Stereoscopic 3D panoramas taken in June 2017

Aveiro will start between the 10th and 12th centuries at the mouth of the Vouga River as a small fishing village. The estuary already existed as a result of the formation of the dunes that were closing the exit of the waters of the river to the sea. The estuary is the main geographical feature that defined the type of activity of the population that grew here; a small inland sea, abundant fish that created an underwater flora, the moliço, an inexhaustible source of fertilizer for the farming of the nearby agricultural land. In addition it had the richness of salt. The salt flats in Aveiro were already cooled in the 10th century in the will of Countess Mumadona Dias. In the 16th century, vessels came from northern European ports to seek salt which was later used to salt the herring they exported to northern Europe. In the 13th century, Aveiro was elevated to the category of a village, developing the settlement around the main church, dedicated to S. Miguel and located where today is Praça da República, with this temple being demolished in 1835. Later, D. João I, on the advice of his son, Infante D. Pedro, who, at the time, was a grantee of Aveiro, had it surrounded by walls that, in the 19th century, were demolished, part of the stones being used in the construction of the new bar piers. In 1434, D. Duarte granted the village the privilege of holding an annual free fair that has reached our days and is known as the March Fair. At the end of the 16th century, beginning of the 17th century, the instability of vital communication between the Ria and the sea led to the closure of the canal, preventing the use of the port (see Porto de Aveiro) and creating unsanitary conditions, caused by the stagnation of the waters of the lagoon, causes that caused a great decrease in the number of inhabitants - many of whom emigrated, creating fishing villages along the Portuguese coast - and, consequently, were the basis of a great economic and social crisis. It was, however, and interestingly, in this phase of recession that, in full Philippine domination, one of the most notable temples in Aveiro was built: the Misericórdia Church. In 1759, D. José I elevated Aveiro to the city, a few months after having condemned his last duke for treason on the scaffold, a title created in 1547 by D. João III. For this reason, and at the request of some notable people in the city, the new city was given the name Nova Bragança instead of Aveiro, by Alvará Real of April 11, 1759. With the fall of the power of the Marquis of Pombal, after D. Maria I became queen in 1777, so she sent the city back to its previous designation.

Serra da Malcata Nature Reserve is a natural reserve in Portugal. It is one of the 30 areas which are officially under protection in the country. The reserve was established to in 1981 to protect the Iberian lynx, the area holds one of the last individuals of this endangered species in Portugal.

The Aveiro lagoon (Ria de Aveiro) is a lagoon in Portugal. It is located on the Atlantic coast of Portugal, south of the municipality of Espinho and north of Mira (to the north of the Cape Mondego). Its average area covers approximately 75 square kilometres (29 sq mi). It is named after the city of Aveiro, which is the chief urban centre located near to the lagoon. Other urban centres near the Ria de Aveiro are Ílhavo, Gafanha da Nazaré, Estarreja, Ovar and Esmoriz. Some beaches nearby include those of Barra, Costa Nova, Torreira, Vagueira, Furadouro, Cortegaça and Praia de Mira. There are also beaches in the São Jacinto Peninsula. The Aveiro Lagoon is beyond a mere geographical feature of Portugal. This 45 kilometres (28 mi) long lagoon stands as one of Europe's last remaining untouched coastal marshland. It is also a haven for numerous bird species. The locals call this rich lagoon Ria de Aveiro. Tourism and aquaculture are the mainstay of the Aveiro Lagoon region. It is also renowned for its artisan fishing and as a center for the collection of Flor de sal, an expensive salt variety

Australian waterfalls

The Serra da Estrela Natural Park (PNSE) is located in the interior of Portugal essentially in the district of Guarda (85%) and also in the district of Castelo Branco (15%). Marked by granite, shale and schist rock massifs and vestiges of ancient glaciers, the high altitude and location of the natural park make it one of the places in mainland Portugal with the highest occurrence of rain, snow, hail and dew. Unlike the other Serras de Portugal, such as Penêda-Gerês, where the effects of glaciation have generated controversy for decades, the Serra da Estrela glacier shows a clear glacial geo-heritage, of high pedagogical and scientific significance. For example, the notable U-shaped Zêzere valley (GF32) has often been cited in national and international scientific publications and is an example of a glacial valley. The glaciation style of Estrela is the result of its geographical location on the west bank of the Iberian Peninsula, being the first mountain to affect the interior movement of the moist Atlantic air masses, but also the plateau altitude between 1400 and 2000 m, range altitude, just above the altitude of the 1650 m paleoequilibrium (ELA) line

The Abbey of Santa Maria de Alcobaça, is the finest example of Cistercian architecture in Christian Europe. In the course of time, to meet the needs for seclusion, wings were added, but these, for aesthetic reasons, in the then modern architectural style. The façade of this great monument measures no less than 221 meters and consists of three distinct bodies : North wing, Church and South Wing. As a result of the alterations during the 17th and 18th Centuries, the north wing comprised de quarters of the Royal family and illustrious guests, the Hall of Conclusion and other dependencies. In the south wing, built after the 1755 earthquake, was the apartments of the Triennial Abbots and the College of Nossa Senhora da Conceição.

