Winding Down in Azores

May 2024

Can you experience withdrawal from a sudden absence of cheese, cured meats, and wine? After 10 days in Morocco and careful consideration... we decided that it wasn't worth the risk to our health and headed back to Portugal (proof that you can talk yourself into anything haha)! We flew west above the Atlantic Ocean and landed down on the archipelago of Azores; lush Portuguese islands nicknamed "Europe's Hawaii". We felt a little island time was the perfect way to wind down after the fast pace and stimulation of Morocco. 

We spent the next few days reading by the pool, playing cribbage on our patio, and exploring the island. The cool May weather made swimming a little nippy but also made for perfect hiking conditions. We headed to the western most corner of the island for a hike and were rewarded with stunning views of Caldeira das Sete Cidades, a volcanic crater that now houses a system of bright bluish/green lakes.

So you know how when you try to describe a beautiful place and it just doesn’t do it justice…well we’re gonna give it a go anyway. The Azores is one of the greenest places we’ve been, with lush pastures filled with grazing cows that had bells around their necks. The mountains offer great hiking with waterfalls, views, swimming holes and Tatum’s favorite part…chickens on the trail!! Each town has its own church that’s painted white with black trim, and a small café ready to serve up an espresso or a beer. Here are some photos that better illustrate what the hell we are trying to describe (this writing thing is hard)...

Well... that's all folks! What can we say, we were relaxing by the pool! 

Our time in the Azores was the perfect way to wrap up our epic Portugal/Morocco adventure. We enjoyed reflecting back on the places, experiences, and people that made it such a memorable trip. We both agree that this was our most adventurous trip since our time in Southeast Asia. We flew back to the USA with full hearts and satisfied wanderlust. 

With Love,

   Boots Abroad

Corbin’s

   Highs: relaxing, massage, tennis, and hiking

   Lows: having it be too cold to get into the ocean, missing the hot springs

Tatum’s

   Highs: playing tennis, cliffside ocean views, relaxing, massage

   Lows: dodging chickens on our waterfall hike

Bloopers… Dive-bombed!

Natural swimming pools are a really cool place to hang out… unless there happens to be a bunch of swallows nesting in the surrounding rocks. We went to check out the pools and got dive-bombed by the momma birds, sending us scampering back to the safety of our man-made, less cool, hotel pool.