Is it true that in the Azores you’ll find picnic tables literally on the side of the road?

Yes, and not in a “nice organized park somewhere outside town” kind of way. I mean literally on the side of the road. You’re driving through a regional road, you take a curve, and suddenly there’s a small clearing with a couple of picnic tables and a built-in barbecue grill just a few meters from the asphalt. You park right there. No hiking trail. No entrance. No big sign. Just stop the car and start grilling.

Some of these spots are tiny, with one or two tables and a simple barbecue. Others are bigger and come with covered areas, bathrooms, and multiple grills for proper family gatherings. But the common thing is this: they’re everywhere, and they’re almost always ridiculously easy to access.

We built infrastructure around the idea that if the weather is decent and someone has meat and charcoal, that’s enough reason to stop and eat outdoors. It’s practical, it’s social, and it’s very Azorean. In most places you look for a picnic park. Here, the picnic park finds you while you’re driving.

So yes. If you see smoke coming from the trees next to the road, don’t panic. It’s probably just lunch.