HAWAII

My YOUTUBE video of HAWAII

Places that I visited Hawaii:

Akaka falls State Park

Kolekole beach park

World botanical gardens

Laupahoehoe

Puuhonua honaunau National Historic Park

Waipio Valley

White sand beach Hapuna

Meeting con amigos hawaiianos y californianos

Green sand beach

Liliuokalani gardens, Hilo

Wailoa river State Park, Hilo

Umauma falls

Hawaii tropical botanical garden

Scenic route

Lua Hawaian show

Mauna kea State Park

Rainbow falls State Park

Cementerio

Lava del kilauea en el Volcanoes National Park

Lava tree State Park

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Costa de Volcanoes National Park

Black Sands Beach

Hawaii is a state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, making it the 50th state. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oahu. The most recent census puts the state's population at 1,283,388.

Tourist Map Hawaii

This state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Island chain, which is made up of hundreds of islands spread over 1,500 miles (2,400 km). At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lānai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii. The last is by far the largest, and is often called the "Big Island" or "Big Isle" to avoid confusion with the state as a whole. This archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania.

The earliest habitation supported by archaeological evidence dates to the 4th century, probably by Polynesian settlers from the Marquesas, followed by a second wave of migration from Raiatea and Bora Bora in the 11th century. The first recorded European contact with the islands was in 1778 by British explorer James Cook. Hawaii is one of four U.S. States that were independent prior to becoming part of the U.S.: the Vermont Republic, 1791; the Republic of Texas, 1845; the California Republic, 1846; and Hawai`i. Of these, Hawai`i and Texas were the only ones with formal international diplomatic recognition. The Kingdom of Hawaii existed from 1810 until 1893 when the monarchy was overthrown by native born Hawaiians of American ancestry. It was an independent republic from 1894 until 1898, when it was annexed by the United States, becoming a territory in 1900, and a state in 1959.

The 1778 arrival of British explorer James Cook is usually taken to be Hawaii's first contact with European explorers. Cook named the islands the Sandwich Islands in honor of one of his sponsors, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. He published the islands' geographical coordinates and reported the native name as Owyhee. This spelling lives on in Owyhee County, Idaho, after three Hawaiian members of a trapping party killed in that area.

Cook visited the islands twice. During his second visit in 1779, he attempted to abduct the King of the Big Island of Hawaii, Kalaniōpuu, and hold him as ransom for the return of a ship's boat that was taken by a minor chief and his men, a tactic that had worked for Cook in Tahiti and other islands. Kalaniōpuu and his supporters fought back and Cook and four Marines were killed as Cook's party retreated to the beach and launched their boats.

After Cook's visit and the publication of several books relating his voyages, the Hawaiian islands received many European visitors: explorers, traders, and eventually whalers who found the islands a convenient harbor and source of supplies. Early British influence can be seen in the design of the local Flag of Hawaii which has the British Union Jack in the corner.

These visitors introduced diseases to the once-isolated islands and the Hawaiian population plunged precipitously because native Hawaiians had no resistance to influenza, smallpox, and measles, among others. During the 1850s, measles killed a fifth of Hawaii's people.

During the 1780s and 1790s chiefs were often fighting for power. After a series of battles that ended in 1795 and forced cession of the island of Kauai in 1810, all inhabited islands were subjugated under a single ruler who became known as King Kamehameha the Great. He established the House of Kamehameha, a dynasty that ruled the kingdom until 1872.

Missionaries to Hawaii in the 1800s converted many Hawaiians to Christianity. Their influence led Kamehameha II to end many ancient practices, and Kamehameha III was the first Christian king. A famous and beloved missionary was Father Damien, a Catholic priest who helped bring order and hope to the isolated leper colony on the island of Molokai. Other well-remembered missionaries included Protestant Hiram Bingham I and Joseph F. Smith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Other missionaries are not remembered as fondly. A number who came to Hawaii during this period took a more earthly view of the islands and their people, and over the years began to influence politics and society. Some abandoned their calling to seek commercial fortune. To this day, when a person who was born in Hawaii calls someone a "missionary," it is considered an insult. A famous phrase has it that "The Protestants came to the islands to do good, and they did right well".

