Azores with Con Ginny-Al Tours

On my first trip to Europe in 1958, my mother and I sailed on the Italian liner MN Augustus from New York to Naples, with a one-day stop in Lisbon. The ship’s route took us through the Azores, approximately 1,000 miles off the coast of Portugal. We sailed through them around 8:30 in the morning, and I can still remember how beautiful and sparkling they looked in the bright morning sunlight, just like jewels in the water. I promised myself that one day I would return to explore those peaceful islands.

Never able to locate a tour to the islands, I had almost given up hope when, thanks to an ad I saw in ITN, I was able to realize my dream with a tour of all nine islands, the “Azorean Odyssey” tour from Con Ginny-Al Tours (101 First St. #417, Los Altos, CA 94022; 800/842-4955, www.azoretours.org).

The 3-week tour, June 12-July 3, 2006, cost $5,400 including round-trip air from Oakland, California, to Terceira Island in the Azores (they also have a 15-day, 5-island tour for $3,750 including airfare).

Ginny and Al Dutra of Con Ginny-Al Tours have been taking groups to the islands for many years and have perfected every aspect of the tour. Our group of 39 was made up of mostly people in search of their Azorean roots. Many of them found relatives and were able to meet and visit with them. It was exciting not only for them but for all of us to see how much this meant to them.

Ginny and Al schedule their tours during the biggest festivals of the year. The Sanjoaninas Festival on the island of Terceira with its 4-hour-long parades was spectacular, and Ginny and Al did an incredible job of making sure we saw and did everything wherever we went.

Part of Portugal, the Azores are a beautiful, peaceful, unspoiled corner of the world and are not a tourist Mecca — yet.

— JOSEPHINE GUILINO, Sacramento, CA