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The City of Thousand Windows: Berati

Berati is situated in southern Albania and is well known for its history and architecture. Founded in the 9th century, it has always been a hotspot for different religions; up until today, Christians and Muslims live peacefully in the town. Though famous, Berati is mainly for its stone buildings, situated close to each other on a hillside facing the river Ishull. Visually striking are the large windows on these houses, so Berati also got the name “The City of Thousand Windows.”

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São Miguel

The island of São Miguel is part of the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. In contrast to other islands situated west of Europe, like Madeira or the Canary Islands, the Azores are not tropical but look much more like Ireland. Cows and green grass everywhere! I had a chance to visit this beautiful piece of land back in early April and already posted some pictures in June. But there are more of them on my drive; some of them show off the beauty of the island quite well – so I thought I would give all of us (well, all of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere) a break from grim winter and put these on the internet. I wish you all a good Sylvester party and a happy New Year! See you again in January.

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Nature of Latvia

Last summer I had the privilege to spend some weeks in Latvia again. The country is situated in the center of the Baltics in Northeastern Europe. The population is concentrated mainly in the capital, Riga, and in other larger cities, while the countryside still maintains a lot of charm and beauty which is already gone elsewhere in Europe. Some impressions.

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Azulejos of Lisbon

The capital of Azulejos is, without any doubt, Lisbon. Just to remind you, Azulejos are thin-glazed ceramic tiles covering many historic buildings in Portugal. Last time I presented them to you, I featured Azulejos from all of Portugal. This time, though, I want to lay my focus on the capital of the country. Azulejos come in all sorts of forms and colors, the variety is really remarkable. However, if you look closely, there are differences within the country (I have no scientific proof for my bold hypothesis). The patterns in Northern Portugal tend to be more flowery, and very often, they are composed of earthy and grounded colors, while in Lisboa, there are definitely more bright colors, and the style is more geometric.

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