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Clothes to bring
The obvious packing rule is to bring comfortable fitness attire, hiking shoes, and, if you plan to head up Mount Pico, sufficiently warm waterproof clothing (serious hikers only, no joke). I picked up a couple of outfits from Titika* for extra comfort and to look good for…the cows I guess, our audience was mostly cows. Sadly, I only got to wear the shorts under the wetsuit (should have gotten fleece leggings)- the comfort and warmth quality active wear brings is priceless.
Less obvious is bringing city clothes. In bigger towns, like Ponta Delgada and Angra do Heroísmo we frequently felt underdressed when dining out. Somehow, our yoga pants did not align with the heels and dress shirts throughout the restaurants. Our city attire consisted of skirts and dresses which, sadly, it was too cold for during our trip.
Our flight limited us to traveling with only a carry-on so with the cold spring weather I ended up wearing pretty much everything I brought, sometimes all at once.
Language
While most people speak some English, at least in hotels and restaurants, having minimal Portuguese knowledge really helps. I’d say common courtesy is also to remember that this is their country, you’re lucky if they speak any English at all.
More photos can be found on Flickr here and if you are on Instagram the trip was also documented with the #XOAzores hashtag.
