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#Beaches , #Churches , #Family time , #Nature Objects
A beautiful black sand beach is reminiscent of our favourite La Arena beach in Tenerife, with a relatively sizeable adjacent parking area.
What a pity that the beach season, which begins at best from mid-May, was still far away.
It seems to be a very short road, passing either right along the ocean, or going a little deeper into the island, but if you look around more closely, you can see such beauty.
Close to Agua de Alto on the east side is Vila Franco do Campo - a small, charming and pleasant town. Once it was a purely fishing village, but nowadays, it is, first of all, a cosy haven for tourists of all stripes, thanks to the excellent beach that exists here.
By the way, the date of foundation of this village is known - 1472!
Once here, admiring the ocean, turn back to the adjacent mountains. At the top of one of them, a particular building is whitening. Looks beautiful even from afar. Please return to the car and rise to it along a winding, sometimes narrow serpentine.
This is the Church of Our Lady of Concord (Nossa Senhora da Paz). Google map gives me an inscription in English as "Our Lady of Peace Chapel". Well, well, Paz / Peace, probably, can be translated as "consent", not only "peace"...
The church reminded us of the Cathedral of Bon Jesus do Monte in Braga, primarily with the "Stairway to God", repeating the entire life path of Christ up to Golgotha.
There is a legend that the Mother of God herself indicated to the builders where this temple should be erected. So be it.
Just below the church, it is worth stopping at the observation deck to see Villa Franca and the lovely island of the same name, which was also the mouth of a volcano in the past.
As far as I understand, it's perfect for relaxing in these places during the season! Recommend.
I will not delve into the topic of some other equally pleasant and beautiful places along the island's southeastern coast. Still, I certainly want to pay attention to the town of Povoacao. It is memorable because it was here that the first settlers in the Azores landed. Respectively, sculptures dedicated to this event are now installed here.
There is even a small zoo for children. As I understand it, tourism infrastructure is also being actively developed here, so welcome!
Further, the road will lead through mountains, rivers and valleys and lead to the easternmost point of the island and the town of Nordeste.
Come, friends, to the island of San Miguel. It is unlikely to disappoint anyone. Have a nice trip.