Hello Vivian,
Maybe someone else can chime in here on the ferry trip from Pico to Sao Jorge and the amount of time it takes to get back and forth, etc. Originally we were going to do the same from Terceira to Sao Jorge and it would have taken hours for the ferry trip. Hours that we wanted to spend on the island not on a ferry, so we chose the 20-30 minute flight instead. You may end up having to spend the night in Pico and returning the next day depending on if there's only one ferry trip or flight to Sao Jorge and back. There may not even be daily ferry trips, it could be every two or three days or weekly. Keep in mind, you may not be able to pre-plan the flight or ferry ride until you arrive in Pico or Sao Jorge depending on which island you arrive at first. Personally, I'd recommend not going to Lisbon on this trip and take advantage of your time in the Azores (since you're talking one day in Lisbon). For the money it will cost you and when you might arrive, you may only get a few hours, if any, before your next flight out to the Azores. Vivian, "time" in the way of life in the Azores is much different than here - slower pace..or like, "Oh well, if it doesn't' happen today, it can happen tomorrow." Not that it's a bad thing. J Spending time flying from Lisbon to Pico, etc. might be better spent 7 days divided between Pico and Sao Jorge - the money you'd spend on flights from Lisbon to Pico can be used flying between Pico and Sao Jorge (much less actually - I think we spent $100 round-trip). This would allow you maybe 5 days in Pico and 2 in Sao Jorge. We spent two weeks between two islands (Terceira & Sao Jorge) and were busy the entire time! Sure I would have loved to visit other islands that I too had family from, but we didn't want to overdue our trip and not have some relaxation and time to enjoy the islands and people. Here's my recommendation for where to stay in Sao Jorge: Quinta de Sao Pedro <http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g189133-d1103333-Reviews-Quinta_de_ Sao_Pedro-Velas_Sao_Jorge_Azores.html> Sonia and her family own the Quinta. Sonia's sister, Joanna I believe is her name, operates the Quinta when Sonia is back working in Lisbon. Quinta de Sao Pedro is what I would call a Bed and Breakfast. We stayed in the room called, Casa Ma and it faced the ocean - what a beautiful way to start your morning looking out at the ocean from your bed. A delicious breakfast is included and you have your choice of sitting indoors or out on the balcony for your meal. As you can see from Trip Advisor Qunita de Sao Pedro is #1 on their site. Here's the link to their site: Quinta de Sao Pedro <http://www.quintadesaopedro.com/> . Depending on where you're wanting to visit in Sao Jorge, I have the name and address of a lady who has ALL THE VILLAGE RECORDS transcribed before they were taken to the mainland. In addition, she's adding to the records as we, descendants of Sao Jorge families, are coming back to the island, she's updating where our relatives went after leaving Sao Jorge and who we are that have come to visit. A treasured task I must say! She even told me of my family buried in the cemetery next door to her home and the family home our family owned many years ago (that my former boyfriend's family (we dated 22 years ago) now owns..can you believe this? She happens to be related to his family who live in Modesto, California. All I can say is it's truly a small world!) You don't need a travel agent. You can schedule your flights direct through SATA. This site <http://www.azoresweb.com/travel.html> indicates travel to Pico is WEEKLY from Lisbon whereas some of the other islands are daily. At the Fly TAP link via this site, flights are from Lisbon to Pico once per week Saturday's only at $340 but on the SATA site it appears daily starting at $255 BUT the BAD news is, none are direct flights. The shortest is 5 hours and 40 minutes with two stops prior to Pico, so basically your probably looking the same as TAP with one per week since some of the flights say so many hours and one day! Here's the international # to call SATA (+351) 296 209 720 Or email to: contac...@sata.pt Personally, I'd call using SKYPE. It's less expensive calling with SKYPE for international calls or using a calling card. Definitely, not using your cell phone (this will become extremely pricy!). I telephoned the islands frequently making arrangements and such, though most are reachable via email too. Right now, I can imagine what you're think and feeling...since I was in your same situation. When we went, I handled all the arrangements for our entire family and it's nothing compared to how we make arrangements here at least that's how I look at it. Now, that I've done it and what I've learned, I happy to pass the information along. Seriously, with a one week stay, I would visit two islands and enjoy your trip. Don't rush it. The islands are beautiful and so are the people. It will go by quickly! Enjoy, Robin Borba Besotes From: azores@googlegroups.com [mailto:azores@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Vivian Christy Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2011 2:20 AM To: Azores (Genealogy) Subject: [AZORES-Genealogy] Re: Help with planning a trip to Lisbon and Azores Hello All, My sister and I have decided we would like to spend one day in Lisbon and then the other 6 days in the Azores. We want to go for a week sometime in May 2012. Since our family is from Pico and I would need to get copies of birth, Marriage and death records from Lajes do Pico. Would I get them there? I only would have a week there so want to make the most of the trip. Does anyone know of a travel agent that would be good to use. My sister wants a more structured trip. I mainly want to make sure I can get copies of the records in Lajes do Pico. The dates and names of our relatives I have and they were born and died in the 1800's & 1900's. I know that some of you have said if the records are old you would have to get them from some other place. I remember someone said if they are over a hundred years they have to come from the Archives in Portugual and not the Azores. Is that correct? We also wanted to take a ferry over to Sao Jorge for the day. We may want to go to one of the other islands also. Since I have never been I want to make sure I get the most of the trip. What is the best way to do that? Any suggestions: Thank you in advance for all your help, Vivian (Silva) Christy -- To unsubscribe from this group, send email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. Follow the confirmation directions when they arrive. For more options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership."
