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Campeche and Uxmal – two civilizations
Uxmal is the second most – important Mayan city in Mexico, just after Chichen Itza. The city is famous for its architecture and ornamentation. The most surprising is the fact that there’re no drinking water reservoirs in the surroundings and even there’s no evidence that they existed. Probably, potable water was being cached during rains and used in the dry season. The lack of water resources explains the abundance of reliefs presenting Chaca – god of rain. The most representative point is the Pyramid of the Magician, towering over the city. Similarly to Chichen Itza, this pyramid was being used for ritual purposes. During rituals, priests offered still beating hearts…
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Hanauma Bay – the curved bay with a view of…
Koko Head is a popular tourist spot on the O’ahu Island. The proper name of this crater in Hawaiian language is actually – Kohelele, which can be translated as… flying vagina. You must wonder who could have given this crater such a name. In a fact it’s connected with a very dramatic story, which for sure could be used as a scenario of the XXX movies. Acording to the Hawaiian legend, Kapo the goddess of fertility, used her magical flying vagina to distract the pig god Kamapuaa who, to put it mildly, imposed himself on her sister – Pele (the goddess of volcano). Finally, the flying organ landed on the…
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France – Colmar
Colmar has been going around my head since I stumbled upon the photos of this amazing town. Unfortunately, the quick glance at the map, brought me down to earth. Apart from the fact that Colmar is situated very close to the border with Switzerland and Germany, its location isn’t convenient in view of the lack of cheap flights. Nevertheless, the New Year brought me new possibilities. When I was bored waiting for the flight at the Riga airport I found budget tickets to Basel. As it turned out later the flight was the tip of the iceberg. Taking into account that Swiss franc exchange rate was directly proportional to the…
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St. Beatus caves – a short visit to elves’ wonderland
St. Beatus caves which are located close to the town Interlaken, at the picturesque Thun lake, is an exceptional place. Here one can move to the magic world of the Rivendell – the elves’ residence, created by J.R.R. Tolkien. The similarity isn’t coincidental because this place was the inspiration for the author of the Lord of the Rings, who visited it during his voyage through Switzerland in 1911. What’s more, the visualization of The Last Homely House, presented in Peter’s Jackson movie was made by John Howe – Canadian book illustrator, who lives in Switzerland. The name of the caves is connected with St. Beatus – English missionary…
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Russia – Sankt Petersburg
Famous Sankt Petersburg is an exceptional city. It’s a mix of everything what’s the most beautiful in Russian and European architecture. This city was tsar Peter’s the Great dreams. During his voyages through Europe he wanted to build from scratch a city – the symbol of modern Russian empire. One thing we’ve to hand to Peter, he did quite a good job! The most important historic events for the Russian empire took place in Sankt Petersburg: Bloody Sunday, the Russian Revolution or 900-day siege during WWII, when almost 640 thou. people died of starvation Sankt Petersburg is a city located on the area of at least 40 islets connected by…
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Gothenburg – cheap trip
The idea of going to Gothenburg appeared spontaneously, actually, as it usually happens it was connected with big promotion in Ryanair. Having the alternative between spending Valentine’s Day at home or going to Gothenburg for only 4 €, our choice was obvious. Of course, there’s one catch when you buy such cheap tickets. Usually it turns out that on the spot, especially in Sweden, prices aren’t promotional. In such situations, common sense tells us to resign, that the idea of spending romantic Valentines in the middle of winter in Sweden is ridiculous ant it’s only a matter of losing 4 €. Fortunately we’re neither rational nor romantic 😉 So,…
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9 and a half reason to visit Gothenburg
Islands, islets and red houses So the Southern Archipelago in the flesh. Hop on a ferry and admire a typical Swedish countryside. Islands like: Asperö, Donsö, Styrsö, Vrangö and Brännö, surprise by their gaunt landscape as well as typical Swedish wooden red buildings. It doesn’t matter which direction you choose, the last letter ö in the name is essential 😉 2. Take a walk along the dock It’s worth taking a short walk along the dock, where you can visit floating museum. 3. Have a rest in the shade of palms Palm House, located in the strict city center is a cultish meeting place. Certainly there’re a lot of reasons why, but…
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San Marino – location matters!
San Marino with the area of 61 sq. km is one of the smallest in Europe. But apart from that, every day it is visited by thousands of tourists. What makes it so special? The answer is obvious… location, location and once more location! San Marino is situated on the 7 hills with the highest peak – Monte Titano (749 meters above sea level). In fact, this mountain consists of 3 peaks which are adorned with 3 castles connected by the rampart. The biggest and the oldest stronghold is La Rocca o Guaita, which tower was built without fundaments, straight on the rock. La Rocca o Guaita is connected with…
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Como Lake – Varenna
Among a lot of towns of Lake Como, the most impressive is Varenna. This little town with the population of 1000 residents is situated around 60 km from Milan and 20 km from Lecco. The most convenient way to get there is by train from Milan or by ferries which shuttle between Como Lake towns. We went there at the beginning of August – peak tourist season in Italy. Taking into account our previous trips and the fact that we have no luck for good weather we weren’t surprised that was cold, windy and rainy. When in Poland was a scorching heat, there was only 18 degrees. It’s no wonder…
