The remoteness of the archipelago of the Azores in the North
Atlantic has saved the nine beautiful green islands, which belong
to Portugal, from becoming overdeveloped. International flights do
make their way to the Azores, which lie 907 miles (1,460km) from
the coast of Europe, but as yet tourism has not spoilt the
traditional way of life of the islanders or marred the magnificent
natural attractions. Those who visit soon manage to drop the words
'stress' and 'pollution' from their vocabulary, and give in totally
to enjoying the islands' year round subtropical climate with mild
temperatures and high humidity. The only concern that might arise
is the odd earth tremor: the islands are rather geologically
unstable and pitted with volcanoes and hot sulphur springs. The
250,000 inhabitants seem unperturbed by this, however, and go about
their daily rounds much as their forefathers did hundreds of years
before. The daily business is generally agricultural labour. The
Azores is characterised by large tracts of vineyards and farmland,
sprinkled with little settlements of whitewashed houses. The gently
sloping hillsides are carpeted with vineyards and fruit orchards.
The coast of the islands is, in the main, rather rugged, but there
are bays and inlets with odd stretches of white sand for swimming
and sunbathing. Island hopping is simple to achieve because all the
islands are connected by ferry and local air services.
The remoteness of the archipelago of the Azores in the North
Atlantic has saved the nine beautiful green islands, which belong
to Portugal, from becoming overdeveloped. International flights do
make their way to the Azores, which lie 907 miles (1,460km) from
the coast of Europe, but as yet tourism has not spoilt the
traditional way of life of the islanders or marred the magnificent
natural attractions. Those who visit soon manage to drop the words
'stress' and 'pollution' from their vocabulary, and give in totally
to enjoying the islands' year round subtropical climate with mild
temperatures and high humidity. The only concern that might arise
is the odd earth tremor: the islands are rather geologically
unstable and pitted with volcanoes and hot sulphur springs. The
250,000 inhabitants seem unperturbed by this, however, and go about
their daily rounds much as their forefathers did hundreds of years
before. The daily business is generally agricultural labour. The
Azores is characterised by large tracts of vineyards and farmland,
sprinkled with little settlements of whitewashed houses. The gently
sloping hillsides are carpeted with vineyards and fruit orchards.
The coast of the islands is, in the main, rather rugged, but there
are bays and inlets with odd stretches of white sand for swimming
and sunbathing. Island hopping is simple to achieve because all the
islands are connected by ferry and local air services.
