Jaap van 't Veen's photos

Los Cardones is a national park in the province of Salta, between the city of Salta and Cachi. The park has an area of more than 65.000 hectares, with hills and ravines at elevations between 2.700 and 5.000 meters. This national park was created in 1996, when it was acquired by the park administration from private owners. The national park got its name from the cardón (candelabra cactus or thistle), which is its dominant plant species. The column-like cactus plant has long been an important source of timber for rafters, doors, windows and more in the region. During its lifetime of 250 to 300 years the cactus can grow up to 12 meters. From Salta the park is accessible through the wonderful Cuesta del Obispo ( www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/48959158 ); after passing Piedra del Molino the straight road called Recta del Tin-Tin crosses the park with cactus groves on both sides of the road.

Kasteel Doorwerth (Doorwerth Castle) is one of the oldest castles in the Netherlands with a history dating back to the 12th century. Historical documents mention the castle - probably wooden - as early as 1260. During that year it was besieged and burned to the ground. Twenty years later a second - stone - castle was also besieged and this time the bailey was burned down. Since 1280, the castle has developed into a picturesque complex with a main castle and outbuildings, like the gate house, coachhouse and stables around the forecourt. Doorwerth Castle reached its largest form just after the middle of the 16th century under the 15th Lord of Dorenweerd ( Kasteel Doorwerth was known in earlier times as Kasteel Dorenweerd ; the present spelling of its name dates from around 1800). By 1560 the castle had more or less reached its current appearance. When the castle was bought in 1837 by baron Van Brakell it was in a bad state (after it had been inhabited for many years) and restorations and modernization were necessary. But after the baron's death seven years later the castle again fell into neglect, which remained until 1910. It was bought by a retired artillery officer and again the castle was thoroughly restored, undoing some of the 19th century alterations and additions. After 1913 it was used as a Dutch Artillery Museum. The medieval castle was seriously damaged at the end of the World War II (1944). A new extensive restoration took about 37 years, which brought the castle back into its 18th-century state . Since the year of 1983 Ksteel Doorwerth and surrounding park are owned and managed by the Stichting Geldersch Landschap en Geldersche Kasteelen , a Dutch heritage foundation; castle and park are open for visitors.

The construction of the Bonifaciuskerk (Boniface Church) started in 1404 and was completed in the 15th century. In the year of 1517 the city was attacked and burnt; the church was also destroyed, however the tower remained undamaged. After re reconstruction city and church were burnt to the ground and again the tower was spared. The rebuilding started again in 1555 in the same form as the current church. The church is a late-gothic hall church with three aisles. The tower - hundred years older than the church - got its present crowning in 1661. It has three bells, the oldest and largest has a diameter of 1,25 metres. The tower of the church is leaning, which is possibly caused by the reclamation of the Wieringermeer (a polder near Medemblik). Over the past 30 years, it has subsided by an average of 3 mm per year. Originally Sint Maarten (Saint Martin) was the second church patron, next to Sint Bonifacius (Saint Boniface). After the Reformation in 1572 the name of Bonifacius remained with the Reformed church and Sint Maarten became the principle patron of the Roman Catholic church in Medemblik.

The Cuesta del Obispo (Bishop’s Slope) is a winding and steep stretch of Ruta33, located between the hamlet San Martin in the Escoipe Valley and the Piedra del Molino (PiP5) in the province of Salta. During more than 20 km the dirt road winds its way up with many hairpins to the highest point of the road - 3.348 meters above sea level - between Salta and Cachi. A grinding stoned, carved in granite gives the name to that place: Mill Stone. The slope was called Cuesta de la dormida del Obispo (Slope of the sleeping bishop), because in 1622 the bishop of the diocese of Tucumán traveled from the city of Salta to Cachi and had to spend the night uncomfortably in the middle of the slope. Later and with time the name was simplified to as it is known today: Cuesta del Obispo . (We did drive this road - which was quite an adventure - and were quite lucky with the dry weather. When it rains the road is often blocked for regular cars. We came across a couple of gauchos (PiP3) with their horses and made several stops, enjoying the fascinating landscape with grassland. One of them was a viewpoint towards Valle Encantado (PiP2).

As early as 1289, Medemblik received its city rights and the end of the 16th century it has its own harbours. Four of them are located near the city centre. The Pekelharinghaven (Salt Herring harbour) is the largest and is situated adjacent to the Radboud Castle ( www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/48611904 ). The name refers to the old harbour that was in use during the 17th and 18th centuries. After the harbour had silted up, the location was used as a sports field for many years. Until 1988 when the construction of a new marina was started, which was inaugurated in 1989. Nowadays the harbour has a total of 220 berths for yachts up to 15 meters.

