I lived here in Vila do Porto from 1967-1971. Before that my family lived in the Maia lighthouse on the other side of the island which my father who was originally from Faial island ran as head engineer. He met my beautiful mom who was from Sao Pedro, got married and had us kids until we moved to the US in 1971. I can’t tell you the emotions I feel when I see these streets. I’ve been back twice but it’s sad because I know practically no one there since most people have emigrated abroad to either the US and Canada as well as Switzerland. The island has lost at least half of its population of 10 thousand since the early 1970’s. I remember walking up the Main Street in Vila do Porto every day on my way to school. So long ago but it can feel like yesterday.
I've heard similar stories from people who grew up on Santa Maria Island. It is a lovely place. I'm glad you liked the video. It's comments like yours that keep me filming. I have a few more walking videos from Santa Maria (see the map in the description), and also some footage in a LoFi video I made as a bit of an experiment with still shots from the Açores. As I remember it, the bits from Santa Maria are a drone video from São Lourenço and some cows grazing on a hill just East of Vila do Porto. I was going to film Maia too, with the waterfall and the sharp cliffs, but my friend who was travelling with me noticed he'd forgotten his bag somewhere else, and we had to leave in a rush to go get it. 😅 Thanks for sharing your story. ❤️🇵🇹
Depends on what you're looking for. Santa Maria is a smaller island, and even Vila do Porto is a relatively small settlement. Ponta Delgada, and even Angra or Horta, all offer more activities, and are well connected for traveling around. Of course they're also a more crowded and much busier than smaller towns like Vila do Porto...
I was born in this town, emigrated to Canada when I was two years old. The last time I was there was 40 years ago, I still feel an unexplainable connection to this little island.
I've met people from the Azores all around the world, in sometimes unexpected places. Those islands truly are a wonderful place. A sometimes temporary home to so many on their way across the Ocean. I hope you can one day return to Santa Maria. It's probably very different from what you (or your parents) remember. I found it very peaceful. I have a LoFi music video where I used some footage from Santa Maria, with cows grazing next to a hiking trail on the south slope of the island, near Vila do Porto. I'm happy to know this walk had a meaningful impact on you. It's comments like yours that motivate me to keep walking and filming. Thank you! ❤️🇵🇹
Wow! Did you get to meet her and talk to her about the island? Santa Maria is beautiful. Few people visit it, because it is small compared to São Miguel, but it is worth spending a couple of days there, especially if you like hiking and going to the beach. Even more so if you have family ties there.
@@PortugueseFlaneur Unfortunately not. I didn't even get to meet my grandfather, who had passed away 8 years before I was born. I was the last born in my family, and between me and my oldest sister, there is a decade-and-a-half span. But in a way, I did get to know them through stories my parents told me. I only got to meet one of my grandparents (grandmother/mother's side). She passed away when I was 14, and I have many good memories of her. She was from Livramento, which is on the outskirts of Ponta Delgada (São Miguel). I had to put Ponta Delgada in parentheses, because there is also a Ponta Delgada on the island of Flores.
How interesting! Have you ever been to the Azores? If you like nature and hiking, you'll love it, and there's plenty of cheap flights from Ponta Delgada to both sides of the Atlantic. The weather there is unpredictable, to say the least. But it's such a peaceful place. The islands are very different in some things, and similar in others. Plenty of cows everywhere, but in Santa Maria it's mostly meat cows, whereas in other islands it's milk cows. The cheeses are literally the best in the world (especially from São Jorge). Pico island is basically one giant volcano I'm the middle of the Atlantic, with very few actual trees growing on it. Every island (especially in the central group) has a whaling museum dedicated to different things (the whaling itself, the life of whalers, the whale processing industry...). The names of settlements are also repeated on every island, which can be very confusing. There's always a Ponta Delgada, a Santa Cruz, a Praia, a Calheta, and such... Even in Madeira there's also a Santa Cruz, a Ponta Delgada, and a Calheta! These are not common names in the Portuguese mainland
@@PortugueseFlaneur 🙂I was born in the Azores. I was 6 when my parents came over to America. I have been back many times to visit, because I still have cousins there. Even though I was young when I left, I still remember a lot.
I'm happy you were able to keep in touch with your roots and family there. It's definitely easier nowadays with social media and all the new tech. My grandparents went to Africa when they were young, and they only came back after 20 years there because of the revolution. They never saw their parents after leaving. It's so different nowadays. We're unbelievably lucky! I went to the Azores in 2022 for the first time, and I'm definitely going back many more times. It's one of my favourite places in the world (and I've been to a lot of places). I couldn't make it to Flores and Corvo, so maybe I'll go there this year or next
![Azores: Storm on Santa Maria - Great adventure in rain and wind [Part 1] /Portugal/](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/osthbA6asAg/mqdefault.jpg)
I lived here in Vila do Porto from 1967-1971. Before that my family lived in the Maia lighthouse on the other side of the island which my father who was originally from Faial island ran as head engineer. He met my beautiful mom who was from Sao Pedro, got married and had us kids until we moved to the US in 1971. I can’t tell you the emotions I feel when I see these streets. I’ve been back twice but it’s sad because I know practically no one there since most people have emigrated abroad to either the US and Canada as well as Switzerland. The island has lost at least half of its population of 10 thousand since the early 1970’s. I remember walking up the Main Street in Vila do Porto every day on my way to school. So long ago but it can feel like yesterday.
