Leaving Azores - last photos from Azores

One more day and then we head off on the final 850 nautical miles of our trip across the Atlantic.  Hard to believe the Azores are only 3/4 of the way across the Atlantic. No additional crew to help on the final crossing.  I know lots of folks do it without help but it will be our first multi-night crossing with just our family.  Next post will be in a week or so from Lisbon!

We've loved our time in the Azores - below are our final photos from the four of nine islands that we have visited.  On San Miguel, it was all about volcanoes: we rented a car and went swimming in the geothermal springs, ate cozida, a meal cooked underground by the heat of the ground, and then hiked around the caldera. I was in near hysterics as the kids leaned on the rickety wood stick fences separated them from wildly boiling water and mud, but naturally I was the only one who ended up with a nasty steam burn.  The lack of danger signs and fences makes me wonder if they have any lawyers at all here.  On Santa Maria, we hiked the island from peak to ocean, visiting the church where Christopher Columbus and his crew attended mass on their return trip from America in 1493.  The highlight for the kids were the "Dr. Seuss trees" (blooming agave plants) and the perfect demonstration of how Portuguese and Spanish explorers helped spread plants around the world.  

mineral spings at Terra Nostra gardens

Boiling water and steam everywhere

little wood fence and boiling mud

food buried underground to cook

hiking the caldera

statue of Christopher Columbus across from church
he visited in 1493

typical Azorean town