The most beautiful seasons of the most beautiful sites -Part 3-

8 Goa in low season (INDIA) 
They say the best time to visit Goa is when the weather is coolest between November and March. But many Goans prefer the monsoon season between June and September. The rain was welcomed by parties and celebrations, and the campaign turned green almost overnight. The advantage of a trip to this time of year is that you will not have to endure the crowds and the prices are lower. In October, at the beginning of the tourist season, the beaches are still pleasantly empty.

The vaccine against typhoid and treatment against malaria are strongly recommended during the monsoon.


9 Dublin at Christmas (Ireland)
December is busy in Dublin. During the "Christmas Dip at the Forty Foot," organized swimming at 11am on Christmas Day in Sandycove (village immortalized by James Joyce in Ulysses), the bravest are the return swim to the rocks at 20 m from the shore. During the Christmas lunch, a toast listening Fairytale of New York, The Pogues. Get back festive meals and forget your post-Christmas blues by attending popular Leopardstown Races (December 26-30). Finally, go to Funderland, Dublin traditional carnival which takes place from December 26 to January 9.

Intoxicated by Guinness, you may dare tempt Christmas Dip at Ringsend Pier (2 to 3 km from the city center), where the howling wind intimidate the most seasoned.



10 New York in June (United States) 
The first month of summer, New York's only parades, street festivals and outdoor concerts. SummerStage offers a dizzying programming in Central Park, all the more remarkable when it is usually more than 20 ° C. During Restaurant Week, enjoy attractive discounts at upscale restaurants. As for the month of Gay Pride, culminates on the last Sunday of June with a grand parade in Fifth Avenue involving drag queens, gay police, gay leather and other community representatives rainbow sky.



                                                                                               Source : lonelyplanet.fr

The most beautiful seasons of the most beautiful sites -Part 2-

5. netherlands During the tulip season 
Spring is the season of love but also of the tulips. For centuries the Dutch have revered this fine plant. To see the different varieties and discover the impressive array of colors that deploys the tulip, visit Keukenhof, the largest flower garden in the world. This 32-hectare park hosts seven million bulbs from 600 varieties of tulips, enthroned among other flowers such as daffodils or lilies. The visit of these fields can be done on foot, by bike or by boat.


6 Tokyo during hanami (Japan) 
The Japanese are the angels during the short season of hanami (blossoms): plum blossom early in February, and then it was the turn of the peach in March, and cherry trees in late March and early April. In Tokyo, two locations are dedicated to the worship of the flower bud: the Ueno and Yoyogi parks, old barracks turned into public gardens. Yoyogi, the most famous, is a hive at this time of the year. Shinjuku-Gyoen, one of the largest green spaces in the city (58 ha), offers a more serene atmosphere.

Meguro River is also a good place to enjoy this show: it is lined with more than 800 trees that can be seen from Nakameguro Station (they are illuminated at night).




7 London in May (England)
With the first rays of sun, Londoners swap their drab outfits against sequined dresses and eccentric T-shirts. When it starts to get really hot, rather than to seek shade and freshness as you would to the south, many people sunning themselves to improve their complexion. Every square inch of grass of the smallest public garden was stormed at lunchtime. Later in the day, how about a beer in front of the windows with flower boxes pubs. Tunes jubilant music wafting through the open windows and it even happens that you smile in the subway.

Capture the thrill préestival during a walk in Hampstead Heath.

The most beautiful seasons of the most beautiful sites -Part 1-

A city, a region can completely change the face of one season to the next. Choose a good time! 

1 Barcelona during Carnival (Spain) 
The Carnestoltes (carnival, in Catalan) in Barcelona in February or March. It includes several days of parades and festivities, which end 47 days before Easter Sunday, on a Tuesday. Gran Rua - great parade of floats and teams gathered to welcome King Carnival - starts on or near the Plaça d'Espanya to track westward Carrer de la Creu Coberta. The following Wednesday takes place Enterrament de la Sardina (Burial of the Sardine), often on the hill of Montjuïc. This ceremony marks the beginning of Lent. A rougher version of the carnival takes place in Sitges, where bars and nightclubs are attacked by revelers for several days.




