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
Stef Hoffer (March 24, 2023) – China is one of the world’s most fascinating and complicated countries, and its cities seem to get bigger every year. Considered a rural society just a few decades ago, China today is home to the world’s largest urban population.
In this travel documentary, I take you on a journey through some of the country’s most interesting cities. While many city centers are filled with modern skyscrapers, we also search for more traditional neighborhoods, historic sites, tranquil parks, special events, and cultural activities.
We look at the rapid changes China is undergoing in its urbanization process, and mention some of the challenges the country is facing. From the modern megacities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou we travel to the ancient centers of Beijing and Xian. We visit the popular Summer holiday beaches of coastal Qingdao, and the exciting Winter festivals of Harbin.
From the streets of fusion cities like Hong Kong and Macau we continue our journey to Tibetan Lhasa, located on the Rooftop of the World. We also take a look at the disappearing alleys of old Kashgar, in the controversial Xinjiang region, and the empty streets of Ordos, China’s best known ghost town. And we explore the expanding urban centers along the Yangtze river, including Wuhan and Chongqing, all the way to the fast paced metropolis of Shanghai.
I traveled through China independently for more than a decade, on several occasions. The footage in this video was shot between 2010 and 2019, and is accompanied by background information. For more in-depth information on each place, I recommend to read, watch, and listen to as many different sources as you can.
turismoroma (March 24, 2023) – The Garden of Ninfa (Giardino di Ninfa), built on the ruins of the medieval town of Ninfa in the Pontine Marshes (Agro Pontino), has been classified by the New York Times as one of the most beautiful and romantic gardens in the world. Declared a Natural Monument by the Lazio Region, the garden, given the delicate environmental balance, may only be visited on certain days of the year.
Uploaded on March 22, 2023: Larache, Arabic Al-ʿArāʾīsh, Atlantic port city, northern Morocco, at the mouth of the Loukkos (Lucus) River. The ruins of ancient Lixus, successively a Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Roman settlement, are 2 miles (3 km) northeast on the river’s north bank. Larache was under Spanish rule from 1610 to 1689 and from 1912 to 1956.
The old walled city rises in terraces to two forts that dominate it on the north and south. The ancient Kebibat fortress (now a hospital) rises out of the sea; the fort of La Cigogne (c. 1700) was built by the Spaniards. The modern quarter stretches from the port across the coastal plateau, with gardens and orchards bordering the river. Larache is a busy agricultural and fishing centre, exporting produce, timber, and wool.
March 21, 2023 Upload: Considered among the oldest towers in the world and one of the symbols of Istanbul, Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List in 2013. Galata Tower, one of the most important structures that make up the silhouette of Istanbul, was used as a long-term fire watchtower and was named Galata Fire Tower.
Video timeline: 00:00 INTRO 01:35 BUYUK HENDEK STREET (AROUND GALATA TOWER) 07:40 GALATA TOWER SQUARE 10:40 GALIP DEDE STREET 14:40 ISTIKLAL STREET ISTANBUL 38:10 TASIM SQUARE ISTANBUL
Galata Tower was first built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinianos in 507-508 AD. The ancient Tower of Galata “Megalos Pyrgos”, which means Great Tower stood on the north side of the Golden Horn in Istanbul, located in the citadel of Galata. The tower then marked the northern end of the great chain, which was expanded across the mouth of the Golden Horn to prevent enemy ships from entering the harbor. The tower contained a mechanism for raising and lowering the chain. This tower should not be confused with the present time Galata Tower, which is still standing and located at the northernmost and highest point of the citadel of Galata.
Associated Press (March 21, 2023) – With spring officially here, the Cherry Blossom trees in Washington, D.C. are nearing their full bloom.
The cherry blossom trees are without a doubt the stars of springtime in Washington, DC. Visit the District during this time and you’ll find the nation’s capital is accented in pink for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which takes place from March 18 – April 16, 2023.
FRANCE 24 (March 21, 2023) – Once important seats of Christian worship, and now treasures of the country’s heritage, French abbeys often have surprising histories. That’s the case of Fontevraud abbey, in the former duchy of Anjou. Run by a woman during its heyday, the abbey was turned into a prison after the French Revolution.
In Alsace, the abbey of Mont Sainte-Odile is famous for its supposedly miraculous spring water. Finally, on the outskirts of Montpellier, Valmagne abbey used to be a wine cellar. Visitors can still observe the gigantic barrels that were once used to store thousands of litres of wine.
March 21, 2023: The Zoo Zürich is a zoo located in Zürich, Switzerland and is considered one of the best zoos in Europe. Opened in 1929, it is the third oldest zoo in Switzerland and it accumulated a collection of 2,200 specimens of 300 species by its seventy-fifth year.
The over 90-year-old Zurich Zoo lies in an idyllic location on the Zürichberg, in the city’s Fluntern quarter. The zoo is located high above the rooftops of Zurich, surrounded by greenery, yet can still be reached quickly and easily from the city center.
Approximately 4,000 animals representing 380 different species live at Zurich Zoo. The oldest resident is Nigrita, a Galapagos giant turtle. She is over 70 years old and has been living at the zoo since 1946.
Curves Magazin (March 20, 2023) – An epic road trip through Patagonia in Southern Argentina.
Patagonia, semiarid scrub plateau that covers nearly all of the southern portion of mainland Argentina. With an area of about 260,000 square miles (673,000 square kilometres), it constitutes a vast area of steppe and desert that extends south from latitude 37° to 51° S.
It is bounded, approximately, by the Patagonian Andes to the west, the Colorado River to the north (except where the region extends north of the river into the Andean borderlands), the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Strait of Magellan to the south; the region south of the strait—Tierra del Fuego, which is divided between Argentina and Chile—also is often included in Patagonia.
Desert and semidesert cover the Patagonian tableland that extends from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean. The general aspect of this tableland is one of vast steppelike (i.e., virtually treeless) plains, rising in terrace fashion from high coastal cliffs to the foot of the Andes; but the true aspect of the plains is by no means as simple as such a general description would imply. The land along the Negro River rises in a series of fairly level terraces from about 300 feet (90 metres) at the coast to about 1,300 feet at the junction of the Limay and Neuquén rivers and 3,000 feet at the base of the Andes. The tableland region rises to an altitude of 5,000 feet.
South of the Negro River, the plains are much more irregular. Volcanic eruptions occurred in this area until fairly recent times, and basaltic sheets covered the tableland east of Lakes Buenos Aires and Pueyrredón. Near the Chico and Santa Cruz rivers, the plains have spread to within about 50 miles (80 kilometres) of the coast and reach almost to the coast south of the Coig and Gallegos rivers. In places, basaltic massifs (mountain masses) are the salient features of the landscape.
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Curves Magazin (March 20, 2023) – An epic road trip through Patagonia in Southern Argentina.
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