Corvo, Azores

The Unlikely Atlantic Shelter on Corvo Island


crow in sight
Corvo Island seen from the semi-rigid that temporarily ensured the connection between Santa Cruz das Flores and Vila do Corvo.
View of the Cauldron
Visitors to the island of Corvo admire the Caldeirão.
in a sloping pasture
Trio of young cows graze on a slope on the edge of Lagoa do Caldeirão.
Atlantic vs Vila do Corvo
Cove below Vila do Corvo.
crow mills
Picturesque windmills on the edge of Vila do Corvo.
Old-fashioned milking
Mr. Rogério milks one of his cows by hand.
Inclined pasture II
Cow in the middle of the inner slope of Caldeirão do Corvo.
Nightfall over the Western Group
Night falls over Vila do Corvo and the island of Flores.
Standby
Dog of mr. Rogério waits for the owner's return, at that time, busy with a lengthy manual milking. Starlings flit in the sky above.
Patchwork from Azores
Walls and hedges divide the eastern slope of Ilha do Corvo below the Caldeirão.
The Homes of the Crow
Sector of the houses of Vila do Corvo with the Church of Nª Srª dos Milagres on the left.
The Caldeirão Pasture
Cows devour the tender pasture at the bottom of the Caldeirão on the island of Corvo.
On Duty
Cow in the middle of the inner slope of Caldeirão do Corvo.
sunset beyond the crow
Sun sets west of Corvo island.
17 km2 of a volcano sunk in a verdant caldera. A solitary village based on a fajã. Four hundred and thirty souls snuggled by the smallness of their land and the glimpse of their neighbor Flowers. Welcome to the most fearless of the Azorean islands.

If there were any doubts about the uniqueness of the island of Corvo, the trip from Santa Cruz das Flores tried to eradicate them.

Just over a year earlier, one of the hurricanes forming off the west coast of Africa took an unexpected turn. Instead of evolving towards the Americas, it pointed north. In the first days of October, “Lorenzo” swept the Western Group of the Azores, already weakened from the maximum intensity of three days before.

passed by the flower Island and to Corvo with gusts that exceeded 160 km/h. In Flores, the wind and waves caused substantial damage to the port of Lajes. They also ended up with the boat “Ariel” which, until the previous August, had ensured the connection to Vila do Corvo.

As we descended the steps to the pier, with the sun waking up in the east, some cranes were still finishing up the reconstruction of the port. From “Ariel” no sign. Instead, we found a semi-rigid, shallow but with powerful engines.

The sea was rough, carved by vigorous waves that punished the harbor.

For some time, we were still waiting for a real ferry to appear, a vessel that would impress us with its size, not the power of its engines. In vain.

We are the first to board. The helmsman orders from bow to stern. We were more exposed than we wanted.

At first glance, leaving the port seemed the quintessential complicated stretch. As soon as we leave the marine projection of Flores, the waves increase, change patterns. They subject us to semi-acrobatic navigation.

Corvo Island, Azores

Corvo Island seen from the semi-rigid that temporarily ensured the connection between Santa Cruz das Flores and Vila do Corvo.

Corvo Island in View

Also, 45 minutes of jumping between the lows and the dizzying peaks of the Atlantic, we enter the Vila do Corvo jetty, capital and unique town of the smallest of the Azorean islands.

We accept a lift shared with three other passengers. Already installed in the inn, with each new minute, we felt the anxiety of rising to what was, par excellence, the island's magical natural domain: its Caldeirão.

"But do you want to go now?" Mr. Noel asks us when we call him to ask for a taxi service. “As soon as I can, please. But why doesn't it work for you now?" we question it. “I'm there in ten minutes. It's just because I came from there a little while ago and everything was closed.” But do you usually close later in the afternoon?” “No, that up there you never know. Changes in minutes.” enlighten us. “Look, let's go now and see you soon. From here, we see the clouds sliding at great speed. There must be some sun breaks."

No sooner said than done. As we go up, Mr. Noel advises us not to venture along the shore. With well-founded reasons. Clouds and wind buffeted the top of the Cauldron. On its west side, the caldera cliffs measured 718 meters above the ocean. They were, in fact, one of the supreme coastal elevations of the North Atlantic.

