Graciosa, Azores

Her Grace the Graciosa


The Mount-Crater of Help
Monte da Ajuda Crater, near Santa Cruz da Graciosa.
Starlings at Ponta da Barca
A flock of starlings flies around the Ponta da Barca lighthouse.
franc ceraolo
The main volcanic expression of the island of Graciosa, its great Caldeira.
Praia Bay or São Mateus
The target houses on the beach front, with the edge of the Caldeira above.
Lighted Pasture
Herd of cows graze on a hill inside the Caldeira da Graciosa.
Sunset on Monte da Ajuda
Hermitages of Monte da Ajuda gilded by the imminent sunset, west of Graciosa.
walled pastures
The walled smallholdings characteristic of the Azores in general and also of Graciosa.
salty swimming
Swimmers in a natural marine pool in Carapacho.
The Caldera II Tunnel
Light at the end of the tunnel that leads into the great Caldeira da Graciosa.
walk over wall
Two passersby cross each other on the wall that protects Praia from the waves of the Atlantic.
The Great Boiler
The main volcanic expression of the island of Graciosa, its great Caldeira.
Traditional Mills
One of the many traditional mills that used to grind Graciosa cereals.
Santa Cruz in the Far
View of Santa Cruz da Graciosa from one of the Chapels of Monte da Ajuda.
walled pasture
Cows enter one of Graciosa Island's many walled pastures.
End of the Last Sun
A resplendent sunset west of Ponta da Barca
finishing touches
Fishermen repaint the stern of the "Magda Benjamin".
Furna Tower
The mossy tower that houses the staircase that leads to the bottom of Furna do Enxofre.
An Unexpected Bullring
The bullring of Monte da Ajuda, at the bottom of the homonymous crater.
graceful donkey
One of the seventy or so donkeys that survive on the island of Graciosa.
Srª da Luz Chapel
Srª da Luz Chapel, high above Praia, or São Mateus.
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.

It was almost eight at night. We were entering one of the Casas at Quinta do Fragoso.

As we approach, the headlights reveal three or four Frisian cows. Delighted to devour the soft, damp grass of the front garden, they blocked our access to the door.

We were forced into a special expulsion operation that left them mooing in a bad mood. They returned after a few minutes and curled up right there for the night. Too tired to beat them, we decided to enjoy their ruminant company.

We had already come from almost two weeks in the Azores. Cows had become part of our days but this new way of having them almost like a sofa company, came as a fun novelty.

We were coming from a stormy sequence where we only got the calm on the last day of São Jorge.

In Graciosa, from the first morning on, we found ourselves treated to a delicious Azorean Autumn-Summer.

Once Again, the Omnipresent Azorean Cows

As soon as we descended from the clearing of Quinta do Fragoso to the National Road 1-2 that goes around the island, we returned to socializing with the cows.

A large herd was traveling along a stretch of asphalt, exiting onto a path. It was enough time for us to leave the car and indulge in some photos and lively chatter with the owners.

Graciosa, Azores, herd of cows

Herd of cows in a single file and on their way to a pasture in the interior of the island.

Despite the attention that the cattle demanded of him, Mr. Humberto and his wife talked to us with all the sympathy that Graciosa could grant us. “Look, I'm here with 70 cows. Last year, I had to kill twenty. We don't like it, but the rules of the European Union are there, here in the Azores there is a lot of milk. Where is the bull?”, Mr. Humberto asks his wife. Confronted with his disappearance, he apologizes and runs up the path.

We would soon see him behind the wheel of a classic John Deere tractor, one of our favorite brands, right after Massey Ferguson with whom we shared much of our childhood on earth.

From Alto do Sul where we were walking, we traveled to the shallower south, below the patch of minifundios of different tones in which the island's interior unfolds.

At times, this agricultural pattern gives way to the coastal, semi-detached and multicolored houses of Carapacho.

Graciosa, Azores, Carapacho

Carapacho's semi-detached and multicolored houses. place of spas and natural pools.

A Rejuvenating Pass through Vila Termal do Carapacho

The village is above all famous as a beach and spa resort. We were, however, already well out of Estio and the spas remained closed.

We peek at the natural pools below. Out of nowhere, three expats show up, undress and enjoy an, apparently usual, morning sea bath.

