Christmas Holiday

Been away on holiday for Christmas in the Azores. Beautiful volcanic islands in the Atlantic, 1000 miles west of Lisbon in Portugal. First time we've been away at Christmas in 32 years!

Spectacular scenery, but a little disappointing as far as alternative technology is concerned. Didn't see a single wind generator or solar panel while we were there and yet the islands have plenty of wind and sun. There is also some volcanic activity in the form of hot springs and bubbling warm mud. The Azoreans do use the hot mud for slow pot cooking of some stews.

They do apparently generate 10% of their electricity from geothermal sources, but we didn't find where the power plants were. Thoroughly recommend Archipelago Azores who we booked with and found them to be very attentive. Everything went very smoothly, with no horror stories or delays.