísmo, and making the best out of our difficult schedules. The above photo is the ice cream shop at the marina where Lukus works. Thankfully, we had our first double-income month for May and…

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Spring has arrived again on the island, but that doesn’t mean sunshine and rainbows everyday. We went from windy, wet, and cold to sunny and dry and back again over the course of the month. Just for a comparison, the high temperature here was 55 yesterday (and grey and windy) while southern Michigan had a…

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Happy Solstice! After the remarkable trip to Rome there was, unfortunately, a price to pay for sharing the air with thousands of visitors inside museums…Lukus was the first to get sick (the last day in Rome, in fact) followed by Raymond about a week later. We are both feeling better now, but it definitely took…

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To Rome! After many months of planning, Raymond, Michelle, and I went to Rome for a week. It was the first visit for each of us and did not disappoint! It really is the ‘eternal city’ with history exuding from every building and square. Day I After arriving from a very late flight from Lisbon…

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Bom Carnaval! Terceira is known as the “island of festivals” and even in the heart of winter they find a reason to celebrate. Like the more famous carnival celebrations in Brazil, Portugal uses the weeks leading up to Ash Wednesday to let loose before the somber season of Lent begins. And unlike in France (and…

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Feliz Ano Novo! Raymond and I had a low-key New Year’s Eve and like most years we were in bed by 10 PM (only to be woken up by some nearby fireworks at midnight). If there is one word to describe the month of January it would be WINDY! This was actually our first full…

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Feliz Natal! This was our second Christmas in the Azores and I still can’t get over how ‘un-Christmaslike’ it is. Aside from the occasional string of lights or Santa decoration, it is easy to forget what time of year it is. We had a rather nice stretch of weather in December – minimal rain and…

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Fall is here again on Ilha Terceira. Rainy, cool days are disrupted only occasionally by little bursts of sunshine (often with simultaneous mist). And let me tell you about the wind! It gusts through our little gully like a wind-tunnel, howling through the rafters in our attic and rattling the reed grass that grows along…

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