The example proved tempting. In three times, we also send our dives, swim a few laps, savor the tepid Atlantic as and while we could.

Graciosa, Azores, swimming pool

Swimmers in a natural swimming pool in Carapacho.

When we got back to the car, the sun that was still rising over the horizon warmed us and recharged our batteries.

We went up to Carapacho Lighthouse. Its promontory reveals three very distinct views: towards the southeast, the islets and rocks and, at the top, Ponta da Restinga.

Back and forth, where we had come from, the houses of Carapacho, set between a rough slab of black lava and a long verdant slope.

Graciosa, Azores, Carapacho

The houses of Carapacho on the edge of a slope below the Caldeira da Graciosa.

Rival Panoramas from the Carapacho Lighthouse

Above, inland opposite Ponta da Restinga, rose the wide cone of Graciosa's most exuberant volcanic formation, the Caldeira Massif (405m), large enough to occupy the entire southeastern third of the island, arranged around a vast Boiler, 1600m long by 900m wide.

We would ascend from there and descend into its depths. From the vicinity of the lighthouse, we limited ourselves to contemplating its walled slope, and the edge of the summit combed by a forest of cedars. A duo of black oxen with tonnage and intimidating bull looks seemed to guard the Caldeira.

Graciosa, Azores, oxen below the Caldeira

Two black oxen seem to block access to the edge of the Caldeira, next to the Carapacho Lighthouse.

We point to the next village. Officially named São Mateus, the parish is best known for its historical name of Praia, whose main location is Vila da Praia or Porto da Praia. The reality we found there still does absolute justice to both baptisms.

São Mateus, or Praia. An elegant town and the beach in Ilha Graciosa

A long promenade that follows the curve of the bay is delimited by white houses, of which the church of São Mateus stands out. The houses are sprinkled with one or another facade in pastel tones in harmony with the golden sand.

There is a consensus among Gracienses that Porto da Praia has the only decent sandy beach on the island. When we walk over the long wall that protects the houses from the Atlantic, we see it invaded by a tide of fine algae that piled up to the point of holding back the waves.

Graciosa, Azores, Beach

The target houses on the beach front, with the edge of the Caldeira above.

Walking outside, the wall becomes a higher wall that, in addition to the current of houses, protects a series of cafes and esplanades, extending to streets and alleys, sometimes to the Rua dos Moinhos de Vento, which houses two of dozens of examples of the island, these, converted into peculiar rural accommodations.

We pass over the portico that opens onto the beach. We unveil the town's port domain and, from the top of the pier, the pronounced rounded shape of its seafront and the outlines of the edge of the Caldeira, a plane above the village's roofs.

Ascension to the Great Caldera of Graciosa Island

It was time to go up to the Caldeira. Along the way, we turned only to the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Saúde, with the infallible purpose of being dazzled by the opposite perspective of Praia: that of the distant village, imposed by the sea, beyond an extensive walled patchwork, furrowed by canes, sometimes pasture, sometimes with other crops and that the sun and clouds gilded or shaded at will.

Graciosa, Azores, Praia, São Mateus

Coastal houses of Praia, or São Mateus.

We left the chapel deserted as we had found it. We return to the road and to the bucolic countryside of Graciosa. We climb the slope to Fonte do Mato. From where we proceed to Canada Longa, on the verge of Furna da Maria Encantada. We started walking again.

A steep, zigzag path leads us to a kind of portico opened up because, in the island's volcanic youth, lava overflowed the crater's rim.

Graciosa, Azores, Boiler

The main volcanic expression of the island of Graciosa, its great Caldeira.

Inside, we noticed that the growing trees had blocked much of the view around the caldera. By contrast, the chirping of birds sounded and resonated with chilling intensity.

We hear you. We let ourselves be enchanted by its unexpected symphony.

Graciosa Island, Azores, Maria Encantada Cave

Indication to a panoramic tower on the edge of Caldeira da Graciosa.

Soon, we return abroad. We went around the edge of the caldera, always climbing, to an observation tower that revealed the vast southern part of the island.

We saw Ponta Branca, Luz and Alto do Sul, where we had started the day. And, as had happened from the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Saúde, new and gracious small farms and houses in Gracios.

