So, it is up in the air we go again. Destination: The Azores. Nine islands in the middle of nowhere, out in the Atlantic, created by plate tectonics, vulcanos and openings in the earth, an tropical Iceland so to say. Suggested by Melanie, when we were desperate for a honeymoon destination that was politically stable (Nepal was out at the time), not too hot (like Thailand, Laos, Italy, in fact, most places) or too cold (New Zealand in the footsteps of Aragorn and Tim Jackson). The Azores promise to be temperate if humid, have plenty of walking to offer, and are unusual enough for this special occasion.

Strangely, they don't seem to be on the tourist map yet. There are few hotels, some of them look plain ugly and like motels, rather than pretty and cosy homes in fascinating surroundings. On some islands, there are hardly any hotels to speak of, plus the islands themselves aren't regularly serviced by air, making the planning stage slightly complicated. The nine islands are spread over a considerable distance in the Atlantic, so that island hopping may sound attractive, but may not be compatible with our budget or time planning. What's more, general information on places and hotels is spare and limited to the prospectus, and we almost booked a hotel which according to reviews found online at the last minute didn't exactly come recommended. Our own favourite was fully booked, so we settled on Estalagem dos Canonigos on the main island. The main island, because it's big enought to allow plenty of exploring in two weeks should we not make it to other islands, and the hotel as it's located in a village which has a least some choice of eateries, bars and cafes, rather than being utterly isolated. So we hope to rent a car for a week only, and explore the immediate surroundings of the town of Nordeste by other means.

The flight is over 4 hours, and alarm bells rang when a friendly security person looking for explosives in our power adapter (he WAS friendly, really!) mentioned that the capacity of the plane was 48 and that so few people flew to the Azores that often the check in desk was not in use. But, this is no propeller plane, it has two proper jet engines even if only about a quarter of the seats are occupied. It feels special travelling to this place that is so unknown, raises eyebrows with travel agents and relatives, and has no tourist infrastructure to speak of.

The latter means for instance that there is now transfer to the hotel and that we have to splash out on a taxi. It also means that the latest bus to the capital leaves at 3pm. But not to worry, I'm sure we'll find ways and enjoy a relaxing stay. The books are packed, so is the laptop, MP3 player and the walking guidebook.