TRAVEL TUESDAY 479 - SIDI-BOU-SAID, TUNISIA

“I dream of a free, democratic, peaceful Tunisia, a country that can protect its developing identity.” - Rashed al-Ghannushi

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a part of the Maghreb region of North Africa, bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares maritime borders with Italy through the islands of Sicily and Sardinia to the north and Malta to the east.

It features the archaeological sites of Carthage dating back to the 9th century BC, as well as the Great Mosque of Kairouan. Known for its ancient architecture, souks, and blue coasts, it covers 163,610 km2, and has a population of 12.1 million. It contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains and the northern reaches of the Sahara desert; much of its remaining territory is arable land. Its 1,300 km of coastline includes the African conjunction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Basin. Tunisia is home to Africa's northernmost point, Cape Angela.

Located on the northeastern coast, Tunis is the capital and largest city of the country, which is itself named after Tunis. The official language of Tunisia is Modern Standard Arabic. The vast majority of Tunisia's population is Arab and Muslim. Vernacular Tunisian Arabic is the most spoken, and French also serves as an administrative and educational language in some contexts, but it has no official status.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 478 - BOSRA, SYRIA

“The age in which we live can only be characterised as one of barbarism. Our civilisation is in the process not only of being militarised, but also being brutalised. Alva Myrdal

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

The Roman Theatre at Bosra (Arabic: المسرح الروماني ببصرى) is a large Roman theatre in Bosra, in the district of Dar'a in south-western Syria. It was built in either the second quarter or the second half of the second century AD, and is constructed of black basalt.  It is likely that the theatre was built during the reign of Trajan. The theatre was originally built outside the walls of the town, but was later completely enclosed by an Ayyūbid fortress. The city of Bosra had its fortifications expanded between 481 and 1251. When later integrated into the fortifications, its role was to serve as a citadel and to guard a road leading to Damascus.

The theatre is 102 metres across and has seating for about 17,000 people; it is thus among the largest of the Ancient Roman civilisation.  It served a city that once had 80,000 inhabitants. It is also one of the best preserved both in Syria and across the Roman empire. It was substantially restored between 1947 and 1970, before which it contained large quantities of sand, which may have helped to protect the interior.

Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site that once linked Persia, India and China with the Roman empire and the Mediterranean area, has already seen destruction at the hands of the Islamic State group. The ancient town first fell to IS militants in May 2015, when they held it for 10 months. During that time, IS damaged a number of its relics and eventually emptied it of most of its residents, causing an international outcry. 

In 2017, Islamic State militants destroyed parts of the amphitheatre, as well as an iconic monument known as the Tetrapylon in Syria's historic town of Palmyra. It was another of the group's latest attack on world heritage, an act that the UN cultural agency called a "war crime.” As of July 2018, the site is still on the UNESCO's list of World Heritage in Danger. The theatre was added to the list in 2013.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 477 - TIME TRAVEL 2

“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” - Helen Keller

Happy New Year! Let us travel into the future as we do each New Year’s Eve when the clock hands move inexorably towards midnight. As the clock strikes twelve we usher in the New Year, full of resolutions, hopes, dreams, plans, aspirations, desires, expectations, goals - all being born again and rushing forth like arrows released from the bow. 

The river of time flows endlessly and in our little boat we travel on, waiting expectedly to see new locations, enjoy fresh sights, live novel situations, meet interesting new people, make new friends. We expand our horizons, we grow our knowledge base, we broaden our experiences, we hopefully become wiser in the process.

I wish you happy travels, and an enjoyment of the voyage, unhampered by great expectations of the destination. May you be healthy, but be mindful of the infirmity of others; may you be strong but respect the frailty of others; seize opportunities, but be kind to those who have none. Be positive and joyful, but also gentle with those who grieve, and be ready to comfort those who seek solace.

May 2025 be a good year for you, and let us all wish that it is also a better year for our planet.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 476 - TIME TRAVEL...