Haus Welbergen (Welbergen Castle) is most probably one of the most beautiful hidden gems of Münsterland. Although the moated castle is not as well known as many other castles in Westphalia, it is in no way inferior to them in terms of beauty and charm. A Gräftenhof - a farmhouse surrounded by an articially moat - is already mentioned in 1282, on the spot where now Haus Welbergen stands. The "Herren von Welleberghe" lived on the estate from 1298 to 1330. In the middle of the 16th century it was converted into a moated castle; the moat is fed by the Gauxbach. In the eighteenth century the current size and style has been given shape. Haus Welbergen is built mainly of bricks and has sandstone window frames. After crossing a drawbridge one arrives on the forecourt, which is bordered by the gatehouse, farm buildings and stables on one side and by a wall with round corner turrets and a little chapel on the other side. In the middle of the inner courtyard of the castle is a small but very interesting garden. There have been several changes of ownership over the centuries until the more or less dilapidated castle was bought in 1929 by Dutch banker Jan Jordaan and his wife Bertha Jordaan - van Heek (daughter of well known Dutch textile entrepreneur Gerrit Jan van Heek). After the death of Bertha in 1960, the total possession of Haus Welbergen has been brought in a foundation: the Bertha Jordaan-van Heek stichting , with the purpose to maintain the entire property and the artistic exchange between Germany and the Netherlands. Nowadays Haus Welbergen is used for meetings and gatherings. The house and the art collection can be visited by groups and appointment. Public areas such as the forecourt, gardens and the park are open to the public.

Purmamarca is a rather small village, located in the Quebrada de Humahuaca (a UNESCO world heritage site), yet it is one of the most popular travel destinations in Argentina. It sits next to the Cerro de los Siete Colores (PiP1), the most famous landmark in Northwest Argentina. This breathtaking Hill of the Seven Colours (more than 2.300 meters above sea level) is composed of seven different colours, all of which derive from different types of rocks. Each colour/rock is also said to have formed during different time periods. Its estimated age goes back for million years. The heart of picturesque Purmamarca - with its adobe houses and unpaved streets (PiP4) - is Plaza 9 de Julio . The square offers a daily market (PiP2 and 3) and is completely filled with artisan stalls, selling all kinds of handicrafts like tapestries, hand-knitted clothing, artwork, sculptures, pottery, etc. The square is surrounded by small local shops, cafes and restaurants. Purmamarca means 'desert village' in the local Aymara language.

The water tower in Delden - designed by architect H.P.N. Halbertsma - was built in 1894 and belongs to the Twickel Estate ( www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/48898228 ). The construction of the tower was commisioned by the owner of Twickel Baron Heeckeren of Wassenaer. The water tower is made of red brick in a neo-Renaissance style. The tower has the status of a Dutch national monument. Originally the tower was intended to serve as a water reservoir for extinguishing fires on Twickel. When the tower was put into use it also served as a water supply system for the village of Delden. When it turned out that the water contained much salt and could not be used as drinking water, the tower was connected to the water supply system of the nearby city of Almelo. For this purpose, a pipeline of more than 10 kilometers had to be constructed. The salt was derived from a salt layer in the bottom of Delden. This salt layer is later commercially exploited (nowadays Delden has even a salt museum). The water tower has a height of 37.50 meters - which make it a well known landmark of Delden - and a water reservoir of 200 m³. The tower is still used as a ‘storage vessel’ ensuring drinkwater comes under enough pressure to the citizens of Delden.

The Ostmühle (East Mill) on the Mühlenberg (100 meter above sea level) in Gildehaus is a Dutch tower mill. The mill was built in 1749/1750 from Bentheim sandstone and has a long and turbulent history. Three year before a violent storm destroyed a wooden mill on the same spot. The mill was privately owned from 1913 to 1986. It was in danger of being demolished several times. The mill has been in operation again since 1986 and is managed and maintained by the tourist information Gildehaus. In the year 2011 an extensive renovation took place. When there is enough wind, hobby millers will make crispy bread from the freshly milled grain in the adjacent bakery. Mill and bakery are now a museum and can be visited, but has limited opening hours (during our vist it was closed).

