“Seacoasts and Strawberries”
Saturday, June 11, 7:30 p.m.
“The Azores”… what an unusual name for a group of islands located in the mid-Atlantic Ocean, some 760 nautical miles off the coast of Portugal.
They were discovered in the early years of the 14th century by an adventurous Portuguese sea captain who was impressed by the birds found there. Since there were no other inhabitants, he named the islands after what he mistakenly thought were goshawks, (“açores” in Portuguese), a bird not found anywhere in the area!
The archipelago is made up of 9 islands, all formed by volcanic activity, giving each a similarity but quite distinctive. Historically they have had settlers of other origins, but the Portuguese, a seafaring people, have dominated them over the centuries.
During the 19th and 20th centuries in particular there was a mass emigration of the younger generation to the Americas. My grandparents on both sides were among those who headed for the New World.
Last February Mary Lou and I spent ten days island-hopping there and are looking forward to telling you more about our impressions.
This will be a fund-raiser for the new outdoor sign, so there will be a basket for your donations.
Dr. Dan De Silva
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