Monday, March 18, 2024

University of Coimbra, Alta and Sofia - Portugal

Situated on a hill overlooking the city, the University of Coimbra with its colleges grew and evolved over more than seven centuries within the old town. 
Notable university buildings include the 12th century Cathedral of Santa Cruz and a number of 16th century colleges, the Royal Palace of Alcáçova, which has housed the University since 1537, the Joanine Library with its rich baroque decor, the 18th century Botanical Garden and University Press, as well as the large “University City” created during the 1940s. 
The University’s edifices became a reference in the development of other institutions of higher education in the Portuguese-speaking world where it also exerted a major influence on learning and literature. Coimbra offers an outstanding example of an integrated university city with a specific urban typology as well as its own ceremonial and cultural traditions that have been kept alive through the ages.








Sharon fruit

Sharon fruit is a refined persimmon variety that does not contain tannin (tannic acid) and seeds. 
This makes the fruit sweeter and juicier than traditional persimmon and therefore more pleasant to eat.

Characteristics: 
Smooth, orange-red peel Sweet, soft flesh Tastes a bit like apricot Rich in vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, potassium and fiber.








Sunday, March 17, 2024

Tajik National Park - Tajikistan

Tajikistan National Park covers more than 2.5 million hectares in the east of the country, at the centre of the so-called “Pamir Knot”, a meeting point of the highest mountain ranges on the Eurasian continent. 
It consists of high plateaux in the east and, to the west, rugged peaks, some of them over 7,000 meters high, and features extreme seasonal variations of temperature. 
The longest valley glacier outside the Polar region is located among the 1,085 glaciers inventoried in the site, which also numbers 170 rivers and more than 400 lakes. 
Rich flora species of both the south-western and central Asian floristic regions grow in the Park which shelters nationally rare and threatened birds and mammals (Marco Polo Argali sheep, Snow Leopards and Siberian Ibex and more). 
Subject to frequent strong earthquakes, the Park is sparsely inhabited, and virtually unaffected by agriculture and permanent human settlements. 
It offers a unique opportunity for the study of plate tectonics and subduction phenomena.








Territoire de Belfort

Territoire de Belfort is a French department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. 
It is the smallest department in France. 
The capital is Belfort.








Saturday, March 16, 2024

Red Bay Basque Whaling Station - Canada

Red Bay, established by Basque mariners in the 16th century at the north-eastern tip of Canada on the shore of the Strait of Belle Isle is an archaeological site that provides the earliest, most complete and best preserved testimony of the European whaling tradition. 
Gran Baya, as it was called by those who founded the station in 1530s, was used as a base for coastal hunting, butchering, rendering of whale fat by heading to produce oil and storage. 
It became a major source of whale oil which was shipped to Europe where it was used for lighting. 
The site, which was used in the summer months, includes remains of rendering ovens, cooperages, wharves, temporary living quarters and a cemetery, together with underwater remains of vessels and whale bone deposits. 
The station was used for some 70 years, before the local whale population was depleted.








Violet

Pansy is a genus from the violet family. 
The genus has approximately 400 species that occur in temperate regions. 
Most species are found in moist and slightly shaded places.









Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Namib Sand Sea - Namibia

Namib Sand Sea is the only coastal desert in the world that includes extensive dune fields influenced by fog. 
Covering an area of over three million hectares and a buffer zone of 899,500 hectares, the site is composed of two dune systems, an ancient semi-consolidated one overlain by a younger active one. 
The desert dunes are formed by the transportation of materials thousands of kilometres from the hinterland, that are carried by river, ocean current and wind. 
It features gravel plains, coastal flats, rocky hills, inselbergs within the sand sea, a coastal lagoon and ephemeral rivers, resulting in a landscape of exceptional beauty. 
Fog is the primary source of water in the site, accounting for a unique environment in which endemic invertebrates, reptiles and mammals adapt to an ever-changing variety of microhabitats and ecological niches.