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Location What to pack Time Dialing Code Coordinates Getting Around Geology
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hello - ola tea - chá 0 zero
1 um/uma 		30 trinta
40 quarenta 		Graciosa IslandTelephone Numbers
good bye - adeus coffee -  café 2 dois/duas
3 três		 50 cinquenta
60 sessenta
good morning - bom dia sugar -  açucar 4 quatro
5 cinco		 70 setenta
80 oitenta 		Fire Brigade - 295 712 215
good night - boa noite milk - leite 6 seis
7 sete		 90 noventa
100 cem 		Police - 295 712 527
beer please - cerveja, por favor bill  - a conta 8 oito
9 nove		 200 duzentos
300 trezentos 		Emergency Treatment - 295 732 470
pizza please - pizza, por favor salad - salada 10 dez
11 onze		 400 quatrocentos
500 quinhentos 		Tourist Office - 295 712 509
thank you - obrigado fish - peixe 12 doze
13 treze		 600 seiscentos
700 setecentos 		Support to Tourists - 800 296 296
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Some local dishes
"Cozido à Portuguesa" - pork, beef, local sausages, potatoes, cabbage, etc. stewed together.
"Alcatra" - roasted meat (beef) with with potatoes, wine and spices in a clay pot..
"Caldo Verde" - cream of potato soup with sausage and shredded cabbage
"Sardinha Assada" - fresh sardines grilled over charcoal
"Caldeirada de Peixe" - fish, shellfish, potatoes, tomatoes and onions stewed together
"Bacalhau" - salted cod steak with onions, potatoes and parsley
"Coelho Assado" - roasted rabbit with onions, white wine and spices
"Frango no Churrasco Piri-Piri" - grilled chicken in a hot spicy sauce
"Saloio e Queijo Fresco" - white and creamy fresh cheese hjfju
"Pudim Molotov" - a rich cocktail of meringue and caramel 
"Arroz Doce" - rice pudding with cinnamon and cream
"Uma bica" - small black coffee (expresso coffee).
"Um garoto" - small white coffee

Some local wines
The Azores Islands regional winesb
Vinho da casa House wine 
Vinho clarete Light red wine 
Vinho doce Sweet wine
Vinho Branco White wine
Vinho espumante Sparkling wine 
Vinho do Porto Port wine 
Vinho da região (Vinho de cheiro) Local wine (São Miguel) 
Vinho seco Dry wine
Vinho verde "Green" wine* *(semi-sparkling acidic wine)
José João Snack-Bar Restaurante Marisqueira
São Mateus-Graciosa
(Smoke Outside)
The Azores Islands traditional bread recipes
The Azores Islands general food information
The Azores Islands traditional soup recipes
The Azores Islands traditional fish recipes
The Azores Islands traditional meat recipes
hjk
Snack Bar Restaurante Apolo 80
Santa Cruz-Graciosa
(Area for Smokers)


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Restaurante Costa do Sol
Santa Cruz-Graciosa
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Location: The Azores consist of 9 small islands made from volcano eruptions, located in the Atlantic Ocean almost halfway between Lisbon and New York. It takes about 2 hours to fly from Lisbon to the Azores. The total area is about  2.333 km2. There are great variation in the size of the islands. São Miguel is the biggest with 747 km2. Corvo is the smallest. They are Sao Miguel, Santa Maria, Terceira, Graciosa, Sao Jorge, Pico, Faial, Flores and Corvo.

MapGraciosa      

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What to pack: The Atlantic climate is mild but given to sudden changes. Pack lightweight clothing, with one or two sweaters and long pants for evenings. Raincoats or ponchos are a good idea from October to April, when rainfall is more frequent.
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Health: There are no special health scares to be aware of when visiting the Azores and the local hospitals and clinics are of good standard should you become ill or have an accident. A level of fitness is certainly required for many of the islands’ mountain walks however, and a basic awareness of heat and fluid needs to be taken into consideration if partaking in a trek or a hike. Citizens of EU countries can receive free emergency medical treatment on supplying an EU health insurance card, although having proper medical insurance included in a travel insurance package is the best way to go.

