While touring the countryside over the past few days we have seen four common methods of defining property boundaries.
Two were inorganic - stone walls and lava rock walls. Neither of these types were surprising in composition given that Sao Miguel is a rocky, volcanic island. The number and length of these walls was incredible and spoke volumes about the long history and agrarian nature of this island.
The other two dividers were organic - one some sort of tall, leafy hedge and the other hydrangeas hedges.
Passage through these living walls is sometimes a cut or a simple arch, but at other times a framed door has been incorporated into them. Our guide told us that the hydrangea property dividers are confined mostly to the western third of the island. This is apparently by tradition since we saw hydrangeas growing in abundance all over the island.
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