Montalegre, Portugal

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


On the way to the farm
Residents of Pitões das Júnias cross one of its granite streets on a tractor.
blessed cattle
Priest sprinkles Barrosã cows with holy water during the Blessing of the Gado de Ferral
Pitões against Fragas II
Houses of Pitões das Júnias, below pointy cliffs in the Serra do Gerês
suspicious horses
Garranos worried by the presence of humans in their territory of the Plateau of Mourela.
The homes of Pitões das Júnias
Close-up view of the granite and tile houses of Pitões das Júnias, Barroso region, Trás-os-Montes
granite art
Granite rocks near the village of Sirvozelo, Barroso, Trás-os-Montes, Portugal
The Religious Walls of Rio
Mr. Artur drives his golden retriever near the church in Paredes do Rio.
Oldest Monastery II
Monastery of Santa Maria das Júnias about to give way to the shade
the oldest monastery
The ruins of the Monastery of Santa Maria das Júnias, near Pitões das Júnias
Morning in Sirvozelo
Panoramic view of Sirvozelo with its peculiar mix of homes, beds and rounded cliffs
Walls & Walls
Sunset gilds the towers of Montalegre Castle and the village houses
Great Barrosã
Barrosã cow at Bênção do Gado de Ferral
Open bar
Cows quench their thirst at a drinking fountain in Paredes do Rio
Junia's pythons
Panoramic of the village of Pitões das Júnias, one of the highest in Portugal
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.

João Dias joins us at one of the tables in his Casa do Castelo, an elegant and welcoming inn-restaurant, as the name suggests, adjacent to the walls of the fortress overlooking Montalegre.

The topics of conversation follow the rhythm of the mouthfuls in the delicious Baroque cuisine that we taste.

As you would expect in these ruthless weather confines, the weather comes to the fore. "You are seeing Oscar Branco, right?" John asks us. “He was from here. His father used to say "in Montalegre there are only two seasons: the winter and the post office (where he worked)." In the middle of the Portuguese summer, we soon realized that, humor and drama aside, it was far from being like that.

Days followed, dry and warm. We could feel its breath on our skin shortly after each morning game and, as a rule, it was still fresh from the top of the village.

The Alvor Shades of Montalegre Castle

In the first of these, we hurried down the alleys to the south of the castle, determined to follow the soft sunlight on the walls. Most of the residents dozed off. Three or four dogs, surprised by our clumsy passage, barked their indignation at us.

Montalegre Castle, Barroso, Trás-os-Montes, Portugal

Towers of Montalegre Castle above the village houses

We didn't know about those places. Despite this, we found a corner there from which we could contemplate the slow yellowing of the towers that crown the village since 1273, still in the reign of D. Afonso III, although most of its construction as a key fortification in the region of Montalegre will have elapsed during that of the settler king Dom Dinis.

There is no lack of settlements in the vast Lands of Barroso that can be seen from its battlements, Gerês mountain to the west, that of Larouco to the east and, to the north, the imminent Galicia.

With the sun already climbing the plane of the towers, we return to Casa do Castelo. From there, we point to one of the many local villages that continue to suffer from depopulation. We take the M308 road.

We will soon wind towards the west, in the company of the Alto Cávado which is born there and irrigates an eponymous reservoir from which it emerges as a mere Cávado. We pass south of Frades. From Sezelhe. From Travassos do Rio and Covelães.

The Cávado and the road continue towards Albufeira de Paradela. We stayed in Paredes do Rio. We walked along Rua da Igreja.

We spoke with Mr. Arthur, an old man we found trying to limit the drenched misadventures of the Lion, his golden retriever.

Resident Paredes-do-Rio, Barroso region, Montalegre, Portugal

Mr. Artur drives his golden retriever near the church in Paredes do Rio.

Discovering the Walls of Rio

We pass the doors of Casa da Travessa, a manor house of carved granite, when Mr. Acácio, owner of the inn and member of the Paredes de Rio Social and Cultural Association, approaches us: “Ah, you are the ones who come to visit us from Lisbon. They called us from Montalegre and told us about it.” From then on, we followed him in guided tour mode. Acácio takes us straight to the ex libris historic village, Pisão.

Several corgas flow down the slope that leads the village down towards Cávado. Always rural, in need of a driving force to process their agricultural production, the inhabitants of Paredes do Rio spared no effort. The first mill was followed by a second.

To those, others. At one point, there were already eight. In more recent times, the late Mr. Adelino Gil, who lived among the mills, secured the village with a Pisão, a water device that powered a generator, an electric saw and two huge hammers that punished wool wet in hot water, so to make it strong and waterproof.