Pharmacy:  

Santa Cruz da Graciosa
Farmácia Santos Costa: 26 Consº Jac Când.
Telef. 295 712563

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Safety: Travel in Portugal, in general, is safe and the Azores particularly so.  Although as with anywhere else in the world, incidences of pick-pocketing are not unheard of. Simply remain vigilant at all times, especially in tourist hotspots and at the airports, and always keep valuables out of sight. As with the Portuguese mainland, the roads of the Azores are not the best in the world and some mountain and coastal thoroughfares leave a lot to be desired. Drivers should take it very steady and pedestrians should remember that the Portuguese drive on the right.

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Time: UTC  -1 Hour Dialing Codes: International country code: + 351 (Portugal) Area codes: 292 / 295 / 296 See how to dial to Azores

Coordinates:
Latitude: 38° 30' North 
Longitude: 28° 00' West 
See other cities near Azores Calculate distance from Azores to another location

Daylight Saving:
Time DST starts on Midnight between Saturday March 28, 2009 and Sunday March 29, 2009 local standard time
DST ends on Sunday October 25, 2009 at 1:00 AM local daylight time
See time changes/daylight saving time in other years
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Geology: Eight of the nine islands were formed by volcanic eruptions and have rounded craters ("caldeiras"), often filled with lakes, as well as caves and deep tunnels formed by lava tubes. Black lava covers many surfaces. List of volcanoes in Azores
  by Bill 


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Currency: The Azores is a part of Portugal and the currency is Euro as well. Most of the restaurants, hotels and car-renting companies accept common credit-cards. But don't expect credit cards to be accepted in smaller restaurants. Be sure to carry small bills. There are places that can be a problem to change bigger notes.
  tt Quick Cross Rates tt Currency Trading Charts tt  Currency Converter  tt
The Euro


coins 		The Euro
ruro 		The Euro
notes

koVisaMost banks accept Visa/MasterCard's and most banks have employees that speak English or French.Mastercard

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Activities: Golfing, tennis, horseback riding, cycling, mountaineering, jeep safaris, walking, swimming, scuba diving, line fishing, surfing, para gliding and whale watching are available.

Places to visit on Graciosa Island:

Ethnographic Museum which contains items related to the culture

of wine and the now gone whaling industry.

From the "Monte de Nossa Senhora da Ajuda", you can have a look over the town of Santa Cruz.

The "Furna do Enxofre" (Sulphur Cavern), in the interior of the "Caldeira", or crater of a former Volcano there's a tunnel about 330 feet (100 m) deep and has a lake filled with cold sulphur water.

It is possible to visit other caverns such as "Bolos, Lembradeira, Manuel de Avila, Labarda, Furada, Linheiro, Cardo, Gato, Castelo, Calcinhas, Queimado, Vermelho, Cão, Urze and Luis".

From the "Timao" summit, at an altitude of 1300 feet (398 m), and the "Facho" summit, at an altitude of 1230 feet (375 m), as well as from the "Dormida, Branca and Fontes" mountains you can get a glimpse not only of the island, but of the surrounding ocean and the islands of Terceira, São Jorge, Pico and Faial.

The "Carapacho" Hot Spring Baths with medicinal waters.

 line Climate: The Azores High (also known as the Azores anticyclone) is a semi-permanent anticyclonic region with relatively consistent high pressure and subsiding air over the Atlantic Ocean at around 30°N latitude in winter (i.e. south of the Azores). The Azores High is part of a belt of subtropical anticyclones on the northern hemisphere and an important so called 'centre of action' in the global climate system. (like its 'sisters' the Bermuda High and California high). Movement of the system poleward in summer has a major impact upon the climate of Europe. In summer the pressure centre shifts towards 35°N across the Iberian peninsula and a ridge might build across France, northern Germany and even the south-eastern UK. This is when the typical mid- to late summer heatwaves arrive, with very hot temperatures and persistent dry weather. Temperatures will easily climb into the 30ies °C (90ies degF). In both winter and summer the central pressure lies around 1024 mbar (hPa), but conditions are more variable in winter. The aridity of the Sahara Desert and the adjacent Mediterranean region is due to the subsidence of air in this high-pressure system.

