Some people travel to go hiking. Personally, I love traveling for the sheer thrill of what it is that you will find.
Hiking includes the benefits of exercise, yes. The landscape can be beautiful, yes. If you are a smart naturalist and can identify birds, insects and plant life, even better.
The island of Sao Jorge is a name & place I know of primarily for its INCREDIBLE CHEESE!! I've set foot on it during a boat trip to all the islands, and it is shaped like a giant loaf of french baguette. It rises steeply out of the ocean and up close it is immense and makes a human wonder how other humans scaled the heights and found places to live on the rugged terrain. There are villages which are not accessible by car. Only paths, known as canadas{caNAdas}. My mother says that it is a term exclusive to Sao Jorge, although I can remember going around Santa Maria with cousins who pointed to inaccessible villages there.
As for myself, I am a Transcendentalist, and believe that there is a layer of spiritual beauty on every patch of earth, whether one is aware of it or not. Wandering on a path in the middle of an ocean is one of the best ways to experience this. Everything together, including the stories, histories, experiences and ephipanies that you don't know can evoke a sense of wonder.
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The full link here:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/travel/08azores.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Hiking includes the benefits of exercise, yes. The landscape can be beautiful, yes. If you are a smart naturalist and can identify birds, insects and plant life, even better.
The island of Sao Jorge is a name & place I know of primarily for its INCREDIBLE CHEESE!! I've set foot on it during a boat trip to all the islands, and it is shaped like a giant loaf of french baguette. It rises steeply out of the ocean and up close it is immense and makes a human wonder how other humans scaled the heights and found places to live on the rugged terrain. There are villages which are not accessible by car. Only paths, known as canadas{caNAdas}. My mother says that it is a term exclusive to Sao Jorge, although I can remember going around Santa Maria with cousins who pointed to inaccessible villages there.
But there are many more layers to a path than can be immediately seen during a single visit. How were the paths made? What other humans traveled here, and why? This article in the NYTimes Travel Section makes brief mention of a path traveled by the author; "The walk is only two miles or so, but steep in places, and retracing his footsteps I came to appreciate the effort he made to court this woman some 50 years ago."
As for myself, I am a Transcendentalist, and believe that there is a layer of spiritual beauty on every patch of earth, whether one is aware of it or not. Wandering on a path in the middle of an ocean is one of the best ways to experience this. Everything together, including the stories, histories, experiences and ephipanies that you don't know can evoke a sense of wonder.
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The full link here:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/travel/08azores.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
