Today was a bittersweet last day of our trip. We started out by heading to the market, which is supposed to open at 7:30 – when we got there at 9:30, only a few stalls were opened. We have absolutely no idea about the timing of these islands. We can’t figure out what time people eat, or what days things are open or closed. Oh well, guess that’s a mystery for us to solve during the next trip to Azores!Anyway, we grabbed a pack of bolo levedos and headed to sete cidades, a pretty lookout spot with a bunch of lakes and craters. The last few days have been too cloudy so we were very happy that the skies were partially clear today. What we saw was absolutely breathtaking – it felt like we were at the edge of the world.

These two lakes are buddies:This is an old abandoned hotel at the top of the mountain that people were climbing into. I was a bit too chicken…For lunch, we went to Mane Cigano. We got there too early, and one of the workers told us to go hang out in a nearby garden for 20 minutes or so. He was nice enough to call for us around noon – the restaurant had almost filled up and he didn’t want us to miss out! They specialize in cheap, delicious fish, and are known for their fried sardines. It’s a really authentic local spot (if you ignore the tourists). We had the mackerel and sardines. This was one of the best meals we had all trip, and each dish was only €6!Our last stop was an old synagogue that has been made into a museum. I don’t think very many Jews still live in the Azores but apparently the DNA of the people here is about 13% Sephardic Jew.That’s it for the Azores (for now)! We had an amazing time. Next time we’ll actually make it to Flores and Corvo, and hit up Santa Maria. Ciao and obligada!