I've heard similar stories from people who grew up on Santa Maria Island. It is a lovely place. I'm glad you liked the video. It's comments like yours that keep me filming. I have a few more walking videos from Santa Maria (see the map in the description), and also some footage in a LoFi video I made as a bit of an experiment with still shots from the Açores. As I remember it, the bits from Santa Maria are a drone video from São Lourenço and some cows grazing on a hill just East of Vila do Porto. I was going to film Maia too, with the waterfall and the sharp cliffs, but my friend who was travelling with me noticed he'd forgotten his bag somewhere else, and we had to leave in a rush to go get it. 😅
Thanks for sharing your story. ❤️🇵🇹
1970-1976 for me. The memories run deep.
So many towns to choose from.. It's like sitting at a table and not being able to decide what to eat first
Depends on what you're looking for. Santa Maria is a smaller island, and even Vila do Porto is a relatively small settlement. Ponta Delgada, and even Angra or Horta, all offer more activities, and are well connected for traveling around. Of course they're also a more crowded and much busier than smaller towns like Vila do Porto...
I was born in this town, emigrated to Canada when I was two years old. The last time I was there was 40 years ago, I still feel an unexplainable connection to this little island.
I've met people from the Azores all around the world, in sometimes unexpected places. Those islands truly are a wonderful place. A sometimes temporary home to so many on their way across the Ocean.
I hope you can one day return to Santa Maria. It's probably very different from what you (or your parents) remember. I found it very peaceful. I have a LoFi music video where I used some footage from Santa Maria, with cows grazing next to a hiking trail on the south slope of the island, near Vila do Porto.
I'm happy to know this walk had a meaningful impact on you.
It's comments like yours that motivate me to keep walking and filming. Thank you! ❤️🇵🇹
And yet you don’t go back…
My great-grandmother was from that island.
Wow! Did you get to meet her and talk to her about the island? Santa Maria is beautiful. Few people visit it, because it is small compared to São Miguel, but it is worth spending a couple of days there, especially if you like hiking and going to the beach. Even more so if you have family ties there.
@@PortugueseFlaneur Unfortunately not. I didn't even get to meet my grandfather, who had passed away 8 years before I was born. I was the last born in my family, and between me and my oldest sister, there is a decade-and-a-half span. But in a way, I did get to know them through stories my parents told me. I only got to meet one of my grandparents (grandmother/mother's side). She passed away when I was 14, and I have many good memories of her. She was from Livramento, which is on the outskirts of Ponta Delgada (São Miguel). I had to put Ponta Delgada in parentheses, because there is also a Ponta Delgada on the island of Flores.
How interesting! Have you ever been to the Azores? If you like nature and hiking, you'll love it, and there's plenty of cheap flights from Ponta Delgada to both sides of the Atlantic. The weather there is unpredictable, to say the least. But it's such a peaceful place. The islands are very different in some things, and similar in others. Plenty of cows everywhere, but in Santa Maria it's mostly meat cows, whereas in other islands it's milk cows. The cheeses are literally the best in the world (especially from São Jorge). Pico island is basically one giant volcano I'm the middle of the Atlantic, with very few actual trees growing on it. Every island (especially in the central group) has a whaling museum dedicated to different things (the whaling itself, the life of whalers, the whale processing industry...). The names of settlements are also repeated on every island, which can be very confusing. There's always a Ponta Delgada, a Santa Cruz, a Praia, a Calheta, and such... Even in Madeira there's also a Santa Cruz, a Ponta Delgada, and a Calheta! These are not common names in the Portuguese mainland
@@PortugueseFlaneur 🙂I was born in the Azores. I was 6 when my parents came over to America. I have been back many times to visit, because I still have cousins there. Even though I was young when I left, I still remember a lot.
I'm happy you were able to keep in touch with your roots and family there. It's definitely easier nowadays with social media and all the new tech. My grandparents went to Africa when they were young, and they only came back after 20 years there because of the revolution. They never saw their parents after leaving. It's so different nowadays. We're unbelievably lucky!
I went to the Azores in 2022 for the first time, and I'm definitely going back many more times. It's one of my favourite places in the world (and I've been to a lot of places). I couldn't make it to Flores and Corvo, so maybe I'll go there this year or next
Thoese are my family’s property 2:50 - 4:00
It's a very nice place. I found Vila do Porto to be the liveliest in all of Santa Maria
@@PortugueseFlaneur Thank you for filming all of this !
It's a lovely hobby I'm growing to love!