The death of the bachelor King Kamehameha V—who did not name an heir—resulted in the popular election of Lunalilo over Kalākaua. Lunalilo died after only one year and 25 days in office, also without naming an heir. Perhaps "the People's King" (Lunalilo) wanted the people to choose his successor as they had chosen him. 1874 featured a contested election by the legislature in 1874 between Kalākaua and Emma. This led to riots and the landing of U.S. and British troops to keep the peace, and governance passed to the House of Kalākaua.

In January 1893, Queen Liliuokalani was replaced by a Provisional Government composed of members of the Committee of Safety. Controversy filled the following years as the queen tried to re-establish her throne. The administration of President Grover Cleveland commissioned the Blount Report, which concluded that the removal of Liliuokalani was illegal. The U.S. Government first demanded that Queen Liliuokalani be reinstated, but the Provisional Government refused. Congress responded to Cleveland's referral with another investigation, and submitted the Morgan Report by the U.S. Senate on February 26, 1894, which found all parties with the exception of the queen "not guilty" from any responsibility for the overthrow. The accuracy and impartiality of both the Blount and Morgan reports has been questioned by partisans on both sides of the historical debate over the events of 1893.

In 1993, a joint Apology Resolution regarding the overthrow was passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton, apologizing for the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It is the first time in American history that the United States government has apologized for overthrowing the legitimate government of a sovereign nation.

In the 1950s the power of the plantation owners was finally broken in a non-violent revolution by descendants of immigrant laborers. Because they were born in a U.S. territory, they were legal U.S. citizens. The Hawaii Republican Party, strongly supported by plantation owners, was voted out of office. The Democratic Party of Hawaii dominated politics for 40 years. Expecting to gain full voting rights, Hawaii's residents actively campaigned for statehood.

In March 1959, Congress passed the Hawaii Admission Act and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into law. On June 27 of that year, a referendum asked residents of Hawaii to vote on the statehood bill. Hawaii voted 17 to 1 to accept. There has been criticism, however, of the Statehood plebiscite because the only choices were to accept the Act or to remain a territory, without the option of independence or addressing the legality of the overthrow. Despite the criticism, the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization later removed Hawaii from the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

After statehood, Hawaii quickly modernized via construction and rapidly growing tourism economy. Later, state programs promoted Hawaiian culture. The Hawaii State Constitutional Convention of 1978 incorporated programs such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to promote indigenous language and culture.


SPANISH:

En esta sección podrás encontrar todo lo relacionado con mi viaje a Hawaii e intentaré dejarte la máxima información valiosa posible para que puedas planear tu viaje de la mejor manera.

Yo estuve una semana y tan solo fui a la Gran Isla. Hice esta elección, por que es la que más diversidad tiene, ya que puedes encontrar tanto selva, como playas, el volcan más activo del mundo y también el más alto, puedes encontrar también la única playa de arena verde del mundo, y puedes bucear al igual que en el resto de las islas.

Por otra parte también es una isla que no se encuentra muy explotada desde el punto de vista turistico, incluso en ocasiones cuesta encontrar algunos lugares si no tienes un buen mapa asi que aqui te dejo el que yo use para moverme por la isla.

Tourist Map Hawaii


Una recomendación que te hago, es que si vas por varios dias, y piensas reservar hotel, hazlo la mitad del tiempo en el este de la isla y la otra mitad en el oeste para que no estes moviendote todo el rato como me paso a mi. Otra opción si eres un poco más despreocupado, hippy o como quieras llamarle, o simplemente te gusta la aventura, acampada, o lo que sea, el caso es que tienes la opción de acapada libre, que siempre es una buena opción.


