Lapland, Finland

In Search of the Fire Fox


dawn time
Northern lights in full, in Kakslauttanen.
boreal architecture
The glass igloos of the Kakslauttanen hotel, created on purpose to facilitate the observation of Northern Lights.
Alto das Faias
Snow-covered beech trees on a slope of Ounasvara, on the outskirts of Rovaniemi.
sharp ice
Long stalactites testify to the drop in temperature in Finnish Lapland.
arctic on fire
The sun sets and tinges the sky orange around Ounasvara.
winter alone
Typical country house in Finnish Lapland, red and lost in a snowy forest.
arctic heat
Visitors to Finnish Lapland socialize and eat sausages around a fire, resigned to the impossibility of seeing northern lights that night.
the iglo
Interior view of one of the igloos of the Kakslauttanen hotel.
Northern lights in Menesjarvi
Northern lights over the small village on the shore of Lake Menesjarvi.
Puddle in Menesjarvi.
Visitors examine a puddle in the icy lake of Menesjarvi.
Santa Klaus House
Santa Klaus House, Kakslauttanen.
Aurora over Northern Lights meanders above the houses of Kakslauttanen.
Northern lights meanders above the houses of Kakslauttanen.
Unique to the heights of the Earth are the northern or southern auroras, light phenomena generated by solar explosions. You Sami natives from Lapland they believed it to be a fiery fox that spread sparkles in the sky. Whatever they are, not even the nearly 30 degrees below zero that were felt in the far north of Finland could deter us from admiring them.

The day remained bleak like all others, from November to April, in those extreme European latitudes.

We had spent it exploring the region around Saariselka, with the time divided into separate walks. One that ended with sauna combined with vantouinti: the practice so idolized in Finland of diving and swimming for a very short duration in a small hole opened in a frozen river buried in snow.

Shortly after sunset, we returned to Kakslauttanen. As was to be expected, as soon as we finished dinner, tiredness took over our bodies and minds.

We were in the most popular hotel in the town, famous above all for providing guests with stays designed to facilitate the observation of northern lights, in large capsules created in reinforced glass.

Northern Lights, Laponia, Rovaniemi, Finland, Fire Fox, Northern Architecture

The glass igloos of the Kakslauttanen hotel, created on purpose to facilitate the observation of Northern Lights.

The hotel restaurant closes. With nothing else to do, enthusiastic about the mission ahead but already somewhat anesthetized by fatigue, we settled into the special shelter that had been given to us.

We downloaded the day's images, reviewed the photographic equipment, resumed reading some articles and guides on the final destination frigid that we had set out to discover.

This, of course, with systematic pauses to scan the sky above for suspicious lights. We both held on for some time with these distractions and a lot of drawn-out conversation, each time more forced.

Until we were forced to establish a shift regime, which was only a little painful.

The Desperate Wait. And the Celebrated Appearance of the Northern Lights

By midnight, this regime had been overthrown by the unstoppable forces of sleep. We were both sleeping without any awareness of defeat when a hint of anxiety awakened us and turned our eyes upward.

A strange shimmer lit the sky in an irregular rhythm, but it didn't reveal any unusual hue to us. “This must be some sneaky disco light from Kakskautannem…” we convince ourselves without putting much faith in our luck.

But the light had no pulsation or repetition pattern. We analyzed it for a few additional moments and rejected that hypothesis. "It can not be. It can only be them! They are beginning, we conclude in an almost hysterical ecstasy.

We put on the layers of clothing we needed to survive the excruciating cold outside, grabbed the tripod and the rest of the equipment and left the glassed-in igloo.

Outside, we were able to see the starry sky better. We noticed at a glance that the Northern Lights followed one another above and, in a shade of yellowish-green, stretched, shrank and writhed in much of the breadth of the celestial vault.

Aurora in Kakslauttanen, Finnish Laponia, Finland

Northern lights meanders above the houses of Kakslauttanen.