The Perito Moreno Glacier (Glaciar Perito Moreno) was formed during the last ice age, which means it is about 18.000 years old. The glacier is located within the Los Glaciares National Park and is one of the 48 glaciers of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the world’s third largest reserve of fresh water. Perito Moreno ends in a fjord, where the ice is up to 60 or 70 metres above the level of Lago Argentino (two-thirds are still below the water level and cannot be seen) and it is 5 km wide. Despite climate change Perito Moreno is one of the few glaciers in the world that still grows, one or two metres a day. From time to time the glacier’s front ice tongue moves forward and joins the shore of Peninsula de Magallanes, creating a massive ice dam. This natural dam makes a part of Lago Argentino raise its level, causing a huge amount of pressure. Finally - this can takes some years - the water pressure is getting too high and the enormous wall of ice falls apart, causing one of the most overwhelming natural phenomenon that can be seen. (It happened just a couple of months after our visit in 2005. The last rupture of Perito Moreno was in March 2018. You even can see the difference between the water level of the two parts of the lake.) The glacier is named after Francisco Moreno, an Argentinean explorer who explored this area in the 19th century and managed to keep it out of Chilean hands. The Los Glaciares National Park, of which Perito Moreno Glacier is a part, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981. The glacier is accessible from El Calafate in Patagonia. Peninsula de Magallanes has several platforms, which make it possible to get close to the glacier. It is also possible to sail along the glacier by boat.

Twickel Castle ( www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/48898228 ) is well-known for its garden and park. The landscaping of the gardens has been created over many generations and gives an impression of the history of the garden since the renaissance. Next to the castle there is a garden in the French neo-baroque style (PiP1) with clipped figures of the taxus and buxus trees. The historical orangery (PiP1) dates, in its current form, to the first half of the 19th century and serves as a winter shelter for many tropical and subtropical plants, including some 300-year-old orange trees. The so called 'rock garden' (main picture and PiP2) in Victorian style has been designed by Baroness van Heeckeren Van Wassenaer. The surrounding park, with its large water gardens (PiP3), was developed in English landscape style during the 18th and 19th century. The park has also a wildlife sanctuary (PiP4) with a pack of fallow deer.

(The main picture of the forecourt is a stitch of three images.) Kasteel Twickel (Twickel Castle), near Delden, is located, for almost seven centuries in the middle of a beautiful estate, reaching out over five parishes. The oldest parts of the castle - among which the tower at the front - date from the 15th century. Throughout the centuries the castle has been extended and beautified. The buildings, stables and coach house, situated in the forecourt, where added to the castle during the 18th century. Twickel Castle is still inhabited and surrounded by a beautiful park and garden ( www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/48906350 ). Twickel estate is a unique historical country estate in Twente, in the East of the Netherlands. It covers no less than 4.100 hectares and includes 150 farms with agricultural land and meadows, interspersed with moorland, fens and woods. The oak woods have long been famous, not just because of their beauty, but also because of the quality of the wood they produce. The characteristic farms can be recognised by their black-and-white shutters. Between 1347 and 1953, Twickel was in the possession of successive members of the same family. The last owner, Baroness Van Heeckeren van Wassenaer-Countess of Aldenburg Bentinck, who had no children of her own, decided in 1953 to establish the Twickel Foundation in order to preserve the estate. When she set up the foundation, Baroness Van Heeckeren determined that the castle should remain inhabited.

Quebrada de las Flechas (Canyon of the Arrows) is a amazing natural rock formation in the Valles Calchaquíes with eroded cliffs in all kind op tones that rise out of the terrain like gigantic arrowheads. Rock formations with astonishing shapes jut out to 50 meters from the valley floor. These rock formation dates back 15 to 20 million years when large blocks of rock began to rise. These strata were folded and fractured when they received the push of the Andes mountain range. Later erosion sharpened them and now they resemble blades or arrowheads side by side. The famous Ruta Nacional 40 ( www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/49276088 ) is running through this lunar-like landscape between the towns of Cachi and Cafayate, near the village of Angastaco.

Vathia - or Vatheia - is a traditional village in the southernmost tip of the Mani peninsula on the Peloponnese. The village was built from the mid the 16th century, but only in the 18th and 19th century real economic prosperity has come. At that time the village had about 300 inhabitants, who were mainly farmers and the olive harvest was their main occupation. At the beginning of the 20th century the inhabitants left the village due to poverty and at the end of the eighties of the last century there were hardly any people living there. Nowadays Vathia - often called a ghost town - is almost completely uninhabited. It has about 90 typical tower houses with the typical architecture of the Mani; most of them are empty and partly dilapidated, but in the meantime some have been renovated. The tower houses in Vathia are built like fortresses with two or three floors. The people, at one time, fiercely guarded their land and livelihoods, either from foreign invaders or rival families. The fortress-like houses provided the ideal opportunity to keep a lookout in the case of a potential invasion. The head of each household was considered to be a ‘mini warlord’, who had the interests of the family at the center of his concerns. The fierceness of the people, the rugged terrain and the strategic location of the tower houses helped keep Mani (and Vathia) free from invaders and it even maintained its independence from the Ottoman Empire.. Vathia is built on a hill top in the middle of an impressive landscape with beautiful sea views. It is located halfway between Aeropoli and Cape Tenaro.

