All the Fancy Sidewalks

Settlement of the Azores dates back to the 1500s and 1600s.  You can see it in the architecture in the fort and colonial-era buildings.  The streets in Ponta Delgada are very narrow -- many of them one way -- and most are cobblestone including the sidewalks.

The sidewalks are what catch your eye.  Every sidewalk has an intricate pattern, with either white or black/grey stones.  They are not painted to look this way, but are actual individual stones.  It seems as though every time you turn the corner and walk on a new street, the pattern changes.  Some of the designs are simple and others quite intricate.  We've seen repairs being made in a a few different places, and it's stone masons and craftsmen at work putting the individual pieces in place.

We just don't build things like this anymore, so it definitely gives an even better appreciation of the work and skill it took to build the streets this way.  We haven't been to mainland Portugal, so I don't know if this is a Portuguese tradition or just something in Ponta Delgada or the Azores, but it adds lovely character to an already charming town.