Welcome to the first issue of the ezine for www.magical-azores-islands.com. I am really happy to be able to share my passion for the Azores Islands with you.

In this Issue

• A little bit about me
• About the Azores
• Azores Beaches
• Uncle Frank and Aunt Gail's photo Gallery
• A preview of the next issue

Enjoy!

(by the way, if you are receiving the text only version this ezine, the links may not work. Sorry!)

A little bit about me

I am a Canadian who enjoys vacationing in the Azores. I visited the Azores for the first time over 20 years ago and I have gone many times since. My extended family account for at least a hundred combined visits to the islands. And we have family there to this day (more distant cousins). In case you didn't see it on the site, my dad immigrated to Canada in 1958 from the Azores with his parents and siblings. That's why we have distant cousins there and why I know about the Islands. That's not the reason we go so much though. We go so much because it truly is a magical place.

I hope to bring you a reasonably objective outsider's perspective on the Azores while having enough experience and contacts to be able to give you "insider" information required to make your visit(s) to the Azores a success.

This months highlights

About the Azores - Are you wondering what the Portugal Currency is? Or what the language is? Or just a summary about the nine Azores Islands? Then visit this link about the Azores for common questions about the archipelago.

Beaches - Are you anxious for some fun in the sun on your vacation and wondering what the Azores Beaches are like? Just click the link for a few pictures of some of the beaches I have visited there. I will tell you that the best time to go is June, July or August if you want to hit the beaches. I can also tell you that the Azores is not the place to go if you want a guaranteed heat wave. The climate is quite moderate. Rarely too cold, and it usually does not get extremely hot like a Caribbean destination would. This is not to say that they do not enjoy good beach weather. It's just not the same as places like Cuba, Mexico etc.

Azores Photo's - My Uncle Frank and Aunt Gail sent me some of their favourite pictures from their most recent trip to Sao Miguel. I easily filled three pages with them! Click here to see page one: Azores Photo Gallery. From there you can easily get to pages two and three of their pictures. I love the road sign picture on page 3. It explains just how hilly and curvy the roads are in the Azores.

Frank and Gail also have some amazing pictures from a vacation in 2007 that I want to bring to you soon. They went for an afternoon of sailing and got some great pictures of whales that were very close to the boat! I'll let you know when I get them up on the Magical Azores Islands website

Coming Next Month

Stay tuned for Magical Azores Islands Ezine #002. It is coming this time next month. Here's a sampling of what you can look forward to.

1. More on Furnas - I plan to bring you more pictures from the Furnas area. I will show you pictures of how a Cozida is cooked (a pot of stew placed in the ground and baked by the thermal heat).

And I will show you what I discovered in the middle of Furnas Lake that made me think twice about being out on a paddleboat in a volcanic crater.

2. Pictures by MR. A Photography - MR. A Photography is someone who I have traveled to the Island with on two occasions. He's a fantastic photographer and I am excited to be able to feature some of his pictures of the Azores on the site. Take this one for instance:

This is at Fire Lake. He took it after three of us hiked down. It was an overcast summer day with a bit of light rain. He captured one of the views in great fashion. Don't you think? Just wait until you see some of his other shots next month!

3. My hike to Fire Lake - I will share our experience of hiking down to fire lake with you. It was a great day for it and the totally undisturbed landscape was incredible. I dipped my toes in the lake and felt the soft sand. I can't wait to share it with you ... I better get to work!

In the near future

• My top recommendation for Accommodations in the Azores


• An opportunity for YOU to share your favorite Azores Pictures and experiences


• My Azores sailing excursion - including an incredible experience with a pod of dolphins


• Great natural swimming pools that are worth a visit


• A source for maps of the islands that you can take with you on your vacation

Thanks again for subscribing to this ezine! Feel free to check in at www.magical-azores-islands.com frequently. I am thoroughly enjoying making this site for you and hope you like it enough to share with people you know who might be interested in this little known archipelago.

Sincerely

Rob Belchior