The Azores lie in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and belong to Portugal. Surrounded by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, the archipelago lies 1000 miles from Lisbon and 1200 miles from Newfoundland in Canada, and has developed its very own ecosystem. The weather on the Azores is so unpredictable, they say you can experience four different seasons in one day. The myths and legends surrounding these magical isles date all the way back to Plato’s story of the lost continent of Atlantis. The most visible landmark is the 10,000 ft. Pico, Portugal’s highest mountain, eternally enveloped in clouds. Above and below water, a unique flora and fauna have emerged on the Azores, including the rarest bird in Europe, the Azores oriole, and 80-ft. long fin whales, which hunt giant sardine schools, in concert with birds and dolphins. Humpback whales come to the fish-rich waters to breed and raise their young, as do the dolphins. And the underwater volcanoes continue on land in the form of huge craters and steaming geysers. An amazing island paradise between the continents.