Tessera

Norbert, Açores

@nobbrt.bsky.social

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

320 Posts691 Follower 319 Folgt

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 3d ago

Picture from my homeland: Cascata do Risco. In the parish of Achadinha. Part of the hiking trail Padrão das Alminhas. #WaterfallWednesday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The picture shows a pretty little waterfall flowing into a pool. The rock faces are covered in vegetation. To the left, another small trickle runs down the rock face.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 4d ago

Picture from my homeland: Rosto do Cão (dog's face). #RockinTuesday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The picture shows an elongated, relatively tall rock that is somewhat reminiscent of an animal with a tail, with its back turned towards the viewer and its head raised as it gazes out to sea. The rock’s back is covered in low green vegetation. Several birds in flight are also visible.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 6d ago

Picture from my homeland: Clouds are reflected in the blue ocean behind the village of Mosteiros. #Stunday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The viewer looks down from an elevated vantage point onto the village of Mosteiros, which lies on the west coast of the island of São Miguel. The village is situated on what is known as a ‘fajã’ – a relatively flat strip of land at the foot of a steep slope. A fajã may have been formed by early volcanic activity or, more recently, by a landslide.
The landscape is a deep green and is surrounded by the deep blue Atlantic Ocean. The sky on the horizon is cloudless and blue, yet the reflection of white clouds can be seen on the water’s surface, although these clouds are not visible in the picture itself.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · last wk.

Picture from my homeland: Behind the waterfall - Cascata da Gruta. Only about 250 steps down from our house. Part of the hiking trail "Moinho do Felix". #WaterfallWednesday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The picture shows a waterfall cascading into a pool, viewed from behind. The pool is surrounded by steep rock faces, which are densely covered with algae, mosses, ferns and other plants. The water in the pool appears greenish.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2w ago

Picture from my homeland: The remnants of the Porto de Santa Íria. #RockinTuesday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The photograph shows a gorge between high, steep rock faces consisting of sedimentary rock, volcanic rock and conglomerate. It is backlit by the sun. A steep road winds its way from below, curving into this gorge. Some masonry ruins are visible beside the road. Prominently situated in the middle of the road stands an old, completely rusted winch, which was used to haul boats ashore. Perhaps even whales(?)
Access to this harbour is currently closed; it is due to undergo a very costly refurbishment over the next few years. I’m curious to see what it will look like then.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2w ago

Picture from my homeland: Lombadas valley, a truly fascinating place on São Miguel. #Stunday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The viewer looks out into a narrow valley which disappears from view as it curves to the right. The steep walls are covered in vegetation: mosses, grasses and ferns. The contours of the landscape reveal its volcanic origins. In the foreground are pampas grass and an area covered in ferns, with heather growing between them.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2w ago

Picture from my homeland: Lagoa Azul (Blue Lake) and Lagoa Verde (Green Lake), the village of Sete Cidades and random flowers. #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The picture shows the Sete Cidades crater as seen from the north (Miradouro das Cumeeiras). In the foreground is the larger, deeper and therefore blue lake; in the background is the smaller, shallower green one. The picture clearly shows where the names come from. You can also see the white houses of the village of Sete Cidades. The whole scene is surrounded by steep crater walls covered in lush vegetation. In the foreground are the blooms of hydrangeas, which are ubiquitous on São Miguel in summer.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 3w ago

Picture from my homeland: View of a day in October right behind our house. #sunflowers #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The picture shows a field of flowering sunflowers, with the deep-blue Atlantic Ocean in the background. On the left is an old but renovated white farmhouse.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 3w ago

Picture from my homeland: Salto do Cabrito waterfall. #WaterfallWednesday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The picture shows a waterfall emerging from a narrow gorge.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 4w ago

Picture from my homeland: Miradouro de Santa Íria with blooming belladonna-lilies. Those are currently blooming everywhere on the island. #Stunday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The viewer looks eastwards from an elevated vantage point towards the picturesque north coast of the island of São Miguel, characterised by several headlands. The landscape is green and dotted with pastures, bushes and trees. Scattered amongst them are a few villages. To the left lies the Atlantic Ocean. In the foreground are pink flowers in bloom, which the locals call ‘The girls are going to school’ because they suddenly start to bloom all over the island around mid-September, when the new school term begins.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 4w ago

Picture from my homeland: A view from the hiking trail »Rotas da Água - Janela do Inferno«. #ForestFriday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The picture shows a jungle-like woodland landscape and a short stretch of a forest trail. The main plants visible are tree ferns, ginger lilies, Japanese cedars and Pittosporum undulatum.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · last mo.