2. Quebec in winter (Canada)
With average temperatures of -22 ° C in January over much of the territory and -10 ° C in the valley of the St. Lawrence, fi mosquitoes. But mostly, Quebec then ready amount of exhilarating activities: downhill skiing, dogsled rides and snowshoe equipped for cross country skiing or snowmobiling on the P'tit Train du Nord which connects St. Jérôme to Mont-Laurier (200 km). Thousands of skaters perform on the Rideau Canal, near Saint-Sauveur, or swirl on Beaver Lake Parc du Mont-Royal, right in Montreal. The hockey team of the city plays its matches in the splendid Bell Centre from October to May

Quebec has 150 ski track, 1 hour from Montreal and 30 minutes from Quebec City.




3 Rome summer (Italy) 
From late June to August, the Eternal City is experiencing a hot and humid climate, sometimes unbearable. But it's also the season when Rome is the liveliest and most sensual. People are in the streets and outdoor festivals abound; women go out dressed in divine robes; It serves gelati all day before having dinner on the terrace. Steeples of the capital of Christianity stand out in orange ocher on a generally blue sky. All invite to take the time to bask in the sun on the pavement cafes, to get lost in the cobbled streets and laze in the trattorias.



4 Reykjavík at midnight sun (Iceland)
Icelanders used to joke about the unpredictability of the climate of their country. However, the summer temperatures are generally correct and it is day 22 hours 24 driest and hottest months of the year, May, June and July are the best time to visit the country. The high season runs from early June to late August. The rest of the year, many galleries, museums and attractions in the capital have limited opening hours.

Reykjavik is expensive. Most accommodation and restaurants suitable for small budgets gathered in the west, in the old town.

France: places that have inspired painters -Part 3-

8 Site Corot, Saint-Junien (Haute-Vienne)

The municipality of Saint-Junien, in the far west of the department, has restored the "Chalet Corot" modest cottage in which the painter Jean-Baptiste Corot was storing his easel and brushes. This delicate landscape came every summer, in the middle of the nineteenth century, paint the sides of the Glane and its capricious waters. "Site Corot" steep and wooded, contains the memories of this precursor "despite his" Impressionist, a lone TV reception that perfectly transience of natural lighting. You can see his carved medallion and sealed in the rock portrait. A tribute in 1904 by local artists.


9 A Burial at Ornans, Gustave Courbet (Doubs)

A Burial at Ornans is the first monumental painting by Gustave Courbet, who painted between 1849 and 1850 From the outset, critics are many. It accuses the painter vulgarity but also to have dealt a "people story" in a large format usually reserved for so-called noble scenes. Courbet, who relies on having no other master in painting nature and tradition, becomes the leader of realism. Many paintings are inspired by his home town Ornans, nicknamed "Little Venice Grandfather." Crossed by Loue, it is full of charm with its old houses on stilts on the river.


 

10 Le Cannet Pierre Bonnard (Alpes-Maritimes)

From the window of his house, Pierre Bonnard admired ocher roofs of Le Cannet, the red cliffs of the Esterel and behind a green fringe, the blue of the Mediterranean. Landscapes, Le Cannet 1félicité illustrates the painter in his adopted homeland. "In light of the South, everything becomes clear and the paint is in full vibration," he wrote. He came regularly from 1922, then moved to the Villa Le Bosquet, purchased in 1926, where he resided until his death. Not far away, a museum dedicated to him. Outside, a walk invitation to follow the artist on the canal footpath Siagne.

                                                                         Source : lonelyplanet.fr 

France: places that have inspired painters -Part 2-

5 Sisley Moret-sur-Loing (Seine-et-Marne)

Near the forest of Fontainebleau, Moret is a quaint little town, with its tower and its vestiges of ramparts, Gothic church, old houses of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and the old bridge over the Loing, a quiet river whose tributaries and channel crisscross the countryside. Its confluence with the Seine is not far either. Nothing has changed much since the Impressionist painter Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) settled there in 1880 for nearly twenty years, he painted numerous views of the Loing, its channel and banks of the Seine, leaving a wide place in heaven and perspective effects highlighted by poplars.

Many artists today just find the atmosphere that inspired Sisley. Sisley course must be put in place and allow boats to go down over the water, surrounded by green sites.

 


6 Arles and Van Gogh (Bouches-du-Rhône)

Arles kept no Van Gogh painting. Yet it is here that the painter had a creative fury of excitement leading to exhaustion, to the brink of sanity. He spent a little over a year - from February 1888 to May 1889 - in the city where he painted some 185 canvases. Among the most famous: Sunflowers, The House Café Terrace at night and Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, linked to his altercation with Gauguin. It will then be transferred to the asylum at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Number of places he painted are still visible today.

The places where the artist has placed his easel are reported in the streets of Arles by panels representing his paintings.