Entering the Caldeira and the Descent into the Enigmatic Depths of Furna do Enxofre

But a real incursion into the Caldeira was needed. We return to the car. We pass through the rough, orange tunnel that leads to its core and complete the road that skirts the Styx's inner lagoon.

Graciosa, Azores, Caldeira Tunnel

The tunnel that leads to the interior of the great Caldeira da Graciosa.

The entrance to the Furna do Enxofre complex holds us back. It was the most mystical of the Caldeira's depths. A new walk was thus required, passing through the Visitors' Center building, considered the headquarters of the Biosphere Reserve and the Natural Park of Graciosa.

This new trail leaves us at the top of a spiral staircase (with 183 steps), closed by a mossy tower, with a window on each of the levels.

Each of the windows deepens the view of the great lava cave we were entering.

Graciosa, Azores, Furna do Enxofre

Visitors look at the entrance to the Furna do Enxofre cave.

Finally, at the bottom, we glimpsed a lagoon on which a rowboat floated. It turns out that this pond hides a fumarole that can release carbon dioxide in dangerous concentrations. It will be the main reason why we find the access to the banks of the lagoon fenced.

We admire the Julian panorama around us, with a mainly visual fascination. Not so much the scientific that led French naturalists and researchers, including Prince Albert of Monaco, to explore the cave at the dawn of the XNUMXth century.

From Porto Afonso to Convivio with Franco Ceraolo and his Donkey Association of Graciosa

From the cave of Furna do Enxofre and the great Caldeira da Graciosa, we pass to the tiny ones of Porto Afonso, deepened into the reddish cliff of the inlet by fishermen who have long sheltered their small fishing boats from the storms and destructive waves there.

Graciosa, Azores, Porto Afonso

One of the artisanal fishing boats kept in one of the Porto Afonso caves.

In the undertow that had swept the central group, the sea remained choppy. A single solitary visitor surveyed the state of the sea from the port's jetty.

Graciosa, Azores, Porto Afonso

Graciosa resident enjoys the sea in Porto Afonso inlet.

So, in the vicinity, we decided to go to Esperança Velha and take a look at Franco Ceraolo's farm. Franco is an Italian from Rome, the capital where he worked as a set designer with directors with the notoriety and work of Frederico Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci and Martin Scorsese.

When he retired, Franco decided he wanted to live on an island. The ones in the Italian Mediterranean were already too touristy. He ended up reading about the Azores and, later, visiting all the islands of the archipelago. He decided to buy a farm and settle in Graciosa. The same farm where he welcomed us.

Franco arrived at Graciosa in 2007. He found that the number of donkeys and their usefulness on the island were decreasing visibly, not least because they had almost all owners of advanced age.

As Franco tells us in his almost perfect Portuguese, while he straps some of his donkeys with carrots, “I arrived here interested in raising animals, after all we were in the Azores and Graciosa. But what animals? Cows? There were too many cows.

Graciosa, Azores, Franco Ceraolo

Franco Ceraolo in the company of two of the donkeys he takes care of on his farm.

Donkeys, unlike cows, were on a path of extinction. In 1926, the island had 6000 inhabitants and 1600 donkeys, to the point that Graciosa was known as the Donkey Island. He decided to promote the preservation and certification of the dwarf donkey on Graciosa Island. Superior purpose for which formed a breeders association with a group of friends.

Now, the inhabitants of Graciosa are just over 4000 people and its dwarf donkeys are only about 70. Only 17 people see it here.”

In the meantime, Franco and the association managed to recognize Graciosa's autochthonous breed in Portugal. Recovering the number of donkeys also involves protecting those that are scattered on other islands in the Azores, such as the neighboring São Jorge. And for registering in a herd book the specimens with the characteristics that make them Graciosa dwarf donkeys.

And it should be noted that the small donkeys from Graciosa – they can measure up to less than a meter in height –, originating in North Africa, can recover the great use they once had. In the countryside, to support agricultural work. And even as tour agents. They are very gentle, easy to control and ideal for short walks, as long as the rider doesn't have too much weight.

“Here at Graciosa, organized some donkeys (group tours) very funny with them. Children love them.”

We sat down for coffee with Franco and his Lisbon wife Sandra. We talked a little more about the island's wine production. And about the value of preserving the historic-traditional architectural heritage of Graciosa and wherever it is, which the couple cherished as much as we do.

