This stunning and soulful portrait of Cape Verde's most famous singer, Cesária Évora (1941-2011), covers one side of the major culture building facing Praça Dom Luis, the central square. Portuguese artist Vhils etched rather than painted the image. She was known as 'the barefoot diva' as she performed the UNESCO-recognised Cape Verdean 'morna' music without shoes.
Built on the ruins of a previous fortification in the early 13th century, Carlow Castle was a trading hub along the confluence of the Barrow and Burren rivers for hundreds of years. Its construction is attributed to William Marshal, often referred to as "the greatest knight who ever lived," and the successor of Richard "Strongbow" de Clare. With wet bogland surrounding all sides, the castle was essentially built on an island. Rectangular with a round tower at each corner, the castle's design h
Japan became an isolationist state in the mid-17th century after a Portuguese-led Christian rebellion against the shogunate. The Dutch managed to circumvent this ban two years later by swearing to not spread religion, and allegedly even throwing a Bible into the sea. However, they were only allowed to set foot on a small artificial island in Nagasaki called Deijima. For decades this island functioned as the only place where foreigners were welcome, with a few small exceptions like the yearly c
Swiss has begun a long-awaited renewal of its long-haul product with the intercontinental introduction of its first Airbus A350 to Boston.
Oman is a land of stunning scenery, beautiful landscapes and a rich cultural heritage. Part of this rich cultural heritage includes petroglyphs, ancient images created by removing part of the rock surface to expose a lighter layer beneath, making them different to pictographs which are paintings on the surface of the rock, although both types are often referred to as rock art. Oman is home to a number of rock art locations. The arid and rocky terrain, acted as a natural canvas on which to c
Whether you want to keep your vacation spending in check or simply wish for a break from tours, seek out these cheap or free things to do on an Alaska cruise.
A pair of Pseudobombax ellipticum trees were planted in this location around the year 1660, in front of what was then a hermitage dedicated to Santa Catarina (Saint Catherine). It is believed that monks from the hermitage were the ones to plant these trees centuries ago. The modern church dedicated to San Matías (Saint Matthew) was finished in 1713 in what was then a separate town called Jalatlaco. This tree is known commonly in Spanish as coquito (likely from "little coconut", but unrelated t
Within the courtyard of this 19th-century art museum lies a small, leafy display. Buried beneath it is the very artist to whom the museum is dedicated. Bertel Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen in 1770, where he very quickly developed a love for art, entering the Royal Danish Academy of Art at just eleven years old. He spent the majority of his life working in Rome, sculpting neoclassical statues for patrons across Europe and earning him international acclaim. In 1838, Thorvaldsen returned
Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. Hey, I’m Kelly McEvers, co-host of the Atlas Obscura podcast. And today we’re gonna play something a little different for you. It’s an episode of a new show called The Detour. It’s produced in partnership with Toyota Trucks, and the tagline is: “A podcast about going places that actually goes places.” That’s because in every episode you will hear a literal road trip to a place that is worth a detour. Like they act
The tower of Southwark’s St. George the Martyr Church features four clock faces, three of which are white and stand out from the tower, while the fourth clock face, black and flush with the tower’s eastern side, is less noticeable. The origin of this odd face dates to the 18th century, when St. George's underwent significant rebuilding. During this time, funds were solicited from the surrounding districts to aid in the project. Each district contributed to the undertaking, except for Bermonds
For just 65,000 World of Hyatt points, TPG enjoyed two nights at one of the most luxurious new Park Hyatts in the world.
A few steps away from the city centre, the palace is the oldest vestige in Bordeaux! It was built in the Second Century in Bordeaux and was abandoned towards the end of the Antiquity period. Standing in front of it, it's a little difficult to imagine the roars of wild beasts and the triumphant cries of gladiators. On its now-vanished wooden bleachers, 20,000 spectators—twice the city's population at the time—could watch the games. A monumental gate still stands, and some arches and wall re
The five enigmatic spheres embedded in the façade of San Juan Bautista Church in Málaga have puzzled historians and locals alike for centuries. While their exact origin remains a mystery, three prevailing theories attempt to explain their meaning: 1. Cannonballs from the Siege of Málaga (1487) Some believe the spheres are remnants of the artillery used during the siege by the Catholic Monarchs when they captured the city from the Nasrid Kingdom. According to this hypothesis, the church inco
Looking for a new way to see Alaska and British Columbia? Holland America's Great Bear Rainforest cruise might be for you.
The Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center, Inc. was established by the STS to be a center for reliable information on Scottish Highland Dress traditions within the United States, and to serve the large Scottish-American heritage community. Originally established in Highlands, NC in 1988, the museum has been in Franklin since 1994, educating the public about tartan and Highland dress and serving as a general Scottish Heritage Center for the region.
From Morelia to Querétaro and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Acueducto Padre Tembleque, aqueducts are a common feature of colonial architecture in Mexico. It is also known that the Aztec/Mexica people built aqueducts to supply cities like Tenochtitlán (now Mexico City) with water, although little remains of these. As such, the arched remains of this infrastructure can be found throughout the country. In the city of Oaxaca, capital of the eponymous state, the aqueduct began being built i
If you plan to travel by air for Thanksgiving, read this before packing any foods in your carry-on bag.
Just outside the notorious La Santé prison in Paris's 14th arrondissement lies the city's last public urinal, or "la dernière vespasienne de Paris", as its accompanying plaque declares. In the early 19th century, public urinals began to be installed all across Paris to fight the city's unsanitary conditions, which had led to various epidemics (public toilets for women were not installed, as they were deemed to take up too much room on public thoroughfares). They were named vespasiennes after t