The Azores · Nine Islands on the Sea

The Azores are a group of islands belonging to Portugal in the middle of the Atlantic, where the water is too deep to see the bottom, the islands lie a hundred kilometres apart, and the wind and waves have never stopped.

The volcano on Pico is the highest peak in Portugal; on Terceira there is a fortress that Spain and Portugal fought over for four hundred years. An old saying on the islands goes: there is more in the sea than on the land.

When local fishermen mention “the lights in the sea,” they say only one thing: if you see them, act as if you did not, do not go closer, and do not shine a light on them.

Natural Mysteries / Azores · Portugal / Time immemorial