The Travels of an Old Lady

 ADEUS Have you every tried to pull yarn out of a skein only to discover as your pull there are hidden tangles...knots di ffi cult to unravel...sometimes one after another. Researching family history feels like that. At least mine does. Here in the Azores a person can choose to use their mothers last name or their fathers. Sometimes multiple generations will use the exact same name, or a child will be named for a previous child that died. Sometimes other person’s names are used, like a famous person or good friend. Or you might wind up with a Grandmother like one of mine who simply invented her name. The possibilities can be endless. Dates and locations became very important as I have tried to untangle knots. It feels like once I get one sorted out then suddenly a couple more pop up! Plus the obvious fact that most of the people I am trying to learn more about have been dead a very long time. So for every step forward this week I have more unanswered questions....but I also now have ot

  Just Another Day Minus A Bull Big puffy clouds cast shadows across the sun’s warmth. A perfect “just another day’. There were only 12 pigeons and I at the swimming pool this morning. It was quiet. Most of the guests go on tours in the morning before the afternoon humidity becomes uncomfortable. Just me and the pigeons hanging out! Cattle thrives on this island and is grass fed. The restaurants all serve amazing tender steaks. You can cut them with a fork and they cost less than that Burger King combo at home. While they call the dinner plate of steak “Filet Mignon” it is not a small round morsel. It is the size of a nice size Porterhouse or New York steak but no bone. This afternoon I rode the .30 cent bus downtown and wandered around until it just got too hot ! There are numerous plaza’s and parks with benches and shady trees but every shady spot was filled. So while the traditional bullfight that takes place on the streets, was on my to do list.....some adjustments have been made.

  AQUARIUM MASSAGE ! (no photo available-censored !) I could hear gentle waves lapping at the shore. A bubble sound and fish everywhere! The entire room bathed in a soft blue light and one wall with schools of fishing swimming through waving sea weed. “This must be where mermaids go to get a massage”, I thought. The Azores have wonderful health spas. They utilize volcanic mud, sea water, pools where geo thermal water heats the ocean, and mineral rich bathing ponds. I just simply decided to book an appointment at my hotels small spa. All I needed was a massage. “ Señora , Have you had a massage before?”, the lady asked me. “Yes”, I replied. (But never quite like this I’m sure....but didn’t say) There were two massage tables in the room and both of them were luminous. I was greatly relieved to see no one was on the other table. They were like small water beds that were glowing from the blue lights beneath them. Only they were fairly high in the air. There was a small stool beside my tabl

Riding the .30 cent bus was not as easy as yesterday. Some of you will know what I mean when I say “it is possible to just roll over in bed in your sleep and hurt yourself”. Don’t ask me how, it just is! So I am moving a little slower because my leg/hip hurts.. Today, I needed to find a “farmacia” (pharmacy) . The quest to the “farmacia” sparked an adventure of sorts. When I limped o ff  the bus with my cane. I knew it had to be within a couple of blocks of the stop but after looking I could not find it. So I asked a couple of Portuguese ladies walking by if they could direct me to it’s location. Neither spoke English so they stopped another lady who joined our little group. She spoke a bit of English so understood what I was looking for. But now all three ladies looked concerned as if I might be ill and need assistance. The third lady understood where it was but did not know enough English to give directions so there was a lot of pointing going on. So the three ladies marched me to th

  Good Morning...Breakfast began with laughter...When I left the bu ff et in search of the W/C (water closet = bathroom) this is what I found hanging on the entrance to the bathrooms... AND this is what was on the wall behind my particular cubicle. ( the girl with the clothes  [in in her nose) Have you ever tried to pee while laughing? An acquired skill I have yet to master. Then down to the outdoor pool for a quick dip before heading to the town of Velas to visit the Artist Handicraft Shop, The pool photo is here because I want you to be aware it is not for the faint of heart or seniors. No hand rail and no ramp. I took a long long look at how enticing the water was. “May be I could just jump in and don’t need a ramp. If I did that someone could pull me out later.”, I thought. Looking around at all the empty chairs poolside it might be a very long time before that someone actually showed up. If I stay in the water too long I wrinkle and coming out of the pool looking like an elephant

