Going back in time just a little bit, this post is about the Sanjoaninas festival back on the island of Terceira, where we were recently living for the past 2 years before moving to Japan. Sanjoaninas is a major festival on the island and the biggest one in the capital of Angra do Heroismo, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This festival even drew INXS this year. Yep, our tiny little island brought in a name as big as INXS. There were also all kinds of food vendors and smaller name bands.
Check out how crazy this it. Restaurants are recreated from other places (mainland, other islands, other spots on this island) in parking lots and squares around the city. The festival started while my sister was visiting, but we did most of our exploring after she left (it goes on for about a week).
They'll set restaurants up anywhere and they look good. Very inviting!
We walked all over, but settled one evening on this place. It is not from our island, but rather from the mainland, so we wanted to give it a shot and try something different.
Olives and bread to start, which is nothing different from what we usually had on the island.
We both ordered the cod with potatoes. The Portuguese certainly know how to do cod.
We also spent some time walking around town checking everything out. They had some beautiful floats for the parade. The island flower is the hydrangea, and the color for our island is the purple. They are so beautiful and bloom all over the place.
We watched a local marching band play (yeah, not really marching here).
These are some pictures of the decorations and streets around town.
You can also get an idea of how many people were around. The streets were closed off in the evenings to make sure no one got hurt and so the parades had a path.
Speaking of parades, here are some pictures from the parade.
How cute are these little kids dressed like watermelons?!
More cute little kids.
We had a lot of fun at the festival and I am glad we had the chance to fit this in before we moved to Japan. I am thankful for the experiences we had on the island and for the memories we made while we were there. If you are ever looking for a different kind of vacation, and like nature and low key, the Azores are the place to go.
QUESTIONS: What is your ideal vacation spot? What was the last parade you watched?
3 comments:
Hey Melinda! Thanks for sharing your pictures as always they are so interesting.
Hope you guys are settled in Japan - so crazy!
I still want to go to Florence Italy with my husband - that's where his Dad was born.
My favorite vacation is ANY vacation! I haven't been on one in two years. So sad. We try to "Vacation" around here...small trips and fun visits to local places.
That hydrangea is GIANT, and I love purple. How neat!
The dresses are all SO beautiful! It's stunning there, Melinda...I am so jealous of your adventures through various countries, and to be LIVING in so many different places, it's just amazing. Japan will bring great things for you guys :)
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