Azores Photo Gallery - Velas Town Centre

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Velas is a quaint and hilly town and I've set up base here to go hiking in the nearby fajas. This streets were fairly quiet but I soon bumped into crowds around the port and beaches.

Let's start at what looks like the main town square - the Igreja Matriz was built in the 17th century although there was a temple here from the 15th.

The Portao do Mar was built in the 18th and originally served as part of the old defense walls. Today, it is the entryway to the port terminal where my ferry from Pico docked. Right outside of it is a pedestrian shopping street and a few busy restaurants.

At the end of the street is a garden with a bright red gazebo with lots of beautiful flowers.

I then explored more of the town's streets before heading to the waterfront.

The waterfront area was far busier with food trucks, beaches, crowds, and a natural arch facing Pico's volcano on the other side of the water.

It was even busier around the port by late afternoon as bull-on-a-rope got under way. Part of the Velas Cultural Week in the first week of July, many were sitting along the breakwater observing the group of men luring the bull around below. Sometimes, the bull charges at the crowd, with some jumping into the water and the rest of us running frantically. There are no barriers or liability waivers required.