The Multipurpose Invention of Pisão

Over the years, Pisão had different uses. The most popular continues to be the production of burel, the famous black handcrafted fabric, used in the capes, pants and collections still worn by the natives of this northern ray.

In our days, Pisão was bequeathed to the Cultural Association. The community oven in Paredes do Rio is also still operational. During the mostly cold weather in the region, it served as a House of People and socializing. It welcomed debates and discussions.

It sheltered travelers and homeless people who were allowed to spend the night in the wood-fueled heat while the bread stews. Often in batches of thirty.

Before leaving Paredes do Rio, we still had a look at the community tank. When we approach it, a small herd of cows blocks our way.

Another villager led them to the nearby drinking fountain, beneath a cornfield embellished with sunflowers. He didn't exactly follow them in the traditional way of other eras: on foot and with a hoe on his shoulder. He did this behind the wheel of a convenient little blue quad.

The Enigmatic Monastery of Santa Maria das Júnias

We return to the M308. We go back towards Montalegre. Arriving in Covelães, we turn onto the M513 that leads to Tourem and Galega Spain.

Halfway through this stretch, we cut to Pitões das Júnias and, no longer resisting the appeal of its mysticism, we went down in search of the Monastery of Santa Maria das Júnias.

We found it in the depths of a narrow valley, in the vicinity of a stream that, farther down, plunges into a waterfall at that dark hour, hidden between the cliffs.

Monastery of Santa Maria das Júnias, Pitões das Júnias, Barroso, Trás-os-Montes, Portugal

Monastery of Santa Maria das Júnias about to give way to the shade

We immediately noticed the combination of the structure's Romanesque and Gothic styles. It is believed that the monastery was built, little by little, even before the establishment of the Portuguese nation (early XNUMXth century), in place of a hermitage retreat used since the XNUMXth century.

From Medieval Origin to XNUMXth Century Ruin

At first, it was occupied by the monks of the Order of St. Benedict. In the middle of the XNUMXth century, it became Cistercience and was added to the Galician Abbey of Oseira.

Nestled in an unlikely niche, this has never turned out to be a conventional monastery. As a rule, even isolated, the monasteries used to subsist on the cultivation of groves. Instead, the monks of Junias devoted themselves to animal husbandry and herding. Even so, they prospered as much or more than other contemporary monasteries.

Over the years, the Monastery of Santa Maria das Júnias brought together more and more lands from the region of Barroso and Galicia. During this period, its relief justified several expansion and improvement works that continued into the Modern Age, until almost the middle of the XNUMXth century.

But the monastery's adventurous location imposed distinct setbacks. The stream that we heard and saw flow in the back of the building silted up and destroyed part of the added structures. In the middle of the XNUMXth century, an overwhelming fire ruined other dependencies.

Anyway, by that time, the monastery had already been abandoned. In 1834, the male religious orders were extinguished. Shortly after, the last monk of the abbey of Júnias assumed the role of parish priest of the neighboring village of Pitões.

The monastery was handed over to the valley that received it. And at the time.

ruins of the Monastery of Santa Maria das Júnias, Barroso, Trás-os-Montes, Portugal

The ruins of the Monastery of Santa Maria das Júnias, near Pitões das Júnias

Raia ex-Smuggler from Tourém

The shadow soon took hold of the thalweg and highlighted the gleaming granite ruins. We then realized that the day was running out and we dedicated what was left of it to other essential parts of Barroso.

From Pitões, we return to the M513. We point to a strange Portuguese rectangular bulge in Galicia and a border village situated almost at the top of this mapped peninsula.

We crossed the bridge over the eastern arm of the Encourage of rooms, that is what the Galicians call the dam. From there, we are at the top of the parish of Tourém and already in Galicia. Thus, we enter one of the only two exclaves in the territory of Portugal, alongside that of Mourão.

Like so many others in our border towns, in times of closed borders, Tourém prospered. It's something we notice when we walk along its long main street.

This can be seen in the abundance of homes, in the unobstructed dimensions of homes and in materials far more modern than the rough granite from other parts and, today, in a much better state of conservation.

“Tourém, was always a case apart…” explains João Dias, himself experienced in crossing borders. João emigrated early to Boston, United States. Thanks to a lot of dedication and work to match, she returned to Montalegre and managed to find financial comfort that is rare in this bordering region and, for a long time, a slave to agriculture and livestock.