With time then, and always counting, we thank them for their kindness and say goodbye, to the apparent displeasure of the donkeys who line up to see us go, intrigued by the brevity of such an embassy.

The Panoramic and Blessed Summit of Monte da Ajuda

With the afternoon coming to an end, we cross the island's capital, Santa Cruz. From one of its streets, we ascend to the scenic hill of Ajuda (130m).

It was at the foot of this volcanic cone that, from 1450, the pioneer settlers of Graciosa. From those remote times onwards, the village expanded to the vast and harmonious houses of today's Santa Cruz.

Graciosa, Azores, City of Santa Cruz

The elegant houses of Santa Cruz da Graciosa, capital of this island of the Central Group of the Azores.

And, when we reached the summit, we found that, even though it was already Santa, the city was blessed to triple by the trio of chapels of São João, São Salvador and Nossa Senhora da Ajuda.

Below, occupying the center of the crater and clashing with the sacredness of the place, the red and white of the local bullring stands out, still used, especially in August, at the time of the bullfighting fair in Santa Cruz.

Ilha Graciosa, Azores, Monte da Ajuda

Aerial view of Monte da Ajuda, above the capital Santa Cruz da Graciosa.

A Rocked Wandering across the Atlantic by Santa Cruz da Graciosa

We went down and dedicated ourselves to the capital. We walk around the square and its peculiar lagoon, from where the towers of the Parish and Church of Misericórdia project high above the roofs of the faithful.

Graciosa Island, Azores

Almost setting sun gilds the Parish Church of Santa Cruz da Graciosa.

Even without seeing it, the Atlantic Ocean rabid.

The brooding of its spaces ended up attracting us to the walled seafront and the lava seashore that enclosed the center of the city. There, as we approached the Ermida do Corpo Santo, the clash of waves on the jetties and cliffs produced exuberant explosions of sea that alienated us from the other scenarios.

Santa Cruz da Graciosa, Azores

Vacancies crash with a crash against one of the piers on the Santa Cruz da Graciosa seafront.

Other waves, determined in their own way, climbed the dock ramps and almost took over the asphalt we were walking on.

Along the way, we are intrigued by the mega-installation of art that became the collection of buoys and other nautical paraphernalia on the prow of a corner house between the nearest boarding ramp and Rua do Corpo Santo.

Graciosa, Azores, Santa Cruz da Graciosa

Strong waves make the Atlantic almost reach Rua do Corpo Santo.

Graceful but also Dramatic End of the Day at Ponta da Barca

Consistent with the marine theme, with the sun about to sink into the Atlantic, we head to Ponta da Barca and the homonymous lighthouse.

There, while a lighthouse resident fed his chickens, we looked for a summit with a simultaneous view of the lighthouse, the cove below and the Ilhéu da Baleia off the coast.

Graciosa, Azores, Ponta da Barca

A resplendent sunset west of Ponta da Barca

We found it already in run mode. And we ended the long day of discovering the island more than surrendered to Graciosa. You Azores are always the Azores.

We didn't expect anything else.

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), 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Corvo, Azores

The Improbable Atlantic Shelter 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.
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.
Funchal, Madeira

Portal to a Nearly Tropical Portugal

Madeira is located less than 1000km north of the Tropic of Cancer. And the luxuriant exuberance that earned it the nickname of the garden island of the Atlantic can be seen in every corner of its steep capital.
Ponta de Sao Lourenco, Madeira, Portugal

The Eastern, Somehow Extraterrestrial Madeira Tip

Unusual, with ocher tones and raw earth, Ponta de São Lourenço is often the first sight of Madeira. When we walk through it, we are fascinated, above all, with what the most tropical of the Portuguese islands is not.
Vale das Furnas, São Miguel (Azores)

The Azorean Heat of Vale das Furnas

We were surprised, on the biggest island of the Azores, with a caldera cut by small farms, massive and deep to the point of sheltering two volcanoes, a huge lagoon and almost two thousand people from São Miguel. Few places in the archipelago are, at the same time, as grand and welcoming as the green and steaming Vale das Furnas.
Serengeti, Great Savannah Migration, Tanzania, wildebeest on river
Safari
Serengeti NP, Tanzania

