From the Azores With Love

From the air, they were a handful of green gems cast by a kindly fate in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

I was looking at nine wayward islands, an archipelago only a four and a half hour flight from Boston. The richest green and gently rolling hills I’d ever seen,

The Azores are still culturally unpolluted, vibrant and dramatically beautiful.

Rather ignored by tourist, they’re an ideal destination for travelers seeking unspoiled nature, and an authentic travel experience for curious travelers seeking an authentic destination and rich Portuguese traditions.

I’d never seen so many hues and tints of green covering the hills and mountains.

Courageous, early-spring flowers accent the land and kept us company the short ride from the airport.

The fields divided, then subdivided, then mysteriously, divided again by timeless-looking walls of rocks, criss-crossing the rolling hills in mesmerizing patterns.

White stucco houses with orange-tiled roofs were random gathering places for slow moving cows blinking lazily at the few passing cars.

It’s a scene that will be replayed over and over again as the islands reveal themselves as places of serene but dramatic beauty.

In the longer distance, mist-clad hills are bordered by pink flowers and occasional crops of calla lilies.

And at nearly every point on the island, the sea is visible.

For some reason the Atlantic Ocean is blue-tinged here.

Maybe it’s the way the light slants on the in-coming, white-crested waves. Could be the refection from the green hills, but for whatever reason the combination of colors is eye-popping.

The islands are completely unselfconscious about their authentic charm, with nothing “cute” or “touristy” about them.

The heart of the Azores is is Portuguese, but it has the soul of an island village.

The black and white cobble stones of the sidewalks and streets are arranged in intricate and vivid patterns. They’re spotless.

The small, and twisty streets flow into town plazas, quiet places, ideal meeting spots for knots of people to catch up on the latest gossip.

The houses and shops are typically pastel and stucco, wrought iron balconies adding some depth and dimension to the simple but pleasing facades.

If one end the street leads to the plazas, the other end always leads to the sea.

The sea is everywhere.

It’s a pervasive presence, the defining character in the lives of these honest, modest, but caring people.

Once fishing was king here.

Today, the Azores are moving toward a service economy where tourism plays an increasingly major role in the islands’ economic health.