More or less, Grotas Fundas, or a little bit more inland; but it is difficult terrain, and undeveloped, so few people lived beyond the actual neighbourhood. It is all hilly area and that's where they would go work their small parcels of land or the larger ones owned by the wealthy landowners. Nobody lived in the hills. There was a mill down below and you can still see the giant stone wheel mill. My grandmother and great-grandparents ran a mill, but closer to Ribeira Grande, the street on the western end, where another creek by the same name ran by. The beach area in Grotas Fundas can be treacherous if you don't watch for the tides. Otherwise it is like any other beach. But remember, the "sand" is all black volcanic grains, absorbs heat and gets quite hot in the sun.
In this photo https://johnroias.smugmug.com/Sao-Miguel-trip-JuneJuly-2015/i-kGWCB2c you can see the cows in the hilly areas as you go the last street, called the Guiteria. In this photo https://johnroias.smugmug.com/Sao-Miguel-trip-JuneJuly-2015/i-7Gpfjnk , taken at Grotas Fundas at street level you see the hills the cover up Ribeira Quente. To get there, you have to climb the hills and wind your way towards those jutting hills. And well beyond those immediate hills is Povoacao. Although Furnas is in between, it is located more northward in God's country, as they say, the last frontier of Sao Miguel. In this image of Ribeira Quente https://johnroias.smugmug.com/Sao-Miguel-trip-JuneJuly-2015/i-jsf57Td you are looking west toward Ponta Garca and Vila Franca. But as you see, only the hill is visible, the same one you saw from the other side in Grotas Fundas. JR On Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 12:49:08 AM UTC-4, Cheri Mello wrote: > > That "Ribeira Quente, limit of the freguesia de Ponta Garca" meant Grotas > Fundas? I thought it basically meant the edge of town. I have a lot of > ancestors from the "limit!" Things that I learn from this list! > Cheri > > Cheri Mello > Listowner, Azores-Gen > Researching: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, Ribeira das > Tainhas, Achada > > On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 9:14 PM, JR <[email protected] <javascript:>> wrote: > >> I will let people more knowledgeable about Joao Afonso discuss his >> history and story. >> >> For now I can tell you that Grotas Fundas is a neighbourhood, even today, >> on the eastern border of the village of Ponta Garca. Because of the hills >> and mountains, the town of Ponta Garca ends there and borders hills >> surrounding Ribeira Quente. There is a very nice beach at the bottom that >> was actually part of the property of Dr, Agusto Botelho de Simas. It was >> his summer home. He was a well known and respected doctor in the 1950-80 >> era, based in Vila Franca, now deceased. There is a bust of him in the main >> square honoring his life and work. The beach is now public with public >> access. From there you get fabulous views of the peninsulas jutting out >> into the ocean, east and west, and south is the ocean.. And you might even >> see whales or dolphins swimming by. Looking east is Ribeira Quente, but its >> view is blocked by a huge rolling hills, beautiful in their right. Looking >> west is the coastline leading to Vila Franca, easily visible, an >> outstanding view. >> >> The land is rich and suitable for farming and was covered by vineyards in >> times past, and I guess that's what made it so attractive to our ancestors. >> Apparently, other well known families from the upper class owned land >> there. There is a trail, still in use for hikers, that people took in the >> past, by foot and donkey from Grotas Fudas to Ribeira Quente. They were >> mostly cousins, farm workers and fisherfolk and exchanged produce and >> goods. You often read about ancestors that lived in Grotas Fundas or the >> place called "Ribeira Quente, limit de fraguesia de Ponta Garca." It was >> also the shortest way to Ribeira Quente and Povoacao. Otherwise, you have >> to go north, way up to the main road, where essentially you are on top of >> hill. There is a long, winding and steep road, called the Guiteria that >> starts at Grotas Fundas and makes it way up the main road. It is pastoral >> and you might encounter cows on the moo-ve! Sorry couldn't resist. At the >> top you will be rewarded with a vista of the whole of Ponta Garca and Vila >> Franca. Take your camera! >> >> JR >> >> >> >> On Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at 9:02:45 PM UTC-4, manita.morgado wrote: >>> >>> I would like the answer to that question too! >>> >>> I have a few questions: >>> >>> 1. What is the story? >>> >>> I tried to read the section on him in "Familias Antigas Povoação" but my >>> Portuguese is limited. I only recognize words ...something about torture, >>> abandon, going to Rome to ask the Pope for forgiveness, walking to Santiago >>> de Compostela and building a hospital. >>> >>> 2. What is the controversy? >>> >>> 3. Is there further study being done on him? What other source records >>> exist on him? >>> >>> 4. Now that we have DNA testing. Is it possible now to prove who he >>> was? >>> >>> I'm completely fascinated. >>> >>> 5. Also. Where exactly if Grotas Fundas? I want to go visit this >>> place when I go to Sao Miguel next week. >>> >>> Looking foward to any information you have on him. >>> >>> Thank you! >>> >> -- >> For 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." >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Azores Genealogy" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected] <javascript:>. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/azores. >> > > -- For 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. 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