🇮🇸🏔️❄️Exploring Akureyri Iceland
The Capital of the North’ is a town in the fjord Eyjafjörður in North Iceland.
It lies just 100 kilometres (62 miles) away from the Arctic Circle. It is Iceland’s second-largest urban area with a population of about 19,500.
Amazed by the tunnels and Godafoss, a majestic waterfall in northern Iceland with an incredible history behind it. While it is not the tallest nor most powerful waterfall in Iceland, it is definitely worth a visit. Check out the viewpoints on both sides and then walk right down to the water's edge.
#iceland #icelandic #icelandtrip #godafoss ❤️🪽
Santarém, Brazil 🇧🇷
[ The Metropolitan Cathedral Nossa Senhora da Conceição] ⛪
~ also known as Igreja Matriz de Santarém) is the oldest church in the city of Santarém, and also one of the oldest buildings in the city.
Its construction began in 1761 , at Praça Monsenhor José Gregório, one hundred years after the construction of the first chapel in the city by Father João Felipe Bettendorff , which was located a little further west of the current building. [ 1 ] The inauguration of the church took place on December 8, 1819. [ 2 ]The church would have been designed by the architect Antonio Landi upon an alleged request from the then governor Mendonça Furtado. Anecdotal evidence shows that the building was built on a Tupaiu Indian cemetery. The original construction had two towers, similar to the current ones but slightly smaller. In 1851 the left tower collapsed, soon after its other tower was also demolished. The church had its construction completed in 1881, with the conclusion of the construction of the Main Altar and installation of the new iron cross on top of the church. On September 31, 1893, it received the title of Cathedral. The building then underwent several reforms and restorations, the last one carried out in 2018.
St. Kitts and Nevis 🇰🇳
[The Art of Masquerade]
In St. Kitts and Nevis, Masquerade is an art form. Uniquely Kittitian and Nevisian, it is the grand display of festivities, a cultural evolution that has taken place over the course of 300 years. Paraders wear tall peacock-feathered headdresses, masks, and fringed aprons that reach just above the knees. The entire costume is decorated with bangles, mirrors and ribbons.
Dance experts have identified elements of European and African genres, which include the “Wild Mas”, the Waltz, Quadrille, the Rhumba, the Fertility Dance, the Fine Dance, the Jig and the Boillola. The “Quadrille”, which has its roots in 17th-Century France, is the first dance. It is a slow, structured couple’s dance. The second dance, the “Fine”, picks up the pace. It demands greater skill as the dancers work their way, on one foot, towards each other in the centre of the ring. There they perform a Fertility Dance that is traceable to the mating dance of Africa.
The real spectacle comes when the masquerades break into a frenzy of “Wild Mas”, throwing their tomahawks into the air. This dance is typical of the African war dance that has been performed over millennia. The next dance is the “Jig”. Here the dancers display their skill with the tomahawk, with their right foot hooked behind their left.
This dance follows right into the “Boillola”, another dance movement where the tomahawk is held between the dancer’s legs, while the dancers jump and clap to the music, moving from side to side. European roots are put on parade when the dancers pair off into couples and perform the Waltz to a moderately fast triple meter.
St. John`s, Antigua 🇦🇬
🏖️ [ Dickenson Bay ] is in the northwestern part of Antigua, in the parish of St. John. Dickenson Bay is one of the most beautiful and pristine beaches in Antigua and there are lots of things to do while there including water sports. On this beach, you’ll be able to go jet skiing, wakeboarding, parasailing, tubing, kayaking, snorkeling, and scuba diving.
Dickenson Bay is roughly a mile long. This means that although the beach can get crowded, you won’t have a hard time locating a peaceful space for just you. The water is usually pretty calm on this beach. It is also quite shallow for a long way out making it great for a casual swim, or some wading.
Dickenson Bay is about a 9-minute drive from St. John's. There are quite a few luxury-beach resorts and restaurants near this beach and places to shop as well. Sandals Grande Antigua is located on Dickenson Bay Beach. Couples can enjoy a day trip to this beach where they can not only enjoy the ocean and sunbathe but also do some bird watching for ospreys and pelicans as well.
Rome, Italy 🇮🇹 [full]
The Vatican City 🇻🇦
Site of the tomb of the Apostle Saint Peter, first of the uninterrupted succession of Roman Pontiffs, and therefore a main pilgrimage centre, the Vatican is directly and tangibly linked with the history of Christianity. Furthermore, it is both an ideal and an exemplary creation of the Renaissance and of Baroque art.
Parintins, Brazil 🇧🇷
[ Boi-Bumbá Show ] is an interactive play celebrated in Brazil. It originated in the 18th century. It is a form of social criticism. Lower class Brazilians mock and criticize those of higher social status through a comedic Folklore story told in song and dance.
Roseau, Dominica 🇩🇲
Located in the Eastern Caribbean sea and known for its dramatic volcanic landscapes, waterfalls, lakes, gorges and hot springs, Dominica is certainly a destination for lovers of nature. Originally considered a part of the Leeward Islands, Dominica forms part of the Windward Islands group.
Rome, Italy 🇮🇹
Rome became the most powerful state in the world by the first century BCE through a combination of military power, political flexibility, economic expansion, and more than a bit of good luck. This expansion changed the Mediterranean world and also changed Rome itself.
Kotor, Montenegro 🇲🇪
👑 Being the seventh country in the world with the largest number of UNESCO protected areas per square meter, Montenegro is a home to deepest canyon in Europe and the second in the world just after the Grand Canyon – Tara River Canyon, the longest sand beach of the Old Continent – Ulcinj, southernmost fjord in Europe and one of the most beautiful bays in the world – the Bay of Kotor.
