The Azores
Published in Woman's Weekly 15th July 2008
Published in Woman's Weekly 15th July 2008
The Azores
There is something seductive and alluring about the exotically named Portuguese islands of the Azores yet few people can recall where they are situated or wrongly imagine they are part of Lanzarote or Madeira. In fact, the nine volcanic islands of the Azores are located some 1,300km west of Portugal’s mainland in the middle of The Atlantic Ocean.
The volcanic formation of the islands has endowed them with a spectacular natural beauty of lush rolling green valleys, abundant flora, blue lakes, hot mineral springs and cobblestone ports which combine to form a truly diverse scenery. Blessed with year-round mild temperatures (between 14°C and 22°C) helps to make the Azores a wonderful destination for travellers who are looking to experience somewhere refreshingly different and unsullied by mass tourism yet still close to home. I dread to say the Azores is Europe’s best-kept secret but I cannot think of anywhere else where life still remains so refreshingly civil and unhurried.
For my father, a fresh faced 22-year-old navigator, the Azores became his base when in 1944 he was stationed at RAF Lagens (Lajes) on Terceira with No 269 Squadron. This represented a welcome, warmer alternative to his previous posting in Reykjavik in Iceland, although life on the Island was no holiday camp with tents for accommodation and very basic amenities. On several occasions, strong tropical storms accompanied by torrential rain ripped the tentage to shreds and for several weeks the newly completed hospital was used to billet some of the men.
Dad’s Coastal Command unit was engaged in “closing the Atlantic gap”, which meant weather and shipping reconnaissance, air-sea rescue and watching out for German U-boats although he claimed he never saw one.
Low level flying at up to 10 hours duration every third day meant dad didn’t get a lot of regular time off to explore the area and the only transport to the nearest town was by donkey-taxi!
Despite this, dad enjoyed his time amongst the friendly islanders who were very supportive towards the allied troops and there was a plentiful supply of local eggs and fruit to supplement the meagre wartime rations.
Inter-service football matches involving the local men were organised and the Squadron were allowed to visit the open-air cinemas on the nearby American bases.
Contemporary life on the Azores is still comparatively slow and getting around the nine Island’s would include spending a disproportionate amount of your valued time waiting at airports. A much better option is to concentrate on the largest and most diverse island, São Miguel combined with Santa Maria for your first visit and to save the other islands for return trips.
My first impression of Ponta Delgada, the capital city of São Miguel was of disappointment at the modern, nondescript suburbs housing local people who have been forced by the spiralling property prices in the old town to look further a field. An extensive on-going development alongside the harbour including a casino and some rather brutal concrete hotels did nothing to dispel my gloom at modern planning applications, yet there is still a heart beating within the cobbled streets of the old port.
Small, friendly cafes, tree lined squares with many impressive churches, convents and trim white houses recall the wealthy days when the port was a crucial staging post between Europe and the New World. A thriving fishing fleet and covered market selling specialist local products such as pineapples and teas provides a welcome backdrop to a spot of bargain hunting or people watching.
Watching of a different sort led me to one of the many whale and dolphin excursions that have become increasingly popular in recent years and a must for mammal lovers. The chance of sighting one of the largest creatures on earth in their natural environment was such an exciting prospect and one I had looked forward to for months. The whale-watching season runs from May to August and although our guide was optimistic, nothing is guaranteed and I’m afraid my group were unlucky, although the presence of dolphin groups, or “pods” alongside the boat certainly made up for any disappointment.
Try not to miss the opportunity to visit The Convent and Chapel of Our Lady of Hope, “Nossa Senhora da Esperança” generally known as “Convento de Esperança”. It is home to the magnificent statue of “Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres” Christ of the Miracles and many pilgrims come to see the image which visitors can view between 17.30 and 18.30 when a nun opens the gates to the chapel.
Ponta Delgada is a good base from which to make day tours of the rugged coast or visit the volcanic crater lakes and steaming thermal springs in the interior of the island.
I chose to book a day’s geological excursion with an English-speaking geologist to discover more about the landscape and how it was formed. We visited the Nature Reservation of Lagoa do Fogo (Fire Lake) - a must see for all nature lovers due to its elevated location around the island’s central mountains and features a huge crater lake formed by a volcanic eruption in 1563.
Where there are volcanoes, there must also be caves and the Azores has spectacular caves in profusion. Our guide took us to the Gruta do Carvão (The Coal Cave) beneath the surrounding district of Ponta Delgada and a designated National Monument after repeated attempts to bury it led to its protected status. It’s a fascinating attraction filled with extraordinary multi-coloured rock formations with weird shapes that almost appear organic. Access to the main part of the cave tube is relatively simple via the well-lit steeps at the small educational visitors centre and its well worth a visit.
