The subtropical archipelago of the Azores is a haven for botanical delights. The islands of Sao Miguel (the largest) and Flores, which translates into "flowers," are especially lush.

Boston - For centuries, the Azoreans have been leaving their flavor throughout New England.
From numerous types of sausage, such as blood puddings and linguiça, to rich cheeses and delicious sweet breads, the Azorean cuisine has left its taste on these shores.

It’s been almost 15 years since my first visit to the Azores. I was studying law then and was on my first diving trip, with all of eight dives written down in my brand new logbook. Six years later, I was living in the Azores. 

The world Travel Guide lists 5 of what they figure are the "Top Volcano Vacations in the world", from the unpronounceable Eyjafallajökull in Iceland, to our fave, Furnas in the Azores.

SÃO MIGUEL ISLAND, THE AZORES — Pedro Correia and his wife, Graça, had lived their entire lives on São Miguel, the largest of nine volcanic islands in the Azorean archipelago.

Walking is my favorite way to discover Europe's rural charm. It so happens that the Azores Islands are a tropical walking paradise not far from the eastern shores of the US.

It was more than three decades ago that I first visited the Azores, Portugal’s stunning mid-Atlantic archipelago of nine islands. I remarked then that those verdant, volcanic islands, with their precipitous cliffs, abundant fruits and flowers and bubbling sulfurous springs, were the loveliest “undiscovered” tourist destination that I had ever seen. And so it was with considerable trepidation that I returned last spring, knowing that Ponta Delgada on the main island of Sao Miguel had become a major cruise ship port, that golf courses had been constructed there, too. I feared that I would return to find high-rise hotels blocking the exquisite views I remembered over the green-blue sea.
 

A big part of travel is that feeling you get when experiencing something completely new, something you haven't seen or done before.

When Columbus made his expedition in 1492, Pico was considered a last outpost before you, well, fell off the earth—and it remains virtually unknown.

The Azores are composed of 9 islands of volcanic origin located about two thirds of the way between the east coast of the United States and Portugal. The Azores form an autonomous region of Portugal. The main attraction of the Azores is the immense beauty of the natural and human-modified landscape.