 


7 Fresselines and the Valley of the Creuse (Creuse)

During the winter of 1889, Claude Monet set his easel at the confluence of two Creuse, at a place called The Battery, and before the mill Vervy. Its 23 tables will testify to the fascination of the master of Impressionism to the dark light and savagery of this border Indre Valley. Around Fresselines, Creuse, meandering, coves and cliffs, already mentioned by George Sand, will host the landscape painters of the school of Crozant. Today, the forest won on farmlands and heathland, but the mineral scenic beauty remains.

Fortress Crozant and promontory at the confluence of the Creuse and Sédelle, offers one of the points of view the most spectacular of the valley.

France: places that have inspired painters -Part 1-

From the nineteenth century, artists leave their studios and paying closer attention to the scenery. Getting into a table, it is possible by visiting the places where teachers set up their easels.
 
1. Monet's Water Lilies, Giverny (Eure)

Designed in ambition and incredible aesthetic philosophy at the time, the Water Lilies grow Impressionism to its absolute, while they are the swan song. If the contemplation of two circular sets offered by Claude Monet at the Orangerie Museum in Paris makes you want to continue the experience, it's Giverny you will find the descendants of the painter lilies floating in the pool that 'he laid in his garden by diverting an arm of the Epte. Monet was enamored with Giverny, and realized there, like a painting is produced, a sparkling flower garden that was his "workshop" in the second half of his life.

 


2 La Montagne Sainte-Victoire by Cezanne (Bouches-du-Rhône)

A total of 44 oils and 43 watercolors reflect the commitment of Cezanne Sainte Victoire. Born in Aix-en-Provence, Cezanne quickly devoted himself to his passion: painting. Childhood friend of Émile Zola, with whom he traveled the Aix countryside, he will keep the memory of those years long walks in contact with nature. For twenty years, he will shuttle between Aix-en-Provence, L'Estaque and Paris, where he will never be able to win. Finally returned to Provence to paint the landscapes of his childhood, he fell out with Zola after the publication of artwork, inspired him to describe a cursed painter.

 


3 Views of Honfleur, Eugène Boudin (Calvados)

Eugène Boudin, a forerunner of Impressionism, first found his inspiration on the docks of the city where he was born, Honfleur. As such, Boudin is also the father of those artists who settled in Honfleur and elsewhere, their webs facing a landscape; Moreover he initiated Monet painting outdoors. Baudelaire, who was no stranger to the decision to follow his vocation Boudin, who began his career as a papermaker, proclaimed "King of the skies". The painter has made countless views of the harbor, houses and slate from the old port of Honfleur, who, in many ways, announce his fate town postcard; but different scenes, including market, show a more documentary look.

The Musée Eugène Boudin-presents more than 90 works by the artist but also paintings by Monet, Courbet and other artists.  






 
4 Le Moulin de la Galette (Paris)

Climb the Rue Lepic and see (near nos75-81) the last two mills, ancient and often rebuilt to Montmartre: The Blute-fin and Radet. In the 1860s, the owner added a tavern and a rustic ball, called Moulin de la Galette (note again the restaurant sign to that name near the mill Radet). The popular mood or rabble, these dances and dance halls, the charm of the hill and the old mills inspired many artists, starting with Renoir painted in 1876, his famous Bal au moulin de la Galette (silly ay, Musée d'Orsay), but also Van Gogh (1886), Toulouse-Lautrec (1889), Picasso (1900) and many others.






 

The most beautiful roads in the United States -Part 3-

8 Highway 2

The road linking the West Coast to the East Coast on the list must. Great Northern stretches 4,150 km between Washington State and the Maine in the north, making a detour to pass by Canada. Away from the big cities, it is lost in the great outdoors through beautiful landscapes, gorgeous mountains of the west with tantalizing Great Lakes through the vast prairies of the Great Plains. A small hook on the other side of the border to discover Montreal. The road then winds through mountains and forests to be completed on the coast of New England.

9 Blue Ridge Parkway

Under this name hides a beautiful scenic drive of 755 km long, stretching to the heart of misty mountains. Crossing the ridge of the southern Appalachians, it connects two great national parks: Shenandoah in Virginia and the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. Wildflowers popping up everywhere in the spring, while the fall colors are spectacular. But be careful driving on foggy days: lack of safety railing can then give cold sweats! If you're tired of driving, know that countless hiking trails await you too.
 


