From the 17th to the 22nd of July the Geography Department took students from L5-L6 to the Azores, Portugal. After our smooth flight with a layover in Lisbon, we met our lovely tour guide, Eduardo, and took a longer route to the hotel on the coach to get a preliminary glimpse of the scenic landscape. The first day consisted of a short hike around the picturesque Furnas Lake, taking in the wildlife and learning about the measures being taken against eutrophication. Beautiful hydrangeas lined both the green areas as well as the regular pavements and it was one of the reasons as to why the Azores was so scenic. We later learnt that the hydrangeas were brought in by a Japanese family and they had spread throughout the island, as well as a large population of adorable cats that would lay on the warm rocks and bricks lining the edges of farms.

In the following days we visited geothermal pools where we were to swim and relax. The two sites we visited were definitely a fan favourite activity within the group. It was amazing seeing the natural copper colour of the water, as we learnt from Eduardo that it was in fact minerals causing this colour!  After our dips we explored other areas of the town of Furnas and even ate corn on the cob that had been cooked in a hot spring with the geothermal heat - it was very delicious! Each day we had a packed lunch, so we were given the opportunity to eat at different locations of the Azores and take in more of the landscapes. 

We even tried natural running spring mineral water! It had a spicy and metallic taste that wasn’t to some people's liking but it certainly had a kick to it! Eduardo explained that people sometimes go to the spring with containers to fill with the water because of its amazing health properties.

We stopped by a viewpoint of Lagoa do Fogo (Lake of Fire) and completed a long hike where we climbed the tall hills of the Azores. Our reward was another dip in a Geothermal spring which was well deserved! A trip underground to walk through lava tubes formed 1500 years ago was also a highlight of the trip. We also squeezed in a visit to a pineapple plantation, where we were able to have freshly produced pineapple juice metres from the glasshouses where the fruit was grown.

We were fortunate enough to go on a whale watching expedition where luck was on our side! We saw a huge pod of dolphins alongside a group of Sei whales and a Sperm whale.  The crew told us that it is not a common occurrence that a trip is so successful. It was certainly a rush and an extremely memorable experience - definitely a core memory for us all!

Thank you to our Tour Guide Eduardo, Miss Hanna, Miss Perlowska-Goose and Mr O'Rourke for organising this amazing experience for us!

By Noor and Lydia (L6)