The Vision of the Dazzling Cauldron of Corvo

Noel drops us off at the Caldeirão viewpoint, near the beginning of the trail that connected it to the bottom. And next to a jeep of the Vila do Corvo firefighters, with no sign of occupants but, by all indications, parked at the ready to help accidental walkers.

In the opposite direction, the wet gale irrigated the slope of the island facing the ocean, broken up by undulating smallholdings.

Contrary to what we feared, at that hour, the clouds barely entered the Caldeirão.

We give in to temptation. We walked north from the top of the shore, curious as to whether it would reveal an even grander panorama.

The improvisation lasts what it lasts. We realized that we were at the level of the cloud caravan and that the fog robbed us of the scenery. When we go down to get rid of it, we struggle with the thick vegetable mantle that covers the ground there, made of tufts of bryophyte plants, mossy and soaked.

Fed up with its traps and traps, we return to the viewpoint resigned to inaugurating the walk around the bottom of the Caldeirão.

Cauldron of Corvo Island, Azores,

Visitors to the island of Corvo admire the Caldeirão.

Finally, the Long Walk of Circum-Caldeirão

We complete a series of intricacies of the trail.

Until the sight of a few cows grazing almost at the top of the inner slope suggests special photographs and prompts a new improvised walk, along, above and below the curve of the shore.

Ilha do Corvo, Azores, cows graze in Caldeirão

Assorted breed cows graze the inland slope of Caldeirão do Corvo above.

Even despised by the bovines given over to the endless tender pasture, we take our photos there.

Corvo Island, Azores, cow in the Caldeirão

Cow in the middle of the inner slope of Caldeirão do Corvo.

We return to the trail. The descending zigzags bring us closer to an L-shaped wall. E, similar to the Azorean Ngorongoro, to a large multicolored herd of cows scattered through the grassland on the edge of the rounded margin of Lagoa do Caldeirão.

At intervals, patches of blue clashed with the foggy roof of the boiler. They appeared as solar blessings that generated green-gold projections on the northern slope of the crater and that made the surface of the lagoon glow.

Ilha do Corvo, Azores, cows graze in Caldeirão

Cows devour the tender pasture at the bottom of the Caldeirão on the island of Corvo.

We continued the trail outside. Among the cows. Then along the muddy shore of the great lagoon.

Reaching the west of the caldera, we find ourselves facing the walled version of its slope, also divided into geometric fractions by volcanic stone walls covered with lichens.

And the Even Longest Walk Back to Vila do Corvo

Almost two hours of photographic walk later, we were back to those who led to the top of the viewpoint. Even if our legs felt bad from the slope, we forced ourselves to make a pedestrian return to Vila do Corvo.

We are approaching a trio of streams that the Estrada do Caldeirão requires through an underground passage: the Riba da Ponte, the Cerrado das Vacas and the Lapa.

There, we notice a profusion of fig trees and other fruit trees, disputed by the biggest and noisiest colony of starlings that we have witnessed in many years of travel.

Starlings will not be your main attraction. The Raven is idolized by bird watchers of this world. After a good look at things, even the name of the island, it is estimated that it was adapted from what was already contained in XNUMXth century Genoese maps, Island Corvi Marini, justifies it.

There are abundant resident birds, both terrestrial and marine. The scale of many others, part of the migratory routes between Europe and North America, make the island an excellent ornithological destination.

The animal wealth of the Corvo also resides in its livestock specimens. A few hundred meters below, we were amazed at the massive size of some pigs installed in a remedied corral. Nearby, we came across a goat surprised by our sudden appearance.

The further we descend, the deeper we get into the rural facet of the island.

Corvo Island, Azores, rural patches

Walls and hedges divide the eastern slope of Ilha do Corvo below the Caldeirão.

The Rural Fellowship with Mr. Rogério Rodrigues

At the confluence of the road with Riba da Lapa, we return to its bovine domain. Despite three or four small farms in between, we noticed that a croaker was carrying metal jugs towards four cows of assorted breeds, isolated between walls and hedges.

Beneficiaries of childhoods in the countryside, we knew how much rural tasks had evolved since the far-off 80s. It was hard to believe that, even on the remote island of Corvo, cows were still milked by hand.