“When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things, not the great occasions , give off the greatest glow of happiness.” ― Bob Hope

I long for Christmases past… Of more innocent times, when wars and conflicts were all over and done with and WWII was thought of as the last great mistake of humanity. I long for the times when common decency, was just that - common and everyday, and could be relied upon even when meeting strangers in the street. The times when the Holy Land was really holy and holy for all, no matter what their religion was. I wish for the return of those years when shame was still felt by people, when even adults blushed, and when politicians dreaded public opinion a great deal as it could bring them down in humiliation for even minor misdemeanours.

I long for respect - respect for other people, respect for oneself, respect for nature, respect for life, respect for this piece of insignificant space-dust that we call our planet Earth. The respect that the indigenous cultures of this world had brought up their children to deeply live by for generations. I hanker for the family that I grew up with: A family whose members were tight-knit and loved each other, supported each other, had time to talk with, and listen to, each other. Where joys were shared and were multiplied manifold, and the sadnesses shared were divided and thus dissipated.

I wish for the return of those days where terror was a thing encountered only in scary movies, not that terror which is spawned by demented dictators or religious fanatics and their adherents. The terrorism that nowadays sacrifices innocents such that extremist ideologies are imposed upon millions. I wish for petty despots motivated by megalomaniac egotism, greed and shallow dreams of world domination to become only blots, dark stains in the history books, held up as examples to be avoided, and their horrible names to be uttered with disdain and indignation.

I long for Christmases past, when gifts were simple and love was more genuine, when times shared together and company enjoyed were more important than any well-known brand of merchandise, when people, not things, mattered. When consumerism was measured by how many logs were thrown in the fire so that the light and warmth of it was enough to melt any coldness in our hearts. Not the consumerism that generates trillions of dollars for the multinational companies at the expense of all the ordinary people.

A Travel Tuesday to the past this week, to the time and place where nostalgia takes me. A Christmas past, where as I child I experienced all those things that I now long for. Have a Merry Christmas if you can this year, and if you do, spare a thought for those who are living in hell not so far away - death, destruction, injustice, persecution, violence, racism, discrimination, misery, intolerance, extremism are only as far away as next door. Be grateful for the joy you experience and share as much of it as you can with others. My Christmas gifts this year are all merged into a donation for Doctors Without Borders, they do a great deal to help others in need…

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 475 - PAPHOS, CYPRUS

“Iridescent-throned Aphrodite, deathless Child of Zeus, wile-weaver, I now implore you, I beg you, Lady, don't crush down my spirit with pains and torments …” - Sappho

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Paphos, also spelled as Pafos, is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos. It is the fourth-largest city in the country, after Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca, with an urban population of 63,600 in 2018. The current city of Paphos lies on the Mediterranean coast, about 50 km west of Limassol (the biggest port on the island), both of which are connected by the A6 highway. Paphos International Airport is the country's second-largest airport, and is a gateway to western and southern Cyprus.

The city has a subtropical-Mediterranean climate, with the mildest temperatures on the island. In 1980, Paphos was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List for its ancient architecture, mosaics, and ancient religious importance. It was selected as a European Capital of Culture for 2017 along with Aarhus.

Archaeological studies show that Old Paphos has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. It was a centre for the cult of Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of Love and Beauty. Aphrodite's mythical birthplace was centred on this location on the island. The founding myth is interwoven with the goddess such that Old Paphos became the most famous and important place for worshipping Aphrodite in the ancient world.

Today, Paphos is a popular tourist resort and is home to a fishing harbour. Ktima is the main residential district while Kato Paphos, by the sea, is built around the medieval port and contains most of the luxury hotels and the entertainment infrastructure of the city. Apostolou Pavlou Avenue (St. Paul's Avenue), the busiest road in Paphos, connects the two quarters of the city. It begins near the city centre at Kennedy Square and ends outside the medieval fort at the harbour.

