Uploaded on March 28, 2023: Chania is a city on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. It’s known for its 14th-century Venetian harbor, narrow streets and waterfront restaurants. At the harbor entrance is a 16th-century lighthouse with Venetian, Egyptian and Ottoman influences.
Opposite, the Nautical Museum has model ships, naval objects and photographs. The former monastery of St. Francis houses the Archaeological Museum of Chania.
Uploaded March 25, 2023: The southwest shore of Maui is home to the lovely town of Kihei, one of the sunniest places on the island- with only about a foot of rain per year. As the climate is sweltering and dry, it was once called Kama’ole, which means ‘barren.’
Video timeline: 00:00 Video Preview 01:10 Start of Video, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii 02:17 Kalama Park 09:30 South Kihei Road 12:20 Cove Beach Park 17:07 Charley Young Beach 22:45 Kamaole Beach Park I 29:57 Kamaole Beach Park II
March 15, 2023: Santo Antão is the westernmost island of Cape Verde. At 785 km², it is the largest of the Barlavento Islands group, and the second largest island of Cape Verde. The nearest island is São Vicente to the southeast, separated by the sea channel Canal de São Vicente.
Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an archipelago and island country in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about 4,033 square kilometres.
Sotheby’s International Realty (March 9, 2023) – Haiku is a small village in the northern part of Maui, approximately 14 miles (22.5 km) east of Kahului. Though Haiku is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) inland, a few beaches are nearby, including popular Ho’okipa Beach, also known as the windsurfing capital of the world.
Haiku was once a thriving pineapple plantation with two canneries. However, the town experienced a decline in commercial activity when the main refinery transferred to Kahului. After a few years, people started returning and inhabit the place. Only then the commercial life in Haiku resumed. Today, this rustic community has eateries, shops and cafés.
DW Travel (January 25, 2023) – Hot thermal springs, ocean wildlife, evergreen nature: @dhruvrathee and his wife Juli visit the Azores – more precisely, the archipelago’s largest and most populated island São Miguel. Discover the green island in the Atlantic Ocean with Dhruv and Juli.
Video timeline:00:00 Intro 00:43 São Miguel 01:17 Hydrangeas 01:46 Miradouros 02:25 Furnas 03:11 Terra Nostra Garden 04:18 Caldeira Velha 04:46 Ponta da Ferraria 05:20 Lagoa do Fogo 05:47 Salto do Prego 06:08 Pineapple Plantation, Ponta Delgada 07:34 Swimming with dolphins 08:35 Weather on the Azores
They take a tour on a pineapple plantation, try Azorean delicacies, enjoy the stunning nature on a hiking trip, swim with dolphins and much more. Do you know to which county the Azores belongs to? The episode premieres on Wednesday January 25 at 3 p.m. CET/7:30 p.m. IST! Dhruv will be in the chat to answer all your questions about his trip!
Zanzibar, Swahili Unguja, island in the Indian Ocean, lying 22 miles (35 km) off the coast of east-central Africa. In 1964 Zanzibar, together with Pemba Island and some other smaller islands, joined with Tanganyika on the mainland to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Area 600 square miles (1,554 square km). Pop. (2007 est.) 713,000.
Both Zanzibar and Pemba are believed to have once formed part of the African continent, the separation of Pemba having occurred during the Miocene Epoch (about 23 to 5.3 million years ago) while Zanzibar dates from the Pliocene Epoch (about 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago) or even later. Various types of limestone form the base of both islands.
Zanzibar’s history was greatly shaped by its geography, the prevailing winds of the region placing it directly on the Indian Ocean trade routes and making it accessible to both traders and colonists from Arabia, south Asia, and the African mainland. The first immigrants were the Africans; the next were the Persians, who began to land in Zanzibar in the 10th century and who, over a brief period, became absorbed into the local population and disappeared as a separate group.
Their influence was left in the gradual consolidation of disparate villages and rural populations into what came to be recognized as two peoples, the Hadimu and the Tumbatu. This African-Persian population converted to Islam and adopted many Persian traditions. (Even today, most of Zanzibar’s African population calls itself “Shirazi,” in echo of the ancient Persian principality of Shīrāz, from which the earliest Persians came.)
The Local Project – Through natural material selections, Cheshire Architects has unveiled Waiheke House, a home that embraces its surrounds to become the best modern house in the world. Operating under the rule that grandeur does not need to be shown through scale but rather quality, Waiheke House is a place of respite for its owners with only one and a half bedrooms and a focus on entertaining areas.
