It was in 1419 when the portuguese navigators Tristão Vaz Teixeira, Bartolomeu Perestrelo and João Gonçalves Zarco arrived on the uninhabited archipelago. On the route to Africa, a storm drifted their boat off the road and after many days they finally caught sight of land, namely of the smaller island Porto Santo ("sacred haven"). Afterwards, they started exploring the archipelago, that is a constellation of the Madeira island (the biggest of them), Porto Santo and the other two islands Selvagens (wild islands) and Desertas (deserted islands), the last two mentioned remain uninhabited nowadays. A paradise of forestry, they must have thought, for they baptized the territory as Madeira, the portuguese designation for "wood", since there was an abundance of this raw material. The island revealed a great strategic potential. Thereafter, the first portuguese citizens started settling down on the island. The first population was formed by relatives of the three navigators as well as some people from the nobility and even old prisoners. Banana trees and tunnels For the construction of buildings and agricultural purposes, a great part of the Laurissilva (the humid subtropical forest plentiful on the island, as well as in Açores, Canary islands and Cabo Verde- the archipelagos which constitute the region of Macaronesia) was burnt down by the colonists, solely on the northern part of the island this flora type (classified as UNESCO World Heritage Site) still can be found. Banana trees, sugar cane, passion fruit, sweet potatoes and many other products imported from exotic countries during the golden Age of Discovery were then cultivated on the immense territory of the island. It was then an important trade point for merchants. On such hilly lands, there was no other solution than building tunnels in order to facilitate the transport and travelling around, apparently. But it is very intriguing waiting for the end of the tunnel and be surprised with a new view. It is like those "click and view" toy cameras, such breathtaking scenarios! Calling all the nature lovers Its volcanic origin is a prominent characteristic, although the last eruptions occurred 6500 years ago. You will find many natural swimming pools formed by volcanic rocks, like Porto Moniz for example. (I will tell you further informations about Porto Moniz in another article.) Madeira is a pearl on the Atlantic Ocean. Located 560 km, 347 miles away from the shore of Morroco it is a popular stop of cruise trips and passionate hikers can explore the magical levada walks. These roads, called levadas, were built for the transportation of water during medieval era. The smell of fresh grass and saltwater hovers in the air. If I lived there, I would probably feel like I was on vacation for ever. Have you ever been on a cruise ride?
Which is your favorite island? Which island are you dreaming of visiting one day? Até logo! Lili :)
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In a city far away, in the lands of oriental origin, resides a powerful creature, sheltered by steep mountains characterized by the temperate climate. Only the brave dare to visit this territory during wintertime due to the ice cold temperatures. The defendor of this heavenly highland is the primal force of nature and features ancient legends and myths. He is the dragon of Longqingxia. Yanqing DistrictLocated in the municipality of Beijing, about 75km north- west of the capital, Yanqing is popular for hoarding ancient caves and tombs, aswell as the Badaling section of the Great Wall. Another of its treasures is portrayed in this blog: the Gorge of Long Qing Xia. At the mouth of the Yanqing Old city river, this Scenic Area invites discoverers to ride along its waters, leading to fantastic places of natural beauty. It takes up to 2 hours by car to reach this area. Long Qing GorgeThe whole gorge measures 7km. The first thing that you will see is the dam, constructed in 1973, which provides irrigation water for the surrounding territories, and has an altitude of 70 meters. On top of this reservoir, you can appreciate the beautiful scenery of hills of the gorge. How do you get onto the dam? The dragon mentioned above does indeed exist, but it is an artificial construction with the purpose of being an escalator, taking visitors onto the dam. Main attractionsMany of the hills and rocks along the river have own designations: The Comb Hill, Flowers Cave, Immortal Taoist Temple and Jingang Temple. The landmark of the scenic area is the 70meter high Comb Hill is also known as Solitary Beauty Peak. Flowers Cave features artificial trees of more than 1650 species which are decorated with birds and other animals. Various themes like Blooming Flowers and Northern Scenery divide these plants into categories. I have only seen the ice lantern festival, explained below. During summertime, cruising trips allow visitors to explore the clear waters of the river, admire the flourishing Nature and the high hills, to take the challenge of bungee jumping from a 48m high cliff, or to take the flying rope which is a 200m long pulley and slide, a project built between two cliffs. However, there are many more alternatives for sports enthusiasts in this scenic area, such as rock climbing and skydiving. During winter, it is not possible to take boat cruises since the river is frozen and the dragon escalator is closed anyway. However, from January until Feburary, this scenic area hosts a spectacle of ice and lights, namely the Ice Lantern Festival, or Winter lights Festival. Ice sculptures and lanterns light up the whole exhibition, which is sited below the reservoir. The most favourable time of the day to visit Long Qing Xia is at dawn, around 4 to 5 pm, when the dark nights are then illuminated by innumerous lanterns placed around the hills, you will see light shows aswell as concerts that take place. One of the highlights is definitely the massive icefall against the dam. Every year, the festival portrays a different theme. This year, it presents the future Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. It is certainly an impressive event, but the ice cold temperatures can also be a great obstacle. Yes, I always feel cold, so I put on many layers of clothing to keep me warm during the visit. I wore three (!) pairs of socks and still couldn't move my feet for about 2 hours. So if you don't already feel comfortable with the freezing temperatures in Beijing downtown, and want to go for a trip to Long Qing Xia, then prepare ypurself for "Siberian - like" conditions. How to reach Long Qing from Beijing downtownMy colleagues and I ordered a personal driver from the hotel. But here are other ways to get there using public transport. By Bus: at Deshengmen Station take number 919 heading to Yanqing County and then transfer to 875 to reach Long Qing Gorge. By Train: At Beijing North Railway Station get onto the Inter - city Line S2, afterwards take the bus 875 to get to the destination. Remember that the bus schedule is between 5:30am and 6:00pm! If you go by car, you can park it at Long Qing and then take a tuktuk (tickets cost around 10 Yuan) to get to the gorge. Opening Hours and TicketsThe Gorge is open from 9am until 5pm, 10th of April to 15th November and 15th January until the end of February. The entry only costs 40 Yuan per person, and if you want the whole visit (elevator, cruise and flowers cave) the ticket costs 140 CNY per person. For further entertainment activities refer to the prices below: Flower Cave: 10 CNY Boating: 100 CNY Slide: 20 CNY Cableway: 50 CNY Bungee Jumping 150 CNY Immortal Temple incl. cableway roundtrip: 50 CNY I am sure visiting the gorge in summer again! Do you know other beautiful gorges around the world? Looking forward to reading your comments :) |
I'd rather have a passport full of stamps than a house full of stuff. Forever a discoverer
The bad news is time flies. Go check out the amazing photography website of my friend Nicole, who is also a flight attendant!
Click here Fotomeitschi and see the world through her eyes ;-) Es sind die Begegnungen mit Menschen, die das Leben lebenswert machen.
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