Determined to clarify the riddle, we set out on the intermural path that led to that summit. We introduce ourselves. We apologize for the invasion. Mr. Rogério welcomes us, puts us at ease and, while handling the teats of a Frisian cow, enlightens us. “Well, in a normal situation I wouldn't be doing it. But I just happened to have to milk these four. Even faster and easier with the machine, the work it takes to wash it afterwards doesn't pay.”

Corvo Island, Azores, manual milking

Mr. Rogério milks one of his cows by hand

We chatted for a good half hour. With saintly patience, mr. Rogério continues to answer us. It gives us a crash course in cow breeding and milk production on the island of Corvo: the advantages of raising Frisian or Holstein cows compared, for example, with Jersey and Guernsey cows, the fat content in milk and its value , among so many other teachings that we have retained forever.

The Last Stretch and the Magical Nightfall of Vila do Corvo

For us, we would have stayed a few more hours in that delicious conviviality, but soon it would get dark and we were still far from Vila do Corvo.

We say goodbye. We returned to Estrada do Caldeirão under the supervision of Mr. Rogério's dog, who accompanied us from the throne box of his own pick up, interested, above all, in a quick return from the owner.

Corvo island dog, Azores

Dog waits for the return of the Ravenclaw Sr. Rogerio from a lengthy manual milking.

We reach the panoramic point overlooking the fajã, with the sun about to set in the endless Atlantic west. From there, we contemplate the sunset and the twilight that always confirms it.

We see the fire-colored lights of Vila do Corvo illuminate its houses, squeezed in on the southern tip of the island, between the slope of the volcano and the almost amphibious runway of the airport. We still glimpse the distant glimmer of some Flores lamps, under a purple sky with rain.

Vila do Corvo, Azores

Night falls over Vila do Corvo and the island of Flores.

We went straight to an already urgent dinner. After which we let ourselves sleep, lulled by the soporific rumble of the Atlantic.

Village of Corvo. Capital and only village of Corvo Island

The morning autumn sun prompts us to order breakfast in three times and go back out.

Guided by the tower of the Church of Nª Srª dos Milagres, we head straight to Rua da Matriz. From where we go to the balcony over the port, the rocky cove with a privileged view of the houses that stretched up the steep slope above.

Vila do Corvo, Azores

Cove below Vila do Corvo.

We walked through its alleys and alleys, intrigued by the lines of the yellow garbage mini-vehicle, we wouldn't be surprised if Soviets.

We detoured to a street called Rego. Half-walled with the escarpment that encloses the village, a tile panel illustrates a more memorable episode than so many others in the history of Corvo.

In the blue and white engraving, blessed by a figure of Our Lady, ancestral corvins throw large pebbles down the cliff, onto newly disembarked infidel invaders.

The image alerts us to the fact that, throughout the colonization of their island, the Corvinos have overcome adversity far more serious than mere isolation.

Vila do Corvo House, Azores

Sector of the houses of Vila do Corvo with the Church of Nª Srª dos Milagres on the left.

The Discovery and Troubled Colonization of Corvo Island

Corvo and Flores were discovered by Diogo de Teive, on his return from his expedition to Newfoundland in 1452. From then on, the imposing Monte do Caldeirão started to serve as the North for navigators.

The pioneering colonization attempt only took place more than a century later, by about thirty inhabitants of the Terceira . Both this and the next ended with forced abandonment.

The success was only achieved in 1548, when Gonçalo de Sousa, donatary captain of the current Western Group, received permission from the Crown to start it with slaves – it is believed that they came from Santo Antão, Cape Verde, later, placed at the service of farmers and cattle raisers with proven results.

Mills in Vila do Corvo, Azores

Picturesque windmills on the edge of Vila do Corvo.

During the second half of the XNUMXth and XNUMXth century, as illustrated by the tile panel, Corvo was the victim of attacks and looting perpetrated by pirates from the Barbary.

When even these attacks did not deter the ravens from continuing on their island, it was realized that they had finally colonized it, with all their heart and soul.

This feeling of belonging, together with the natural and volcanic exuberance, make Corvo even more special in the Azores.

From Corvo, we returned to Flores. A few days later, when we landed on the Graciosa, we have completed our private discovery of the archipelago.

