Day 4 17th May

So, today I rented a car and went exploring. First I headed through the vinyards, huntinh for a restaurant reputed to be the best on the island for the money. I must of driven past it, but I never found the place. I'll try again later. Afterwards I drove down the coast to Lages, where most the whale watching trips leave from, but nobody was heading out this afternoon. Come back tomorrow they said. Unfortunately, I won't have car then. I took the highland road back, which was like a back road in NWales, except it went up to 1000+m (that's nearly as high as Snowdon). Lots of the ubiquitous white cows taking the place of our sheep (white to stand out against the black lava, reputedly). Overlooking all of this was the brooding bulk of the Pico volcano, which as you drove towards it, you never seemed to get any closer, so high does it stand. Sorted a trip out to spot whales for tomorrow morning, when I got back to Madalena. Now where's that restaurant?