If you travel west fromthe Portuguese capital of Lisbon, you’ll findyourself in the Atlantic Ocean. But keepgoing for about 1,400 kilometers, and onyour way to New York, you’ll find a groupof islands called the Azores.
Made up of nine main islands, the Azores are part of Portugal, but they lookvery different from the mainland. The islands are sometimes called the “Hawaii ofEurope”because of their beautiful landscapes1, volcanoes2,and waterfalls3.
If you visit, you’ll probably fly into Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores,on the main island of Miguel. While there’s lots to do on this island, it’s alsoeasy to get to the other islands from here.
If you like the outdoors4, the Azores are for you. On each island, you can find hiking paths5 across beautiful landscapes and coastlines6. And if you want somethinga bit more difficult, Mount Pico—a volcano found on the island of the same name—isnot only Portugal’s highest point, but the third highest volcano in the Atlantic.
If you prefer the sea, visit the islands’beaches or go scuba diving7. TheAzores are home to more than 3,000 kinds of ocean animals, and there are manyshipwrecks8 to visit.
The Azores also have one of the largest whale sanctuaries9 in the world, withmore than 20 types of whales and dolphins—and you can go on a whale-watchingtour to try to see them.
If you want something more relaxed, you can visit one of Miguel’s volcanichot springs. The small villages of Jorge are also a must-see. Found at the bottomof cliffs10, for years people came to these villages by boat, but many of them nowhave roads going down to them.
如果你從葡萄牙首都里斯本向西旅行,你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己置身于大西洋。但繼續(xù)前行約1400 公里,在前往紐約的途中,你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)一群名為亞速爾群島的島嶼。
亞速爾群島由九個(gè)主要島嶼組成,是葡萄牙的一部分,但它們看起來與大陸非常不同。這些島嶼有時(shí)因其美麗的景色、火山和瀑布而被稱為“歐洲的夏威夷”。
如果你去參觀,你可能會(huì)坐飛機(jī)到位于圣米格爾主島上的亞速爾群島的首府蓬塔德爾加達(dá)。雖然這個(gè)島上有很多事情可以做,但從這里去其他島嶼也很容易。
如果你喜歡戶外運(yùn)動(dòng),亞速爾群島正適合你。在每個(gè)島上,你都可以找到穿越美麗風(fēng)景和海岸線的徒步旅行路線。如果你想要更困難一點(diǎn)的東西,皮科火山———在同名島上發(fā)現(xiàn)的火山———不僅是葡萄牙的最高點(diǎn),也是大西洋第三高的火山。
如果你喜歡大海,可以去島上的海灘或去玩水肺潛水。亞速爾群島是3000多種海洋動(dòng)物的家園,還有許多沉船可供參觀。
亞速爾群島還擁有世界上最大的鯨魚保護(hù)區(qū)之一,有20 多種鯨魚和海豚———你可以參加一次觀鯨之旅,嘗試去看看它們。
如果你想?yún)⒓痈潘傻幕顒?dòng),可以參觀圣米格爾火山溫泉。圣喬治的小村莊也是不容錯(cuò)過的景點(diǎn)。它們位于懸崖底部,多年來人們乘船來到這些村莊,但其中很多村子現(xiàn)在通了路。
(英語(yǔ)原文選自:engoo.id)