Month: July 2018

Antelope Canyon, Arizona, USA

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Antelope Canyon is one of the best-known and most photographed gorges of the southwest of the United States. Located in Northern Arizona, beside Lake Powell, in the reserve of the Navajo Nation. It
consists of two separate gorges, the Upper Antelope Canyon (above) and the Lower Antelope Canyon (below). The canyon can only be visited in guided tours, in part because there could be unexpected rains that can quickly flood it. The guide takes you in a 4 x 4 following the bed of an ancient river till the entrance of the fault about 5 kilometres from the 98 road linking Page to Kayenta. The visit lasts about an hour following the throat over one kilometre. Both faults have a similar aesthetic quality. The Upper Antelope Canyon is most visited because it is larger and its access is easy; on the other side, Lower Antelope’s admission is smaller and wide and you must come in through metal stairs put in place by the Navajos so visitors are fewer. The Upper Antelope Canyon varies from 2 to 3 metres wide and 400 metres long. Lower Antelope Canyon is long, narrow and present significant differences of levels. Unfortunately, on August 12th , 1997, eleven people were killed by a flash flood in the Lower Antelope Canyon.

Tips

Sports shoes are required to make visits.
To visit the Lower Canyon, you can reach the parking which is very close and you can go on foot. Note that a physical fitness is also important for this visit.
It is not necessary to make a reservation but it is suitable to arrive early if you want to visit the two gorges. As soon as you arrive, make the reservation for the Upper Canyon and in the meantime you can visit the Lower Canyon with the same ticket .
As the position of the sun is very important for the colors and shadows of the gorges, the best time to visit them is around noon.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT is a research institute and a university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near Boston; specializing in the fields of science and technology, regarded as one of world’s best universities in science and technology. It is also known in other fields such as economics, political science, linguistics, philosophy and management; the most important is engineering with 2,000 students; with all its online courses on the Internet since 2002. It is interesting that students participate in scientific and technological research in their first year of study. 78 Nobel Prize winners have emerged from its ranks. Besides its faculties, there are the Lincoln Laboratory, the laboratory of artificial intelligence and computer science, the Nuclear lab, the media lab, being the most important among others.

Tips

The campus is open for visits by the general public from Monday to Friday, there are guided tours at 11:00 and 15:00. You can also visit guiding you with a map that you can find in the lobby.
You can attend various events that the Institute organizes, to know more, you have to go to their website and you will find all the information with the ticket prices. There are also several ones that are free.

Cathedral of Seville, Andalusia, Spain

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The Cathedral of Seville in Andalusia was built between 1402 and the XVIᵉ century. Gothic style, it has a bell tower, the Giralda, a former Moorish minaret of the great Almohad mosque that stood on the site of the present cathedral. This is one of the largest Catholic cathedrals in the world and the largest in Spain (132 meters long and 83 meters wide). There are thirty side chapels and vaults of the central nave that arrives at 42 meters. It was built by reusing elements and columns of the ancient mosque. The interior is luxurious, with plenty of gold. The choir opens on the Main Chapel, dominated by the huge Gothic altarpiece consisting of 45 carved panels depicting scenes from the life of Christ, made by sculptor Pierre Dancart; this is the largest and richest altar painting in the world and one of the most sumptuous carved pieces of Gothic art. It contains the tomb of Christopher Columbus and also some kings of Castile. There is a monumental monstrance, the largest in the world. Among its riches, there are collections of paintings, statues and pieces of jewelry. Since 1987 it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Outside it has several doors, one of it leads tothe ‘Patio of Oranges’.

Tips

Check the calendar before your visit because it is prohibited when the cathedral is on duty. Access is paid but generally, there is the possibility of a guided audio tour (in Spanish or English only) for free on Monday afternoon (16h00-18h30 if there is no service) but under appointment.
You can take pictures but without flash.
The entry of any person who is under 18 may be made only if accompanied by an adult.