Castro Laboreiro was one of the most important strongholds of megalithic culture in Portugal, maintaining one of the largest concentrations of megalithic monuments in the country, 62 Mamoas (dated 4000-5000 years ago) mostly Dolmens, although many of them have been destroyed over the years. times. With strong community traditions, this town maintains, until today, unique characteristics. The local history and ethnography is portrayed in the collection of the Núcleo Museológico. The parish of Castro Laboreiro has more than 40 places, distributed by "Brandas" and "Inverneiras" - which are the highest or lowest places, where the people are protected from the intense cold of the harsh winters or the heat brought by the summer homeless. The "brandas", in the highest places, are more pleasant and productive in the heat season, serving the animals also better opportunities for food - it is thus a kind of common summer house for the population and cattle of the parish and visitors from outside . Here the main places are: Vila, Várzea Travessa, Picotim, Vido, Portelinha, Coriscadas, Falagueiras, Queima-delo, Outeiro, Adofreire, Antões, Rodeiro, Portela, Formarigo, Teso, Campelo, Curral do Gonçalo, Eiras, Padresouro, Seara and Ports. The "Inverneiras", in the lower areas, serve as a refuge from the cold and are located in the valleys of the parish. Your places: Beak, Cailheira, Curveira, Bago de Cima and Bago de Baixo, Clams, Laceiras, Ramisqueira, João Alvo, Barreiro, Assureira, Rotten, Alagoa, Dorna, Entalada, Bridges, Mareco, Ribeiro de Cima and Ribeiro de Baixo .

Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Andorra

Panoramas from our trip to the Flint, MI and Flushing, MI area in 2015

O Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês ou conjunto serrano da Peneda-Gerês , situa-se no extremo nordeste do Minho, estendendo-se até Trás-os-Montes, desde as terras da Serra da Peneda até a Serra do Gerês - daí a sua designação -, sendo recortado por dois grandes rios, o Rio Lima e Cávado. Fazendo fronteira com a Galiza, abrangendo os distritos de Braga (concelho de Terras de Bouro), Viana do Castelo (concelho de Melgaço, Arcos de Valdevez e Ponte da Barca) e Vila Real (concelho de Montalegre) numa área total de cerca de 70 290 hectares. O Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês abrange território de 22 freguesias distribuídas pelos concelhos de Arcos de Valdevez, Melgaço, Montalegre, Ponte da Barca e Terras de Bouro. Esta Área Protegida forma um conjunto com o parque natural espanhol da Baixa Limia - serra do Xurés, constituindo com este, desde 1997, o Parque Transfronteiriço Gerês-Xurés e a Reserva da Biosfera com o mesmo nome.

A philosophers journey of the digital world

Amarante's origin dates to the primitive peoples that hunted and gathered in the Serra da Aboboreira, sometime during the Stone Age, and extended during the Bronze Age and later the Romanization of the Iberian peninsula. The first prominent building erected during the area of Amarante was likely the Albergaria do Covelo do Tâmega sometime in the 12th century, by order of Queen D. Mafalda, wife of D. Afonso Henriques. These types of shelter were constructed in small settlements and were used by travellers, especially the poor who transited the territory. Permanent settles fixed themselves around the local churches, such as the Church of São Veríssimo and Church of Lufrei, resulting in growth during the intervening years. The urban agglomeration of Amarante became important and gained visibility with the arrival of Gonçalo (1187-1259) a Dominican friar who was born in Tagilde (Guimarães), who settled in the area following a pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalém. He was instrumental in the development of the region, with many local structures attributed to his efforts, including the construction of the stone bridge across the Tâmega River. Following his death, Amarante became the destination of pilgrimages and grew substantially.

In the parish of Ferreira is one of the gems of the heritage of the Terras de Sousa, the Ferreira Monastery. With a strong influence, in the Middle Ages, on the settlement and agricultural and cultural development of the region, the Romanesque Church of S. Pedro de Ferreira that has reached our days is an impressive testimony of 12th century architecture. In it you can find influences as diverse as those of the school of Zamora, evident in the portico; from the school of Coimbra, visible in the capitals and, still, from a local school, with parallels to Unhão, in the beautiful stonework of the two side doors. The Church is of impressive strength and robustness, of a single nave, with buttresses attached outside and inside. It has an exterior nartex with a bell tower that, although from a later period, articulates harmoniously with the construction of the century. XII. The entrance porch is made up of five arches with simple columns and profusely worked capitals. The interior, of a single nave, gives access to a chancel that has a Galician influence mark, with polygonal shape and a deep mitered arcade and entrance with a triumphal arch. The vault of the chancel has two very clear sections in its shapes and volumetry. The baptismal font that exists in the Church, of Manueline style and that bears the arms of D. Diogo de Sousa, also deserves a mention. There is still a Gothic image (16th century) of S. Pedro, Patron of the Monastery.

Founded in the 9th century, according to the opinion of some researchers, or at the end of the 10th century (985), according to records from that time, it would have been a basilica dedicated to Saint Peter (Monasterio Sancti Petri de Ceti), occupied by Benedictine monks. At the end of the 11th century, the monastery was rebuilt by order of Gonçalo Oveques. At the end of the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th century the church underwent a major remodeling, including changes in the nave's size, reconstruction of the chancel and alteration of the building's facade. The current cloister, the tower and other elements of the complex are the result of the restoration work carried out in the 15th century. The monastery was occupied by members of the Order of São Bento until the 16th century, when D. João III transferred the ownership of the building to the Royal College of Graça de Coimbra (Gracianos).