                                                                               Source : lonelyplanet.fr

The most beautiful roads in the United States -Part 2-

5 Alcan (Alaska Highway), from Canada to Alaska

What amateur long journeys never dreamed to go to Alaska? Admittedly, most of the Alcan through the wilderness in Canada and not the United States, but this route is of breathtaking beauty. Starting from Dawson Creek, in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, British Columbia, it winds through the majestic peaks of the northern province and crossed the vast expanses of the Yukon before entering the heart of Alaska where it ends Delta Junction, near Fairbanks, after a splendid traveling 250 km 2.
.




 
6 Highway 163, Arizona

One has the impression of having already seen a hundred times the landscapes of Monument Valley, as they were filmed by Hollywood. Nevertheless plateaus with steep walls, monoliths and sandstone peaks crimson territory straddling the border of Utah and Arizona reserves the visitor a great sensory experience. Highway 163 offers beautiful views of the size setting. However, nothing compares to the spectacular panorama to be enjoyed from the dirt track forming a loop of 27 km, accessible from the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.

Feel like John Wayne traveling the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park on horseback. Walks organized by the information center for visitors.

 


7 Yosemite National Park, California

Difficult to compete with the beauty of Yosemite. Highway 120 runs through the national park 90 km as the Tioga Road between Yosemite Valley, to the west, and Mono Lake, east, via the Tioga Pass, which rises to 3,031 m. It is closed most of the year (usually from October to May, sometimes June) because of the snow. But when it is accessible, it is a unique experience. Wherever you look, the view is breathtaking (the most beautiful view being that of Olmsted Point). You'll struggle to release your camera along the sapphire waters of Lake Tenaya and to the tops of Tuolumne Meadows.

 

The most beautiful roads in the United States -Part 1-

Sumptuous crossing driving a beautiful American, on an appropriate soundtrack landscapes.
 
1 Mohawk Trail, Massachusetts

People come from afar to admire the beautiful colors of the trees of New England in the fall (especially in September and October). Many secondary roads connect the towns of this region, to immerse themselves in nature to admire the beautiful colors - brown, red or russet - that color leaves. The Mohawk Trail (MA 2) stretches for 100 km through the beautiful region of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts. Dotted with villages rub restaurants, art galleries and tourist shops, it leads, after a steep climb, the summit of Mount Greylock, from where the panorama (giving four states) is remarkable.

Stop by Western Summit Overlook viewpoint located east of North Adams, and go through the wigwam to find a souvenir or melted caramel.

 


2 Highway 61, the road to the Grand River

Physical demarcation line as far as symbolic between East and West, the Mississippi River is the cradle of American music. It is bordered by a legendary route: Route 61 from Minneapolis leading south to St. Louis and Memphis (the city of the King). She then reached the Mississippi Delta, the birthplace of the blues, and finally New Orleans, where jazz was born. Directions to 1930 km, which will satisfy lovers of the river as music lovers. These will, however, fully satisfied only after the 650km detour leading to Nashville, the capital of the country.

Mississippi stretches 3,734 kilometers. It takes its source in Minnesota and flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
 












 

3 Pacific Coast Highway, California

What better way to experience California as browsing the beautiful scenic route? The Pacific Coast Highway (also known as PCH or Hwy 1) along the west coast of the United States from the Mexican border to Washington state, never deviate for long from the ocean. From San Diego, head north and cross the entire Golden State, preferably aboard a convertible. Take time to enjoy the scenery and to halt around good food in some of the towns through. You can also observe elephant seals, swim in small coves and napping in the shade of giant redwoods.

Plan to stop in Los Angeles and San Francisco, essential steps, but also in Laguna Beach, Hearst Castle, Big Sur, Monterey and Mendocino.


 

4 Route 66

How not to start with the Mother Road? Also known as "Main Street of America", it stretches more than 3200 km between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest, the Great Plains and the Southwest United States. Built in 1926, when it was the road of hope, leading to the Promised Land (California), as described in Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Although the US-66 was officially decommissioned, it can still go long stretches. This route takes you to the mythical heart of America nostalgic, dotted with diners and kitschy vintage motels sprung straight from the 1950s.

Performed originally by Nat King Cole, the famous song (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 was taken up by many groups, including the Rolling Stones.

 

10 destinations for family travel -Part 2-

6. Oman
With its clear waters, huge hotel complex, spellbinding dunes and subtropical climate in the north, Oman is the ideal place for an original family getaway. After arriving in Muscat, a traditional white city by the sea, go to the desert for a camel trek and overnight in tents Bedouin mode. Laze on the beaches of the Sharqiya region, but do not forget to visit the turtle reserve at Ras al-Jinz. As in all countries where we love the children, your children will be pampered and welcomed by ahlan wa salan ("hello and welcome"). The whole family will be delighted with this odyssey in the Middle East.



