WHY A TRAVEL AGENT?

SPECIAL PLACES 1

Surrounded by towering hills of rust-coloured sandstone, the entrance to the city is surely one of the most intimidating and dramatic you will find. You enter through what is called a Siq (the Arabic for Pass) for about 2 km., sometimes barely 2 m. wide in places, with precipitous cliffs sometimes reaching hundreds of meters above your head.

Then, suddenly, through a cleft in a rock, a most amazing sight awaits you - the Classical carved façade of the El Khaznah el Faraoun (the Pharaoh’s Treasury). Behind this 40 m. high façade a large square room has been carved out of the rock. From inside you have a marvelous view of the Siq. It is also possible to climb up to about 50 m. on the facing wall, and look down on the façade from above.

Surrounding the open space in front of the Khaznah are tombs and halls carved out of the rock. Continuing with the path to the right brings you to a gaint semicircle of the Amphitheatre, which has seats for 8 000 people! More facades beckon the visitor on until the ancient city gradually unfolds; one monument after the next lures you forward, whilst walking in awe on paths sometimes paved with cut stone and lined with pillars.

It is not possible to describe in a short article all of Petra’s more than 800 magnificent treasures. Apart from those already mentioned, the Qasr al-Bint Firaun (the Castle of Pharaoh’s Daughter), is an impressive free-standing structure, built of massive blocks of yellow sandstone. In the King’s Wall three large structures, known as the Royal Tombs have been carved. The El-Deir (Monastry) is another massive triclinium carved out of the rock face, even larger than the Khazneh. The great doorway is around eight metres tall 

The sheer size of the city and the quality of the beautiful facades is staggering, and never to be forgotten- undoubtedly one of the most impressive historical sites to be visited. No wonder that it had been declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The spring itself is 30 m deep, from where it is connected to the underground cave system by a narrow passage, after which it is continually ascending and descending with drops of 30 to 40 m. After about 900 m it reaches the level of the surface water in a chamber called Wolkenschloss, 30m long, 20 m wide and up to 25 m high. No leads could be found to the surface. Several enormous chambers, like the Apokalypse, which is 170m long, 50 m wide and 50m high, were discovered since the known cave system of almost 5 km. was extensively explored since 1985. A start has already been made to create an artificial entrance to the system, and to a show cave.

At the shore of the Blautopf lies a medieval hammer mill, its huge hammers driven by the stream flowing out of the Blautopf down the water wheel. The Blautopf really is a magical place. Sitting at the edge of the clear, blue pool, seeing the water welling quietly up from the depths, flowing past the mill, creates a sense of wonder.

The small town of Blaubeuren, with its 12 000 inhabitants, is in itself worth a visit. Nestled in the natural depression formed since the Jurassic Era in the Karst hills surrounding the town, you enter through a gap in the surrounding hills. It boasts several historical landmarks, like the Blaubeuren Abbey, situated close by the Blautopf, founded as a Catholic monastry in 1085. 

I would advise a stay of at least a day in this beautiful, historic town. The Hotel Restaurant Ox offers cosy hospitality, with a broad range of culinary specialities, either international or traditional Swabian.
 
 

King Alphonse II then declared Saint James as the patron of his empire, and a chapel was built at that place, which later became the cathedral of the new settlement.

In the 12^th and 13^th centuries the town became so important that Pope Alexander II declared it a Holy Town, like Rome and Jerusalem.

Pilgrims began following the “Way of Santiago“, the Camino de Santiago. The numbers dramatically increased when Pope Calixto II declared that the pilgrims who went to Santiago in a Holy Year (Año Santa) would be free of all their sins. This year is celebrated each time when the Apostle’s day (July, 25) falls on a Sunday. Even today each year pilgrims from all over Europe - and even the world! - undertake this pilgrimage by walking thousand year old trails to the final resting place of the apostle. Some of the routes originate in Spain itself, some from as far as Madrid, about 676 km. away. Others come from France, the Low Lands, Portugal, Switzerland, even Scandinavia and Denmark. But pilgrims even come from all over the world; our Agency, a week ago, booked a flight for a client in Bloemfontein who wants to walk one of the routes in Spain!

The city itself attracts visitors from all over the world, thanks to its fantastic monuments, with a particular architectonical style of its own, and is now considered by Unesco a World Heritage Site. It is not possible to name all the sights to be seen. The most important is the square called La Plaza del Obradoiro, with impressive buildings surrounding it, of which the Cathedral is the most famous. The construction started in 1075, when the town reached the climax of its importance.

Different styles were incorporated over the ensuing years, like the French Romantic style, as well as a style that is all Santiago’s own, the so-called Románico Compostelano.

Facing the cathedral is the Gelmirez Palace, a brilliant example of Romanesce civil architecture. Other buildings facing the square are the Hospital Real, built in 1492, the Rajoy Palace, a huge and elegant neoclassical building, as well as two 15^th century monasteries. A visitor could well spend several days in this city that seems to be a museum. 

Bhutan’s early history is steeped in Buddhist tradition and mythology. Its recent history begins with a hereditary monarchy founded in the 20^th century, continuing the country’s policy of isolation. It was only under the leadership of the third king that Bhutan emerged from its medieval past of serfdom and reclusion.

A ban on television and the internet was only lifted in 1999! Even today foreign influences, even tourism, are regulated by government to preserve its traditional culture. The Bhutanese go to unusual lengths to preserve each element of their lives: from environment to dress, to language, to religion. Therefore, a visit exposes the traveller to one of the best examples of a foreign culture existing intact for centuries.

The majesty and grandeur of the natural surroundings of this country called by its citizens ”The Land of the Thunder Dragon” is legendary. Bhutan is a land of soaring snowcapped peaks, alpine meadows and densely forested hills and ravines abounding in exotic flora and fauna. It has three distinctly different regions open to visitors. The western region offers stunning scenery of rice paddies and orchards cascading down magnificent mountains, with pristine rivers that flow through the main towns of Paro, Thimpu and Punakha, where the unique two-story houses with brightly painted window designs welcome the visitor. Central Bhutan is the ideal place for walking, due to its broad valleys and sloping mountains, with sturdy stone houses and a plethora of monasteries to be seen. Buckwheat and apples are the main agricultural products. The eastern region lies at a much lower altitude than the other regions. Stunning hand-loomed textiles of the master weavers, as well as the kingdom’s most ancient spiritual sights, are to be found here.

CAR RENTAL