The Azores offers little in the way of beaches, but the best can be found on tiny, southernmost island of Santa Maria. With daily flights from São Miguel, I took the opportunity to visit the island, the oldest in the archipelago where Christopher Columbus sought refuge in 1493 on his return from his voyage to America. Time seems to have stood still on this traffic free tranquil island featuring steep terraced vineyards and slender white chimneys that adorn the traditional homes of these Portuguese settlers. This utterly unspoilt and spectacular scenery makes an ideal destination for everyone who loves walking. Glorious rolling green fields filled with cows remind me of rural Wales and I enjoyed a leisurely half day taxi tour with the very knowledgeable and friendly Mr Fontes who greeted everyone we passed on our travels with a wave and a smile. Mr Fontes informed me that at one time he had been a sheep farmer on Santa Maria and had come over to England to export the famous Romney Marsh sheep for his flock. Try not to miss the walk up the 150 steps to the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Fátima and if all that climbing and pure fresh air gives you an appetite, don’t miss out on some of the specialities of the island, which include the sweetest lobster, limpets and barnacles you’ve ever tasted.
Mr Fontes also took me to Pico Alto, the highest point of Santa Maria and the scene of a great tragedy in 1989 when an American charter jet carrying Italian vacationers to the Caribbean crashed into the fog-shrouded mountain killing all 144 people on board. It seems impossible to believe that such a violent act could have taken place in such an idyllic place, yet there is a simple but touching monument to commemorate the dead.
Fact Box
Chris Parker travelled with Sunvil Discovery (020 8758 4722; www.sunvil.co.uk). A four-night stay at the four-star Hotel Colegio on the main island of Sao Miguel costs from £515 pp (two sharing). The price includes accommodation with breakfast, transfers and flights (Gatwick). A half day tour of Santa Maria including inter-island flights costs an additional £156 pp and a three-hour whale-watching trip on Sao Miguel from £34 pp. Sunvil Discovery can tailor-make itineraries throughout the nine islands of the Azores.
Websites:
www.visitportugal.com
www.visitazores.org
www.destinazores.com
Portuguese National Tourist Office
11 Belgrave Square,
London
SW1X 8PP
Brochure line: 0845 355 1212
Fax: 020 7201 6633
E-mail: info@visitportugal.com
There is something seductive and alluring about the exotically named Portuguese islands of the Azores yet few people can recall where they are situated or wrongly imagine they are part of Lanzarote or Madeira. In fact, the nine volcanic islands of the Azores are located some 1,300km west of Portugal’s mainland in the middle of The Atlantic Ocean.
The volcanic formation of the islands has endowed them with a spectacular natural beauty of lush rolling green valleys, abundant flora, blue lakes, hot mineral springs and cobblestone ports which combine to form a truly diverse scenery. Blessed with year-round mild temperatures (between 14°C and 22°C) helps to make the Azores a wonderful destination for travellers who are looking to experience somewhere refreshingly different and unsullied by mass tourism yet still close to home. I dread to say the Azores is Europe’s best-kept secret but I cannot think of anywhere else where life still remains so refreshingly civil and unhurried.
For my father, a fresh faced 22-year-old navigator, the Azores became his base when in 1944 he was stationed at RAF Lagens (Lajes) on Terceira with No 269 Squadron. This represented a welcome, warmer alternative to his previous posting in Reykjavik in Iceland, although life on the Island was no holiday camp with tents for accommodation and very basic amenities. On several occasions, strong tropical storms accompanied by torrential rain ripped the tentage to shreds and for several weeks the newly completed hospital was used to billet some of the men.
Dad’s Coastal Command unit was engaged in “closing the Atlantic gap”, which meant weather and shipping reconnaissance, air-sea rescue and watching out for German U-boats although he claimed he never saw one.
Low level flying at up to 10 hours duration every third day meant dad didn’t get a lot of regular time off to explore the area and the only transport to the nearest town was by donkey-taxi!
Despite this, dad enjoyed his time amongst the friendly islanders who were very supportive towards the allied troops and there was a plentiful supply of local eggs and fruit to supplement the meagre wartime rations.
Inter-service football matches involving the local men were organised and the Squadron were allowed to visit the open-air cinemas on the nearby American bases.
Contemporary life on the Azores is still comparatively slow and getting around the nine Island’s would include spending a disproportionate amount of your valued time waiting at airports. A much better option is to concentrate on the largest and most diverse island, São Miguel combined with Santa Maria for your first visit and to save the other islands for return trips.
