Theme Week Alentejo – Mértola

22 February 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

© Vitor Oliveira/cc-by-2.5

© Vitor Oliveira/cc-by-2.5

Mértola is a municipality in southeastern Portuguese Alentejo near the Spanish border. In 2011, the population was 7,274, in an area of approximately 1,292.87 square kilometres (499.18 sq mi): it is the sixth-largest municipality in Portugal. Meanwhile, it is the second-lowest population centre by density with approximately 5.62 persons/1 square kilometre (0.39 sq mi) (second to the adjacent Alcoutim).   read more…

Theme Week Alentejo – Portalegre

21 February 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Palácio dos Condes de Avillez © F nando/cc-by-sa-3.0

Palácio dos Condes de Avillez © F nando/cc-by-sa-3.0

Portalegre is a municipality in Portugal. The population as of 2011 was 22,368, in an area of 447.14 square kilometres (172.64 sq mi). The municipality is located by the Serra de São Mamede in the Portalegre District. Its name comes from the Latin Portus Alacer (meaning “cheerful port”). The municipal holiday is 23 May. According to the 2001 census the city of Portalegre had 15,768 inhabitants in its two parishes (Sé and São Lourenço). These two parishes, plus the eight rural parishes, had a total of 25,608 inhabitants. The current mayor is Adelaide Teixeira, who was elected as an independent.   read more…

Theme Week Alentejo

20 February 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

Évora's historic downtown © Bunks/cc-by-3.0

Évora’s historic downtown © Bunks/cc-by-3.0

Alentejo Region, a historical and cultural rich region, is one of the seven NUTS 2 regions of Portugal. It covers all of the historical Alentejo Province and part of the historical Ribatejo and Estremadura provinces. The the largest city and capital is Évora.   read more…

Theme Week Caribbean – British Virgin Islands

28 January 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Jost Van Dyke - White Bay beach © Pinkhousejvd/cc-by-sa-4.0

Jost Van Dyke – White Bay beach © Pinkhousejvd/cc-by-sa-4.0

The British Virgin Islands (BVI), officially the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands and north-west of Anguilla. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles and part of the West Indies.   read more…

Theme Week Caribbean – Montserrat

27 January 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Montserrat Cultural Center overlooking Little Bay © flickr.com - David Stanley/cc-by-2.0

Montserrat Cultural Center overlooking Little Bay © flickr.com – David Stanley/cc-by-2.0

Montserrat is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about 16 km (10 mi) long and 11 km (7 mi) wide, with roughly 40 km (25 mi) of coastline. It is nicknamed “The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean” both for its resemblance to coastal Ireland and for the Irish ancestry of many of its inhabitants. Montserrat is the only non-fully sovereign full member of the Caribbean Community and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.   read more…

Theme Week Caribbean – Dominica

26 January 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Scotts Head © Postdlf/cc-by-sa-3.0

Scotts Head © Postdlf/cc-by-sa-3.0

Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically situated as part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. Dominica’s closest neighbours are two constituent territories of the European Union, the overseas departments of France, Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the south-southeast. Dominica comprises a land area of 750 km² (290 sq mi), and the highest point is Morne Diablotins, at 1,447 m (4,747 ft) in elevation. The population was 71,293 at the 2011 census.   read more…

Theme Week Caribbean – Anguilla

25 January 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Island Harbour © Roy Googin/cc-by-3.0

Island Harbour © Roy Googin/cc-by-3.0

Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territory consists of the main island of Anguilla, approximately 16 miles (26 kilometres) long by 3 miles (5 km) wide at its widest point, together with a number of much smaller islands and cays with no permanent population. The territory’s capital is The Valley. The total land area of the territory is 35 square miles (91 km²), with a population of approximately 15,753 (2021).   read more…

Theme Week Caribbean – Saint Barthélemy

24 January 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Starus/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Starus/cc-by-sa-3.0

Saint Barthélemy is an overseas collectivity of France in the Caribbean. It is often abbreviated to St. Barth in French, and St. Barts in English. The island lies about 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of the Caribbean island Saint Martin, and is northeast of the Dutch islands of Saba, Sint Eustatius, and the independent country of Saint Kitts and Nevis.   read more…

Theme Week Caribbean

23 January 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  9 minutes

Parliament building in Nassau, Bahamas © Crm18

Parliament building in Nassau, Bahamas © Crm18

The Caribbean is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean) and the surrounding coasts. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and the North American mainland, east of Central America, and north of South America.   read more…

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