Eschewing mass tourism, Portugal's Azores archipelago is a slice of heaven on earth.

Like nine finalists in a Miss Universe contest, each breathtakingly beautiful yet distinctly different, the islands of the Azores strut their across an azure stage, separated from other lands by leagues of blue Atlantic Ocean. Some believe they're remnants of vhte lost continent of Atlantis, flung into the vastness of the Atlantic eons ago by wrathful gods.

Each of  the Azores' nine islands has its own distinct landscape and character