Picture from my homeland: Miradouro Ponta do Sossego. #Stunday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

One of the ten most visited viewpoints on São Miguel. From an elevated vantage point (a viewing platform built of red natural stone), one looks south towards the hilly, rugged coastline on the right, which is lushly overgrown with trees, tree heath, grasses and bushes. To the left, a good 100 metres below, lies the Atlantic Ocean. Directly at the viewer’s feet are parts of the park surrounding the viewing platform. You can clearly make out flowering hydrangeas, an Atlantic white cedar and Pittosporum undulatum.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · last mo.

Picture from my homeland: The overgrown ruin of a watermill in the forest. Part of the hiking trail Moinhos da Ribeira Funda. #ForestFriday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The picture shows a small stream running through a deciduous forest. It also shows a footpath and the remains of a building constructed from natural materials, which is completely overgrown with mosses, ferns and other plants.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · last mo.

Picture from my homeland: A common sight in São Miguel: Persicaria capitata (pink knoweed). #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

This image is filled entirely with Persicaria capitata plants, which can form large carpets in semi-shaded spots in the Azores. The plants have spherical pink flowers set amongst green, pointed leaves featuring a distinctive dark arrow-shaped pattern. They grow to a height of around 10–15 cm.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · last mo.

Picture from my homeland: The valley of Povoação. #Stunday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The viewer looks out over a valley dominated by lush pastures, which ends at a mountain range covered in dark forest. To the right, the valley opens out towards the ocean. The sky is blue; only a few low-hanging clouds drift into the picture from the left. A rainbow forms at the edge of these clouds, suggesting that the light drizzle so typical of the Azores – which is barely noticeable as such – is falling from them.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · last mo.

Picture from my homeland: Ribeira da Ponte Nova, which marks the western border of the parish in which I live. #ForestFriday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The photograph shows a shallow stream in a rocky bed, across which lies a fallen tree (Pittosporum undulatum). The stream is situated in the middle of a deciduous forest, whose undergrowth is dominated by the highly invasive ginger lily (Hedychium gardnerianum). The tree trunk and the exposed stones in the stream are covered in moss.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: A lovely little, nameless waterfall in the Grená park by Lake Furnas. #WaterfallWednesday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The picture shows, viewed from an elevated vantage point in a wood, a waterfall just a few metres high cascading into a small pool. The water reflects the surrounding woodland, giving it a greenish tinge. The rock face over which the stream plunges is covered in moss, grasses and other hanging plants. In the foreground on the left, the branches of two trees extend into the picture.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: It never ceases to fascinate me how a band of clouds forming over the island stretches out over the sea at a constant height, as if drawn with a ruler, and then dissipates there. #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The viewer looks eastwards over the crown of a deciduous tree towards the Atlantic Ocean. A band of white clouds stretches from right to left across the deep-blue ocean. The upper surface of the clouds is – as is typical of clouds – chaotic, whilst the underside, which hovers above the water, forms a straight line until the clouds dissipate a few kilometres from the coast. Furthermore, the bright reflections of the white band of clouds can be seen on the water’s surface.
These bands of clouds only form over the island when moist, warm air is lifted through the island into higher, cooler regions, where it condenses. This is one of the reasons why the Azores are so green...

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: Ponta da Ajuda on a clear day. #Stunday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

