Thread: Azores

Music and dancing

In spite of its distance from the other islands in the archipelago, the folklore of Flores keeps up the common tradition with typical songs and dances such as the Sapateia, Tirana, Chamarrita Encaracolada, Rema, Manjericão, Ciranda, Pézinho de Baixo and others that enliven festival days.
The musical taste of the population of Flores also finds an expression in the half dozen bands whose presence is a must at all ceremonies and festivals.

Traditional food specialities

Besides the meat and fish recipes that can be said to be "Azorean", since they can be found all over the archipelago, Flores also offers such local specialities as watercress soup, boiled pork with vegetables, tripe, yams with tasty sausages, beans with pigs head and pasteis de ervas marinhas.
The tasty cheese produced on the island, the soft creamy butter, and the delicious honey which has the scent of flowers always present on Flores throughout the year, complement the meals. Not forgetting of course the crabs, goose barnacles and limpets found on the rocks washed by the sea.

Folk art

Pottery art, which was centred at the villages of Fazenda and Lajedo, supplied the needs of Flores, but has unfortunately beer lost. The delicate embroidery and lace-work, the decorative objects made of colourful seashells and the blankets woven on simple looms are witnesses to traditions that are still kept up Wicker work, wood and rafia are also interesting expressions of craftsmanship. Rushes are interlaced to create objects of practical and decorative use, employing a technique that may possibly be of African origin. As transparent as poetry, the artificial flowers made from the pith of plants, are works of art made by skilful hands ... although they run the risk of disappearing since the technique is being forgotten by the younger generation.

Corvo

The bottom of volcanic cones with legends that speak of the unknown. Houses piled up the side of a ravine facing the sea. The vastness of the views. The simple, calm life of a small community. The charms of Corvo, a tiny island, a green drop in the greatness of a turquoise ocean.

Transport

The international air links of the Azores operate through the airports on São Miguel (flights from Continental Portugal, the United States, Canada and Madeira), Terceira (Continental Portugal, the United States and Canada) and Faial (Continental Portugal).

A regional airline Air Azores connects all the islands, and small and medium size boats (lanchas and cruzeiros) link up the various islands of the central group (only). It is possible to hire self drive cars in the main islands. Bus and taxi services are also available.

Volcanism

There are various signs of the volcanic origin of the islands, besides the volcanic cone and craters.

Deserving special mention are sulphur grottoes, with an underground lake (Graciosa), the volcanic cones of Furnas valley (Sao Miguel), the remains of the Capelinhos volcano (Faial), the sulphur grottoes next the "caldeira de Guilherme Moniz" (Terceira), the basaltic columns of "Rocha dos Bordoes" (Flores) and the grottoes and caverns, some of them hundreds of meters long, on the islands of Sao Miguel, Santa Maria, Pico, São Jorge and Terceira.

Tourism

The islands of Sao Miguel, Terceira, Faial and Pico offer a wide range of lodgings, from comfortable hotels to hospitable residential hotels, complemented by restaurants, bars and night clubs.

These are the main tourist centers in the Azores and serve as points of departure for those who want to get to know the archipelago. The other islands, except for Corvo, where it is possible to find lodging in private homes, all have hotel facilities and restaurants where you will be given a warm welcome.

Landscape

Each of the nine islands of the Azores has an individualized landscape. They have one point in common, however. The presence of luxuriant, exuberant greenery which includes all the colors of the rainbow and is speckled with bright flowers.

Then there are the wonderful lagoons at the bottom of craters. The irregular lands cut by hills and valleys and the flat areas with cultivated fields that look like a chess board. The constant presence of the blue sea which can be seen from the top of a high cliff on São Jorge or glimpsed on a level with the vineyards of Graciosa.

Whatever the time of year, lightweight clothing with one or two woolens for those cool evenings are all you'll need. Raincoats are recommended from October to April when rainfall is more frequent though a sunny spell is always just around the corner.

Azores Average Season Temperatures

Month Air Sea Jan - Mar 17,0ºC, 62.6 ºF 17.2 ºC, 63.0 ºF Apr - Jun 19.7 ºC, 67.5 ºF 18.8 ºC, 65.8 ºF Jul - Sep 23.9 ºC, 75.0 ºF 22.2 ºC, 72.0 ºF Oct - Dec 19.4 ºC, 66.9 ºF 20.5 ºC, 68.9 ºF