The Goodness of God It is early morning and the balcony to my room faces the sea. The breeze is gentle as I sing into the wind. There are tears of thankfulness and my voice is choked with them. I know the sound does not matter to the Lord, He is listening to my heart. The song is called: “The Goodness of God” written by Ben Fielding and others. Here are part of the lyrics. I love You, Lord Oh, Your mercy never fails me All my days, I've been held in Your hands From the moment that I wake up Until I lay my head Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God And all my life You have been faithful And all my life You have been so, so good With every breath that I am able Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God I love Your voice You have led me through the fire And in darkest night You are close like no other I've known You as a Father I've known You as a Friend And I have lived in the goodness of God, yeah And all my life You have been faithful, oh And all my life You have been so, so

  The church is still there and today the doors were open when we arrived so I was able to get some photos. The enormous old baptistry font (1664) was stored in a side room, no longer in use. When I saw it the first thing I thought was it is amazing none of my Grandparents drowned . The original Saint Catherines Church of Biscoitas-Calheta, Sao Jorge was destroyed in a fire and this one was built to replace it in 1639. The family information I have shows multiple generations were baptized or married in this church from 1660 on. After the powerful earthquake in January of 1980, the church along with many buildings in the Azores was severely damaged. Once repairs and remodeling were completed it reopened in 1991. It is a beautiful old building with doorways framed in sculptured Basalt. Found the church & village! Today I learned that “Biscoitas” is the name of a neighborhood and Calheta is the name of the village. There is no graveyard at Saint Catherines. Bodies were buried in other

Snapshots of Today...so far! (The sun is shinning in Sao Jorge today!) He was in his mid eighties and driving me to the airport in style! The headliner in the taxi was black and fastened to it were thumbtack size shiny metal disks. They spelled out “Diamante (Diamond) Taxi Love” in sparkly red, silver, black and gold dots. Then scattered all over were, I guess, the extra ones he had left . On the way there we listened to a soap opera radio program and while I could only understand about every 4th or 5th word, the plot was easy to figure out. I could tell he had been following the drama for some time by his mumbled comments and facial expressions. Because of the assistance of the travel agent yesterday, I already had my boarding pass and just took a small carry on . I did not have to check in and could bypass the 80+ tourists standing in line to go directly to the boarding area. So far so good. It started raining early this morning. A constant drizzle. The temperature is 66 and the humi

Almost my bedtime....today I took the .30 cent bus ride to town more than once.. Very clean, handy and easy to ride. I sat towards the door in the back to catch the breeze each time they let someone on or o ff . Picked up some fresh Portuguese Sweet Bread, local butter, cheese and fruit for a picnic dinner in my hotel room. I now have the name of a lady on Sao Jorge, who might be available to assist me in my research. I got an email late tonight from the director of the Sao Jorge Genealogical Society who recommended her. So I sent her a message via Facebook. It is about 9:30pm here right now so I may not know if she is even available until tomorrow. My next post will not be until about this time tomorrow night and perhaps by then I will have some more photos for you and an update....stay tuned. Thank you for your prayers and interest.  

The Secrets Grandmother Kept by Kathleen Honeycutt Some of you readers already know this trip is a journey of the heart...part of a longing to know the truth of my paternal Grandmother’s life. The past she never spoke about and to see the village where she was born. “Biscoitos de Calheta, on the island of Sao Jorge, Azores. Her family history in that village goes back to 1660. There was no easy affordable way for me to get there unless I traveled to Terceira first. The ferry only runs from the larger islands of Sao Miguel and Terceira every 4 days and takes about 4 hours. It has been impossible for me to book an inter island flight until I was actually in the Azores, or it would cost a small fortune....Today I rode the .30 cent bus to downtown Agra do Heroismo to a small travel agency. The young lady who assisted me found me a round trip flight and 1 night at the only 4 star hotel in Velas, on Sao Jorge . The total cost in USD was $154.00. So tomorrow morning I will fly there, stay one

 The Realities of Map Reading There is a small market 1/32 of an inch away from my hotel. I can see it on my tourist map. It is just across the street and slightly north east of me. Perfect for a stroll on a nice afternoon. Wearing my sturdy tennis shoes and using my purple cane, I set o ff  on the adventure. Oh, and my hair is sopping wet. That is deliberate. People will assume I just came from the pool or beach nearby but the real reason is to keep me from melting. The damp hair will be air- conditioning as I walk. My purse is almost empty so I can put the fresh fruit I plan to purchase in it. I carried a small water bottle, some euros, the hotel room key and my passport. Following the map I crossed the street, turned slightly north east and saw a concrete path going the direction the store is located. AwHa! Found it I think. Very soon the smooth concrete path begins an upward ascent, slightly winding through tall trees and bamboo bushes. There were patches of shade I welcomed. After