7 Prague, Czech Republic 
It's not because you have kids you have to cancel your escapades of yesteryear, and Prague is ideal for an exotic weekend. In this city of great size, which can be visited on foot or by tram (kids love) architecture feels like a fairy tale, there is a hilltop castle, and the atmosphere in the square of the Vieille town and Charles Bridge is simply electrifying. A cable car takes you on Petrin Hill, where an observation tower and a hall of mirrors 1891 And if your little tired, wooden toys sold everywhere are perfect for re-motivate. Prague family




8 Italy 
For Italians, the famiglia is sacred. Unnecessary, therefore, to go park yours in a vacation club with children everywhere, you will receive a warm welcome and will feel at ease even in the most exclusive restaurants. Italians are used to see children in restaurants, and small up later. And the boot is no shortage of breathtaking sights, the Coliseum, which fires the imagination, Vesuvius, overlooking a frozen in ancient Pompeii. Other delights in the program: pizza, the best ice cream in the world, beach, boats, lakes, caves and mountains. And opulent villas in the countryside, where children can play, run and scream their fill.

Italians take their holidays in the sweltering heat of July-August: crowded places but super atmosphere. Summer is also the season of festivals.

9 LAPONIE 
Go to Lapland in winter, is to enter the pages of a Christmas story. Not only is the land of Santa Claus (for real), but there is dog sledding, skiing, the ice fishing and snowmobiling in the forest, and there has been racing reindeer on frozen lakes. From October to March, the long polar night is your best chance to marvel at the aurora borealis; in summer, you whitewater rafting and fabulous national parks in the magical light of the polar day (midnight sun from June to August).




10 Iceland 
Steaming geysers, bubbling mud pots, the largest waterfall in Europe, Vatnajökull ice cap (the largest glacier outside the poles), active volcanoes, hot springs and, in winter, magical Northern Lights, Iceland is a country dazzles at any age. You are sure to find an activity that will unanimously between horseback riding, hunting elves, rafting, hiking on glaciers, caving, sea kayaking and whale watching. And since the economic crisis - excuse these opportunistic considerations - Iceland has become much more affordable in the family, with which had not been so favorable to foreigners for a long time exchange rates: the magic within reach of all scholarships! See our guide to the Icelandic Ring Road.

                                                                                Source: lonelyplanet.fr

10 destinations for family travel -Part 1-

The enthusiasm of the young and the reception accorded to them the people are family travel great moments - and even more if you opt for one of these destinations. 

1 Denmark 
With a budget in hand, Denmark is a great family destination. Copenhagen is home to Tivoli Gardens, an amusement park built in 1843 and that seems straight out of a fairy tale, where you will also enjoy concerts, fireworks and surprisingly good food. Another must, near Billund in central Jutland, Legoland (the Danish leg godt, "play well") includes a Miniland small plastic cubes (with the Statue of Liberty, but also scenes from Star Wars!) ; attractions are aimed primarily at tweens.




2 Thailand 
Few countries children as warmly. It's simple, Thais are gaga, and traveling with small you will instantly break the ice with all of the street vendor in tuk-tuk. Between the temples, the great food, monkeys and beaches, children are also angels in this exotic country. After discovering Bangkok and its glittering temples, scoot on the island of Ko Chang, where the whole family can enjoy the beautiful beaches lined peaceful waters, kayak rides, elephant camps in the mountains and little help hand abandoned animals of Koh Chang animal Project.




3 Belize 
Just need a beach to watch the pies, or a range of activities to keep them busy? In all cases, Belize is a small family paradise in the Caribbean. This English-speaking countries, compact and cheap, is also home to fascinating wildlife, observe on Earth (howler monkeys and crocodiles), or under water, get a mask and snorkel (sea turtles, nurse sharks harmless). On the beach, children will learn to play drums, and the land they race down the tubing in underground rivers, batifoleront in natural ponds next to your lodge in the jungle and marvel at the Mayan sites accessible by boat.





4 Kerala, India 
Chaos, colors and wonders of India make a sensational destination for families: elephants, palaces, trains, beaches, jungles and wildlife, all combine to make the happiness of children and adults . If the intense pace of the country discourage you on taking your kids, go for his wagon, Kerala. In this more relaxed area, greener and more peaceful, even the cuisine is less spicy, sweetened with coconut milk. With the added bonus of seeing national parks where elephants, fringed with palm trees and fantastic boat trips on the canals lush beaches.