The economy of Paphos heavily depends on tourism and there are four resorts in the district: Kato Paphos, Coral Bay, Latchi, and Aphrodite Hills. The largest is Kato Paphos which employs over half of Paphos' population. Farming, especially banana, grape and tobacco cultivation, contributes significantly to Paphos' economy.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 474 - TBILISI, GEORGIA

"We Georgians are really into food and drink. We would never have finger food at a party or a wedding - celebrations are always one long meal, on one long table, with endless toasts." - Katie Melua

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Tbilisi (Georgian: თბილისი), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis is the capital and largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with around 1.2 million inhabitants, which is about a third of the country's population. Tbilisi was founded in the fifth century AD by Vakhtang I of Iberia. Since then, the city has served as the capital of various Georgian kingdoms and republics. Between 1801 and 1917, then part of the Russian Empire, Tiflis was the seat of the Caucasus Viceroyalty, governing both the northern and the southern parts of the Caucasus.

Because of its location at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, and its proximity to the lucrative Silk Road, throughout history, Tbilisi has been a point of contention among various global powers. To this day, the city's location ensures its position as an important transit route for energy and trade projects. Tbilisi's history is reflected in its architecture, which is a mix of medieval, neoclassical, Beaux Arts, Art Nouveau, Stalinist, and Modern structures.

Historically, Tbilisi has been home to people of multiple cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, though its population is overwhelmingly Eastern Orthodox Christian. Notable tourist destinations include cathedrals Sameba and Sioni, Freedom Square, Rustaveli Avenue and Agmashenebeli Avenue, medieval Narikala Fortress, the pseudo-Moorish Opera Theatre, and the Georgian National Museum. The climate in Tbilisi mostly ranges from 20 to 32 °C in summer and −1 to 7 °C in winter.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 473 - SFENDYLI, CRETE, GREECE

“Like air pollution, flood risk is a threat that government should be protecting us against.” - Barry Gardiner

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Sfendyli (Sfedili) is a small village in Crete, Greece, located a few kilometres south of Hersonissos. It was submerged in the artificial Dam Aposelemi upon its completion in 2012. Located near the villages of Potamies and Avdou, Aposelemis Dam is the largest  water supply project in Crete. Constructed to address the crucial need for water supply and irrigation in the northern part of eastern Crete, from  Heraklion to Agios Nikolaos in Lasithi, the project was completed in 2012. The dam collects water from the Lasithi Mountains and has a capacity exceeding 30,000,000 m3, making it the largest artificial lake on the island.

The area surrounding the dam has become a wetland and provides shelter to various bird species. A vital source of life and a significant factor for growth in the region, the dam and the neighbouring villages attract numerous visitors who are captivated by the stunning scenery. The area offers visitors the opportunity to take nature walks while enjoying breathtaking views of the tranquil landscape, including the sunken village of Sfendyli.

Initially established in the 16th century, Sfendyli was submerged within the boundaries of the artificial lake of Aposelemis Dam. The inhabitants were forced to evacuate and were compensated for their property by the state. As the water levels fluctuate, the village periodically emerges from the depths, drawing many visitors, especially when the water recedes.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 472 - MACAU, CHINA

“Gambling: The sure way of getting nothing for something.” - Wilson Mizner

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Macau or Macao is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. With a population of about 710,000 people and a land area of 32.9 km2, it is the most densely populated region in the world. Formerly a Portuguese colony, the territory of Portuguese Macau was first leased to Portugal by the Ming dynasty as a trading post in 1557.

Portugal paid an annual rent and administered the territory under Chinese sovereignty until 1887. Portugal later gained perpetual colonial rights in the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking. The colony remained under Portuguese rule until the 1999 handover to China. Macau is a special administrative region of China, which maintains separate governing and economic systems from those of mainland China under the principle of "one country, two systems". The unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese architecture in the city's historic centre has resulted in its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005.

