FURNAS is a handsome, brightly painted village lying in the shadow of the volatile volcano after which it was named. It wouldn’t look out of place in the Pyrenees. Except it’s in the middle of the Atlantic, a thousand miles west of Lisbon and a good way east of New York, in a place where the Earth’s bowels erupted 20 million years ago, blasting nine sharp volcanic fragments into the briny.

The world is finally wising up, and the Azores are rapidly getting more popular. It’s places like Furnas, nicknamed “The Hydropolis of the World,” that make the archipelago so appealing -- it’s built literally on top of an active volcanic crater, and is scattered with geysers, fumaroles, and hot springs. 

Secluded in the middle of the Atlantic, sits a series of nine Portuguese islands called the Azores.  Still relatively undiscovered by modern tourism, they radiate a Mediterranean charm and simplicity.  I sojourned over a long weekend on the second largest island called Terceira.

FOR A CASUAL SPECTATOR, the scene at the marina in the Azorean village of São Mateus da Calheta looks like a typical summer evening on the water.

O Geoparque Açores é composto por 121 geossítios que representam a enorme geodiversidade do arquipélago.

TEATIME ISN’T SUPPOSED to be a chemistry lesson. It’s supposed to be about sipping tea and snacking on deliciously sweet cakes, discussing simple things. The words “oxidation” and “molecules” don’t usually enter into the conversation.

These days it seems everyone is flocking to Portugal. The whole world has suddenly discovered what we locals have known for a long time: Portugal is an amazing country!

Keep summer alive with a quick jaunt to this lush Portuguese archipelago’s biggest city.

Twin Portuguese Island archipelagos are Europe's best keot secret.