In bright sunshine, the viewer looks north towards the Atlantic Ocean. On the left of the picture is a rocky outcrop on which a red-and-white-striped beacon can be seen, surrounded by a wooden viewing platform. On the right in the foreground is tall grass, the sort one would normally expect to see on the North Sea coast. Further back, a spectacular wave some 5–6 metres high is just breaking on the otherwise calm-looking ocean, which shows only a slight swell driven by a low-pressure system situated much further north.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: View from Pico do Bartoloméu (887 m) across the Japanese cedar forests to Pico da Barrosa (949 m). #ForestFriday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The viewer looks out over a landscape dotted with small hills, which is strewn like a patchwork quilt with dark Japanese cedar forests, willows and, near the ocean, deciduous trees.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: View from Maia’s sandy beach at high tide. #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The picture shows a brilliant blue sky and a deep blue Atlantic Ocean with small waves breaking before the viewer’s eyes. On the right is a steep coastline covered thickly with vegetation, at the foot of which many waves are also breaking.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: A play of colours on the rock face. Looking from Ponta da Ferraria (São Miguel's westernmost point) towards Mosteiros. #RockinTuesday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The scene is dominated by a rocky cliff jutting out into the ocean from the right, which features many layers and areas of varying colours. Red tones predominate, but there are also yellowish and white areas. Grass grows in some places amongst them. In the foreground is the black, scree-covered headland of Ferraria. In the background is one of the small rocky islets off the coast of Mosteiros. The ocean is deep blue, and the sky is almost cloudless.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: The beacon of Fenais da Ajuda after sunset. #Stunday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The viewer looks out over the almost mirror-smooth Atlantic Ocean towards the sun that has just set. The sky is heavily overcast and displays a play of colours – yellow, red, orange and violet. The sea also reflects the remaining light in a strip that converges towards the viewer.
On the right is a red-and-white-striped metal pillar with a red flashing light at its top, which is just coming on. Distorted by the wide-angle lens, the beacon appears crooked, though in reality it is, of course, not.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: Looking down the descent to the beach »Praia da Viola«. The photograph from 2018 shows the ruins of the watermills, which have been restored in recent years. #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

From a height of a good 50 metres, the viewer looks down a steep slope towards the turquoise ocean, where a wave is just breaking.
Along the slope, one can make out several ruins of natural-stone buildings situated one below the other, a shoreline formed by large rocks, and some green vegetation. The structure in the foreground is the inlet for water, which then falls from a height of about 5 metres onto a horizontal millstone.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: Alpine foothills? No, it's the parish where I live, with São Miguel's highest peak (Pico da Vara, 1103 m) behind it. #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The viewer looks out across a meadow full of yellow composite flowers towards a striking range of hills with a clearly visible highest peak. The landscape beyond the meadow reveals maize fields, bushes, reeds and trees. A white farmhouse indicates that people live here. The mountain slopes are wooded. The sky is blue with tiny white clouds. The whole scene is reminiscent of a postcard cliché, as one might find in the foothills of the Alps in Upper Bavaria or the Allgäu.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: View down from the Miradouro da Ponta do Escalvado. #RockinTuesday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The viewer looks out over the steep rock face of a bay. The rocks are brownish and deeply fissured. Several freestanding towers can be seen, along with some ore veins and large boulders that may have come from a landslide. A seagull flies across the picture. Above the rocks is sparse vegetation, of the sort that tends to grow in the Azores in highly saline environments. The water is blue-green, and a few rocks can be made out in it.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: A part of the north coast at sunrise. #BlueSkyMonday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The viewer looks down from an elevated position onto the eastern half of São Miguel’s northern cliffs, which consist of headlands covered in lush green vegetation and rise towards the east. Behind them, the rising sun and a narrow band of clouds against the blue sky.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: Lagoa do Fogo, seen from the north. #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The picture shows an irregularly shaped crater lake, into which two wooded headlands jut out. It is one of the most photographed views of the Azores. The surrounding, relatively low crater walls are heavily overgrown with grasses, shrubs and ferns. The lake owes its name, Lagoa do Fogo (Lake of Fire), not to its volcanic origin, but to the fact that it is shrouded in clouds most of the time, or rather that clouds drift across it at the viewer’s eye level, reminiscent of smoke.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: Cryptomeria japonica forest above lake São Brás. #ForestFriday #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The picture shows a tree stump about 1 m high, roughly three-quarters of which is covered in moss from the bottom up. Behind it stands a forest of Japanese cedars, which are deliberately planted very close together so that – apart from the crown – they lose their branches.

Norbert, Açores @nobbrt.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Picture from my homeland: An illuminated rocky outcrop at the Lagoa do Fogo. #Açores #Azores #Azoren #SãoMiguel #photography #landscape #landscapephotography

The viewer stands on a gravelly strip of shore and looks out over the waters of a mountain lake of volcanic origin. A short distance away, less than 50 metres, rises the densely vegetated slope of the lake. The shore displays the ribbed shape typical of volcanic craters in this area. The water itself and a protruding volcanic rock are illuminated by the sun, whilst the rest of the slope lies in shadow. The water is light green near the shore and then changes abruptly to a dark sea-green.