Set Sail To The Azores Islands
by: Rob Carlton
Being excellent navegators and having a deep desire to expland
its territories, The Azores Islands were founded by the Portuguese
in 1317. This is a clump of nine islands in the rough Atlantic
Ocean about 1,400 kilometers west of Lisbon, Portugal. As a curious
traveller, I always make it a habit of finding out how a city,
town or in this case an island got its name. The name Azores comes
from the name of a bird similar to a goshawk which is what the
first settlers thought they saw, but it turned out that what they
were seeing in abundance was just a type of eagle.
The nine islands that make up the Azores are called Santa Maria,
Sao Miguel, Terceira, Graciosa, Pico, Faial, Sao Jorge, Corvo
and Flores. As far as we know, they are all from a volcanic eruptions
and still seem to be active as far as registering seismic movements.
Culture, tradition and religion have always been closely linked
and therefore there is a tight tie between the festive celebrations
held all over the islands in the small chapels from the 26th of
August until the 31st. This celebration is to honour the Holy
Spirit which the islanders feel will protect them from any natural
disaster, especially the ones related to its volcanoes.
Of all territories that Portugal once possessed, only Macao,
the Azores Islands and Madeira still remain. Under the command
of Henry the Navegator, these islands became a very important
stop over for ships sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore,
they received visitors from all over the world who not only brought
riches and stories but also fruits, spices and plants. In 1420,
Henry sent settlers to the island of Madeira with plants that
he thought would grow well in the volcanic ground and in the mild
year round climate typical there; the grapevine and sugar cane
being the best product up until now, both heavily used in the
Portuguese cuisine and well as other spices like the black pepper
and cinnamon. But nowadays, the Azores have changed their tea,
tabacco and fruit fields for livestock and tourism.
Azores Islands and Its Third-Terceira
As its name well announces, Terceira was the third island discovered
by the Portuguese around 1450 having had as its original name
that of Island of Jesus Christ. At the beginning Praia was the
capital, being the first beach were the Flemish colonizer Jacome
de Bruges first settled. But as we all know, improvements were
made and they decided to use the town of Angra do Heroismo as
the new capital, probably because it was well protected by the
bay ( angro ) and the Brasil Mountain standing strong against
the ocean. Here, there is a 17th century castle called Saint John
the Baptist. All over the islands there are lagoons which look
like big cauldrons which offer a breathtaking view of its natural
surroundings. If I had to recommend one or two outstanding features,
I would probably describe the beautiful Se or Cathedral with its
bell tower decorated in blue, green and white tiles. Or even more
so are the curious windows that the houses still have, made from
stones in an arched formation with gaily painted frames such as
green, blue and yellow. And the glass in these windows look like
its cracked or iced.
Easy Come and Easy Go to Azores Islands
But as all practical traveller, the question of getting there
and accomodations is always an important aspect to look into when
planning a comfortable holiday. On all the islands, tourism is
very well cared for and the hotels are tops. You can choose between
sea front four star hotels to quaint rural house in the mountains
or simple campings. And in the location of Lajes on the Terceira
island and in Ponta Delgada in Sao Miguel island, there are airports
which have daily flights between them and to Lisbon on mainland
Portugal.
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