Norbert, Açores
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nobbrt.bsky.social
Norbert, Açores
@nobbrt.bsky.social
490 followers 220 following 290 posts
Continental European, living continuously on the island of São Miguel, Açores since 2017. Musician and holiday apartment host. My pics are simply intended to document the beauty and diversity of my home island. No Chat. https://casa.sillanova.pt
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nobbrt.bsky.social
Pictures from my home:
Poço Azul (blue pond).
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The picture shows a small blue pond in front of a rock face covered with ferns, mosses and ginger lilies. Even a small cave is visible. On the right is a bench nailed together with a single nail, and on the left is a piece of a tree trunk. In the foreground, the water from the pond flows between small stones. Directly in front of the pond, in the centre of the picture, a branch of a sweet pittosporum tree hangs down from above. I discovered a brook lamprey (or danube lamprey?) in this small pond and still wonder how this fresh water fish got there or why someone put it there.
January 16, 2026 at 5:34 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Pictures from my home:
A typical winter scene in the Azores: blooming camellias and azaleas. The photo was taken in the Pinhal da Paz recreation park.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
In the foreground of the picture, you can see a camellia tree (Camellia japonica) about 5 metres high with rich green leaves, covered in blood-red flowers. Camellias on São Miguel are mainly red, white or pink, and very rarely have two-coloured flowers. Although they can grow to a height of around 20 metres, they are usually planted as hedges. The tea plant (Camellia sinensis), which is commercially cultivated on São Miguel, is a close relative and visually difficult to distinguish. In the background is a small green hedge covered in pink flowers. This is one of thousands of azalea hedges on São Miguel that bloom from January to April, depending on their location. To the right is a red sand track.
January 15, 2026 at 6:07 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
Another picture of the waterfall "Três Bicas" in Lomba da Maia
#WaterfallWednesday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
January 14, 2026 at 7:16 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Pictures from my home:
The perfect Azores cliché: hydrangeas, cows, blue sky and the ocean.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The picture shows freshly bloomed hydrangeas in the foreground, whose cotyledons are not yet coloured. The viewer looks beyond the hydrangeas at Holstein dairy cows looking towards the camera. They are standing on steep, grassy hills. At the top of the picture is a roughly nailed wooden fence covered with lichen. Behind the cows, you can see the Atlantic Ocean and blue sky with a few harmless white clouds. The photo was taken at approximately 600 metres above sea level.
January 13, 2026 at 6:48 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Pictures from my home:
A crushing wave after heavy rain (lots of sediments in the river). Lomba de São Pedro, foz da Ribeira da Salga.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
January 12, 2026 at 7:01 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
The Ribeira do Calhau with view at the village of Maia. From its source to its lovingly framed natural stone end, this stream is only about 40 metres long.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The picture shows a stream in the foreground, skilfully enclosed in oval natural stone basins, just a few metres from the ocean and only a few metres above sea level. Behind it is a bay and water churned up by the surf on a rocky cliff. Last but not least, the eastern side of the village of Maia, whose multi-coloured houses are clustered on a cliff about 30 metres high.
January 11, 2026 at 5:50 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
On my home trail (Moinho do Félix), which I try to walk at least once a week.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The picture shows a somewhat muddy footpath in a sparse forest consisting mainly of sweet pittosporum trees.
January 10, 2026 at 6:28 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
A pedestrian bridge in Grená Park (near lake Furnas)
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The picture shows a footbridge over a stream full of rocks. The bridge itself is made of wood and is somewhat crudely assembled. It is somewhat reminiscent of railway bridges in Western films. The bridge rests on three conical posts, which appear to be made entirely of loosely stacked natural stones.