Lugares que visite en Hawaii:

Akaka falls State Park

Kolekole beach park

World botanical gardens

Laupahoehoe

Puuhonua honaunau National Historic Park

Waipio Valley

White sand beach Hapuna

Meeting con amigos hawaiianos y californianos

Green sand beach

Liliuokalani gardens, Hilo

Wailoa river State Park, Hilo

Umauma falls

Hawaii tropical botanical garden

Scenic route

Lua Hawaian show

Mauna kea State Park

Rainbow falls State Park

Cementerio

Lava del kilauea en el Volcanoes National Park

Lava tree State Park

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Costa de Volcanoes National Park

Black Sands Beach



March 2008

TRANSPORTATION

There are a lot of different ways to move from one place to other, and depence of how far do you want to move or where do you want to travel, I going to try to give you some advices and some information to help you to try to choose the best way to travel.

Subway Metro Underground

Buses

Train

Plain

Find your cheapest fly ticket here

VIENA, AUSTRIA

Viena is the capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city; with a population of about 1.7 million (2.3 million within the metropolitan area), it is by far the largest city in Austria as well as its cultural, economic and political center. It is the 10th largest city by population in the European Union and is identified having the 3rd highest quality of living. The United Nations has offices there, as does OPEC. The Vienna International Centre near the Danube also hosts important international offices including the International Atomic Energy Agency. Vienna lies in the very east of Austria and is close to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. In 2001, the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an Economist Intelligence Unit study of 127 world cities ranked it first equal with Vancouver for the quality of life.

Founded around 500 BC, Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement. In 15 BC, Vienna became a Roman frontier city (Vindobona) guarding the Roman Empire against Germanic tribes to the north.

Vienna came under threat from the Mongolian Empire that stretched over much of present day Russia and China in the 1200s. However, due to the death of an important leader, the Mongolian Empire deteriorated and Europe was freed from the threat.

During the Middle Ages, Vienna was home to the Babenberg Dynasty and in 1440 AD became residence city of the Habsburg dynasties from where Vienna eventually grew to become the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and a cultural centre for arts and science, music and fine cuisine. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman armies were stopped twice outside Vienna (see Siege of Vienna, 1529 and Battle of Vienna, 1683).


Major tourist attractions include the imperial palaces of the Hofburg and Schönbrunn (also home to the world's oldest zoo, Tiergarten Schönbrunn) and the Riesenrad in the Prater. Cultural highlights include the Burgtheater, the Wiener Staatsoper, the Lipizzaner horses at the spanische Hofreitschule and the Vienna Boys' Choir, as well as excursions to Vienna's Heuriger districts.

There are also more than 100 art museums, which together attract over eight million visitors per year. The most popular ones are Albertina, Belvedere, Leopold Museum in the Museumsquartier, KunstHausWien, BA-CA Kunstforum, the twin Kunsthistorisches Museum and Naturhistorisches Museum, and the Technisches Museum Wien, each of which receives over a quarter of a million visitors per year.

In 1804, Vienna became the capital of the Austrian Empire and continued to play a major role in European and world politics, including hosting the 1814 Congress of Vienna. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, Vienna remained the capital of what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The city was a centre of classical music, for which the title of the First Viennese School is sometimes applied. During the latter half of the 19th century, the city developed what had previously been the bastions and glacis into the Ringstraße, a major prestige project. Former suburbs were incorporated, and the city of Vienna grew dramatically. In 1918, after World War I, Vienna became capital of the First Austrian Republic.

From the late 19th century to 1938, the city remained a centre of high culture and later modernism. A world capital of music, the city played host to composers such as Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler and Richard Strauss. The city's cultural contributions in the first half of the 20th century included, amongst many, the Vienna Secession movement, psychoanalysis, the Second Viennese School, the architecture of Adolf Loos and the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Within Austria, it was seen as a centre of socialist politics, for which it was sometimes referred to as "Red Vienna." The city was a stage to the Austrian Civil War of 1934, when Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss sent the Austrian Army to shell civilian housing occupied by the socialist militia. In 1938, after a triumphant entry into Austria, Adolf Hitler famously spoke to the Austrian people from the balcony of the Neue Burg, a part of the Hofburg at the Heldenplatz. Between 1938 and the end of the Second World War, Vienna lost its status as a capital to Berlin.