Departure for the -28th Atrocious of Finnish Lapland

We looked for a place that covered the village's dim lighting and we were fascinated by the event's extraterrestrial dance and admired them, always curious about how much more they would expand and change tones.

Only hours later did we return to the igloo, with our feet numb from the continual immobility and our hands even worse from the frequency with which we exposed them to the air, to the metal of the tripod and part of the cameras, all at almost XNUMX degrees below zero.

It was the first time we saw Northern Lights.

It wouldn't be the last.

In that part of the world, the northern lights – as they are also called – can be seen on about 100 nights a year concentrated between September and April.

Today, most natives do not bother to leave property to check the sky, or they don't even notice that the phenomenon is happening right over their heads.

Puddle in Lake Menesjarvi, Finnish Laponia, Finland

Visitors examine a puddle in the icy lake of Menesjarvi.

Native Sami Interpretations of the Northern Lights

In historical terms, the various Sami groups they arrived at different explanations, each one more original than the rest. Some believed they were beings with a soul and the ability to hear and understand humans.

The Sami Skolt thought they were the souls of people killed in war.

Others thought it was gas that rose from the sea and lakes. But the most popular belief in Lapland explained the phenomenon with a fire fox that ran across the fields waving its long tail.

In the old days, women didn't dare go out without a hat or a cloth over their heads, afraid of getting their hair burned.

During the more pronounced movements of the aurora borealis, no one was supposed to make noise or speak. The Sami also avoided pointing to the sky for fear of insulting them and being punished by them.

Most of its users are not aware of it, but it was this same incandescent fox that the Firefox search engine popularized with its logo with the canid surrounding the blue planet.

Northern Lights, Laponia, Rovaniemi, Finland, Fire Fox

Northern lights in full, in Kakslauttanen.

Travel to Inari, Far North of Finnish Lapland

The itinerary we had established evolved north to Inari, close to the northern boundary of the suomi nation. We continued our search there.

At Inari, we dedicate as much time as possible to Kings Cup, the grand finale of reindeer racing which brings together Sami breeders and jockeys from all over the country to socialize and compete on the completely frozen lake Inari.

On one of those days, we stayed at the edge of Lake Menesjärvi, in an old abandoned school that a family had turned into an inn.

Northern Lights, Laponia, Rovaniemi, Finland, Fire Fox, Winter alone

Typical country house in Finnish Lapland, red and lost in a snowy forest.

There, we found ourselves far from any village and without much else to do.

At the same time, twilight set in under an almost clear sky.

New Northern Lights Search. On the Icy Surface of Lake Menesjärvi

We went back out onto the frozen lake and waited. We were far more unprotected than in Kakslautannem's pods. To compensate, the initial wait proved much shorter.

The night had not yet completely darkened when we noticed the first dance in the sky, a less vivid green than the sightings of a few days ago.

Northern Lights, Menesjarvi, Finnish Laponia, Finland

Northern lights over the small village on the shore of Lake Menesjarvi.

The pitch set in. The auroras intensified for a good 40 minutes, over the lake and the surrounding boreal forest. At first, we ran to alert the other guests that they had started.

When they were interrupted, we once again spent hours waiting for them to return.

Until the temperature dropped unbearably and led us to suggest in the dining room, we set up a watch scheme in short alternations.

Northern Lights, Laponia, Rovaniemi, Finland, Fire Fox, Sharp Ice

Long stalactites testify to the drop in temperature in Finnish Lapland.

We realized, however, that the international group had been content with what they saw after our warning.

Alone in that quest, chilled and exhausted, we withdrew, in the hope that the fox would not appear while we slept.

One year later. New sequel to the Finnish Aurora Borealis Saga

The following year we returned to Finnish Lapland. We returned determined to better explore its capital Rovaniemi and the surrounding region. We also took the opportunity to debut in the practice of cross country skiing, sacred modality in those parts.

