Azores
written by bergantim
on April 27th, 2008
, one comment
(1 vote)
Azores – so, this is heaven. In any map, you can see some needles heads lost in the Atlantic Ocean over the central rift. People used to say that Azores are the tops of some of the tallest mountains on the planet and what remains from Atlantica.
The nine islands extend for more than 600 km in a northwest-southeast direction between Europe and North-America. The archipelago was discovered around 1427 by Portugal and the colonization started in 1439 with people mainly from the continental provinces of Algarve and Alentejo and in the following centuries settlers from northern France and Flandres. Several political regimens organized the archipelago but only 1976 it became the autonomous region of the Azores. Santa Maria and Sao Miguel are the eastern group; Terceira, Pico, Sao Jorge, Graciosa e Faial constitute the central group; Corvo and Flores constitute the western group.
- And what you can see there?
Sao Miguel is the biggest isle, there are lagoons, volcanoes (without activity), geysers and waterfalls. Santa Maria is a small isle, but it’s unique for its sedimentary origin and you can find there a small red desert. Terceira is culturally and architecturally rich area. Graciosa is small but gracious. Sao Jorge is a piece of land full of clefts and small villages by the sea, it also has a great cured cheese. Pico is the biggest Portuguese moutain with 2351metres (Pico’s wine is very good). Faial is the isle of yachts, there is the most important marina in Azores, Horta – you’ll find here a colourful mosaic of drawings and inscriptions on evoking yachts. In Corvo you travel trough time, it’s the smallest isle and in the centre you can find two breathtaking lakes at the bottom of a vast crater. Flores is famous for the amazing amount of flowers mixed with waterfalls and limpid blue lagoons. Furthermore you can do whale watching and participate in several activities such diving, speleology, paragliding, horse riding, flight sightseeing, trekking, scooters, mountain bikes, jeeps and golf. There are some great camps on Sao Miguel.
- So, are you convinced to travel to Azores?
During all year there are daily flights from Lisbon or Oporto, weekly flights from Boston, Toronto and Madeira. In the summer the number of flights available increase and there are charters from Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, Munich, London, Frankfurt, Dublin, Providence and Montreal.
Between the islands you can travel by air all time of the year and by boat in summer time (the central group has daily and weekly boats that connects each isle).
Nine isles, distributed in three groups, each one with different traditions and accents but sharing a sentiment of insularity and Atlanticism. The blue horizon always played a role in hope while the green landscapes sustain the relation with earth and insecurity of a new world beyond horizon. This paradoxal relation prompts Azoreans towards a future of uncertain… these isles are a scenery of surpassing beauty and it’s impossible not to go there once in a lifetime.
Well, get your bag, get your lomocamera, buy a map and a ticket to this paradise. As the publicity spot says – Azores, so this is heaven.
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