In 1945, the Soviets successfully launched the Vienna Offensive against the Germans who were holding Vienna. The city was besieged for about two weeks before it fell to the Soviets. After 1945, Vienna again became the capital of Austria. It was initially divided into zones by the four powers (or the four prevailing nations), and was governed by the Allied Commission for Austria. The four-power occupation of Vienna differed in some respects from the four-power occupation of Berlin: the central area of Vienna had an international zone in which the four powers alternated on a monthly basis. When the Berlin blockade occurred in 1948, Vienna was even more vulnerable because there was no airport in the western sectors. However, despite fears, the Soviets did not blockade Vienna. Some have argued that this was because the Potsdam Agreement gave written rights of land access to the western sectors, whereas no such written guarantees had been given regarding Berlin. The true reason will, however, always remain a matter of speculation. During the 10 years of foreign occupation, Vienna became a hot-bed for international espionage between the Western and Eastern blocs. The atmosphere of four-power Vienna is captured in the Graham Greene novel The Third Man and by the movie which followed.

In the 1970s, Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky inaugurated the Vienna International Centre, a new area of the city created to host international institutions. Vienna has regained a part of its former international relevance by hosting international organizations, such as the United Nations (UNIDO, UNOV, CTBTO and UNODC), the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

July 2003

SALZBURG, AUSTRIA

Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. Salzburg's "Old Town" with its world famous baroque architecture is one of the best-preserved city centres in the German-speaking world, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city is noted for its Alpine setting. It is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the setting for parts of the musical and film The Sound of Music, which features famous landmarks in Austria, but focuses mainly on Salzburg. Salzburg is also a student city, with three universities.

Place to visit

Old Town
· The whole Old Town of Salzburg was nominated as a World Heritage Site in 1996
· The baroque architecture including the many churches are world famous.
· The Salzburg Cathedral
· The fortress Hohensalzburg on a hill dominating the old town is one of the largest castles in Europe, with views over Salzburg.
· The Franziskanerchurch
· The St.Peter cemetery
· The Nonnberg Abbey a Benedictine monastery
· The "Residenz" Palace (the magnificent former Prince-Archbishop's residence)
· Mozart's Birthplace
· Mozart's Residence
· The University Church
· The Siegmundstor (or Neutor)
· The Getreidegasse
Outside the Inner Old Town
· Palace of Mirabell with its wide gardens full of flowers
· The palace of Leopoldskron is a rococo palace and a national historic monument in Leopoldskron-Moos, a southern district of the city of Salzburg.
· Hellbrunn with its parks and castles
· Tour companies operate tours of locations used in the film The Sound of Music
Within the greater Salzburg area
· Anif Castle
· The Basilika Maria Plain on the Calvary Hill, a late Baroque church, on the northern edge of Salzburg.
· Salzburger Freilichtmuseum Großgmain, an open-air museum containing old farmhouses/farm buildings from all over the state assembled in historic setting.
· The Schloss Klessheim Palace (today a Casino) was formerly used by Adolf Hitler
· The Berghof, Hitler's mountain retreat of which only the Eagle's Nest remains, was in nearby Berchtesgaden
· The Salzkammergut is an area of lakes in the Salzburg state, east of the city and further on into the provinces of Upper Austria and Styria
· The Untersberg mountain is next to the city, straddling the German -Austrian border, and on a clear day provides panoramic views of the city and the Alps.
· Skiing is a key attraction during winter. Salzburg itself has no skiing facilities, but it acts as a gateway to skiing areas to the south. During the winter months its airport receives a large number of charter flights from around Europe.

Jully 2003

INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA

Innsbruck was the first city that I visited in Austria. Is a beautiful city although the weather in general is really cold, in fact there was celebrating the winter Olympics in 1976, but I was in summer so at this time the winter was good. And advise from here is to ask for a Innsbruck map before arrive to the city because there are not any information center with free maps, and when I was the price for the cheapest map was around 3,5 euros. I was lucky and at the time that I was there I could enjoyed a great free beautiful concert in a garden from an orchestra. One anecdote that I have from Innsbruck is that I met a guys who they are the owners of a travel guide, and they began their work so time ago when they haven’t any job and decided traveling around Europe with an interrail ticket and start to get and write some information about what places to sleep, to visit, etc.