5 New York, United States 
New York is magical, with that je ne sais quoi that gives the impression of being in a movie. This is probably due to the yellow taxis, the frenzy, the iconic buildings, all seen them on the big or small screen, and described in countless songs. The Big Apple is a destination that delights travelers of all ages, with its museums, Central Park and the High Line, New York's green belt, hot dogs and pizza from Little Italy. And in 2014, will be inaugurated on the site of the twin towers on One World Trade Center , huge skyscrapers from which to admire the indomitable and photogenic megalopolis.

The most exciting cities in Africa -Part 2-

6 Kampala (Uganda) 
Diversity and Globalization: Kampala is surprisingly modern. She was able to recover from the civil war. True economic power across the continent, it is a hyperactive city. Modern buildings have mushroomed and most dilapidated were renovated. Youth and entrepreneurship are blown by the Makerere University, a center of high level in Africa. Students are also instrumental in the nightlife. The large Asian community adds an international dimension.




7 Antananarivo (Madagascar)
Tana (as it is nicknamed) is perhaps the least African of African cities. Cobbled streets going over the top of steep hills, covered with wooden houses with colorful shutters. Purple jacaranda flowers spread their nectar on the heads of children playing and couples stroll. It serves tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cream cakes in the tea rooms. In the evening, people come out to hear jazz in nightclubs or discos in Malagasy tubes.





8 Dakar (Senegal) 
Harsh, chaotic, electrifying, Dakar is the African city par excellence. It is the night it reached its peak, very late, well after midnight, at a time when its people, fond of music and dressed in their best clothes, go to the appointed nightclubs of Youssou N 'Thione Seck dour or (these international stars playing here when they are not on tour), or one of many other clubs in the city. In trance percussion and voices, you can dance until dawn.




9 Libreville (Gabon) 
The capital of Gabon is more like Miami than in an African capital. Upscale hotels stand on the beaches bathed by the Atlantic; in office buildings while glass is fiddling around oil; luxury cars swoop down on the boulevards and a host at the forefront of the fashion press in the exclusive shops and restaurants. Cosmopolitan in their own way, prices are high: Libreville is one of the world's most expensive cities. Partygoers are trying just to forget it over a beer ... or a glass of champagne.



10 Marrakech (Morocco) 
Snake charmers, fire-eaters and merchants flying carpets, they are there, and enchanting motley crowd of Djemaa el Fna. In a shady boulevard there is the new city, Art Deco style, which resembles a small Paris (where the Champs-Elysees are lined with orange trees). Women impeccable hairstyle walking dogs, couples sipping a latte on the terraces of bars, and young people glued to their mobile phone line up to the last American blockbuster.



                                                                                    Source: lonelyplanet.fr

The most exciting cities in Africa -Part 1-

The magic of Africa, it is also some of the most exciting cities in the world.

1 Windhoek (Namibia) 
Guys in leather pants Bavarian bock beer collide them, cook sausage perfuming the air, couples dance to the sound of blaring. All this color, fragrance, taste of Germany, and yet you are thousands of miles away in the capital of Namibia. The thriving atmosphere and gardens are radically different from what is found in other African cities and Windhoek is the only place in Africa where you can bite into an authentic schnitzel.





2 Mindelo (Cape Verde) 
Installed around a harbor crescent, Mindelo is Cape Verdean counterpart of the French Riviera. Nothing is missing: cobbled streets, buildings with candy colors, yachts bobbing in the harbor and the famous cigarette in mouth, as Cesaria Evora is here at home. Sweaty days are spent at the cafe, where Cape Verdeans drink a beer, read the newspaper and buy lottery tickets. The nights are hot and start to 23 hours, when you are out in the main squares, that orchestras begin local tunes and let the fun begin.

In the evening, boys and girls play football on the beach. Then they wander on Pracinha, where you really taste the magic of Mindelo.




3 Maputo (Mozambique)
With a charm that evokes both Brazil and the Mediterranean, Maputo is one of the most carefree cities on the continent. During the day, we savor espresso at sidewalk cafes in the evening, guests are treated to spicy tiger prawns in restaurants of the seaside and at nightfall, caipirinhas (cachaça, lime, sugar and ice) drinking in bars, to the sound of salsa and jazz. Fringed beaches palm-lined avenues and flamboyant countless markets complete a remarkable picture for a city still at war there is little.