We did it in Ounasvaara, at the base of a winter sports resort that stretched out on a slope as measured as they are in Finland.

Northern Lights, Laponia, Rovaniemi, Finland, Fire Fox, Alto das Faias

Snow-covered beech trees on a slope of Ounasvara, on the outskirts of Rovaniemi.

It had already occurred to us that twilight must be fabulous from the top of the hill. We climbed aboard the pigtails that passed us. Even crammed and hampered by photo backpacks and other ill-kept possessions, we conquered it effortlessly.

When we land on the summit, the sun dissolves into a vast western section of the horizon. Free from the protection of the slope, the wind blows high and furious.

In such a way that it seems to spread that orange stain of sunset, not just the snow that enters our eyes and freezes our reddened cheeks.

A Lush Sunset, as a Celestial Preamble to the Night Show

We are luckier than we expected. The Sky Ounasvaara hotel is just a few steps away. We find the semi-buried base of the access stairs and go up to the panoramic terrace.

From there, we unveil the white vastness of the center of Lapland, already tinged with an overwhelming pink.

Northern Lights, Laponia, Rovaniemi, Finland, Fire Fox, Arctic in Fire

Sun sets and tinges the sky orange around Ounasvaara.

Snow-laden beeches fill the slope as far as the eye can see, or at least until their diffuse vision merges with that of the houses of Rovaniemi and its surroundings, dispersed throughout the adjoining valley.

A bluish nightfall ends up imposing itself on the succession of tones that until then had decorated the atmosphere. We retired to the hotel fireplace and recovered from the near freezing we had once again undergone.

Once the heat and spirits have returned, every ten minutes one of us returns to the terrace and scans the sky for the magical lights. We give up after two hours when an inconvenient cloud cover the firmament without appeal.

Around nine we arrived at another hotel, the Arctic. We await you at the reception. Dozens of Japanese pay large euros for the privilege of observing the phenomenon with special conditions and comfort, including being able to recover from the cold inside a tipi, around a fire, with the right to roast sausages, hot coffee and tea.

A manager rescues us from the wait among the Japanese. Take us to the local Ice Palace.

We drink vodka in the bar, walk through the various rooms and renew our amazement at the excellence of those gigantic seasonal sculptures.

After the tour, we walked to the edge of the lake near the hotel.

Northern Lights Contemplation among Japanese Admirers

This time, we don't even have to wait.

There are still a few meters to the shore when we start to hear “aaaahs”, “ooohhhs” and “sugois” (cool, in Japanese). We arrived at the frozen bed. We found a battalion of Japanese and other Asians in absolute ecstasy with the spectacle in the sky.

Over the lake and the adjoining forest, an aurora borealis, sometimes green, sometimes yellow, wriggles and writhes again in a fascinating magnetic dance.

Northern Lights, Laponia, Rovaniemi, Finland, Fire Fox

Northern lights in full, in Kakslauttanen.

The Japanese, in particular, win, then and there, the day and the mini-vacation. With greater abundance of snow, during winter, in several areas of your mountainous country, in the case of the hyper-snowy region of Shirakawa Go – above all, the Northern Lights attract them at this time of year to flat Finland.

In addition to appreciating its eccentric beauty, many travel halfway around the world imbued with the belief that those space lights will grant them a better sex life and fertility.

Fire Fox's Last Days with No Signal

For us, it was already the third sighting. We continued to try but the following days remained cloudy. We had signed up for a small excursion that proposed to look for the northern lights around a lake and a small farm inhabited by a community that lived, in the old-fashioned way of Lapland.

We soon realized – like everyone else in the group – that with a sky there almost completely covered, the probability of seeing them was close to zero.

Northern Lights, Laponia, Rovaniemi, Finland, Fire Fox

Visitors to Finnish Lapland socialize and eat sausages, resigned to the impossibility of seeing Northern Lights that night.

Reformed, we focused on the best we could find at ground level. We socialized and devoured freshly grilled sausages around a huge fire that we were all feeding.