Innsbruck is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn Valley at the junction with the Wipptal (Sill River), which provides access to the Brenner Pass, some 30 km south of Innsbruck. Located in the broad valley between high mountains, the Nordkette (Hafelekar, 2,334 m) in the north, Patscherkofel (2,246 m) and Serles (2,718 m) in the south, it is an internationally renowned winter sports centre, and hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. The word bruck comes from the German word Brücke meaning "bridge" which leads to "the bridge over the Inn".

Earliest traces suggest initial inhabitation in the early Stone Age. Surviving pre-Roman place names show that the area has been populated continuously. In the fourth century the Romans established the army station Veldidena (the name survives in today's urban district Wilten) at Oenipons (Innsbruck), to protect the economically important commercial road from Verona-Brenner-Augsburg.

The first mention of Innsbruck dates back to (Oeni Pontum or oeni pons which is Latin for bridge (pons) over the Inn (Oenus), which was an important crossing point over the river Inn. The city's seal and coat of arms show a bird's-eye view of the Inn bridge, a design used since 1267. The route over the Brenner Pass was then a major transport and communications link between the north and the south, and the easiest route across the Alps. The revenues generated by serving as a transit station enabled the city to flourish.

Innsbruck became the capital of all Tyrol in 1429 and in the fifteenth century the city became a centre of European politics and culture as emperor Maximilian I also resided in Innsbruck in the 1490s. The city benefited from the emperor's presence as can be seen for example in the so called Hofkirche. Here a funeral monument for Maximilian was planned and erected partly by his successors. The ensemble with a cenotaph and the bronze statutes of real and mythical ancestors of the Habsburgian emperor are one of the main artistic monuments of Innsbruck.

During the Napoleonic wars Tyrol was ceded to Bavaria, ally of France. Andreas Hofer led a Tyrolean peasant army to victory on the Berg Isel against the combined Bavarian and French forces, and then made Innsbruck the centre of his administration. The combined army later overran the Tyrolean militia army and until 1814 Innsbruck was part of Bavaria. After the Vienna Congress Austrian rule was restored. The Tyrolean hero Andreas Hofer was executed in Mantua; his remains were returned to Innsbruck in 1823 and interred in the Franciscan church.

In 1564 Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria received the rulership over Tyrol and other Further Austrian possessions administrated from Innsbruck up to the 18th century. He had Schloss Ambras built and arranged there his unique Renaissance collections nowadays mainly part of Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum. Up to 1665 a stirps of the Habsburgian dynasty ruled in Innsbruck with an independent court. In the 1620s the first opera house north of the Alps was erected in Innsbruck .

In 1669 the university was founded. Also as a compensation for the court as emperor Leopold I again reigned from Vienna and the Tyrolean stirps of the Habsburg dynasty had ended in 1665.

July 2003

AUSTRIA

Some places where I have been:

Viena

Salzburg

Innsbruck

I was in Austria with the Interrail Ticket. At the fist time I arrived to Innsbruck, which is a city in the Alps. I recommend you before to go Austria go to the Tourist Office in your city and ask for maps, or just check in internet for a map, because in other way when you will ariive to the cities you will have to pay for the maps if you want one.

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The capital is the city of Vienna on the Danube River.

The people there speak German, but almost everybody speak english too, so the language shouldn´t be a problem for you.

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The capital is the city of Vienna on the Danube River.

The origins of Austria date back to the ninth century, when the territory of Upper and Lower Austria became increasingly populated. The name "Ostarrichi" is first documented in an official document from 996. Since then this word has developed into the Österreich.

Austria is a parliamentary representative democracy comprising nine federal states and is one of six European countries that have declared permanent neutrality and one of the few countries that includes the concept of everlasting neutrality in its constitution. Austria has been a member of the United Nations since 1955 and joined the European Union in 1995.