Video timeline:00:00 – Introduction to the Best Modern House in the World 00:45 – An Island Location 01:05 – The Aspect of the House 01:35 – Tasked with Entertaining 02:01 – The House Plan and its Materials 03:39 – Hidden Openings and Passages 04:22 – Bathing Rituals 05:27 – The Goal Behind the Home 05:43 – Creating a Centred Feeling 06:09 – Becoming One with the Environment 06:33 – A Vessel for Experience 06:53 – A Home Made with Real Materials 07:20 – A Love for the Layered Experience
While the views of Waiheke House are only part of what establishes it as the best modern house in the world, it is how the structure inserts itself into the landscape that is awe-inspiring. Focused on evoking the numerous meanings of ‘shelter,’ Waiheke House acts as a platform that can open or close for the watching of the weather as it changes. Comprised of two pavilions, which are slightly offset from one another,
Cheshire Architects have separated the living spaces to designate a place of reprieve and a place to entertain. The larger of the two pavilions, known as the seaward pavilion, is framed by landscaping. Shaped by the stone wall that curves around and holds the home, the idea of anchoring the seaward pavilion is seen through the home’s distinct architectural theme. To make the best modern house in the world feel warm and comfortable, the use of stone, wood and brass help the house insert itself into the surrounding nature. Created for entertaining, the seaward pavilion is intentionally designed to be small, with only a kitchen, large dining section and lounge.
Framed by glass on three sides, doors butterfly open so that the living areas can connect seamlessly with the lawn. Conceptually thought of as a canopy atop a mouth of a cave, Cheshire Architects has formed the best modern house in the world to navigate a spatial dialect that speaks to both broad ocean views and small, contained spaces. Throughout the house tour, it is evident that the selected surfaces and materials are chosen to act as a vessel for experience – an idea that Cheshire Architects hopes will still be embodied in 100 years as the home ages in place.
Seen in the stacked stone of the wall to the layered floor, Cheshire Architects avoids using crisp whites or laminates and instead imbues the home with richness from natural materials. Throughout the second pavilion, the adaption of narrower halls, lower ceilings and darker tones have been employed to create a dynamic internal contrast. Intended as a retreat for the owners, Waiheke House is a place to align and connect with the natural surroundings. By focusing on simple, high-quality design choices over scale, Cheshire Architects has created the best modern house in the world so that it may amplify what already exists.
MYGEMPICTURES (December 16, 2022) – Taormina is a hilltop town on the east coast of Sicily. It sits near Mount Etna, an active volcano with trails leading to the summit. The town is known for the Teatro Antico di Taormina, an ancient Greco-Roman theater still used today. Near the theater, cliffs drop to the sea forming coves with sandy beaches. A narrow stretch of sand connects to Isola Bella, a tiny island and nature reserve.
Due to the picturesque landscape, mild climate and numerous historical sights, the city developed into one of the most important tourist centers in Sicily in the 19th and 20th centuries. I only had about half a day to capture with my camera the many sights and the atmosphere that was unique to me.
Among other things, I was thrilled by the great views, the old town and the many palaces, decorated with Arabic style elements. The visit to the Greek theater is the highlight of my video. It is the second largest ancient theater in Sicily, built in the 3rd century BC.
Taormina was defined by Goethe “The greatest masterpiece of art and nature”, and the historical French travel writer Guy de Maupassant called the city a “painting in which we find everything that seems to exist on earth to seduce the eyes, mind and imagination”. But just see for yourself – in my video.
Jeju province encompasses the South Korean island of Jeju in the Korea Strait. It’s known for its beach resorts and volcanic landscape of craters and cavelike lava tubes. Hallasan Mountain, a dormant volcano, features hiking trails, a crater lake at the 1,950m summit and nearby Gwaneumsa Temple. The Geomunoreum Lava Tube System includes 7km-long Manjanggul Cave, created centuries ago when Hallasan was still active.
Papua New Guinea, in the southwestern Pacific, encompasses the eastern half of New Guinea and its offshore islands. A country of immense cultural and biological diversity, it’s known for its beaches and coral reefs. Inland are active volcanoes, granite Mt. Wilhelm, dense rainforest and hiking routes like the Kokoda Trail. There are also traditional tribal villages, many with their own languages.