Tuesday 4 August 2009

A visit to the Azores - São Miguel Island


Ponta Delgada, the main town.


A Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, the Azores islands have volcanic origins.
Lagoa do Fogo
Cryptomeria, the Japanese cedar, is a conifer extensively grown for its timber; the large trees here reach 70 m and cover the extint volcano hillsides:


Hot springs are mostly located in the center of the island. São Miguel has several stratovolcanoes, the largest of them Sete Cidades, Fogo and Furnas.

The Terra Nostra Garden, fed by hot sulphuric springs:

Tropical forest? No, just a local Nature Park.

Hydrangeas are considered to be a symbol of the archipelago and decorate roadsides:

The Northeastern coastal road has the best panoramic sights of cliffs and sea.

3 comments:

carlskou said...

So nice pictures from the Azores islands...I had to visit those islands some time...
Your friend Carl

Mário R. Gonçalves said...

Hello Carl, thanks. Do you know from where come the majority of foreign tourists in the Azores?
Right, from Denmark ! Lots and lots of blond danish...They really make a good choice, I think the Azores are second only to Faroë or Lofoten islands.

Rob B said...

Beautiful pictures of Ponta Delgada, Lagoa do Fogo and at Furnas Lake (love the picture of the church there).

August is a great time to go. But I hear the weather wasn't as good as usual this August...

All the best
Rob
www.magical-azores-islands.com