Flores Island, Azores

The Atlantic ends of the Azores and Portugal

Where, to the west, even on the map the Americas appear remote, the Ilha das Flores is home to the ultimate Azorean idyllic-dramatic domain and almost four thousand Florians surrendered to the dazzling end-of-the-world that welcomed them.
Pico Island, Azores

Pico Island: the Azores Volcano with the Atlantic at its Feet

By a mere volcanic whim, the youngest Azorean patch projects itself into the rock and lava apogee of Portuguese territory. The island of Pico is home to its highest and sharpest mountain. But not only. It is a testament to the resilience and ingenuity of the Azoreans who tamed this stunning island and surrounding ocean.
São Miguel, Azores

São Miguel Island: Stunning Azores, By Nature

An immaculate biosphere that the Earth's entrails mold and soften is displayed, in São Miguel, in a panoramic format. São Miguel is the largest of the Portuguese islands. And it is a work of art of Nature and Man in the middle of the North Atlantic planted.
Santa Maria, Azores

Santa Maria: the Azores Mother Island

It was the first in the archipelago to emerge from the bottom of the sea, the first to be discovered, the first and only to receive Cristovão Colombo and a Concorde. These are some of the attributes that make Santa Maria special. When we visit it, we find many more.
Terceira Island, Azores

Terceira Island: Journey through a Unique Archipelago of the Azores

It was called the Island of Jesus Christ and has radiated, for a long time, the cult of the Holy Spirit. It houses Angra do Heroísmo, the oldest and most splendid city in the archipelago. These are just two examples. The attributes that make Terceira island unique are endless.
Horta, Azores

The City that Gives the North to the Atlantic

The world community of sailors is well aware of the relief and happiness of seeing the Pico Mountain, and then Faial and the welcoming of Horta Bay and Peter Café Sport. The rejoicing does not stop there. In and around the city, there are white houses and a green and volcanic outpouring that dazzles those who have come so far.
Capelinhos Volcano, Faial, Azores

On the trail of the Capelinhos Mistery

From one coast of the island to the opposite one, through the mists, patches of pasture and forests typical of the Azores, we discover Faial and the Mystery of its most unpredictable volcano.
Graciosa, Azores

Her Grace the Graciosa

Finally, we will disembark in Graciosa, our ninth island in the Azores. Even if less dramatic and verdant than its neighbors, Graciosa preserves an Atlantic charm that is its own. Those who have the privilege of living it, take from this island of the central group an esteem that remains forever.
Cilaos, Reunion Island

Refuge under the roof of the Indian Ocean

Cilaos appears in one of the old green boilers on the island of Réunion. It was initially inhabited by outlaw slaves who believed they were safe at that end of the world. Once made accessible, nor did the remote location of the crater prevent the shelter of a village that is now peculiar and flattered.
Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Indonesia

The Volcanic Sea of ​​Java

The gigantic Tengger caldera rises 2000m in the heart of a sandy expanse of east Java. From it project the highest mountain of this Indonesian island, the Semeru, and several other volcanoes. From the fertility and clemency of this sublime as well as Dantesque setting, one of the few Hindu communities that resisted the Muslim predominance around, thrives.
Easter Island, Chile

The Take-off and Fall of the Bird-Man Cult

Until the XNUMXth century, the natives of Easter Island they carved and worshiped great stone gods. All of a sudden, they started to drop their moai. The veneration of tanatu manu, a half-human, half-sacred leader, decreed after a dramatic competition for an egg.
Castro Laboreiro, Portugal  

From Castro de Laboreiro to Raia da Serra Peneda - Gerês

We arrived at (i) the eminence of Galicia, at an altitude of 1000m and even more. Castro Laboreiro and the surrounding villages stand out against the granite monumentality of the mountains and the Planalto da Peneda and Laboreiro. As do its resilient people who, sometimes handed over to Brandas and sometimes to Inverneiras, still call these stunning places home.
Sistelo, Peneda-Gerês, Portugal

From the "Little Portuguese Tibet" to the Corn Presidia

We leave the cliffs of Srª da Peneda, heading for Arcos de ValdeVez and the villages that an erroneous imaginary dubbed Little Portuguese Tibet. From these terraced villages, we pass by others famous for guarding, as golden and sacred treasures, the ears they harvest. Whimsical, the route reveals the resplendent nature and green fertility of these lands in Peneda-Gerês.
Campos do GerêsTerras de Bouro, Portugal