The Vischpoort (Fish Gate) is the only remaining gate of the five city gates of Harderwijk and is dating back to the 14th century. The gate is situated on the historical seaside of the former Zuiderzee , a shallow bay of the North Sea. The upper part - above the corbel - dates from the 15th century. In the year of 1851 was a little tower with a lighthouse placed on top of the slate roof. Till 1947 the Vischpoort served as a lighthouse. After the closure of the Zuiderzee it lost its significance. Nowadays the light is only switched on on on special occasions. The Vischpoort was originally called the Lage Bruggepoort . On the seaside of the gate there was a wooden pier onto which small boats could load and unload cargo, especially fish to/from the Vischmarkt (Fish Market) on the city side of the gate. The gate also had a protective function, against enemies as well as against the water and was closed at high tide. In 1973 the Vischpoort , wall houses and city wall were restored. The pump in front of the gate is a replica of an old city pump, which was in use until 1896. Nowadays the gate is listed as a Dutch national heritage site

In the Middle Ages Bruges ( Brugge in Dutch) had more than twenty windmills, which were located on the city walls. Nowadays there are only four remaining mills on the ramparts between the Kruispoort and the Dampoort . One of them is the Bonne Chiere, which was built in the village of Olsene in the year of 1844. This windmill was rebuilt on its current location in Bruges in 1911, after the original mill was blown down during a storm. It is built in the same architectural style: wooden standard mill on four brick dices. The ‘new’ Bonne Chiere has never grinded grain, but was just for decoration. The mill is not open for visitors.

The current Zijpe and Hazepolder was until the 12th a bog area, protected by the row of dunes from the North Sea. The reclamation of the peat for the benefit of farming led to the land being lowered and due to the rising of the sea level the area was endangered. From around the year of 1600 the new polder was drained by twenty mills. Each mill took care of its own part (also called afdeling = section). The area was subdivided for this purpose and the 20 parts were assigned the letters of the alphabet (A to U, the letter J was not used). On a map dating from that year there is no mill in the northern part of section G of the Zijpe polder . Probably this higher part of the section was not drained until around the middle of the 17th century. In 1664 there was at least a windmill. The current Noorder G polder mill is probably still the first original mill. Until August 1958, this section was only drained using wind power. In that year the windmill was decommissioned and the paddle wheel removed. It was then replaced by a mortar with a diesel engine. In 1969 the dilapidated windmill became the property of a foundation: Stichting De Zijper Molens . An external restoration was carried out between 1969 and 1972. After the motor mortar had been removed, the inside of the mill was reconstructed during the restoration at the end of 2003. In 2004 the mill was once again able to drain its section of the polder. Since then it is regularly put into operation.

The Catedral Metropolitana is the most important church in Buenos Aires, located on the Plaza de Mayo. It is the Catholic Church's main site in Argentina, where pope Francis, as archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, used to perform mass before assuming office in the Vatican in 2013. The first church on this site was built in 1580, when the city of Buenos Aires was founded. The first main church of Buenos Aires was a modest building made of wood and adobe, and was replaced by a new one in 1605, which also had to be rebuild. Due to the bad quality of its building materials, the tower and the roof of this church fell down in the early 1680s. In 1684, bishop Azcona Imberto ordered the rebuilding of the Catedral Metropolitana . After eleven years the main part - without towers and façade - of the church was completed. Due to economic problems and slow construction progress, it took until 1727 before the cathedral was completely finished. In 1752 the nave of the cathedral collapsed again, after which it had to be completely rebuilt. It was not until 1863 that the cathedral - including a façade - reached its current form. The exterior (PiP1) has not the typical cathedral profile as it has no towers and it looks more like a Greek temple with its twelve columns, representing Jesus’s apostles. Cathedral Metropolitana has an impressive interior décor - with its five naves and transept, surmounted by a 41-meters high vault - in neo-Romanesque and neo-Baroque styles. The main gilt wood altarpiece depicts the Holy Trinity and is one of a few remaining elements from colonial times (1785). The cathedral also hosts a marble mausoleum with the remains of general San Martin, who was the leader of the independence struggle of South America against the Spanish occupier (PiP3).