As Bob and Tania moved on to the other islands in the Azorean chain they enjoyed each special area wherever they went...

•   Tania was fascinated by this "sport" which she named "bull harassment" because there really was no "fighting" involved!  From what information she gathered apparently there is a "rent-a-bull" program on the island whereby the townsfolk gather their money, put up the plywood fences along a street, and hire 4 bulls and appropriate wranglers to put together this event (usually held in the evening). For Praia Festa the suburb of Juncal provided this setting for a few nights in a row.  First the bulls arrive from the countryside in their own special "pens" (transported by truck and lifted off with small cranes or forklifts).  The streets are cleared, a rocket is set off to announce the bull is being set free and the pandamonium begins!

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• The bull runs up and down the street chasing young men (and old men who think they are still young) for half an hour.  He has special metal or leather pieces put on his horns so that there is no serious goring and there are at least 4 men in traditional garb holding his tether.  There is also two or three other mean with umbrellas who help to control the bull in the street so that no one gets serious injured if he is not quick enough to get out of the way!  The townsfolk know the bulls by their brandings and what they are capable of (i.e. one likes to jump over the plywood fences, one likes to put his head on top of the fences to hear all the women scream, etc.)  Two rockets are fired to signal all clear when the bull is "re-penned".  The wranglers sometimes let the bulls get behind the plywood fences (or Tania heard of one going into a local bar) to of course lots of screaming and excitement!  There is a 10 minute break between bull number 2 and number 3 (so the wranglers can drink some beer), and then the fourth bull is usually the meanest one of all!  In this case bull number 4 destroyed a bus stop (literally threw the thing across the road - unfortunately Tania's camera was out of battery power by then).  After the last bull is put back in his pen (they all seemed to know where to go) many rockets are fired to signal the end of an exciting evening!

• The last day of Praia Festa was filled with parades and "Beach Bullfighting"!  Hundreds of people turned out for the fun and no rubber raft was safe if used for "fighting".  These bulls had some fun as they were able to chase people into the water and run in themselves!

• Once again lots of screaming and running and only one person they saw get trampled - but popped right up again as the "umbrellas" distracted the bull.  One bull got so into it he carried a raft around on his head for awhile like a prize (the lighting was so poor at that point Tania could not get a good picture). Lots of fun for everyone (including the bulls)!

• The lights all over town were amazing and had taken weeks to put up.  The hot air balloon also lent a festive touch.

• The parade on the first night was beautiful, but late at night (almost midnight) so these pictures are courtesy of Max and Lucette on "DeLight

• The theme was "La Belle Epoque" however, there were only 5 floats and a few bands, so Tania watched from the boat and did not get to see these up close.  The last two pictures are supposed to be the "Titanic".

• Here are some festive dancers which Tania and Bob were able to see from their great seat at "Arriba" the local Mexican Food restaurant on the second floor next to the parade. (Notice the "red carpet" that was put down for this event).  The "Queen's Float" and on Sunday everything ended at midnight with a spectacular fireworks display to music played throughout the harbor.  It also signaled time for us to move on to São Miguel and other new adventures.  Good Times!

Other sights of Terceira...

• One of their favorite stores turned out to be nothing but frozen foods.  You could scoop out as much as you wanted of fish, vegetables, shellfish, meats, and even pizza.  This sailing schooner had Swiss school children on board and was anchored in the harbor for several weeks.

• Beach football and volleyball were played almost everyday with some spirited matches.  This small horse cart would deliver milk to various restaurants in Praia.  Chevrolet (in the rental car they had) likes for everyone (including "back seat drivers") to view the instrument dash!