PROTOTYPE ONLY: AZORES EXPRESS

Designing your blog

This prototype blog uses a Typepad template, with pre-set colors and graphics.  There are many other templates to choose from, or you may opt to have a designer customize a template to take on the graphic look of the Azores-Express.com.  I would recommend, however, something quite different and less corporate than the Azoress-Express.com look.

THE AZOREAN TRAVELER// Registro do curso/ Diário do viajante

This is just an example of the type of video we could ask travelers to produce for us.

TIP OF THE DAY/Ponta do dia: Volcano Watching and Other Adventures

Pico (Peak) is the obvious choice of name for the highest point in all of Portugal. The second longest island in the Azores, Pico remains largely forested. The volcanic explosions that built Pico are visible in the island's wild landscapes, soaring peaks, and black cliffs that drop into the sea. Hiking is abundant, and trails soar up the mountain and along the coast, with spectacular views. Ancient lava flows are frozen in solid rock, in areas called misterios. Pico is known for its excellent wine.

All along the coastal rim of the island, two foot walls shield the grapes from the sea and elements, to produce a unique vintage with a hint of lava. In the 19th-century, even the czars of Russia sent ships here to bring back the volcanic wines of Pico. Yet, it is the sea-faring culture that so defines this place. The sea, which this island dominates, drew people to whaling and now to tuna fishing.

TIP OF THE DAY: A Bit of History

A Portuguese sailor, Diogo de Silves, claimed the Azores for Portugal in 1427. Within 12 years, the Portuguese had charted seven of the islands, and in 1443 they built the first settlements there.

In 1452, Captain Diogo de Teive sighted the remaining two islands of Corvo and Flores. The settlement of the islands was broken into captaincies, with each captain responsible for bringing settlers and building infrastructure. The rich farmlands, abundant water, and mild climate made the Azores an inviting place for the new arrivals. They grew wheat and other grains, and soon found out that a wide variety of plants, collected by Portuguese explorers from around the world, could flourish.

TIP OF THE DAY: A little bit of background

Authentic Island Treasures, Four Hours Away

In the middle of the Atlantic, more than half way between New York and Portugal are the Azores islands. A couple thousand miles east of New York City, and scattered over several hundred miles of ocean, the nine islands of the Azores are the closest point in Europe to the United States. That means that a direct flight from Boston takes a mere four hours to reach them – closer than Las Vegas or Aruba.

Thrust out of the seabed by massive volcanic activity millions of years ago, the Azores mark the spot that the European, American, and African tectonic plates meet. Because the islands were created over a millennium ago, each is different both topographically and in terms of vegetation. Because the once uninhabited islands were settled over two centuries, the culture, dialect, cuisine, and tradition of each island varies noticeably.