Well, reaching Ultima Thule may also be performed by the kind of adventure you can build in your room. The following would be for me the work of a lifetime, and I could die happy afterwords. Two students, one from Harvard, the other from Tokyo, combined plastic wings, balsa wood and rubber bands and this is what they made:
They called iy ornithopper, and based it on a butterfly called swallowtail that they copied to extreme small detail - even the veins ! The amount of studies and results of the experience is, of course, overwhelmimg.
Source: Discover Magazine
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Corcubión - And then land ends
Corcubión is located in the west coast of Galicia, northwest Spain, on one of the Rías Baixas (Lower Bays), in the region know as Costa da Morte (The Death Coast), once the prey of pirates and place of numerous shipwrecks.
Back in roman times and the middle ages this was considered to be the most westernly part of continental Europe , the end of the known world. There are even older vestiges of celt presence here. But it's from the XV century , with the end of Viking and other pirate attacks, that the village started growing as an important coastal settlement.
Corcubión was declared to be of historic and artistic interest on 31st January 1984, for its folk architecture so typical of Galician fishing towns with their traditional verandas and balconies.
In the main square there are several buildings particularly worthy of interest such as Casa Miñones which dates back to 1899. This building brings together the features of typical Galician architecture with elements of the Modernist style which was popular at that time. Another example in the Square is the beautiful Casa do Xulgado (Law Court).
The narrow medieval streets also have their charms, with their first stage balconies.
In the outskirts, traditional folk architecture can be seen all around: hórreos (granaries), mills, dovecotes.
Horreo de Carnota
Corcubión is a short drive from Fisterra (cape Finisterre), on the AC550 coastal route. Some small fishing towns populate this area of coastline.
The famous Playa Langosteira is one of the most beautiful beaches in the region, with clear white sand, cristal clear waters, and fishes confidently swimmimng around you.
The Port of Corcubión also serves as an excellent reminder of Corcubión's past history. It was rebuilt and enlarged after it was destroyed during the War of Independence, as it was of key strategic importance owing to the course of the ria. Now it is mainly a port of leisure
A short walk along the coastal road to the open sea, lies a further particular treasure called Cabo Fisterra - the impressive rock where all was supposed to end...
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
The northernmost volcano:Beerenberg in Jan Mayen
An active volcano, Beerenberg (2277 m), dominates the volcanic island of Jan Mayen. It is the northernmost active volcano on land in the world.
Jan Mayen is a small (380 Km2) barren island with some moss and grass situated at 71°N , 8°30' W, suddenly rising from the North Atlantic ocean, 950km west of Norway, 600 km north of Iceland. It is the most remote place of the northern hemisphere, well north of the Arctic Circle. The upper part of mount Beerenberg is covered by an ice cap, which sends glacial tongues in all directions. The lower landscape is dominated by black lava stone and green moss. The island is a part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Glacier falling from the crater into the sea.
Jan Mayen became Norwegian in 1922. Only since 1921 has it become inhabitated - a total crew of 18 runs the navigation station, the meteorological station , radio and vulcanology stations, and maintains the infrastructure - buildings, airstrip, power station. The island and the stations are under the rule of Norway.
The main crater - you can see the start of the falling glacier.
Beerenberg has erupted six times between 1732 and 1985. All of these eruptions produced lava flows and scoria cones. The most recent eruptions were in 1970 (the strongest), 1973 and 1985.
The 1970 eruption was the only one witnessed in modern times. It was large, erupting at least 0.5 km³ of basalt from a 6 km long fissure that ran from sea-level to an elevation of 1000 m.
Olonkinbyen (Olonkin City ) is the permanent settlement that houses the staff that operates the weather and radio stations. Besides full-equiped offices and labs, it has an unexpected comfort, with several relaxing rooms - library, bar, media room, gym and sauna, large living and dining rooms, decorated corridors, a museum and a swimming pool !
A place of mistery and desolation, of science and adventure, it could well be someone's Ultima Thule !
Mapa:
Sunday, 18 April 2010
and Veronica's café,Kenai, Alaska
One more charming northern café, Veronica's Coffee House is a 1918 cabin in its original location and a good example of what the early russian buildings in Kenai looked like.
Located in historic downtown Kenai, Veronica's Coffee House serves expresso, of course, and breakfast, but also homemade soups, sandwiches, desserts.
Veronica´s coffee house, 60º33' N, 151º 16' W
Close by, other russian-era reminders are the old orthodox church and the St. Nicholas chapel:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)