The Great Migration of the Endless Savanna

In these prairies that the Masai people say syringet (run forever), millions of wildebeests and other herbivores chase the rains. For predators, their arrival and that of the monsoon are the same salvation.
Mount Lamjung Kailas Himal, Nepal, altitude sickness, mountain prevent treat, travel
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 2th - Chame a Upper BananaNepal

(I) Eminent Annapurnas

We woke up in Chame, still below 3000m. There we saw, for the first time, the snowy and highest peaks of the Himalayas. From there, we set off for another walk along the Annapurna Circuit through the foothills and slopes of the great mountain range. towards Upper Banana.
Luderitz, Namibia
Architecture & Design
Lüderitz, Namibia

Wilkommen in Africa

Chancellor Bismarck has always disdained overseas possessions. Against his will and all odds, in the middle of the Race for Africa, merchant Adolf Lüderitz forced Germany to take over an inhospitable corner of the continent. The homonymous city prospered and preserves one of the most eccentric heritages of the Germanic empire.
Tibetan heights, altitude sickness, mountain prevent to treat, travel
Adventure

Altitude Sickness: the Grievances of Getting Mountain Sick

When traveling, it happens that we find ourselves confronted with the lack of time to explore a place as unmissable as it is high. Medicine and previous experiences with Altitude Evil dictate that we should not risk ascending in a hurry.
Native Americans Parade, Pow Pow, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Ceremonies and Festivities
Albuquerque, USA

When the Drums Sound, the Indians Resist

With more than 500 tribes present, the pow wow "Gathering of the Nations" celebrates the sacred remnants of Native American cultures. But it also reveals the damage inflicted by colonizing civilization.
Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, Travel Korea, Color Maneuvers
Cities
Alone, South Korea

A Glimpse of Medieval Korea

Gyeongbokgung Palace stands guarded by guardians in silken robes. Together they form a symbol of South Korean identity. Without waiting for it, we ended up finding ourselves in the imperial era of these Asian places.
Fogón de Lola, great food, Costa Rica, Guápiles
Meal
Fogón de Lola Costa Rica

The Flavor of Costa Rica of El Fogón de Lola

As the name suggests, the Fogón de Lola de Guapiles serves dishes prepared on the stove and in the oven, according to Costa Rican family tradition. In particular, Tia Lola's.
Tatooine on Earth
Culture
Matmata Tataouine:  Tunisia

Star Wars Earth Base

For security reasons, the planet Tatooine from "The Force Awakens" was filmed in Abu Dhabi. We step back into the cosmic calendar and revisit some of the Tunisian places with the most impact in the saga.  
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.
Martian Scenery of the White Desert, Egypt
Traveling
White Desert, Egypt

The Egyptian Shortcut to Mars

At a time when conquering the solar system's neighbor has become an obsession, an eastern section of the Sahara Desert is home to a vast related landscape. Instead of the estimated 150 to 300 days to reach Mars, we took off from Cairo and, in just over three hours, we took our first steps into the Oasis of Bahariya. All around, almost everything makes us feel about the longed-for Red Planet.
Gray roofs, Lijiang, Yunnan, China
Ethnic
Lijiang, China

A Gray City but Little

Seen from afar, its vast houses are dreary, but Lijiang's centuries-old sidewalks and canals are more folkloric than ever. This city once shone as the grandiose capital of the Naxi people. Today, floods of Chinese visitors who fight for the quasi-theme park it have become take it by storm.
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

life outside

Bathers in the middle of the End of the World-Cenote de Cuzamá, Mérida, Mexico
History
Yucatan, Mexico

The End of the End of the World

The announced day passed but the End of the World insisted on not arriving. In Central America, today's Mayans watched and put up with incredulity all the hysteria surrounding their calendar.
Boats on ice, Hailuoto Island, Finland.
Islands
Hailuoto, Finland

A Refuge in the Gulf of Bothnia

During winter, the island of Hailuoto is connected to the rest of Finland by the country's longest ice road. Most of its 986 inhabitants esteem, above all, the distance that the island grants them.
Sampo Icebreaker, Kemi, Finland
Winter White
Kemi, Finland

