Filed under: Destinations | Tags: amazon, antarctica, baikal, dead sea, everest, Galapagos, grand canyon, great barrier reef, gunung mulu, kilimanjaro, national geographic, nature, new7wonders, okavango, pantanal, sahara, serengeti, seven wonders, sundarbans, travel, victoria falls, wonders, yellowstone
Rob, top five musical crimes perpetuated by Stevie Wonder in the ’80s and ’90s. Go. Sub-question: is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins, is it better to burn out or fade away?
Everybody loves lists. I can name my top five albums during my undergrad years on command (Yoshimi, Alien Lanes, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, My Aim is True, Washing Machine). They can expose a person’s film snobbery or simply summarize things to do for a weekend. Best yet, lists generate passionate debate on topics of great interest. Historians have compiled numerous lists of the best American presidents. Best soccer rivalries in the world? Good luck sorting that out, hooligans.
Perhaps one of the most famous lists was compiled by Philo of Byzantium, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Only the Pyramids still remain but the list continues to fascinate, so much so that an organization conducted “the largest poll on record” to compile a new list of seven wonders. The New7Wonders Foundation undertook a project that ultimately lead to over 100 million votes from over 220 countries, resulting in the New 7 Wonders of the World.
With such success, the New7Wonders Foundation has embarked on a quest to compile another list, the New7Wonders of Nature. Over 400 natural wonders were pared down to 77 nominees. A panel of experts recommended 28 as finalists based on unique beauty, diversity and distribution, ecological significance, historical significance, and geo-location (equal worldwide representation). The final New7Wonders of Nature will be announced in 2011.
Any list, by its very nature, overestimates some and slights countless others. Here is my list of notable exclusions from the 28 finalists.
Filed under: Destinations, South America | Tags: Ecuador, Galapagos, illustration, photography, South America, travel
Here is another illustration by Mike Sgier, using photos I took on my Galápagos trip for inspiration.
Filed under: Destinations | Tags: allende, basque, bolivar, che, evita, jesuit, olazabal, spain, ted williams, travel, vasco, xavier
If you’re not familiar with the Basque people, here is a sampling of famous Basques (or people with Basque heritage):
Saint Ignatius of Loyola – founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and created the Spiritual Exercises
Saint Francis Xavier – co-founder of the Society of Jesus and missionary to Asia
Isabel Allende – magic realist and author of The House of the Spirits; born to a family of Basque heritage
José María Olazábal – golfer and two-time winner of the Masters (1994, 1999)
Ted Williams – baseball Hall of Famer and last player to hit .400; the mother of Teddy Ballgame had Basque blood
Juan Sebastián Elcano – navigator, first person to complete circumnavigation of the world (navigated the only ship in Magellan’s fleet that made circumnavigation; Magellan was killed in the Philippines)
Simón Bolívar – El Libertador, this Latin American hero is credited with liberating Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama; the Bolívar name is traced to a Basque village
Che Guevara – Argentine revolutionary who earned Comandante status in Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement; Guevara’s family had Basque ancestry
Eva Peron – otherwise known as Evita, the former First Lady of Argentina traces her Basque lineage to her grandparents
Filed under: Destinations | Tags: basque, espana, europa, europe, euskal, france, orson welles, spain, travel, vasco
Filed under: Camino, Destinations | Tags: Camino, camino de santiago, espana, hike, pilgrim, pilgrimage, santiago, spain, travel, trek
Random photos of the Camino de Santiago. Spend a half hour of your life at the Camino de Santiago flickr group.
Filed under: Camino, Destinations | Tags: Camino, compostela, hike, pilgramage, pilgrim, santiago, spain, travel, trek
This week’s destination takes us to Iberia where we will go plus ultra (further beyond) the popular spots of Madrid and Barcelona to focus on a thousand-year old Christian pilgrimage, the Camino de Santiago.
The pilgrimage has several established routes that all lead to Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of Saint James are supposedly buried. It was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times but declined in importance over the centuries. The end of Francoist rule and Spain’s entry into the European Community contributed to a resurgent Camino, attracting pilgrims for spiritual and non-spiritual reasons. It was listed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
I will continue to highlight the Way of St. James until the end of March in a new series, Camino, documenting my preparation as I will make my penance, walking over 500 miles of the Camino del Norte route this spring.
What to look for in the coming weeks:
- Articles on the history and culture of the Camino de Santiago
- Regional highlights of the Camino
- Flickr and YouTube collections from pilgrims
- My preparations, i.e. reading list, packing list, etc., for my 500-mile walk (see map below)
Filed under: Destinations | Tags: conservation, darwin, Ecuador, environment, Galapagos, iguana, islands, lonesome george, seth, seth from somewhere, South America, travel, wildlife
To celebrate Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday this Thursday, this week I am going to feature the Galápagos Islands in the Destinations series.
To get things started, BBC sent science correspondent David Shukman to the Galápagos to highlight Darwin’s birthday. Shukman is writing daily entries on his observations, noting on his arrival the flat, scrubby land. Darwin’s first glimpse of the land left him feeling that “nothing could be less inviting.”
However, the magic of the Galápagos is not the terrain (it is volcanic landscape, mind you) but rather the wildlife that calls this place home. The islands are like one large zoo without fencing where wildlife has not yet “adapted to the stranger’s craft or power,” according to Darwin.
There are also many stories in the history of the Galápagos that add to its uniqueness, such as the incredible story of Lonesome George. I will be highlighting these stories and also Galápagos conservation efforts throughout the week.
In the meantime, enjoy lunch with a Galápagos land iguana.
Filed under: Destinations, South America | Tags: brasil, brazil, copa mundial, football, futbol, maracana, rio de janeiro, soccer, South America, travel, world cup
A great way to enhance your trip is to build it around one or two cultural events. A month in Mexico centered around the Day of the Dead celebration in Oaxaca; two-weeks in Pamplona running from bulls during San Fermín; celebrating the Chinese New Year with locals – all great ways to make your trip much more memorable.
So, what could be better than packing your flip-flops and beach towel for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil? The English invented it, the Brazilians perfected it.