Settled in prehistoric times, the central European land that is now Austria was occupied in pre-Roman times by various Celtic tribes. The Celtic kingdom of Noricum was later claimed by the Roman Empire and made a province. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the area was invaded by Bavarians, Slavs and Avars.. Charlemagne conquered the area in 788 encouraged colonization and introduced Christianity. As part of Eastern Francia, the core areas that now encompass Austria were bequeathed to the house of Babenberg. The area was known as the marchia Orientalis and was given to Leopold of Babenberg in 976.

The first record showing the name Austria is from 996 where it is written as Ostarrîchi, referring to the territory of the Babenberg March. In 1156 the Privilegium Minus elevated Austria to the status of a duchy. In 1192, the Babenbergs also acquired the Duchy of Styria. With the death of Frederick II in 1246, the line of the Babenbergs went extinct. As a result, Otakar II of Bohemia effectively assumed control of the duchies of Austria, Styria and Carinthia. His reign came to an end with his defeat at Dürnkrut at the hands of Rudolf I of Germany in 1278. Thereafter, until World War I, Austria's history was largely that of its ruling dynasty, the Habsburgs.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, the Habsburgs began to accumulate other provinces in the vicinity of the Duchy of Austria. In 1438, Duke Albert V of Austria was chosen as the successor to his father-in-law, Emperor Sigismund. Although Albert himself only reigned for a year, from then on, every emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was a Habsburg, with only one exception.

The Habsburgs began also to accumulate lands far from the Hereditary Lands. In 1477, Archduke Maximilian, only son of Emperor Frederick III, married the heiress Maria of Burgundy, thus acquiring most of the Low Countries for the family. His son Philip the Fair married the heiress of Castile and Aragon, and thus acquired Spain and its Italian, African, and New World appendages for the Habsburgs. In 1526, following the Battle of Mohács, Bohemia and the part of Hungary not occupied by the Ottomans came under Austrian rule. Ottoman expansion into Hungary led to frequent conflicts between the two empires, particularly evident in the so-called Long War of 1593 to 1606.

During the long reign of Leopold I (1657–1705) and following the successful defense of Vienna in 1683, a series of campaigns resulted in bringing all of Hungary to Austrian control by the Treaty of Carlowitz in 1699. Emperor Charles VI relinquished many of the fairly impressive gains the empire made in the previous years, largely due to his apprehensions at the imminent extinction of the House of Habsburg. Charles was willing to offer concrete advantages in territory and authority in exchange for other powers' worthless recognitions of the Pragmatic Sanction that made his daughter Maria Theresa his heir. With the rise of Prussia the Austrian–Prussian dualism began in Germany. Austria participated, together with Prussia and Russia, in the first and the third of the three Partitions of Poland .

Austria later became engaged in a war with Revolutionary France - at the beginning highly unsuccessful - with successive defeats at the hands of Napoleon meaning the end of the old Holy Roman Empire in 1806. Two years earlier, in 1804, the Empire of Austria was founded. In 1814 Austria was part of the Allied forces that invaded France and brought to an end the Napoleonic wars. It thus emerged from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as one of four of the continent's dominant powers. The same year, the German Confederation, was founded under the presidency of Austria. Because of unsolved social, political and national conflicts the German lands where shaken by the 1848 revolution aiming to create a unified Germany.

The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, the Ausgleich, provided for a dual sovereignty, the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary, under Franz Joseph I. The Austrian-Hungarian rule of this diverse empire included various Slav groups such as Poles, Ukrainians, Czechs, Slovaks, Slovenes, Serbs and Croats, as well as large Italian and Romanian communities. As a result, ruling Austria-Hungary became increasingly difficult in an age of emerging nationalist movements. Yet the central government tried its best to be accommodating in some respects; minorities were entitled to schools in their own language, for example. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 by Gavrilo Princip was the immediate cause for the outbreak of World War I, leading to the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Empire was broken up according to the Treaty of Saint-Germain and the remaining subordinate territories became independent states. However, over 3 million German Austrians found themselves living outside of the newborn Austrian Republic in the respective states of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Italy. Between 1918 and 1919, Austria was officially known as the Republic of German Austria . Not only did the Entente powers forbid German Austria to unite with Germany, they also forbade the name; it was therefore changed to the Republic of Austria. The monarchy was dissolved in 1919 and a parliamentary democracy was set up under the constitution of 10 November 1920.