From Codfish to Mattresses: merchandise for all tastes

In Tourém, with Spain beyond Salas, favored by the scarcity of various goods and a somewhat permissive fiscal guard, many villagers who still speak a miscellany of Portuguese and Galician today resorted to the only alternative financially comparable to emigration: smuggling. That's how they guided their lives.

Merchants got used to hiring merchandisers who charged upwards of 1000 escudos (5€) an hour, at that time, a real luxury.

The chosen goods formed an unusual assortment: the Portuguese mainly wanted cod and bananas. But they also ordered mattresses, oil, cows, beehives and other disparate products. The Spaniards, on the other hand, favored clothing, home textiles and televisions.

The business prospered until the borders were opened. From 1990 onwards, most of these men had to adapt to a new reality: rural life, raising cattle. In any case, almost everyone had accumulated good savings and the ever-available European funds only eased the transition.

The Elusive Garranos of the Mourela Plateau

The afternoon starts to give way to the night. We cross Tourém in the opposite direction and re-enter the green hills and valleys of the Planalto da Mourela, at an altitude of 1200m. We cross lands idolized by bird watchers who look for, among dozens of birds, the red-backed shrike. Without expecting it, the backs we saw are different.

Garranos in the Mourela Plateau, Montalegre, Barroso, Trás-os-Montes, Portugal

Garranos worried by the presence of humans in their territory of the Plateau of Mourela.

A herd of Garrano grazes on a slope lined with gorse and tender herbs. Some are black, some are a golden brown, all of them wild. At the signal of the leading stallion, they dodge our attempts to approach at a trot. They end up trotting behind a ridge.

Add to the sides of Couto Misto, a microstate that, favored by a combination of political circumstances, remained independent from Portugal, the northern kingdoms and, later, Spain, it is estimated that from the 1868th century until XNUMX .

When we got back to Montalegre, the setting sun had already washed over the castle towers and the houses of the village from which they stood out.

We re-sheltered in Casa do Castelo. We recover energy. And we resumed the prolific conversation with João Dias.

Back to Junias. Now to your Pitões

The next morning, in his company, we went off to Pitões das Júnias.

As we climb the 1100 meters that make the village one of the highest in Portugal, we see it set in its gray and tile-red granite tones, between a harmonious patch of walled plantations and the rocky cliffs of Serra do Gerês .

House of Pitões das Júnias, Montalegre, Barroso, Trás-os-Montes

Casario de Pitões das Júnias located at the foot of sharp cliffs

We enter the town on Avenida de São Rosendo and Rua Rigueiro. Arriving at Largo Eiró, João Dias meets an acquaintance. We leave them to the conversation. On our own, we continue to unveil the village which, among its approximately two hundred inhabitants, has several returned emigrants and Brazilians who, like the newcomer rural tourism, help to revive it.

It's time to point to Braga. Along the way, João Dias still takes us to Sirvozelo, another charming village, set between large rounded granite boulders. Then escort us to Ferral where one of the frequent livestock competitions takes place.

We went up to the event's precinct at the exact moment of Bênção do Gado. There we watched the priest on duty spraying with holy water Barrosã cows with the biggest horns we have ever witnessed in Portuguese cattle.

Bênção do Gado de Ferral, granite and tile houses from Pitões das Júnias, Barroso region, Trás-os-Montes

Priest sprinkles Barrosã cows with holy water during the Blessing of the Gado de Ferral

Patient owners of animals hold them by the snouts, to avoid interactions that could ruin the priest's religious passage.

Not everything goes as it's supposed to. Some of the cattle raisers complain, in a derisive way, of having been more blessed – read sprinkled – than the cows themselves. We told João Dias what happened and shared generous laughs. After which we said goodbye to Ferral, the host and Barroso.

Book Outdoor Activities and Stays in Traditional Houses in the Barroso and PN Peneda-Gerês region at:

www.naturbarroso.net   www.termaltalegre.net

Pico Island, The 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, The 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, The 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, The 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, The 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.
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.
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.
Graciosa, The 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.
Corvo, The Azores

The Unlikely Atlantic Shelter on 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 Flores. Welcome to the most fearless of the Azorean islands.
São Jorge, The 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

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.
Ilhéu de Cima, Porto Santo, Portugal

The First Light of Who Navigates From Above

It is part of the group of six islets around the island of Porto Santo, but it is far from being just one more. Even though it is the eastern threshold of the Madeira archipelago, it is the island closest to Portosantenses. At night, it also makes the fanal that confirms the right course for ships coming from Europe.
Pico Island, The Azores

The Island East of the Pico Mountain

As a rule, whoever arrives at Pico disembarks on its western side, with the volcano (2351m) blocking the view on the opposite side. Behind Pico Mountain, there is a whole long and dazzling “east” of the island that takes time to unravel.
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
Beaches
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.
Esteros del Iberá, Pantanal Argentina, Alligator
safari
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.
Prayer flags in Ghyaru, Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 4th – Upper Banana to Ngawal, Nepal

From Nightmare to Dazzle

Unbeknownst to us, we are faced with an ascent that leads us to despair. We pulled our strength as far as possible and reached Ghyaru where we felt closer than ever to the Annapurnas. The rest of the way to Ngawal felt like a kind of extension of the reward.
Bay Watch cabin, Miami beach, beach, Florida, United States,
Architecture & Design
Miami beach, USA

The Beach of All Vanities

Few coasts concentrate, at the same time, so much heat and displays of fame, wealth and glory. Located in the extreme southeast of the USA, Miami Beach is accessible via six bridges that connect it to the rest of Florida. It is meager for the number of souls who desire it.
The small lighthouse at Kallur, highlighted in the capricious northern relief of the island of Kalsoy.
Aventura
Kalsoy, Faroe Islands

A Lighthouse at the End of the Faroese World

Kalsoy is one of the most isolated islands in the Faroe archipelago. Also known as “the flute” due to its long shape and the many tunnels that serve it, a mere 75 inhabitants inhabit it. Much less than the outsiders who visit it every year, attracted by the boreal wonder of its Kallur lighthouse.
MassKara Festival, Bacolod City, Philippines
Ceremonies and Festivities
Bacolod, Philippines

A Festival to Laugh at Tragedy

Around 1980, the value of sugar, an important source of wealth on the Philippine island of Negros, plummeted and the ferry “Don Juan” that served it sank and took the lives of more than 176 passengers, most of them from Negrès. The local community decided to react to the depression generated by these dramas. That's how MassKara arose, a party committed to recovering the smiles of the population.
St. Augustine, City of Florida, USA, the Bridge of Lions
Cities
Saint Augustine, Florida, USA

Back to the Beginnings of Hispanic Florida

The dissemination of tourist attractions of questionable taste becomes superficial if we take into account the historical depth in question. This is the longest inhabited city in the contiguous US. Ever since Spanish explorers founded it in 1565, St. Augustine resists almost anything.
Fogón de Lola, great food, Costa Rica, Guápiles
Lunch time
Fogón de Lola Costa Rica

The Costa Rica Flavour 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.
Bride gets in car, traditional wedding, Meiji temple, Tokyo, Japan
Culture
Tokyo, Japan

A Matchmaking Sanctuary

Tokyo's Meiji Temple was erected to honor the deified spirits of one of the most influential couples in Japanese history. Over time, it specialized in celebrating traditional weddings.
Swimming, Western Australia, Aussie Style, Sun rising in the eyes
Sport
Busselton, Australia

2000 meters in Aussie Style

In 1853, Busselton was equipped with one of the longest pontoons in the world. World. When the structure collapsed, the residents decided to turn the problem around. Since 1996 they have been doing it every year. Swimming.
Christmas in Australia, Platipus = Platypus
Traveling
Atherton Tableland, Australia

Miles Away from Christmas (part XNUMX)

On December 25th, we explored the high, bucolic yet tropical interior of North Queensland. We ignore the whereabouts of most of the inhabitants and find the absolute absence of the Christmas season strange.
Karanga ethnic musicians join the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe
Ethnic
Great ZimbabweZimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe, Little Bira Dance

Karanga natives of the KwaNemamwa village display traditional Bira dances to privileged visitors to the ruins of Great Zimbabwe. the most iconic place in Zimbabwe, the one who, after the decree of colonial Rhodesia's independence, inspired the name of the new and problematic nation.  
Sunset, Avenue of Baobabs, Madagascar
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio

days like so many others

Leisure Channel
History
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

From Channel to Channel in a Surreal Holland

Liberal when it comes to drugs and sex, Amsterdam welcomes a crowd of outsiders. Among canals, bicycles, coffee shops and brothel windows, we search, in vain, for its quieter side.
Roça Bombaim, Roça Monte Café, São Tomé island, flag
Islands
Addiction São Tomé, São Tomé and Principe

From Roça to Roça, Towards the Tropical Heart of São Tomé

On the way between Trindade and Santa Clara, we come across the terrifying colonial past of Batepá. Passing through the Bombaim and Monte Café roças, the island's history seems to have been diluted in time and in the chlorophyll atmosphere of the Santomean jungle.
coast, fjord, Seydisfjordur, Iceland
Winter White
Seydisfjordur, Iceland