The fox never deigned to appear.

We were content with just fire.

Kemi, Finland

It is No "Love Boat". Icebreaker 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.
Hailuoto Island, Finland

Fishing for Truly Fresh Fish

Sheltered from unwanted social pressures, the islanders of Hailuoto they know how to sustain themselves. Under the icy sea of ​​Bothnia they capture precious ingredients for the restaurants of Oulu, in mainland Finland.
Helsinki, Finland

Finland's once Swedish Fortress

Detached in a small archipelago at the entrance to Helsinki, Suomenlinna was built by the Swedish kingdom's political-military designs. For more than a century, the Russia stopped her. Since 1917, the Suomi people have venerated it as the historic bastion of their thorny independence.
Inari, Finland

The Babel Parliament of the Sami Nation

The Sami Nation comprises four countries, which ingest into the lives of their peoples. In the parliament of Inari, in various dialects, the Sami govern themselves as they can.
Rovaniemi, Finland

From the Finnish Lapland to the Arctic. A Visit to the Land of Santa

Fed up with waiting for the bearded old man to descend down the chimney, we reverse the story. We took advantage of a trip to Finnish Lapland and passed through its furtive home.
Kuusamo ao PN Oulanka, Finland

Under the Arctic's Icy Spell

We are at 66º North and at the gates of Lapland. In these parts, the white landscape belongs to everyone and to no one like the snow-covered trees, the atrocious cold and the endless night.
Inari, Finland

The Guardians of Boreal Europe

Long discriminated against by Scandinavian, Finnish and Russian settlers, the Sami people regain their autonomy and pride themselves on their nationality.
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.
Helsinki, Finland

A Frigid-Scholarly Via Crucis

When Holy Week arrives, Helsinki shows its belief. Despite the freezing cold, little dressed actors star in a sophisticated re-enactment of Via Crucis through streets full of spectators.
Helsinki, Finland

The Design that Came from the Cold

With much of the territory above the Arctic Circle, Finns respond to the climate with efficient solutions and an obsession with art, aesthetics and modernism inspired by neighboring Scandinavia.
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
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.
Helsinki, Finland

The Pagan Passover of Seurasaari

In Helsinki, Holy Saturday is also celebrated in a Gentile way. Hundreds of families gather on an offshore island, around lit fires to chase away evil spirits, witches and trolls
Inari, Finland

The Wackiest Race on the Top of the World

Finland's Lapps have been competing in the tow of their reindeer for centuries. In the final of the Kings Cup - Porokuninkuusajot - , they face each other at great speed, well above the Arctic Circle and well below zero.
Porvoo, Finland

A Medieval and Winter Finland

One of the oldest settlements of the Suomi nation, in the early XNUMXth century, Porvoo was a busy riverside post and its third city. Over time, Porvoo lost commercial importance. In return, it has become one of Finland's revered historic strongholds.  
Oulu, Finland

Oulu: an Ode to Winter

Located high in the northeast of the Gulf of Bothnia, Oulu is one of Finland's oldest cities and its northern capital. A mere 220km from the Arctic Circle, even in the coldest months it offers a prodigious outdoor life.
Helsinki, Finland

The Suomi Daughter of the Baltic

Several cities grew, emancipated and prospered on the shores of this northern inland sea. Helsinki there stood out as the monumental capital of the young Finnish nation.
saariselka, Finland

Through the (not so) highlands of Finland

West of Mount Sokosti (718m) and the immense Urho Kekkonen National Park, Saariselkä has developed as a nature escape hub. Having arrived from Ivalo, it is there that we set up base for a series of new experiences and adventures. Some 250 freezing km north of the Arctic Circle.
Kemi, Finland

An Unconventional Finland

The authorities themselves describe Kemi as “a small, slightly crazy town in northern Finland”. When you visit, you find yourself in a Lapland that is not in keeping with the traditional ways of the region.
Believers greet each other in the Bukhara region.
City
Bukhara, Uzbequistan