Much like Germany, Austria, too, was divided into a British, a French, a Soviet and an American Zone and governed by the Allied Commission for Austria. Largely owing to Karl Renner's action on April 27th in setting up a Provisional Government, however, there was a subtle difference in the treatment of Austria by the Allies. The Austrian Government was recognized and tolerated by the Four Powers. Austria, in general, was treated as though it had been originally invaded by Germany and liberated by the Allies. On 15 May 1955 Austria regained full independence by concluding the Austrian State Treaty with the Four Occupying Powers. On 26 October 1955 Austria was declared "permanently neutral" by act of Parliament, which it remains to this day.

The political system of the Second Republic came to be characterized by the system of Proporz, meaning that most posts of some political importance were split evenly between members of the Social Democrats and the People's Party. Interest group representations with mandatory membership grew to considerable importance and were usually consulted in the legislative process, so that hardly any legislation was passed that did not reflect widespread consensus. The Proporz and consensus systems largely held even up to 1983.



Austria political map:

Austria location map:

July 2003

Costa de Volcanoes National Park

En la parte costera del Volcanoes National Park no se podia encontrar playa pero si unos expectaculares acantilados formados con la lava de los volcanes, y donde se forma un contrastre increible de colores con el azul del mar, el negro de la lava solidificada y el verde de las muchas plantas y arboles que crecen entre las rocas de lava, ya que esta es muy fertil. Os dejo tambien junto a estas letras una foto espectacular de las formaciones rocosas de lava que hay junto al mar en forma de puente.

Black Sands Beach, Hawaii

Punaluu Beach is a beach between Pāhala and Nāālehu on the Big Island of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The beach has black sand created by lava flowing into the ocean which explodes as it reaches the ocean and cools. This volcanic activity is in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Punaluu is frequented by endangered Hawksbill Turtles and Green Sea Turtles, which can often be seen basking on the black sand. Visitors must remain 15 feet from the turtles at all times. The swimming area is very rocky, and it can be dangerous to swim. The beach also has a large amount of underground fresh water that flows in it. This fresh water is very cold and looks almost like gasoline mixing with the water. Legend has it that in the time of drought, the early Hawaiians living in the area would dive underwater with a jug to get their fresh water.

Russ Apple may have been the originator of this myth; as National Park Service Pacific historian and 30 year veteran of the National Park Service, Apple was instrumental in restoring Hawai'ian cultural resources in Kīlauea and Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park in Kailua Kona, Hawai'i.

Local tradition says that if any volcanic rock or black sand ifrom Punaluu Beach is taken away from Hawaii, that the person that took it will be cursed by the Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele until it is returned. While purportedly an ancient Hawaiian belief, historians can trace this legend only to the mid twentieth century, and it is widely believed to have been invented by park rangers to keep visitors from taking rocks. Nevertheless, the lobby of Kīlauea Military Camp has a cabinet displaying rocks returned by people attempting to atone for the bad luck that has befallen them, and letters describing their predicaments.


* Camping is permitted at the Punaluu Black Sand Beach Park.

* Taking black sand and volcanic rocks from the area is prohibited.


