Bianca's maternal lineage is Portuguese — specifically the Azores.

Sinfully though, she had never been. But that is changing right now. We're all here, and I was fortunate enough to get an invitation. Thank you! One thing I didn't appreciate until recently is that a large majority of the Portuguese in Toronto (70%?) are of Azorean descent, particularly from the island of São Miguel (which is the largest and where we are right now).

This is the result of a major wave of immigration that occurred between the 1950s and 1970s, where Azoreans came for economic opportunity and to fulfill a labor shortage in Canada. This strong connection between Canada and the Azores can be found all around the island. In fact, the first restaurant we walked into had this plate prominently displayed on the wall:

As soon as I saw it I said to the owner, "I like your license plate!" And she replied with, "thank you, yes, Toronto!"

I've also been spotting Canadian flags all around the island, including this hybrid Portuguese-Canadian one:

São Miguel is a beautiful place with stunning landscapes, warm and welcoming people, and incredible food. (If you've had lapas grelhadas before you'll know that it's an optimal delivery mechanism for butter and garlic.) I'm excited to share my photos with all of you, both here on the blog and on Globizen's Instagram page. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the card reader for my Fujifilm, and so my best photos will have to wait until I'm back in Toronto.

Stay tuned.