4 Alexandria (Egypt)
Alexandria was once attracted Alexander the Great, Caesar and Napoleon, among other great men. Á like the current residents, perhaps they have tasted the pleasure down the Corniche, the long promenade sea cooled by the breeze. Or perhaps was it the cultural prestige of the city that motivated. Alexandria, which once housed the largest library in the world, now has a modern building with reading rooms divided into 14 terraces and a large rotunda that can accommodate 8 million pounds.

Treat yourself to a cocktail on the terrace of the El-Salamlek Palace Hotel, one of the favorite places of King Farouk, which enjoys a sovereign city views.

5. Accra (Ghana) 
The weekend is the time for beach parties Accra, capital of Ghana, located by the sea. Stars twinkle above the sand lined with palm trees, the waves of the Atlantic guess behind reggae DJs. Partygoers chew slices of plantain seasoned with salt, ginger and cayenne pepper, and cool off with a Guinness. In short, it's the next cool Africa. And, meanwhile, chic resorts continue to multiply.



. 

The most beautiful coral reefs -Part 2-

6 Aldabra Atoll (Seychelles) 
Second atoll in the world, the Aldabra is 420 km northwest of Madagascar and 1,150 km from Victoria, capital of Seychelles. Its isolated location explains its small number of inhabitants and visitors. It is surrounded by wetlands, slopes, and rich in corals and reef fish. Wild and protected from the interference of man, self-sufficient habitat remains. The Aldabra is home to species such as hammerhead sharks, barracuda and more than 150,000 giant tortoises endemic.




7 Barrier Reef (Belize) 
This reef is part of the vast Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, which stretches over 1000 km from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Islas de la Bahia in Honduras. The Caribbean coast of Belize, which extends over 300 km, is home to 100 species of coral and 500 species of fish. People come here mainly to scuba diving because the barrier has one of the most beautiful sites in the world including the Great Blue Hole, an underwater cave 300 meters in diameter and 124 m deep and 70 km from the coast . In 1996, UNESCO inscribed the barrier to World Heritage. However, global warming, increased pollution and unbridled tourism threaten futures this fragile environment.





8 Komodo National Park, Lesser Sunda Islands (Indonesia) 
The name "Komodo" conjures up the image of the lizard namesake. In fact, the big lizard is the star of the Komodo National Park. Yet the nearby ocean has other wonders. Temperate waters offer an iridescent coral network, where a shimmering wildlife seahorse, fish, frogs, octopus and tunicates lives.




9 Abrolhos Archipelago (Brazil) 
The Abrolhos Islands, near the southern coast of Bahia state, has long been renowned for their coral-like fungi. In 2008, researchers have discovered a new set of corals, doubling the ecosystem then the largest in the South Atlantic. Coral reefs around the archipelago span 46,000 km2 and contain species previously unknown to corals, fish and molluscs.

Access to the reef is more convenient via Caravelas fishing town of Bahia state, 920 km from Rio de Janeiro.

10 Barrier Røst (Norway)
Coral depths thrive in the waters north of the Arctic Circle. Barrier Røst, discovered in 2002, is the largest coral reef in cold water, with an area of ​​120 km2 and located at a depth of 400 m. Røst is an island of Lofoten, 200 miles southwest of Tromsø in the north. Nutritious currents flowing around the islands feed a world rich in marine life and shipwrecks. If the reef is too far and too deep for the average diver, there are other activities.

                                                                                                Source: lonelyplanet.fr

The most beautiful coral reefs -Part 1-

They represent less than 1% of global ocean surface but offer exceptionally rich biodiversity. 

1 Great Barrier Reef (Australia) 
Stretching more than 2,300 km from pure and shallow water offshore northeast Australia, this site is the largest marine park in the world. An extraordinary diversity of species evolving in these tropical waters, including 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 400 kinds of mollusks. Boats carrying divers between the shore and the reef. They offer many services and package tours. You can enjoy the full annual whale migration, imposing cod and shipwrecks.





2 Barrier Reef of Andros (Bahamas) 
The translucent waters surrounding the islands of Andros, the least populated of the Bahamas are the third reef in the world and offer an ideal diving. Corals extend 225 km along the east coast of Andros, until the end of the Tongue of the Ocean, an ocean trench, the depth drops from 35 m to 1800 m. It is also an opportunity to explore the coral caves of the Petrified Forest. Closer to shore, you can dive in lagoons and mangroves, where changing amount of grouper and snapper, and where sponges found beautiful varieties.




