Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Category: Water

  • Porto Martins

    Terceira, The Azores (Açores), Portugal (March 2001) Porto Martins lies due south of Praia do Vitória along Terceira’s eastern shore (map). It is a scenic fishing village and summer resorts with a popular natural swimming pool at the waterline. We stopped where land met water. This was the location of the swimming hole set among…

  • Miscellaneous Scenery of São Miguel

    São Miguel, The Azores (Açores), Portugal (March 2001) This page focuses on miscellaneous scenery throughout São Miguel. We took lots of photographs as we drove throughout the central and eastern portions of the island. However there weren’t enough photos to justify an individual page for each of the locations shown below. Caloura The picturesque town…

  • Furnas Scenery

    São Miguel, The Azores (Açores), Portugal (March 2001) Furnas is a Portuguese word that is similar to its English cognate “Furnace.” In this case it applies to a town and a region in a broad interior valley on the eastern side of São Miguel. Furnas rests in a caldera basin surrounded by mountains on all…

  • Ponta Delgada Scenes

    São Miguel, The Azores (Açores), Portugal (March 2001) Ponta Delgada is the capital of the Azores and its most populous city. It hugs São Miguel’s southwestern coast (map). These old “City Gates” or Portas da Cidade probably personifies Ponta Delgada more than any other image. They dated back to the 18th Century. Back then the…

  • Whaling Industry Museum

    Pico, The Azores (Açores), Portugal (March 2001) The last whaling factory in the Azores operated at São Roque do Pico, from the cais (dock) along the waterfront. Whalers killed and harvested their prey in local waters. Then they delivered carcasses to the dock, where workers extracted oil and processed flesh and teeth. During its heyday,…

  • Horta Waterfront

    Faial, The Azores (Açores), Portugal (March 2001) Wealthy transatlantic yachters adopted Horta as a convenient stopping point between Europe and North America in recent decades (map). Their graceful sailboats line the town’s marina. While there, their crews also leave colorful graffiti on the harbor barriers to commemorate their oceanic voyages. The mosaic of color on…

  • Along A Canal In Amsterdam

    The Netherlands (September 1998) My wife and I rode a train from Brussels to Amsterdam for a day-trip. Obviously a single day is not enough time to do the city any justice. Even so, it was long enough to get a flavor. We walked through many of the neighborhoods and across and along the picturesque…

  • Crossing Rhineland-Palatinate

    Germany (August 1999) Many years ago we got an opportunity to drive from Belgium to Luxembourg to Germany. The Germany portion cut through the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, from the Luxembourg border to the Rhine River. The Marktplatz at Bernkastel-Kues We drove up from Trier along the spectacular Moselweinstraße (Mosel River wine road). The route crossed…

  • Historic Cantillon Brewery and Museum

    Brussels, Belgium (November 2003) Deep in the heart of Brussels, not far from the Grand’ Place, sits a small throwback to a simpler time. In ages past, people maintained a more intimate connection with the food and beverages they consumed. The Cantillon Brewery preserves this aesthetic. It serves a working museum (map) open for guided…

  • Exploring the Mitten, Part 5 (Keeping Stock)

    We stayed put more than usual during this adventure. Nonetheless, I managed grow my various lists in modest ways. The Twelve Mile Circle audience knows what I like so none of this will be a surprise. I thought it might be a nice way to wrap-up the series. Lighthouses I’ve been captivated by lighthouses for…