Through the Campos do Gerês and the Terras de Bouro

We continue on a long, zigzag tour through the domains of Peneda-Gerês and Bouro, inside and outside our only National Park. In this one of the most worshiped areas in the north of Portugal.
Montalegre, Portugal

Through Alto do Barroso, Top of Trás-os-Montes

we moved from Terras de Bouro for those of Barroso. Based in Montalegre, we wander around the discovery of Paredes do Rio, Tourém, Pitões das Júnias and its monastery, stunning villages on the border of Portugal. If it is true that Barroso has had more inhabitants, visitors should not miss it.
Porto Santo, Portugal

Praised Be the Island of Porto Santo

Discovered during a stormy sea tour, Porto Santo remains a providential shelter. Countless planes that the weather diverts from neighboring Madeira guarantee their landing there. As thousands of vacationers do every year, they surrender to the softness and immensity of the golden beach and the exuberance of the volcanic sceneries.
Pico do Arieiro - Pico Ruivo, Madeira, Portugal

Pico Arieiro to Pico Ruivo, Above a Sea of ​​Clouds

The journey begins with a resplendent dawn at 1818 m, high above the sea of ​​clouds that snuggles the Atlantic. This is followed by a winding, ups and downs walk that ends on the lush insular summit of Pico Ruivo, 1861 meters away.
Paul do Mar a Ponta do Pargo a Achadas da Cruz, Madeira, Portugal

Discovering the Madeira Finisterre

Curve after curve, tunnel after tunnel, we arrive at the sunny and festive south of Paul do Mar. We get goosebumps with the descent to the vertiginous retreat of Achadas da Cruz. We ascend again and marvel at the final cape of Ponta do Pargo. All this, in the western reaches of Madeira.
Terra Chã and Pico Branco footpaths, Porto Santo

Pico Branco, Terra Chã and Other Whims of the Golden Island

In its northeast corner, Porto Santo is another thing. With its back facing south and its large beach, we unveil a mountainous, rugged and even wooded coastline, dotted with islets that dot an even bluer Atlantic.
São Jorge, Azores

From Fajã to Fajã

In the Azores, strips of habitable land at the foot of large cliffs abound. No other island has as many fajãs as the more than 70 in the slender and elevated São Jorge. It was in them that the jorgenses settled. Their busy Atlantic lives rest on them.
Residents walk along the trail that runs through plantations above the UP4
City
Gurué, Mozambique, Part 1

Through the Mozambican Lands of Tea

The Portuguese founded Gurué in the 1930th century and, from XNUMX onwards, flooded it with camellia sinensis the foothills of the Namuli Mountains. Later, they renamed it Vila Junqueiro, in honor of its main promoter. With the independence of Mozambique and the civil war, the town regressed. It continues to stand out for the lush green imposing mountains and teak landscapes.
Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beach
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

During a tour from the bottom to the top of Lake Malawi, we find ourselves on the island of Likoma, an hour by boat from Nkwichi Lodge, the solitary base of this inland coast of Mozambique. On the Mozambican side, the lake is known as Niassa. Whatever its name, there we discover some of the most stunning and unspoilt scenery in south-east Africa.
Duo of giraffes crossing paths above the savannah, with the Libombo Mountains in the background
safari
KaMsholo Bush Safaris, eSwatini

Among the KaMsholo Giraffes and Co.

Located east of the Libombo mountain range, the natural border between eSwatini, Mozambique and South Africa, KaMsholo has 700 hectares of savannah dotted with acacia trees and a lake, habitats for a prolific fauna. Among other explorations and excursions, we interacted with the largest of species there.
Thorong Pedi to High Camp, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal, Lone Walker
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 12th - Thorong Phedi a High camp

The Prelude to the Supreme Crossing

This section of the Annapurna Circuit is only 1km away, but in less than two hours it takes you from 4450m to 4850m and to the entrance to the great canyon. Sleeping in High Camp is a test of resistance to Mountain Evil that not everyone passes.
by the shadow
Architecture & Design
Miami, USA

A Masterpiece of Urban Rehabilitation

At the turn of the 25st century, the Wynwood neighbourhood remained filled with abandoned factories and warehouses and graffiti. Tony Goldman, a shrewd real estate investor, bought more than XNUMX properties and founded a mural park. Much more than honoring graffiti there, Goldman founded the Wynwood Arts District, the great bastion of creativity in Miami.
Salto Angel, Rio that falls from the sky, Angel Falls, PN Canaima, Venezuela
Aventura
PN Canaima, Venezuela