3 Barrier Reef (New Caledonia) 
This archipelago in the Pacific Ocean is surrounded by a double barrier reef, which measures 1,300 km long and surrounds Grande Terre, the main island. Located 30 km from the shore, the reef forms a huge lagoon home to a tremendous diversity marine fauna and flora of. Snorkeling to discover these species, which include triggerfish, tuna, sharks and turtles, amid phosphorescent corals. Many species are endemic and Unesco has rightly placed the barrier World Heritage in 2008.

International flights land at Tontouta, 45 km northwest of Noumea. Temperatures are warmer in July-August.




4 Islands Raja Ampat, West Papua (Indonesia) 
Off the department of Sorong in West Papua, the archipelago of Raja Ampat is located in the heart of the "Coral Triangle", which includes the waters of Indonesia, the Philippines and northern Australia. These corals are among the finest in the world and home to some 1,200 species of fish and 600 types of coral, or 75% of all known varieties. The ecosystem is so rich that a diver has set a world record in the number of fish species recorded in one hour: 283 in total. There are also many sea fans, sponges and anthias (fish) of all colors. An incomparable destination!

West Papua is known for its heavy rainfall, from 2 000 to 3000 mm per year. The period from April to October is the driest.

5 Caroline Atoll (Kiribati) 
The South Pacific is a dream of deserted islands, palm trees, sandy beaches of sight. The small island state of Kiribati comprises 32 atolls and one coral island. As one of the most isolated regions in the world, these islands are home to a beautiful coral lagoon. Caroline Atoll at 4200 km east of the capital, Tarawa, is a set of tiny islands measuring just 13 km long and 2.5 km wide. Due to its isolation, it has remained in perfect condition, keeping lush corals and species such as clams, coconut crabs and wrasses.

Since March 2012, the country is actively seeking a haven for its population, threatened by rising sea levels due to global warming.

The 10 most charismatic monuments -Part 2-

6 Angkor Wat (Cambodia) 
This group of temples built in the early twelfth century by several successive Khmer kings was part of a larger administrative and religious center. Built in honor of the Hindu god Vishnu and abandoned in the fifteenth century, many of these monumental structures have since been overrun with sprawling roots of banyan trees or covered by the surrounding forest. The plan of the temples would be inspired by the provision of the constellation Draco in 10,500 BC. AD to promote harmony between earth and heaven.

You will find in Siem Reap, close, rooms for all budgets. Come on to Angkor sunrise to beat the crowds, and beware of unscrupulous guides.




7 Great Pyramid of Giza (Egypt) 
Pharaoh Cheops, 2560 BC. BC, dug his own grave ... for glory. A complex and beautiful burial, the Great Pyramid. Some two million stone blocks of two tons each were taken to Giza to do this. The Pyramid of Cheops, the first attraction in the history of mankind (who lives pass Marc Anthony, the darling of Cleopatra or Napoleon), stands today not far from two other pyramids and a another star attraction, the Sphinx.

Do not forget to buy a drink and snacks to take away if your budget is tight, and watch out for droppings camels everywhere.




8 Machu Picchu (Peru) 
"Lost City of the Incas", Machu Picchu (literally, "old mountain") is installed at 2350 m altitude. Hidden below, this hidden city which now includes remains of palaces, baths and temples have served as a "country house" sovereign Inca. Its construction would have begun around 1440, and it was rediscovered in 1911, the town was partially built without mortar, the stones being adjusted with extreme precision.




9 Stonehenge (England)
Nobody really knows why these stone blocks 50 tons were shipped here from south Wales there 5000 years. We know however that the complex was built between 2500 and 2000 BC. BC and it took about 600 people to move one of these megaliths. With a circular enclosure of pillars topped by lintels, an inner structure horseshoe, an outer circle and a ditch, Stonehenge was probably astronomical and religious functions.






10 Taj Mahal (India) 
It took 23 years (1630-1653) to build this beauty with perfect symmetry. It was built by Emperor Shah Jahan who wanted a mausoleum for Arjumand Banu Begum wife (more known as Mumtaz Mahal). In white marble, the tomb is decorated with delicate ornaments in which was inlaid lapis lazuli, unfortunately stolen in the nineteenth century.

The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, just 40 minutes by plane from Delhi (4 hours by road). The months from March to October are the warmest.



                                                                                    Source: lonelyplanet.fr