Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town

20 November 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Discott/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Discott/cc-by-sa-4.0

Kirstenbosch is a botanical garden nestled at the eastern foot of Table Mountain in Cape Town. The garden is one of 10 National Botanical Gardens covering five of South Africa‘s six different biomes and administered by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Prior to 1 September 2004, the institute was known as the National Botanical Institute.   read more…

Causa limeña

28 September 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Bon appétit Reading Time:  5 minutes

© flickr.com - Kuruman/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Kuruman/cc-by-2.0

Causa limeña, or simply causa, is a typical and widespread entrée of the Peruvian gastronomy which has a pre-Columbian origin.   read more…

Mercosur

19 September 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General Reading Time:  11 minutes

© Fvasconcellos

© Fvasconcellos

The Southern Common Market (commonly known by abbreviation Mercosur in Spanish and Mercosul in Portuguese) is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full members are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Venezuela is a full member but has been suspended since 1 December 2016. Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Peru, and Suriname are associate countries.   read more…

São Paulo Museum of Art in Brazil

1 August 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, House of the Month, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  5 minutes

Lina Bo Bardi (left) and Pietro Maria Bardi (right) buildings © flickr.com - Mauro Cateb/cc-by-sa-2.0

Lina Bo Bardi (left) and Pietro Maria Bardi (right) buildings © flickr.com – Mauro Cateb/cc-by-sa-2.0

The São Paulo Museum of Art (Portuguese: Museu de Arte de São Paulo, or MASP) is an art museum in São Paulo, Brazil. It is well known for the architectural significance of its headquarters, a 1968 concrete and glass structure designed by Lina Bo Bardi. It is considered a landmark of the city and a symbol of modern Brazilian architecture.   read more…

Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires

1 April 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, House of the Month, Opera Houses, Theaters, Libraries Reading Time:  6 minutes

Concert hall and stage © HalloweenHJB/cc-by-sa-3.0

Concert hall and stage © HalloweenHJB/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Teatro Colón (English: Columbus Theatre) is a historic opera house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic. According to a survey carried out by the acoustics expert Leo Beranek among leading international opera and orchestra directors, the Teatro Colón has the room with the best acoustics for opera and the second best for concerts in the world.   read more…

Churches of Chiloé in Chile

20 February 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

Church of Chelín © Marcelo González Riquelme/cc-by-sa-4.0

Church of Chelín © Marcelo González Riquelme/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Churches of Chiloé in Chile‘s Chiloé Archipelago are a unique architectural phenomenon in the Americas and one of the most prominent styles of Chilotan architecture. Unlike classical Spanish colonial architecture, the churches of Chiloé are made entirely in native timber with extensive use of wood shingles. The churches were built from materials to resist the Chiloé Archipelago’s humid and rainy oceanic climate.   read more…

Viña del Mar in Chile

3 January 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General Reading Time:  11 minutes

© panoramio.com - Andrew Latham/cc-by-sa-3.0

© panoramio.com – Andrew Latham/cc-by-sa-3.0

Viña del Mar ( meaning “Vineyard of the Sea”) is a city and commune on central Chile‘s Pacific coast. Often referred to as La Ciudad Jardín (“The Garden City”), Viña del Mar is located within the Valparaíso Region, and it is Chile’s fourth largest city with a population of 324,836 (according to the 2008 census). Viña del Mar is also part of the Greater Valparaíso area, the country’s second largest metropolitan area (pop. 935,602, 2017 census), after the Metropolitan area of Santiago. The Greater Valparaíso Area is home to five municipalities: Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Concon, Quilpue and Villa Alemana.   read more…

Cabo Blanco in Peru

2 January 2025 | Author/Destination: | Category: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© flickr.com - Ministerio de la Producción de Perú

© flickr.com – Ministerio de la Producción de Perú

Cabo Blanco is a fishing village in northwestern Peru, 3 km northwest from El Alto, Talara, Piura. It was famous in the past among big-game fishermen and today is a noted surf break. The village takes its name from the light coloured nearby mountains.   read more…

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park in Brazil

29 July 2024 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Julius Dadalti/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Julius Dadalti/cc-by-sa-4.0

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (Parque Nacional dos Lençóis Maranhenses) is a national park in Maranhão state in northeastern Brazil, just east of the Baía de São José. Protected on June 2, 1981, the 155,000 ha (380,000-acre) park includes 70 km (43 mi) of coastline, and an interior composed of rolling sand dunes. During the rainy season, the valleys among the dunes fill with freshwater lagoons, prevented from draining due to the impermeable rock beneath. The park is home to a range of species, including four listed as endangered, and has become a popular destination for ecotourists.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top