Among the Minarets of Old Turkestan

Situated on the ancient Silk Road, Bukhara has developed for at least two thousand years as an essential commercial, cultural and religious hub in Central Asia. It was Buddhist and then Muslim. It was part of the great Arab empire and that of Genghis Khan, the Turko-Mongol kingdoms and the Soviet Union, until it settled in the still young and peculiar Uzbekistan.
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.
Jabula Beach, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
safari
Saint Lucia, South Africa

An Africa as Wild as Zulu

On the eminence of the coast of Mozambique, the province of KwaZulu-Natal is home to an unexpected South Africa. Deserted beaches full of dunes, vast estuarine swamps and hills covered with fog fill this wild land also bathed by the Indian Ocean. It is shared by the subjects of the always proud Zulu nation and one of the most prolific and diverse fauna on the African continent.
Muktinath to Kagbeni, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal, Kagbeni
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit 14th - Muktinath to Kagbeni, Nepal

On the Other Side of the Pass

After the demanding crossing of Thorong La, we recover in the cozy village of Muktinath. The next morning we proceed back to lower altitudes. On the way to the ancient kingdom of Upper Mustang and the village of Kagbeni that serves as its gateway.
Visitors at Jameos del Agua
Architecture & Design
Lanzarote, Canary Islands

To César Manrique what is César Manrique's

By itself, Lanzarote would always be a Canaria by itself, but it is almost impossible to explore it without discovering the restless and activist genius of one of its prodigal sons. César Manrique passed away nearly thirty years ago. The prolific work he left shines on the lava of the volcanic island that saw him born.
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.
Ceremonies and Festivities
Military

Defenders of Their Homelands

Even in times of peace, we detect military personnel everywhere. On duty, in cities, they fulfill routine missions that require rigor and patience.
Tiredness in shades of green
Cities
Suzdal, Russia

The Suzdal Cucumber Celebrations

With summer and warm weather, the Russian city of Suzdal relaxes from its ancient religious orthodoxy. The old town is also famous for having the best cucumbers in the nation. When July arrives, it turns the newly harvested into a real festival.
Lunch time
World Food

Gastronomy Without Borders or Prejudice

Each people, their recipes and delicacies. In certain cases, the same ones that delight entire nations repel many others. For those who travel the world, the most important ingredient is a very open mind.
scarlet summer
Culture

Valencia to Xativa, Spain

Across Iberia

Leaving aside the modernity of Valencia, we explore the natural and historical settings that the "community" shares with the Mediterranean. The more we travel, the more its bright life seduces us.

combat arbiter, cockfighting, philippines
Sport
Philippines

When Only Cock Fights Wake Up the Philippines

Banned in much of the First World, cockfighting thrives in the Philippines where they move millions of people and pesos. Despite its eternal problems, it is the sabong that most stimulates the nation.
Gyantse, Kumbum temple
Traveling
Lhasa a Gyantse, Tibet

Gyantse, through the Heights of Tibet

The final target is the Tibetan Everest Base Camp. On this first route, starting from Lhasa, we pass by the sacred lake of Yamdrok (4.441m) and the glacier of the Karo gorge (5.020m). In Gyantse, we surrender to the Tibetan-Buddhist splendor of the old citadel.
Barrancas del Cobre, Chihuahua, Rarámuri woman
Ethnic
Barrancas del Cobre (Copper Canyon), Chihuahua, Mexico

The Deep Mexico of the Barrancas del Cobre

Without warning, the Chihuahua highlands give way to endless ravines. Sixty million geological years have furrowed them and made them inhospitable. The Rarámuri indigenous people continue to call them home.
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.
Magome to Tsumago, Nakasendo, Path medieval Japan
History
Magome-Tsumago, Japan

Magome to Tsumago: The Overcrowded Path to the Medieval Japan

In 1603, the Tokugawa shogun dictated the renovation of an ancient road system. Today, the most famous stretch of the road that linked Edo to Kyoto is covered by a mob eager to escape.
Maui, Hawaii, Polynesia,
Islands
Maui, Hawaii

Maui: The Divine Hawaii That Succumbed to Fire

Maui is a former chief and hero of Hawaiian religious and traditional imagery. In the mythology of this archipelago, the demigod lassos the sun, raises the sky and performs a series of other feats on behalf of humans. Its namesake island, which the natives believe they created in the North Pacific, is itself prodigious.
Oulu Finland, Passage of Time
Winter White
Oulu, Finland

Oulu: an Ode to Winter

Located high in the northeast of the Gulf of Bothnia, Oulu is one of Finland's oldest cities and its northern capital. A mere 220km from the Arctic Circle, even in the coldest months it offers a prodigious outdoor life.
silhouette and poem, Cora coralina, Goias Velho, Brazil
Literature
Goiás Velho, Brazil

The Life and Work of a Marginal Writer

Born in Goiás, Ana Lins Bretas spent most of her life far from her castrating family and the city. Returning to its origins, it continued to portray the prejudiced mentality of the Brazilian countryside
Machangulo, Mozambique, sunset
Nature
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.
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.
Kayaking on Lake Sinclair, Cradle Mountain - Lake Sinclair National Park, Tasmania, Australia
Natural Parks
Discovering tassie, Part 4 - Devonport to Strahan, Australia

Through the Tasmanian Wild West

If the almost antipode tazzie is already a australian world apart, what about its inhospitable western region. Between Devonport and Strahan, dense forests, elusive rivers and a rugged coastline beaten by an almost Antarctic Indian ocean generate enigma and respect.
Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira, Azores, from historic capital to World Heritage, urban art
UNESCO World Heritage
Angra do Heroismo, Terceira , Azores

Heroina do Mar, from Noble People, Brave and Immortal City

Angra do Heroísmo is much more than the historic capital of the Azores, Terceira Island and, on two occasions, Portugal. 1500km from the mainland, it gained a leading role in Portuguese nationality and independence that few other cities can boast.
now from above ladder, sorcerer of new zealand, Christchurch, new zealand
Characters
Christchurch, New Zealand

New Zealand's Cursed Wizard

Despite his notoriety in the antipodes, Ian Channell, the New Zealand sorcerer, failed to predict or prevent several earthquakes that struck Christchurch. At the age of 88, after 23 years of contract with the city, he made very controversial statements and ended up fired.
Beaches
Gizo, Solomon Islands

A Saeraghi Young Singers Gala

In Gizo, the damage caused by the tsunami that hit the Solomon Islands is still very visible. On the coast of Saeraghi, children's bathing happiness contrasts with their heritage of desolation.
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.
Merida cable car, Renovation, Venezuela, altitude sickness, mountain prevent to treat, travel
Society
Mérida, Venezuela

The Vertiginous Renovation of the World's Highest Cable Car

Underway from 2010, the rebuilding of the Mérida cable car was carried out in the Sierra Nevada by intrepid workers who suffered firsthand the magnitude of the work.
Saksun, Faroe Islands, Streymoy, warning
Daily life
Saksun, streymoyFaroe Islands

The Faroese Village That Doesn't Want to be Disneyland

Saksun is one of several stunning small villages in the Faroe Islands that more and more outsiders visit. It is distinguished by the aversion to tourists of its main rural owner, author of repeated antipathies and attacks against the invaders of his land.
The Zambezi River, PN Mana Pools
Wildlife
Kanga Pan, Mana Pools NP, Zimbabwe

A Perennial Source of Wildlife

A depression located 15km southeast of the Zambezi River retains water and minerals throughout Zimbabwe's dry season. Kanga Pan, as it is known, nurtures one of the most prolific ecosystems in the immense and stunning Mana Pools National Park.
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.