January 9, 2026 at 6:29 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
A foxtail agave (Agave attenuata) halfway.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The image is dominated by a plant whose large, thick green leaves give rise to a trunk as thick as an arm, which curves upwards in an elegant S-shape. The shape explains why this plant is also called swan neck agave. It has already passed its zenith, and gravity is already forcing the inflorescence back downwards. At the top of the ‘neck’ you can see many green flowers that have wilted near the agave leaves. To the right of it, you can see a house built of natural stones, which houses public toilets next to a picnic area.
January 8, 2026 at 7:12 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
The waterfall in the gorge 'Barquinha' in Lomba da Maia. A place rarely visited by tourists because the hike leading there is very steep and therefore strenuous.
#WaterfallWednesday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The picture shows two small streams flowing into a small pond to the left and right of a rock within a gorge. All the rocks are covered with moss, algae, grasses and ferns; the spot is obviously rarely exposed to sunlight. A steep rock face rises up on the right. In the foreground are a few stalks of withered giant reeds.
January 7, 2026 at 4:59 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
The only sand beach of São Miguel's east coast in winter at high tide. Praia do Lombo Gordo (fat loin beach).
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The picture shows a narrow, small beach with dark sand and serious surf. On the left is the sea and a cloudy sky, on the right are brick changing rooms, toilets and a hut for the lifeguards. Behind it is a steep, almost vertical cliff that ends at the end of the beach. The cliffs are covered with bushes, grasses and shrubs.
January 6, 2026 at 6:12 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
A warm stream running through the Terra Nostra botanical garden.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The picture shows a narrow stream with yellowish opaque water. This is thermal water and can also be found in the park's big swimming pool. It contains a lot of iron and a little sulfur. On both sides of the stream, you can see some tree ferns and grasses.
January 5, 2026 at 7:07 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
Winter picture: Sky clearing up after a storm and heavy rain. Foz da Ribeira dos Caldeirões between Achada and Achadinha - looks different every time I visit.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
At the end of a small river, the viewer looks north towards the Atlantic Ocean, where a small wave, perhaps only 2 metres high, is breaking. The ground consists of grey rocks of various sizes and a small dammed pond formed by the river and waves. Scattered everywhere are pieces of wood, parts of tree trunks, branches and twigs that have been carried away by the river and thrown back by the waves of the sea. The sky is blue, with a few clouds. This estuary delta, which is only about 50 metres wide at most, takes on a different appearance after every heavy swell or heavy rain. The river and the sea work endlessly on it.
January 4, 2026 at 6:29 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
Looking up Cryptomeria japonica (Japanese Cedar) trees near the lake of São Brás.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The viewer stands in a forest of Japanese cedars and looks up at their treetops. The nearest tree is heavily moss-covered and, despite its height of approx. 40 m, is probably less than 50 years old. Cryptomeria japonica trees grow very quickly, are extremely light but with long fibres and are therefore very elastic. The main advantage is the resistance of the wood to mould, even in high humidity. The wood is also known as Sugi.
January 3, 2026 at 8:28 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
Winter atmosphere. View from the natural pool of Santo António to Capelas.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The image shows a breaking wave and a splash reaching vertically upwards. In the background is the opposite coast, where there are higher cliffs, houses (Capelas and São Vicente Ferreira) and low mountains of volcanic origin. The sky is heavily overcast, with low-hanging clouds.
January 2, 2026 at 6:14 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
New Year's Eve in the village of Furnas (200 m), seen from Salto do Cavalo (630 m). See ALT for more information.
#WaterfallWednesday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The picture shows a relatively small village at night, illuminated by sodium vapour lamps. Darkness surrounds the village, as it lies alone in a valley basin. Ground fog has formed along the small river that flows through Furnas because the water is significantly warmer than the surrounding area due to volcanic activity. The same applies, of course, to the hot springs located at the site of the larger fog accumulation in the centre of the picture. It was unusually cold when the photo was taken, with temperatures of probably only around 11°C down in Furnas. If you look closely, you can even see two blasting fireworks, which were obviously set off by private individuals. Furnas has very few inhabitants (but lots of tourists during the day), so there were obviously no public fireworks. Picture was taken 2023/24. The following two new year's eves have been too cloudy to see anything at an altitude of 630 m.
