Ponta Delgada in São Miguel is the principal shopping centre in the Azores, with the best selection of shops in the archipelago with couple of souvenir shops and a large supermarket, looking very out of place in the narrow cobbled streets and among old-fashioned shops. Angra do Heroísmo in Terceira is not far behind, despite the effects of the 1980 earthquake, and Praia da VitOria is the best place for souvenir-hunting in the islands.
Local Specialities
The Azoreans’ most famous craft is their embroidery work (bordados), typically using blue thread on white cloth. Heavy linen bedspreads and tablecloths made from flax grown in the islands are another speciality, as are the thick, brightly coloured woollen jackets. As in Madeira, basketwork (obra de Vimes) is on sale everywhere, and there are the usual cheerful ceramics so typical of the Portuguese craftsman. And unique to the Azores are the whaling souvenirs, from scrimshaws to full-size harpoons. Scrimshaws are a dying art, involving the whittling and etching of whale bone and teeth, usually with scenes representing the romantic struggle between man and the sea, harpooner and whale.
Food
Visitors who choose a self-catering holiday in the apartment hotels have no trouble finding fresh meat, fish, dairy produce, vegetables, fruit etc, either in local shops or at the nearest market. Familiar pack¬aged goods, however, are seldom available, so if you simply cannot live without Wakey-Wakey Corn Crisps in the morning, remember to take a supply with you. Prices of virtually everything that is not imported are comparatively cheap by our standards, although inflation affects the Azores just like every other part of the modern world.