Kerepakupai, Salto Angel: The River that Falls from Heaven

In 1937, Jimmy Angel landed a light aircraft on a plateau lost in the Venezuelan jungle. The American adventurer did not find gold but he conquered the baptism of the longest waterfall on the face of the Earth
portfolio, Got2Globe, Travel photography, images, best photographs, travel photos, world, Earth
Ceremonies and Festivities
Cape Coast, Ghana

The Divine Purification Festival

The story goes that, once, a plague devastated the population of Cape Coast of today Ghana. Only the prayers of the survivors and the cleansing of evil carried out by the gods will have put an end to the scourge. Since then, the natives have returned the blessing of the 77 deities of the traditional Oguaa region with the frenzied Fetu Afahye festival.
Street Bar, Fremont Street, Las Vegas, United States
Cities
Las Vegas, USA

The Sin City Cradle

The famous Strip has not always focused the attention of Las Vegas. Many of its hotels and casinos replicated the neon glamor of the street that once stood out, Fremont Street.
Beverage Machines, Japan
Lunch time
Japan

The Beverage Machines Empire

There are more than 5 million ultra-tech light boxes spread across the country and many more exuberant cans and bottles of appealing drinks. The Japanese have long since stopped resisting them.
Indigenous Crowned
Culture
Pueblos del Sur, Venezuela

Behind the Venezuela Andes. Fiesta Time.

In 1619, the authorities of Mérida dictated the settlement of the surrounding territory. The order resulted in 19 remote villages that we found dedicated to commemorations with caretos and local pauliteiros.
Spectator, Melbourne Cricket Ground-Rules footbal, Melbourne, Australia
Sport
Melbourne, Australia

The Football the Australians Rule

Although played since 1841, Australian Football has only conquered part of the big island. Internationalization has never gone beyond paper, held back by competition from rugby and classical football.
Traveling
Annapurna Circuit: 5th - Ngawal a BragaNepal

Towards the Nepalese Braga

We spent another morning of glorious weather discovering Ngawal. There is a short journey towards Manang, the main town on the way to the zenith of the Annapurna circuit. We stayed for Braga (Braka). The hamlet would soon prove to be one of its most unforgettable places.
Camel Racing, Desert Festival, Sam Sam Dunes, Rajasthan, India
Ethnic
Jaisalmer, India

There's a Feast in the Thar Desert

As soon as the short winter breaks, Jaisalmer indulges in parades, camel races, and turban and mustache competitions. Its walls, alleys and surrounding dunes take on more color than ever. During the three days of the event, natives and outsiders watch, dazzled, as the vast and inhospitable Thar finally shines through.
sunlight photography, sun, lights
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Natural Light (Part 2)

One Sun, So Many Lights

Most travel photos are taken in sunlight. Sunlight and weather form a capricious interaction. Learn how to predict, detect and use at its best.
Boat sailing off the western coast of Spinalonga
History

Spinalonga, Crete, Greece

An Island Fortress Surrendered to a Leper Colony

Ever since it was occupied by Christians and Saracens, Venetians, Ottomans and, later, Cretans and Greeks, between 1903 and 1957, the arid Spinalonga was home to a lazaretto. When we disembarked there, it was uninhabited, but thanks to its dramatic past, it was one of the most visited places in Greece.

Cuada village, Flores Island, Azores, rainbow quarter
Islands
Aldeia da Cuada, Flores Island, Azores

The Azorean Eden Betrayed by the Other Side of the Sea

Cuada was founded, it is estimated that in 1676, next to the west threshold of Flores. In the XNUMXth century, its residents joined the great Azorean stampede to the Americas. They left behind a village as stunning as the island and the Azores.
Horses under a snow, Iceland Never Ending Snow Island Fire
Winter White
Husavik a Myvatn, Iceland

Endless Snow on the Island of Fire

When, in mid-May, Iceland already enjoys some sun warmth but the cold and snow persist, the inhabitants give in to an intriguing summer anxiety.
Visitors to Ernest Hemingway's Home, Key West, Florida, United States
Literature
Key West, United States

