by Sarah and Darshana Year 11
We started our journey early, meeting at school for 5 a.m. to catch our flight. After a quick stop in Lisbon, we finally arrived in the Azores which is an archipelago in the mid-Atlantic and an autonomous region of Portugal. Once we reached the hotel, we relaxed with card games before heading to Tixico Restaurant, where we had dinner every night.
On day 2, our first stop was Furnas Village, which had a distinct smell due to the geothermal activity and we explored and learnt how the local population make use of the volcano. Later, we visited a tea plantation and watched the process of making black and green tea before tasting it ourselves.
On day 3, we started the day with a hike through a lush, mountainous area that was both challenging and beautiful. Afterwards we relaxed in natural thermal pools and ended the day with a visit to a pineapple plantation, seeing how pineapples are grown and then trying different pineapple flavoured foods such as sorbet and juice.
On day 4, our exploration continued with a visit to the caves and lava tubes, where we learnt about different types of lava and saw fascinating formations such as stalactites and stalagmites. We then drove up a mountain to see Lagoa das Sete Cidades, a twin lake in the crater of a dormant volcano.
On day 5, our adventure sadly came to an end. We had to wake up early for our flight back feeling a little sad to be leaving this beautiful place.
Our trip to the Azores was an amazing experience with something new and exciting every day and we all left with unforgettable memories and a new appreciation for the natural world.
Thank you to Miss Andrews for organising the trip and for all the staff who accompanied us: Miss Aldridge, Dr Cooke, Miss Holes, Mr Holbrook, Miss Naqvi, Ms Sparke, and Miss Tai.