From the Art of Fishing to the Fishing of Art

When shipowners from Reykjavik bought the Seydisfjordur fishing fleet, the village had to adapt. Today, it captures Dieter Roth's art disciples and other bohemian and creative souls.
José Saramago in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, Glorieta de Saramago
Literature
Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain

José Saramago's Basalt Raft

In 1993, frustrated by the Portuguese government's disregard for his work “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ”, Saramago moved with his wife Pilar del Río to Lanzarote. Back on this somewhat extraterrestrial Canary Island, we visited his home. And the refuge from the portuguese censorship that haunted the writer.
Faithful light candles, Milarepa Grotto temple, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal
Nature
Annapurna Circuit: 9th Manang to Milarepa Cave, Nepal

A Walk between Acclimatization and Pilgrimage

In full Annapurna Circuit, we finally arrived in Manang (3519m). we still need acclimatize to the higher stretches that followed, we inaugurated an equally spiritual journey to a Nepalese cave of Milarepa (4000m), the refuge of a siddha (sage) and Buddhist saint.
Sheki, Autumn in the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Autumn Homes
Autumn
Sheki, Azerbaijan

autumn in the caucasus

Lost among the snowy mountains that separate Europe from Asia, Sheki is one of Azerbaijan's most iconic towns. Its largely silky history includes periods of great harshness. When we visited it, autumn pastels added color to a peculiar post-Soviet and Muslim life.
Serra Dourada, Cerrado, Goiás, Brazil
Natural Parks
Serra Dourada, Goiás, Brazil

Where the Cerrado Waves Golden

One of the types of South America savannah, the Cerrado extends over more than a fifth of the Brazilian territory, which supplies much of its fresh water. Located in the heart of the Central Plateau and the state of Goiás, the Serra Dourada State Park shines double.
blessed rest
UNESCO World Heritage
Hi Ann, Vietnam

The Vietnamese Port That Got to See Ships

Hoi An was one of the most important trading posts in Asia. Political changes and the siltation of the Thu Bon River dictated its decline and preserved it as the most picturesque city in Vietnam.
Couple visiting Mikhaylovskoe, village where writer Alexander Pushkin had a home
Characters
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.
Coconut picker in Unawatuna, Sri Lanka
Beaches
Unawatuna to Tongalle, Sri Lanka

Along the Tropical South of Old Ceylon

We left the Galle fortress behind. From Unawatuna to Tangale, the south of Sri Lanka is made up of beaches with golden sand and coconut groves attracted by the coolness of the Indian Ocean. Once the scene of conflict between local and colonial powers, this coast has long been shared by backpackers from the four corners of the world.
holy bookcase
Religion
Tsfat (Safed), Israel

When the Kabbalah is a Victim of Itself

In the 50s, Tsfat brought together the artistic life of the young Israeli nation and regained its secular mystique. But famous converts like Madonna have come to disturb the most elemental Kabbalist discretion.
white pass yukon train, Skagway, Gold Route, Alaska, USA
On Rails
Skagway, Alaska

A Klondike's Gold Fever Variant

The last great American gold rush is long over. These days, hundreds of cruise ships each summer pour thousands of well-heeled visitors into the shop-lined streets of Skagway.
A kind of portal
Society
Little Havana, USA

Little Havana of the Nonconformists

Over the decades and until today, thousands of Cubans have crossed the Florida Straits in search of the land of freedom and opportunity. With the US a mere 145 km away, many have gone no further. His Little Havana in Miami is today the most emblematic neighborhood of the Cuban diaspora.
Busy intersection of Tokyo, Japan
Daily life
Tokyo, Japan

The Endless Night of the Rising Sun Capital

Say that Tokyo do not sleep is an understatement. In one of the largest and most sophisticated cities on the face of the Earth, twilight marks only the renewal of the frenetic daily life. And there are millions of souls that either find no place in the sun, or make more sense in the “dark” and obscure turns that follow.
Maria Jacarés, Pantanal Brazil
Wildlife
Miranda, Brazil

Maria dos Jacarés: the Pantanal shelters such Creatures

Eurides Fátima de Barros was born in the interior of the Miranda region. 38 years ago, he settled in a small business on the side of BR262 that crosses the Pantanal and gained an affinity with the alligators that lived on his doorstep. Disgusted that once upon a time the creatures were being slaughtered there, she began to take care of them. Now known as Maria dos Jacarés, she named each of the animals after a soccer player or coach. It also makes sure they recognize your calls.
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.