It's No "Love Boat". Breaks the Ice since 1961

Built to maintain waterways through the most extreme arctic winter, the icebreaker Sampo” fulfilled its mission between Finland and Sweden for 30 years. In 1988, he reformed and dedicated himself to shorter trips that allow passengers to float in a newly opened channel in the Gulf of Bothnia, in clothes that, more than special, seem spacey.
Couple visiting Mikhaylovskoe, village where writer Alexander Pushkin had a home
Literature
Saint Petersburg e Mikhaylovkoe, Russia

The Writer Who Succumbed to His Own Plot

Alexander Pushkin is hailed by many as the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. But Pushkin also dictated an almost tragicomic epilogue to his prolific life.
Cathedral, Funchal, Madeira
Nature
Funchal, Madeira

Portal to a Nearly Tropical Portugal

Madeira is located less than 1000km north of the Tropic of Cancer. And the luxuriant exuberance that earned it the nickname of the garden island of the Atlantic can be seen in every corner of its steep capital.
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Autumn
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
Natural Parks
Volcanoes

Mountains of Fire

More or less prominent ruptures in the earth's crust, volcanoes can prove to be as exuberant as they are capricious. Some of its eruptions are gentle, others prove annihilating.
Miyajima Island, Shinto and Buddhism, Japan, Gateway to a Holy Island
UNESCO World Heritage
Miyajima, Japan

Shintoism and Buddhism with the Tide

Visitors to the Tori of Itsukushima admire one of the three most revered scenery in Japan. On the island of Miyajima, Japanese religiosity blends with Nature and is renewed with the flow of the Seto Inland Sea.
Earp brothers look-alikes and friend Doc Holliday in Tombstone, USA
Characters
tombstone, USA

Tombstone: the City Too Hard to Die

Silver veins discovered at the end of the XNUMXth century made Tombstone a prosperous and conflictive mining center on the frontier of the United States to Mexico. Lawrence Kasdan, Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner and other Hollywood directors and actors made famous the Earp brothers and the bloodthirsty duel of “OK Corral”. The Tombstone, which, over time, has claimed so many lives, is about to last.
Viti Levu, Fiji Islands, South Pacific, coral reef
Beaches
Viti levu, Fiji

Islands on the edge of Islands

A substantial part of Fiji preserves the agricultural expansions of the British colonial era. In the north and off the large island of Viti Levu, we also came across plantations that have only been named for a long time.
Promise?
Religion
Goa, India

To Goa, Quickly and in Strength

A sudden longing for Indo-Portuguese tropical heritage makes us travel in various transports but almost non-stop, from Lisbon to the famous Anjuna beach. Only there, at great cost, were we able to rest.
Flam Railway composition below a waterfall, Norway.
On Rails
Nesbyen to Flam, Norway

Flam Railway: Sublime Norway from the First to the Last Station

By road and aboard the Flam Railway, on one of the steepest railway routes in the world, we reach Flam and the entrance to the Sognefjord, the largest, deepest and most revered of the Scandinavian fjords. From the starting point to the last station, this monumental Norway that we have unveiled is confirmed.
full cabin
Society
Saariselka, Finland

The Delightful Arctic Heat

It is said that the Finns created SMS so they don't have to talk. The imagination of cold Nordics is lost in the mist of their beloved saunas, real physical and social therapy sessions.
Women with long hair from Huang Luo, Guangxi, China
Daily life
Longsheng, China

Huang Luo: the Chinese Village of the Longest Hairs

In a multi-ethnic region covered with terraced rice paddies, the women of Huang Luo have surrendered to the same hairy obsession. They let the longest hair in the world grow, years on end, to an average length of 170 to 200 cm. Oddly enough, to keep them beautiful and shiny, they only use water and rice.
Cape cross seal colony, cape cross seals, Namibia
Wildlife
Cape Cross, Namíbia

The Most Turbulent of the African Colonies

Diogo Cão landed in this cape of Africa in 1486, installed a pattern and turned around. The immediate coastline to the north and south was German, South African, and finally Namibian. Indifferent to successive transfers of nationality, one of the largest seal colonies in the world has maintained its hold there and animates it with deafening marine barks and endless tantrums.
The Sounds, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Fiordland, New Zealand

The Fjords of the Antipodes

A geological quirk made the Fiordland region the rawest and most imposing in New Zealand. Year after year, many thousands of visitors worship the sub-domain slashed between Te Anau and Milford Sound.