My first impression of Ponta Delgada, the capital city of São Miguel was of disappointment at the modern, nondescript suburbs housing local people who have been forced by the spiralling property prices in the old town to look further a field. An extensive on-going development alongside the harbour including a casino and some rather brutal concrete hotels did nothing to dispel my gloom at modern planning applications, yet there is still a heart beating within the cobbled streets of the old port.
Small, friendly cafes, tree lined squares with many impressive churches, convents and trim white houses recall the wealthy days when the port was a crucial staging post between Europe and the New World. A thriving fishing fleet and covered market selling specialist local products such as pineapples and teas provides a welcome backdrop to a spot of bargain hunting or people watching.
Watching of a different sort led me to one of the many whale and dolphin excursions that have become increasingly popular in recent years and a must for mammal lovers. The chance of sighting one of the largest creatures on earth in their natural environment was such an exciting prospect and one I had looked forward to for months. The whale-watching season runs from May to August and although our guide was optimistic, nothing is guaranteed and I’m afraid my group were unlucky, although the presence of dolphin groups, or “pods” alongside the boat certainly made up for any disappointment.
Try not to miss the opportunity to visit The Convent and Chapel of Our Lady of Hope, “Nossa Senhora da Esperança” generally known as “Convento de Esperança”. It is home to the magnificent statue of “Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres” Christ of the Miracles and many pilgrims come to see the image which visitors can view between 17.30 and 18.30 when a nun opens the gates to the chapel.
Ponta Delgada is a good base from which to make day tours of the rugged coast or visit the volcanic crater lakes and steaming thermal springs in the interior of the island.
I chose to book a day’s geological excursion with an English-speaking geologist to discover more about the landscape and how it was formed. We visited the Nature Reservation of Lagoa do Fogo (Fire Lake) - a must see for all nature lovers due to its elevated location around the island’s central mountains and features a huge crater lake formed by a volcanic eruption in 1563.
Where there are volcanoes, there must also be caves and the Azores has spectacular caves in profusion. Our guide took us to the Gruta do Carvão (The Coal Cave) beneath the surrounding district of Ponta Delgada and a designated National Monument after repeated attempts to bury it led to its protected status. It’s a fascinating attraction filled with extraordinary multi-coloured rock formations with weird shapes that almost appear organic. Access to the main part of the cave tube is relatively simple via the well-lit steeps at the small educational visitors centre and its well worth a visit.
The Azores offers little in the way of beaches, but the best can be found on tiny, southernmost island of Santa Maria. With daily flights from São Miguel, I took the opportunity to visit the island, the oldest in the archipelago where Christopher Columbus sought refuge in 1493 on his return from his voyage to America. Time seems to have stood still on this traffic free tranquil island featuring steep terraced vineyards and slender white chimneys that adorn the traditional homes of these Portuguese settlers. This utterly unspoilt and spectacular scenery makes an ideal destination for everyone who loves walking. Glorious rolling green fields filled with cows remind me of rural Wales and I enjoyed a leisurely half day taxi tour with the very knowledgeable and friendly Mr Fontes who greeted everyone we passed on our travels with a wave and a smile. Mr Fontes informed me that at one time he had been a sheep farmer on Santa Maria and had come over to England to export the famous Romney Marsh sheep for his flock. Try not to miss the walk up the 150 steps to the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Fátima and if all that climbing and pure fresh air gives you an appetite, don’t miss out on some of the specialities of the island, which include the sweetest lobster, limpets and barnacles you’ve ever tasted.
Mr Fontes also took me to Pico Alto, the highest point of Santa Maria and the scene of a great tragedy in 1989 when an American charter jet carrying Italian vacationers to the Caribbean crashed into the fog-shrouded mountain killing all 144 people on board. It seems impossible to believe that such a violent act could have taken place in such an idyllic place, yet there is a simple but touching monument to commemorate the dead.
Fact Box
Chris Parker travelled with Sunvil Discovery (020 8758 4722; www.sunvil.co.uk). A four-night stay at the four-star Hotel Colegio on the main island of Sao Miguel costs from £515 pp (two sharing). The price includes accommodation with breakfast, transfers and flights (Gatwick). A half day tour of Santa Maria including inter-island flights costs an additional £156 pp and a three-hour whale-watching trip on Sao Miguel from £34 pp. Sunvil Discovery can tailor-make itineraries throughout the nine islands of the Azores.
Websites:
www.visitportugal.com
www.visitazores.org
www.destinazores.com
Portuguese National Tourist Office
11 Belgrave Square,
London
SW1X 8PP
Brochure line: 0845 355 1212
Fax: 020 7201 6633
E-mail: info@visitportugal.com
