This has been a wonderful week. No work, just holiday. My friend and I went to the Azores, and what a place it is to explore. Whilst there, one feeling kept returning to me again and again: awe.
Exploring the island made me realise just how extraordinary the world around us is. The Azores were shaped by volcanic activity over centuries, creating a landscape that is both dramatic and beautiful. People live within and around these volcanoes which, thankfully, are dormant at the moment.
With the help of a guide, we travelled by jeep up and around the edge of one of the island’s most famous volcanic craters, Sete Cidades. We ventured where tour buses and most visitors in hire cars would never reach. High in the wilderness, we looked down into the crater below.
Standing there was almost otherworldly. Before me were the twin lakes, Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde, their waters shimmering in slightly different shades. Alongside them sat a peaceful village, nestled within the crater itself. Imagine living inside a volcano crater. It seemed almost unbelievable.
The volcano is still considered active, although it has not erupted since around 1444 and is carefully monitored. Walking through the village and along the lakeshore, I found myself repeatedly looking up at the huge crater walls surrounding us. From the bottom, the scale of it was breath taking. I felt very small compared to the enormous landscape around me.
It was quite simply, AWEsome.
Later, we travelled to the coast and watched the wild Atlantic Ocean crashing against the shoreline. A storm had recently passed through, and although the skies had cleared, the wind remained strong and the sea was still raging. Watching the waves crash against the cliffs was both beautiful and humbling.
The sea has a way of reminding us just how powerful nature can be. Standing there, looking out at the vast ocean, I once again felt small in comparison to the forces around me.
The following day, we visited Furnas, an area famous for its geothermal activity. It was another reminder of how extraordinary our planet truly is. Steam rose from the ground, water bubbled and boiled beside the road and people went about their daily lives with this remarkable natural phenomenon on their doorstep. Imagine that!
One of the highlights was swimming in the thermal pools. The water was naturally heated by the earth and rich in iron, turning my swimsuit, knees and toes orange for a while! Floating or kneeling in the warm water felt almost unbelievable. The day before, I had been watching the wild Atlantic Ocean crashing against the coastline. Now, I was relaxing in water heated by the very earth that had created the island itself. The contrast of the calm and the wild was once again awesome.
We also tasted water from natural springs. It was slightly fizzy, rich in minerals and unlike anything I had experienced before. Everywhere we went, there were reminders of unseen forces shaping the landscape beneath our feet.
As I took it all in, I felt incredibly lucky to be there.
What struck me most about the Azores was how often I found myself simply stopping and staring. We spend so much of our lives occupied with our day to day lives, tasks, schedules and responsibilities. Yet standing on the edge of a volcanic crater, watching storm-driven waves pound the coast, or relaxing in waters warmed by the earth, none of those things seemed important at least for a while.
Instead, I felt awe. Awe at the power of nature. Awe at the beauty of the world around us. Awe at the thought of people living within this remarkable landscape every day.
And perhaps most of all, awe at being reminded of how small I am in comparison to it all.
Surprisingly, the feeling of smallness wasn’t a bad feeling, instead it was comforting. It put things into perspective. All that is going on it made my to do list seem less urgent and insignificant.
Sometimes wellbeing isn’t about doing more, achieving more or understanding more. Sometimes it comes from simply pausing, looking up and appreciating the incredible world we are part of.
This holiday reminded me being in awe is good for the soul. It slows us down, helps us out of our own thoughts and encourages us to be present in the moment. It takes us out of ourselves for a while and reconnects us with something much bigger. The power and the awe of nature.
We spend so much time focusing on our own little corner of life we can forget how extraordinary our planet really is. Standing inside a volcanic crater, watching stormy waves and bathing in water warmed by the earth itself reminded me of wonderful nature and our planet.
Sometimes wellbeing isn’t found in doing more, fixing more or understanding more. Sometimes it begins with simply standing still and saying WOW!
Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week. Look after you.
Love Emma xx
