Category Archives: Uncategorized

Jurassic Coast, Devon

  By David | February 16, 2013 - 12:00 am | Uncategorized
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Durdle Door, a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, England.

Durdle Door, a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, photo courtesy W. Lloyd MacKenzie.

The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of 155 kilometres (96 mi). It was the second wholly natural World Heritage Site in the United Kingdom and its entire length can be walked on the South West Coast Path.

The Jurassic Coast consists cliffs from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, documenting 180 million years of geological history. The site shows fantastics examples of landforms, including the natural arch at Durdle Door, the cove and limestone folding at Lulworth Cove and an island, the Isle of Portland. Chesil Beach is a beautiful island attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land.

The area was home to Mary Anning, one of the first female palaeontologist who studied the fossils of the coastline around Lyme Regis and discovered the first complete Ichthyosaur fossil.

Antigua Guatemala

  By David | September 29, 2012 - 12:00 am | History, Travel, Uncategorized
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Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, Antigua Guatemala.

Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, Antigua Guatemala, photo courtesy Fcali.

Antigua Guatemala (for many people just la Antigua) is an old capital city of Guatemala, famous for its well-preserved Baroque architecture with influences of Spanish Mudéjar style, and its spectacular ruins of colonial churches. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The city was founded in 1543 by the Spanish conquistadors, who called it Santiago de los Caballeros, and for more than 200 years it was the seat of the military governor of the colony of Guatemala (today’s Guatemala and part of Mexico). On September 29, 1717, a strong earthquake hit Santiago destroying lots of buildings, and in 1773 another earthquake destroyed much of the town. This led to the removal of the capital to a safer location. The new city was called Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción (New Guatemala of the Assumption) and the badly damaged city of Santiago de los Caballeros, which was almost abandoned, was thereafter referred to as la Antigua Guatemala (the Old Guatemala).