Hemingway's Caribbean Playground

Effusive as ever, Ernest Hemingway called Key West "the best place I've ever been...". In the tropical depths of the contiguous US, he found evasion and crazy, drunken fun. And the inspiration to write with intensity to match.
Nature
glaciers

icy blue planet

They form at high latitudes and/or altitudes. In Alaska or New Zealand, Argentina or Chile, rivers of ice are always stunning visions of an Earth as frigid as it is inhospitable.
Girl plays with leaves on the shore of the Great Lake at Catherine Palace
Autumn
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Golden Days Before the Storm

Aside from the political and military events precipitated by Russia, from mid-September onwards, autumn takes over the country. In previous years, when visiting Saint Petersburg, we witnessed how the cultural and northern capital was covered in a resplendent yellow-orange. A dazzling light that hardly matches the political and military gloom that had spread in the meantime.
Rhinoceros striped after leaving a lagoon full of slime.
Natural Parks
Mkhaya Wildlife Reserve, eSwatini

The Reserve of the Guaranteed Rhinos

Created in 1979 with the aim of preventing the extinction of precious cattle nguni, Mkhaya has taken on a mission that is just as important, if not more so. It preserves specimens of much of the region's threatened indigenous fauna. Particularly noteworthy are rhinos (white and black) that local rangers are proud to always reveal.
deep valley, terraced rice, batad, philippines
UNESCO World Heritage
Batad, Philippines

The Terraces that Sustain the Philippines

Over 2000 years ago, inspired by their rice god, the Ifugao people tore apart the slopes of Luzon. The cereal that the indigenous people grow there still nourishes a significant part of the country.
Zorro's mask on display at a dinner at the Pousada Hacienda del Hidalgo, El Fuerte, Sinaloa, Mexico
Characters
El Fuerte, Sinaloa, Mexico

Zorro's Cradle

El Fuerte is a colonial city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. In its history, the birth of Don Diego de La Vega will be recorded, it is said that in a mansion in the town. In his fight against the injustices of the Spanish yoke, Don Diego transformed himself into an elusive masked man. In El Fuerte, the legendary “El Zorro” will always take place.
Machangulo, Mozambique, sunset
Beaches
Machangulo, Mozambique

The Golden Peninsula of Machangulo

At a certain point, an ocean inlet divides the long sandy strip full of hyperbolic dunes that delimits Maputo Bay. Machangulo, as the lower section is called, is home to one of the most magnificent coastlines in Mozambique.
Burning prayers, Ohitaki Festival, fushimi temple, kyoto, japan
Religion
Kyoto, Japan

A Combustible Faith

During the Shinto celebration of Ohitaki, prayers inscribed on tablets by the Japanese faithful are gathered at the Fushimi temple. There, while being consumed by huge bonfires, her belief is renewed.
Serra do Mar train, Paraná, airy view
On Rails
Curitiba a Morretes, Paraná, Brazil

Down Paraná, on Board the Train Serra do Mar

For more than two centuries, only a winding and narrow road connected Curitiba to the coast. Until, in 1885, a French company opened a 110 km railway. We walked along it to Morretes, the final station for passengers today. 40km from the original coastal terminus of Paranaguá.
Tokyo, Japan catteries, customers and sphynx cat
Society
Tokyo, Japan

Disposable Purrs

Tokyo is the largest of the metropolises but, in its tiny apartments, there is no place for pets. Japanese entrepreneurs detected the gap and launched "catteries" in which the feline affections are paid by the hour.
Daily life
Arduous Professions

the bread the devil kneaded

Work is essential to most lives. But, certain jobs impose a degree of effort, monotony or danger that only a few chosen ones can measure up to.
Esteros del Iberá, Pantanal Argentina, Alligator
Wildlife
Iberá Wetlands, Argentina

The Pantanal of the Pampas

On the world map, south of the famous brazilian wetland, a little-known flooded region appears, but almost as vast and rich in biodiversity. the Guarani expression Y bera defines it as “shining waters”. The adjective fits more than its strong luminance.
Napali Coast and Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii Wrinkles
Scenic Flights
napali coast, Hawaii

Hawaii's Dazzling Wrinkles

Kauai is the greenest and rainiest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is also the oldest. As we explore its Napalo Coast by land, sea and air, we are amazed to see how the passage of millennia has only favored it.