  Dinner Reservations...... This is a lovely hotel. Perched on a hillside overlooking the sea the views are breathtaking. When you book a room it includes a breakfast bu ff et with a large assortment of local cheeses, just baked bread and eggs so fresh the chicken is out looking for them. It is considered 4 star and costs $57. euros per night. The restaurant also serves a bu ff et dinner each night. That costs $30. euros and is worth every penny. It includes seafood captured that morning along with several other main dishes to choose from, an assortment of vegetables, salads and desserts. Beverages are not an extra fee. You can have unlimited Portuguese wine with your dinner. Served in a wine glass they fill all the way to the top. Very impressive! This all takes place in a dinning room that can seat 80 people and half of them will have an ocean view table. So far the largest number of guests I have seen in that room at one time are 28 and yes I counted them. At breakfast you simply wa

  Adventures for .30 cent or Less ! “Does this bus go to the downtown area?” “Yes” “Does this bus go to the port?” “Yes” “Does it come back here or do I have to change to another bus?” Yes and No. “How much does it cost to ride it anywhere?” .30 cents “Is it air-conditioned?” ( This one is the tricky question. Sometimes this means you can open the windows, sometimes it means the vehicle has a/c but it may not cool the area in the very back, sometimes it means it has a/c but isn’t turned on because everyone else is used to the heat and humidity and is just fine, except for you. And sometimes it really does work well...the deal is you only find out after you board the bus.! What did you expect for .30 cents? ) I already knew a taxi would be $22. to get downtown .It’s to far to walk from my hotel. The bus might take longer but I can get o ff  anywhere I want and back on the next one. It can be ridden completely around the main part of the island and remains only .30 cents. So let the game

THIS IS CREEPY ! Every vacation has it’s surprises. Those unexpected events, unplanned complications, and just maybe some creepy stu ff . I didn’t expect another elevator to be on that list. On the last trip, accompanied by Donna Doornbos, we traveled to Madeira and discovered the first unfriendly elevator in all of Portugal. It took us almost all week to figure out what the problem was and then to discover the problem was us. This time I have run across an elevator that is just pain creepy... After I checked in yesterday and headed to my room, I discovered that there is always another person on the elevator when it arrives; The door opened and exhausted I smiled at the person already inside. They smiled back and in my exhausted state thought it was rather strange they were wearing a top identical to mine. Not wanting to embarrass them, I said nothing and tried not to stare. This morning, going down to breakfast, the elevator had the same creepy woman on it. Once again she smiled and w

Night in the Middle of the Atlantic Ocean It is the middle of the night....somewhere over the vast Atlantic Ocean. Every seat on the airplane has a passenger in it. We have been in the air a long time flying from NY to Porto Portugal. The lights inside have been dimmed and people are trying to sleep. It is quiet, no crying babies or screaming children, just the the sounds of movement as very tired passengers try to find a comfortable way to sleep sitting up. I have an aisle seat in the economy section so my long legs are able to stretch out and the travel pillow I brought has made it possible for me to sleep several hours.) Just across the aisle from me is an older gentleman. His age probably 85 to 90. Tall, thin and very quiet. I watched him earlier as he maneuvered into his seat and then closed his eyes as the airplane took o ff . I was awakened by the sound of whispered mumbling. It is the older gentleman and he seems confused. Seated in his chair he is trying to move his arms and h

  Slipping just below the clouds we headed towards a patch of blue sky just barely visible in the distance. “The light is beautiful”, I said in awe. “Like beams of transparent Amber piercing the clouds”. “We are trying to duck beneath the cloud banks before that opening to the sky closes in front of us, this is called “scud running”, my husband replied. “We are almost there,” “The idea is to maintain visual contact with the ground while avoiding physical contact with it?, I joked . “Exactly”, He said in a serious tone. This was the first time in our air travels I had seen him do this. In aviation, scud running is a practice where pilots lower their altitude to avoid clouds and stay clear of weather. It is considered dangerous and has lead to many cases of pilots flying into the side of a mountain or towers. It wasn’t something we had done before but when weather moved in on us we had to take the risk to avoid thunderstorms embedded in the clouds. The sleek little 4 place experimental a