Spanish:
Despues de un largo dia de turismo llegamos a Black Sands Beach or playa de arena negra. La arena negra se forma en consecuencia de la lava de los volcanes que se encuentran en la Isla. Llegamos ya casi al anochecer asi que decidimos quedarnos a disfrutar alli de la puesta de sol. En esta playa vienen las tortugas a descansar y poner huevos asi que se pueden ver en la arena de la playa, como os dejo en una de las fotos. Tambien se indicaba en carteles como que venian focas a descansar pero no vimos ni una, asi que nos acercamos a unos locales y les preguntamos y asi fue como hicimos unos buenos amigos con los que estuvimos comiendo y bebiendo.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, is a United States National Park located in the U.S. State of Hawai'i on the island of Hawai'i. It displays the results of hundreds of thousands of years of volcanism, migration, and evolution—processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with complex and unique ecosystems and a distinct human culture. The park encompasses diverse environments that range from sea level to the summit of the earth's most massive volcano, Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet. Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, offers scientists insights on the birth of the Hawaiian Islands and visitors' views of dramatic volcanic landscapes. The park includes 505 mi² (1348 km²) of land.

Over half of the park is designated wilderness and provides unusual hiking and camping opportunities. In recognition of its outstanding natural values, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has been designated as an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980 and a World Heritage Site in 1987.

The volcanic activity generated in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park helped create Kalapana and other black sand beaches.

Within the park boundaries are the Thurston Lava Tube, a lava tube approximately 540 years old with a short hiking trail running through it, and the Kīlauea Caldera, skirted by the Volcano House Hotel, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and the Jaggar Museum.

There is an undeveloped stretch of the Thurston Lava Tube which extends an additional 330 meters beyond the developed area and dead-ends into the hillside. Though it is blocked by a chain link fence to keep unwary visitors from entering, the easily traversed stretch is in fact open to the public and accessible through a gate in the fence. Visitors to the undeveloped stretch should exercise caution on the brief climb down to the tube floor due to the rough terrain. Once past the entrance, the rest of the walk is on even ground.


Spanish:
La lava no se para por nada ni ante nadie y aqui una prueba de ello, donde había una carretera, ya solo queda una señal indicando que la carretera esta cerrada, cosa que por otra parte es bastante evidente. En una erupción inesperada nos persiguió la lava y tuvimos que correr para escapar de ella aunque a mi me cogió una pierna como podeis ver en la foto pudimos salir vivos de esta.

Lava del kilauea en el Volcanoes National Park

En realidad el mejor lugar para poder ver la lava depende de cada momento por que el camino por el que la naturaleza elige que baje el rio de lava cambia por momentos, pero en el momento en que nosotros nos encontramos alli es mejor sitio era Kalapana. Es indescriptible, no se puede mostrar con fotos ni describir con palabras solo se puede vivir, el momento en el que se ve la lava, y es mucho mejor la sensación aun si la ves introduciendose en el mar. Es una autentica lucha de titanes de la naturaleza los elementos mas devastadores de ella luchando entre si, el agua contra el fuego. En realidad una de las mayores razones por las que decidimos ir a la Gran Isla y no a cualquier otra era por esta, y por algún momento pensamos que no ibamos a poder hacer realidad nuestro sueño, pero por fin conseguimos verla, asi que disfruto pudiendo compartir estas fotos con todos vosotros para que también podais verlas. Bueno no os aburro más con mis historias y os dejo que disfruteis de las fotos.

Lava Tree State Park, Hawaii

Lava Tree State Monument is located 2.7 miles southeast of Pahoa on Hawaii. It preserves lava molds of the tree trunks that were formed when a lava flow swept through a forested area in 1790.

A 0.7-mile (1.1 km) foot path forms a loop through the park. Like all Hawaii State Parks, there is no charge for parking and entry. Facilities include restrooms, picnic tables, and 3 covered structures to provide refuge from the rain or sun. It is open daily during daylight hours only, since there are no lights on the path. No camping, and no mountain bikes are allowed in the park. There are no water fountains at the park; bring your own. Although there is a paved path, tree roots have lifted and separated parts of the path so toddlers and the elderly may need assistance

Spanish:

Un bosque repleto de unos arboles increibles por su inmensidad y por sus formaciones en su crecimiento os espera a todos los que os animeis a pasear por este Parque de arboles de lava. Se encuentra en la zona sur este de la Isla y realmente os recomiendo que si teneis la oportunidad paseis a verlo.