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Flaming Baku

Azerbaijan is also known as the ‘Land of Fire’. Around the capital Baku it is easy to see why: the oil and gas fields in the regions are enormous. Flames shoot up from the ground at Absheron, the peninsula in the Caspian Sea where Baku is located.

Nature

Eternal fire and flame

Yanar Dag ‘fire mountain’

Just north of Baku the monotonous rugged landscape of the peninsula is interrupted by a curious natural phenomenon: a hill ablaze with fire. The gas flowing from the hills has been on fire since time immemorial. The reservoirs are so huge that they may continue to burn for centuries. The first descriptions about this location, Yanar Dag (which means ‘burning mountain’), were found in the 13th century manuscripts of explorer Marco Polo. It is worth getting up early to watch this phenomenon: just before sunrise the orange flames contrast beautifully against the blue of the sky.

The mud flow of a mud volcano

Mud volcano

Although mud and fire rarely go together, there is such a thing as an explosive mud volcano. This unusual geological phenomenon occurs in just a few places around the world, but never as frequently as here, along the Caspian coast of Azerbaijan. You will find several just outside of Baku. A mud volcano is created when an underground bubble of gas and mud finds a way through a weak spot in the earth’s crust. Sometimes this is accompanied by an enormous explosion. In 2001 an Azerbaijani mud volcano suddenly spewed out a 300-metre-high flame.

The fire temple of Atashgah

Holy fire

You will find more flames in the fire temple of Atashgah, located near the train station in the suburb of Suraxani. For centuries, the omnipresent fire has been worshipped by the Zoroastrians, followers of one of the oldest religions in the world. The temple only fell into disuse in 1883, when the development of modern gas exploration in the region disrupted the natural flow of gas to the temple. Today this is a national monument.

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Nature

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Arts & Culture

Houston and Dallas may be bigger and more famous, but Austin is in fact the capital of Texas. It’s also the least Texan city in Texas. And the weirdest city in the country. This is something its residents take pride in, as evidenced by the Austin motto of Keep Austin Weird! Have a peek inside weird houses or admire a cathedral of junk in a city where there is even a museum devoted entirely to the weird and strange.

Nightlife

When it comes to music, you might be inclined to think New Orleans (jazz), Memphis (rock ‘n’ roll), Chicago (blues) or Nashville (country), but Austin is actually the music capital of the US. The city boasts over 250 music venues, more than any other American city. You can choose from countless live performances and a fantastic music festival every month, such as SXSW. Austin lives and breathes music.

Beach, Water sports, Nature

The airport in Liberia is the gateway to the Province of Guanacaste, the sunniest part of Costa Rica. Thanks to its large number of snow-white buildings and tree-lined streets made of white gravel, the city itself is also referred to as ‘la ciudad blanca’. But, let’s be honest, most visitors who arrive here are primarily interested in white sand. Only a half hour by car from the airport is the fantastic Pacific coast with beaches that are postcard perfect.

Nature

In the Rincón de la Vieja National Park, you can hike, swim in natural hot springs, picnic and camp. The park features a variety of ecosystems around nine craters and 32 rivers with spectacular waterfalls during the rainy season. The diversity of flora and fauna is amazing: look up and chances are you’ll see toucans, sloths and monkeys in the treetops.

Active & Outdoor

Old towns, stunning constructions and wonderful nature: admire all of this and more in THIS IS HOLLAND, a brand-new 5D movie attraction by the producers of De Nieuwe Wildernis (The New Wilderness). It is the perfect introduction to Holland for first-time visitors, but also an interesting surprise for Dutchies who think they know their country inside out. This is a magical 5D experience with smells, colours, images, sounds, rain and shine.

Culinary

Everyone in Sweden knows Småland as the nation’s culinary centre. The region’s cuisine goes above and beyond the famous meatballs: a Michelin-star restaurant serves innovative Swedish haute cuisine, coffee is elevated to an art, and you can visit a lovely castle and pretend to be Lord or Lady of the manor. Here are three suggestions for typically Swedish restaurants in the city of Växjö.

Arts & Culture

Älmhult is the birthplace of renowned botanist Carl Linnaeus and children’s books author Astrid Lindgren, however its most famous ‘offspring’ is IKEA. Life in this southern Swedish town evolves around the blue-and-yellow furniture giant: from the IKEA Hotel and IKEA Museum to the IKEA Bar and IKEA Spa. Welcome to the one and only IKEA Småland – meatballs and ball pit included.