The African continent holds thousands of charms not described in history books or in popular minds. One proof of this is South Africa, the continent’s second largest economy – second only to Nigeria – and more specifically, Cape Town, the legislative capital of the country. Similar to Rio de Janeiro by allying what is most modern with the preservation of its natural beauties, the geography of Cape Town has a special charm, mainly because it is crossed by Table Mountain and its cableway reminiscent of the Sugar Loaf’s cable cars. Home to the National Parliament, Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, with 3.5 million inhabitants, but it’s outstanding for being an important commercial and industrial center, thanks to its imposing port.
Travelling to Spain goes well beyond visiting Barcelona and Madrid. Proof of this is the charming and historical Granada, a city that is not very popularized, but that is one of Europe’s historical and cultural preserves. One of the Arabian conquests on the Iberian Peninsula, later reconquered by Christians, the beautiful Andalusian city holds these important traces in its architecture and in the formation of its streets, as well as in its gastronomy and cultural activities. So, although it isn’t very trendy, Granada, which is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites, has a place guaranteed on the map of the main tourist points in the Old Continent, thanks to its lovely palaces, gardens and temples that preserve traditions, but also hold a high degree of contemporaneity.
Situated in the south of Jordan, about 3 hours away from the capital, Amman, Petra is considered one of the loveliest and most cinematographic cities in the world. And this is no exaggeration: the city was the setting for scenes in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Transformers 2, and Mortal Kombat: the Annihilation, besides being the stage for the Brazilian soap opera Viver a Vida, by Manoel Carlos – as well as being mentioned in two publications: Les Voyages D’Alix and Destinos de Tintim. The historical and archeological city of Petra is famous for its constructions, since the local architecture is sculpted on the rose colored rocks that make Petra the “Pink City”.
Situated in the south of the Aegean Sea, at 200km from continental Greece, Santorini boasts, besides tourists from all over the world, one of our planet’s most incredible landscapes, since its area of 73km2 lies on top of an active volcano. Perhaps that’s the mystical reason for its being called the Island of Lovers, thanks to the charms of its millenarian volcanic formation, after the last big eruption in 1680 BC, together with the enchanting buildings painted blue and white – the colors of the Greek flag – that adorn the rocky landscape and are the scenery for incredible moments. Although its population is estimated at only 15 thousand inhabitants - equivalent to the Leme district in the south zone of Rio de Janeiro – for most of the year the streets of Santorini are crowded with tourists.
A divine experience, even for those who follow no religion, or who don’t believe in a Deity. That’s how we can describe a visit to historical Cappadocia, a tourist region situated in Turkey, more precisely, in central Anatolia – in an area of approximately 15 thousand km2, between Aksaray, Hacibektas and Nigde. With a population of under a million inhabitants, Cappadocia has unique geological formations – thanks to the local volcanoes that were active for over 8 million years – and a vast touristic treasure with its underground cities and dwellings that are a part of the rocks they were built on.