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Temperate all year, without major variations. Average minimum temperature is 57.2 while August average temperature is 77 degrees. The Climate is mild and most places sunny. Every single island has its own climate. The humidity is high on some islands. On the Azores you can use the phrase " four seasons of the day ", and in fact it is a very good description of the climate. It is rare to discover rain all day long, but occasionally a light shower or steady rain is to be accepted. Even so, the temperature is pleasant. So bring a light raincoat, summer clothing, and a woolen shirt for the occasionally chilly evenings. The best time of the year to visit Azores is between June and September. The temperature is pleasant, and at this time of the year many different flowers are blooming. Hortencias is seen all over in different colors.  
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Postal Regulationsdudjd
General information
Postal information
Prohibited items   
Customs information
Public holidays
Address guidelines 

Delivery times:

Required mail conditions:

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Electricity: The voltages on all of the islands is 220/380 volt alternating current. Don't forget adapter.
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AZORES plug adapters:

Grounded plug adapters WA-9 & WA-10

Ungrounded plug adapters #1 & #6.

These are the recommended wall outlet plug adapters for AZORES.

Click here for more info about plug adapters and other travel issues.

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Language: The language is Portuguese. The dialect is very special to other parts of Portugal. Portuguese from the mainland joke and say, that the people from the Azores "speak Russian."  Few Azorean speak English or French.  

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Getting there: From the European continent you can fly direct from Lisbon by S.A.T.A. and TAP or direct with S.A.T.A. from Frankfurt. Main, London, Amsterdam and Munique located in Germany. There are no passenger ferries or similar available between mainland Portugal and the Azores.

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Price level: Compared with other places in Europe and the U.S. it is inexpensive to stay and eat on the Azores.  

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Getting around: Rent a Car Medina e Filhos - Santa Cruz-Graciosa, buses and taxis are available on eight of the nine islands. On Corvo, taxi and sightseeing services are available. Ferry service connects Sao Miguel with most other islands.
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Shopping: Different kind of handicraft is affordable to buy. Pottery, bed covers, embroidery and woven handicraft is very attractive. Refuse to buy souvenirs from animals from the sea. In the Azores you may encounter sellers of objects in whale bone and ivory (without a registration number ), dolphin tooth, turtle shells, shark tooth. The CITES (the international agreement which governs threatened species) forbids this type of commerce. The European Union, of which the Azores is a member, ratified this agreement.  

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Transportation from island to island: Transportation between the islands is done by airplane or ferry. If you come to Graciosa by the ferry from Terceira, you will arrive in Praia, (also known as Sao Mateus). This town was in the past the most important town on the island. From the start of June to the end of September is it possible to go between most of the the islands by Acorline who provide 2 large car ferries. Not every day, but look at the time-schedule on there website. The local and only airline company is S.A.T.A. They fly modern 2-engines propeller aircrafts. There are several departures from each islands every day. But do make reservation in due time. It is fairly small airplanes with 64 seats.

Pay attention to the fact, that cancellation of flight departures now and then happens. Not always because of bad weather, but because of low clouds in the sky above the airfield. Of cause it means that you have to take this fact into your planning of your holiday, and be prepared for an extra day on the Azores. If you have the opportunity, take the ferry instead of the airplane. It is a very exiting experience. Ask the tourist office when you are there.

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FERRY - Summer Timetable July to September
Departure Port Arrival Port Timetable
Orzola La Graciosa 10:00 12:00 17:00 18:00
La Graciosa Orzola 08:00 11:00 16:00 18:00
 
FERRY - Winter Timetable October to June
Orzola La Graciosa 10:00 12:00 17:00  
La Graciosa Orzola 08:00 11:00 16:00  
If you come to Graciosa by the ferry from Terceira, you will arrive in Praia, (also known as Sao Mateus). This town was in the past the most important town on the island.

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