January 1, 2026 at 4:35 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
Another picture of the three-tier waterfall Três Bicas
#WaterfallWednesday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The viewer looks up from below at an enchanting three-tiered waterfall surrounded by plants.
December 31, 2025 at 5:41 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
In addition to my yesterday's pic: Monte Escuro - seen from the north
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The viewer looks into a gorge of a strikingly angular mountain, which is mainly covered with yellow-green mosses. To the left of the summit, you can see a short ridge with a narrow gap in the middle.
December 30, 2025 at 7:08 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
Monte Escuro - the quarry
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The image shows a mountainside that has been shaped into steps. This is a stone quarry that extracts the typical red, very light volcanic rock, which is used almost exclusively as gravel. On the ground beneath the wall, you can see the colour of the rock, which is covered with lichen from above. This quarry is located at an altitude of about 800 metres and is therefore shrouded in clouds most of the year.
December 29, 2025 at 6:25 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
Shadow play on São Miguel's highest mountains. View from the Miradouro da Tronqueira lookout point.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The image shows mountains completely covered with trees, shrubs and grasses, on which the few clouds in the blue sky cast shadows. In the foreground, you can see the endemic tree heath Erica azorica.
December 28, 2025 at 6:28 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
Nativity scene in the Furnas hot springs area with coloured illumination.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The picture shows several nativity figures made of painted plywood, illuminated at night. Between them, columns of steam rise upwards, some of which are also illuminated in different colours. The red-lit steam in the picture is controlled by a colour changer and illuminated alternately in red, blue, green, violet and yellow.
December 27, 2025 at 7:23 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
After almost 9 years in São Miguel, I heard of this waterfall only 2 days ago. It's located 5 km from our house. Cascata Três Bicas (three rundowns). Pic was taken yesterday.
#WaterfallWednesday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The picture shows a three-tiered waterfall in a forest. The gorge through which the stream flows is covered with ginger lilies. You can also see the invasive sweet pittosporum trees, which originate from Australia, and a plane tree, which is the only tree in the picture that has no leaves at this time of year.
December 24, 2025 at 6:18 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
Today's hike. Looking on the ascent from the Praia da Viola. Part of the hiking trail with the same name.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The viewer sees a steep slope above black volcanic rocks. There are the ruins of a watermill, small walls, a dilapidated hut made of natural stone, taro leaves, grasses, bushes, flowers, a multitude of small streams, a path that winds its way up in serpentines, and giant reeds at the top.
December 23, 2025 at 6:43 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
The Portinho (little harbour) of Fenais da Ajuda.
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The viewer looks down from an elevated vantage point onto a rugged rock formation of black lava rock that has hardly been eroded. To the left is the turquoise blue water of the Atlantic Ocean at low tide, to the right a slope covered with grass and bushes, along which runs a mule track. At the bottom, you can see a paved road that ends in the water, where small rowing boats were once launched. Further away, a fixed stainless steel ladder glitters in the sun, installed to make it easier to reach the natural swimming pool further to the left. Nevertheless, access is quite adventurous and is rarely used by children and young people.
December 22, 2025 at 7:07 PM
nobbrt.bsky.social
Picture from my home:
Another photo (from a different angle) of the Miradouro da Boca do Inferno
#Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
The viewer looks into a smaller and a larger volcanic crater, the bottoms of which are filled by a lake. In the foreground on the left is a clayey, well-trodden path leading to a viewing platform. The walls of the craters are forested. The village of Sete Cidades can also be seen in the large crater, as well as pastures and fields. The sun is shining brightly, but small white clouds drift across the picture at the viewer's level, lending the whole scene a mystical touch. In the background is the deep blue Atlantic Ocean.
December 20, 2025 at 5:38 PM