Originally a sparsely populated collection of coastal islands, Macau, often referred to as the "Las Vegas of the East", since the late 20th century has become a major resort city and a top destination for gambling tourism. Its gambling industry is seven times larger than that of Las Vegas.

The city has one of the highest GDPs per capita and GDPs per capita by purchasing power parity in the world. It has a very high Human Development Index of 0.925, as calculated by the Government of Macau, and the fourth-highest life expectancy in the world. The territory is highly urbanised, holding the status of the most densely populated territory on Earth; two-thirds of the total land area is built on land reclaimed from the sea.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 471 - HUAJIANG CANYON BRIDGE, CHINA

“What I do is the opposite of building walls. I build bridges. A bridge is something that connects instead of separating.” - Santiago Calatrava

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us.

Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only. Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

The Huajiang Canyon Bridge (Chinese: 花江峡谷大桥), is a suspension bridge under construction in Guizhou province, China. The bridge crosses the Beipan River as it passes through the deep Huajiang Canyon. Upon completion, it will be the world's highest bridge, measuring 625 metres from the bridge deck to the bottom of the gorge. It will surpass the current highest bridge, the Duge Bridge, which crosses the same river 200 kilometres upstream. The completed bridge is expected to be open in June 2025.

Among the reasons for the construction of the bridge were: the revitalisation of a very rural region, and the promotion of tourism, with the projected creation of a centre for extreme sports at the bottom of the canyon. The canyon crossing time, which is currently 70 minutes, will be reduced to just over one minute.

The construction began in 2021. In April 2023, the first tower of the suspended part reached 199 metres in height and the construction of the upper transverse beam has begun. The inauguration is planned for 2025. The bridge will have a total length of 2,890 metres, including a main span of 1,420 metres. It is supported by two main 262-metre tall towers. As a result, the difference in altitude between the future deck and the water level of the river reaches 625 metres, which would constitute a world record.

It has been divulged that the total cost of this bridge is ≈ $300,000,000 USD and it is projected that the project will be completed within the constraints of the budget!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 470 - CHONGQING, CHINA

“When our thousands of Chinese students abroad return home, you will see how China will transform itself.” - Deng Xiaoping

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us.

Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only. Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Chongqing is a direct-administered municipality in Southwestern China. Chongqing is one of the four direct-administered municipalities under the Central People's Government, along with Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin. It is the only directly administrated municipality located deep inland. The municipality covers a large geographical area roughly the size of Austria, which includes several disjunct urban areas in addition to Chongqing proper.

Due to its classification, the municipality of Chongqing is the largest city proper in the world by population, though Chongqing is not the most populous urban area. The municipality of Chongqing is the only Chinese municipality with a resident population of over 30 million; however, this number includes its large rural population. In 2020, Chongqing surpassed Shanghai as China's largest municipality by urban population; as of 2022, it has an urban population of 22.8 million.

The municipality contains 26 districts, 8 counties, and 4 autonomous counties. The city served as the wartime capital for the Republic of China (ROC) during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945). On 14 March 1997, the current municipality was separated from the surrounding province of Sichuan, with the goal of furthering development in the central and western parts of the country. University of Washington professor Kam Wing Chan argued that Chongqing's status is more akin to that of a province rather than a city.

As one of China's National Central Cities, Chongqing serves as a centre for finance in the Sichuan Basin and the upstream Yangtze, as well as for manufacturing and transportation. It is a connection in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and a base for the country's Belt and Road Initiative. It is one of the top 40 cities globally by scientific research output, as tracked by the Nature Index; the municipality is home to several notable universities, including Chongqing University, Southwest University, and Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 469 - KYOTO, JAPAN

“Japan is the only country I have visited that I want to go to again. I just feel the Japanese have such good taste and dedication to craftsmanship in everything they do. They also merge the traditional and modern aspects of their culture so well.” - Ronny Chieng

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us.

Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only. Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

The Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社, Yasaka-jinja), once called Gion Shrine (祇園神社, Gion-jinja), is a Shinto shrine in the Gion District of Kyoto, Japan. Situated at the east end of Shijō-dōri (Fourth Avenue), the shrine includes several buildings, including gates, a main hall and a stage. The Yasaka shrine is dedicated to Susanoo in the tradition of the Gion faith as its chief kami, with his consort Kushinadahime on the east, and eight offspring deities (yahashira no mikogami) on the west.

Initial construction on the Shrine began in 656. The Shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early Heian period. From 1871 through 1946, Yasaka Shrine was officially designated one of the Kanpei-taisha (官幣大社), meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines.

Today, in addition to hosting the Gion Matsuri (a purification and pacification of disease-causing entities festival), Yasaka Shrine welcomes thousands of people every New Year, for traditional Japanese New Year rituals and celebrations. In April, the crowds pass through the temple on their way to Maruyama Park, a popular hanami (cherry blossom viewing) site. Lanterns decorate the stage with the names of festival sponsors.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 468 - HAVANA, CUBA

“Cuba is such a beautiful country, and everywhere you go, there's music and people dancing - especially in Havana.” - Julia Sawalha

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us.

Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only. Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Havana (Spanish: La Habana) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial centre. It is the most populous city, the largest by area, and the second largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean region. The population in 2012 was 2,154,454 inhabitants, and its area is 728.26 km2 for the capital city side and 8,475.57 km2 for the metropolitan zone.

Havana was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century. It served as a springboard for the Spanish conquest of the Americas, becoming a stopping point for Spanish galleons returning to Spain. Philip II of Spain granted Havana the title of capital in 1607. Walls and forts were built to protect the city. The city is the seat of the Cuban government and various ministries, and headquarters of businesses and over 100 diplomatic offices.

Contemporary Havana can essentially be described as three cities in one: Old Havana, Vedado and the newer suburban districts. The city extends mostly westward and southward from the bay, which is entered through a narrow inlet and which divides into three main harbours: Marimelena, Guanabacoa and Antares. The Almendares River traverses the city from south to north, entering the Straits of Florida a few miles west of the bay.

The National Capitol of Cuba, also known as Capitolio Nacional de La Habana (National Capitol of La Habana), and often simply referred to as El Capitolio (The Capitol), is a public edifice in Havana, the capital of Cuba. The building was commissioned by Cuban president Gerardo Machado and built from 1926 to 1929 under the direction of Eugenio Rayneri Piedra. It is located on the Paseo del Prado, Dragones, Industria, and San José streets in the exact centre of Havana.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 467 - IGUAZÚ FALLS, BRAZIL, ARGENTINA

“Many a calm river begins as a turbulent waterfall, yet none hurtles and foams all the way to the sea.” - Mikhail Lermontov

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us.

Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only. Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Iguazú Falls or Iguaçu Falls (Guarani: Chororõ Yguasu, Spanish: Cataratas del Iguazú; Portuguese: Cataratas do Iguaçu) are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of the Argentine province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná. Together, they make up the largest waterfall system in the world. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River rises near the heart of the city of Curitiba. For most of its course, the river flows through Brazil; however, most of the falls are on the Argentine side. Below its confluence with the San Antonio River, the Iguazu River forms the border between Argentina and Brazil.

The name Iguazú comes from the Guarani or Tupi words "y", meaning "water", and “ûasú", meaning “big". Legend has it that a deity planned to marry a beautiful woman named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In a rage, the deity sliced the river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall. The first European to record the existence of the falls was the Spanish Conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541. It was inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013.

Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed, "Poor Niagara!” (which falls, at 50 m, are a third shorter). Often, Iguazu also is compared with Victoria Falls in Southern Africa, which separates Zambia and Zimbabwe. Iguazu is wider but is split into roughly 275 distinct falls and large islands, whereas Victoria has the largest curtain of water in the world, at more than 1,600 m wide and over 100 m in height.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 466 - 'EL TROPICANA', HAVANA, CUBA

“Havana is one of the great cities of the world, sublimely tawdry yet stubbornly graceful, like tarnished chrome - a city, as a young Winston Churchill once wrote, where 'anything might happen.’” - Jonathan Miles

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us.

Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only. Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

'El Tropicana' Night Club in Havana, Cuba, is located in a lush estate, with a 36,000-square-metre tropical garden. It opened on December 30, 1939 at the Villa Mina in Marianao. It is located next door to the old Colegio de Belén, Havana, presently, the Instituto Técnico Militar.

El Tropicana claims to be the largest and most beautiful nightclub in the world. Located on what was once an extensive private estate, Tropicana has two complete sets of stages, table areas, and dance floors. If the weather is fine, the outdoor area is used; otherwise, everyone moves to the indoor area. Tall palm trees growing among the tables lend the proper tropical atmosphere and blend well with the ultra-modernistic architecture. Shows include 50-dancer chorus lines which often branch out into the trees. Rhythms and costumes are colourfully native (voodoo is a frequent theme.) Top names often star.

No visit to Havana is complete without a night attending the extravagant shows at this night club. Prices are high, but the spectacles staged make the expense justifiable.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TRAVEL TUESDAY 465 - CERES, DWARF PLANET

"Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying." -  Arthur C. Clarke

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us.Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only. Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Let’s travel beyond Earth this week. Just a little jaunt of 423,273,606 kilometers, to be precise. Let’s go to Ceres, which is the largest asteroid, situated between Mars and Jupiter.

Ceres is a dwarf planet in the middle main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was the first known asteroid, discovered on 1 January 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi at Palermo Astronomical Observatory in Sicily, and announced as a new planet. Ceres was later classified as an asteroid and then a dwarf planet, the only one not beyond Neptune's orbit. Ceres's small size means that even at its brightest it is too dim to be seen by the naked eye, except under extremely dark skies. Its apparent magnitude ranges from 6.7 to 9.3, peaking at opposition (when it is closest to Earth) once every 15- to 16-month synodic period. As a result, its surface features are barely visible even with the most powerful telescopes.

Little was known about this dwarf planet until the robotic NASA spacecraft Dawn approached Ceres for its orbital mission in 2015. Dawn found Ceres's surface to be a mixture of water ice and hydrated minerals such as carbonates and clay. Gravity data suggest Ceres to be partially differentiated into a muddy (ice-rock) mantle/core and a less dense but stronger crust that is at most thirty per cent ice by volume. Although Ceres likely lacks an internal ocean of liquid water, brines still flow through the outer mantle and reach the surface, allowing cryovolcanoes such as Ahuna Mons to form roughly every fifty million years. This makes Ceres the closest known cryovolcanically active body to the Sun. Additionally, Ceres hosts an extremely tenuous and transient atmosphere of water vapour, vented from localised sources on its surface.

Ceres follows an orbit between Mars and Jupiter, near the middle of the asteroid belt, with an orbital period (year) of 4.6 Earth years. Compared to other planets and dwarf planets, Ceres's orbit is moderately tilted relative to that of Earth; its inclination (i) is 10.6°, compared to 7° for Mercury and 17° for Pluto.

Although Ceres is not as actively discussed as a potential home for microbial extraterrestrial life as Mars, Europa, Enceladus, or Titan are, it has the most water of any body in the inner Solar System after Earth, and the likely brine pockets under its surface could provide habitats for life. Unlike Europa or Enceladus, it does not experience tidal heating, but it is close enough to the Sun, and contains enough long-lived radioactive isotopes, to preserve liquid water in its subsurface for extended periods. The remote detection of organic compounds and the presence of water mixed with 20% carbon by mass in its near surface could provide conditions favourable to organic chemistry.

If you are interested in things extraterrestrial, science fiction and science fact, aliens, astrophysics, astronomy, exoplanets and SETI, you can follow me on my Instagram account, where I consider such things mainly in pictorial form: @nicvard 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter