Great Archives - Com Namibia

Bahamas: Norwegian Cruise Line to Open Great Tides Water Park on September 4, 2026

June 24, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Norwegian Cruise Line ouvrira son parc aquatique Great Tides aux Bahamas le 4 septembre 2026 - Photo Norwegian Cruise Line

CroisiEurope

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) a annoncé l’ouverture de son nouveau parc aquatique Great Tides le 4 septembre 2026 sur Great Stirrup Cay, son île privée située aux Bahamas. L’inauguration coïncidera avec une croisière de sept jours dans les Caraïbes opérée par le Norwegian Luna.

À partir du 5 juin 2026, les passagers dont l’escale est prévue à Great Stirrup Cay après cette date pourront réserver à l’avance leur accès au parc aquatique ainsi que différentes options complémentaires, dont des cabanes privatives pouvant accueillir jusqu’à six personnes.

Développé sur près de 2.5 hectares, Great Tides proposera 19 toboggans aquatiques ainsi qu’une série d’attractions destinées aux familles et aux amateurs de sensations fortes. Le parc s’articulera autour de la Tidal Tower, une structure de 52 mètres de hauteur regroupant plusieurs attractions majeures, dont les Breakwater Blasters, présentés comme des montagnes russes aquatiques.

L’offre comprendra également des sauts de falaise, une rivière dynamique de plus de 240 mètres, un espace aquatique dédié aux enfants et plusieurs points de restauration. Le projet s’inscrit dans le programme de transformation de Great Stirrup Cay, qui comprend comme le souligne un communiqué déjà le Great Life Lagoon, une vaste zone de baignade avec bars aquatiques et espaces de détente.

L’île privée est accessible toute l’année au départ de plusieurs ports américains, notamment Miami, Port Canaveral, Tampa, Jacksonville, New York et Philadelphie. Le Norwegian Luna assurera des itinéraires dans les Caraïbes jusqu’en novembre 2026 avec des escales en République dominicaine, aux Îles Vierges et à Great Stirrup Cay.

Walking Through a Painting: Five Walks Tracing the Footsteps of Great Painters

June 20, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Vincent van Gogh’s Alpilles
Paul Gauguin’s Brittany
Armand Guillaumin’s Limousin
Claude Monet’s Normandy
Chaim Soutine’s Pyrenees

Vincent van Gogh’s Alpilles

During his residence in Arles, Vincent van Gogh experienced a period of mental turmoil in which he severed his own ear, and the “red-haired madman” was admitted to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Inspired by the luminous landscape visible from his window and by strolls through the surrounding hills, he painted tirelessly. Wheat fields, olive groves, villages, cypress trees… More than 150 paintings, mostly landscapes, came to life from May 1889 to May 1890 in this tranquil refuge, where he began the most prolific phase of his short life.

In the Master’s Footsteps: Van Gogh

The Saint-Paul-de-Mausole monastery has preserved the memory of its illustrious resident. After visiting his room and the garden that inspired his works, one can follow the one-hour trail to Saint-Rémy. Along the way, 21 reproductions attest to his fascination with the Alpilles.

Paul Gauguin’s Brittany

Weary after years of bohemian life and the disappointments of Parisian life, the penniless artist Paul Gauguin settled in Pont-Aven in 1888. In search of purity, he fell under the charm of this corner of Finistère reachable by rail. “I love Brittany, I find the wild, the primitive”, he wrote to a friend from the Gloanec pension, an inn frequented by many painters of the time. Fascinated by local folklore and beliefs, Gauguin drew from the magic emanating from Breton nature enough to break with the codes of Impressionism and draw closer to a current that centers on mystery and the sacred: Symbolism.

In Gauguin’s Footsteps

To discover the places where Gauguin and the other Pont-Aven painters set up their easels, there are two main options: the Amour Wood circuit (9 km) which runs along the Aven river to the Trémalo chapel; and the painters’ path, in the neighboring commune of Clohars-Carnoët, a 5 km loop dotted with interpretive panels, starting from the Gauguin Center.

Le Toit bleu ou Ferme au Pouldu, 1890, par Paul Gauguin.

Armand Guillaumin’s Limousin

This early representative of Impressionism, who remained faithful to the movement throughout his life, discovered the Limousin countryside late in life, at the age of 51. It was 1891, and the artist, having just won the lottery, decided to settle in Crozant, a hamlet north of Pontarlier, where the Creuse meets the Sédelle at the foot of the ruins of a castle. There, where other painters, struck by the scenery, were forming a school, Guillaumin would capture on canvas every nuance and every season of this region for three decades, until his death in 1927, dedicating no fewer than 300 paintings to it, some of which prefigure Fauvism.

In Guillaumin’s Footsteps

Starting from the ruins of Crozant Castle, the Guillaumin circuit (4 km) winds along the Sédelle and the Creuse gorges to seize all the views that inspired the artist.

Paysage aux ruines, un tableau d'Armand Guillaumin, 1897.

Landscape with the Ruins, a painting by Armand Guillaumin, 1897.

Claude Monet’s Normandy

From Étretat to Giverny, all of Normandy this year marks the centenary of the death of the man who turned the region into an open-air studio. The changing lights of the English Channel, the cliffs of the Alabaster Coast, the meadows of the Seine and of the Epte valley… Monet painted every facet of this territory, which inspired about a third of his colossal body of work (around 2,000 paintings). He had a particular affection for the city where he grew up and began his career, painting portraits of local notables: Le Havre.

In Monet’s Footsteps

Le Havre is going all out for the centenary of the painter’s passing, notably with a temporary exhibition (June 5–September 27) entirely devoted to the ties between Monet and the port city. It’s a chance to walk the “Impression, Sunrise” circuit, which runs 3 km from the quay where the masterpiece was painted to the beaches of Saint-Adresse.

Embankment in Le Havre, un tableau de Monet, 1874.

Embankment in Le Havre, a Monet painting, 1874.

Chaim Soutine’s Pyrenees

Popular among Picasso and Braque, Céret, the capital of Vallespir, situated 25 kilometers from Perpignan, did not attract cubists alone. It also served as a refuge for other avant-garde artists, such as Chagall or Soutine, both of Russian origin. The latter lived in the region from 1919 to 1922, in considerable hardship. Although he spoke little about his artistic vision, the roughly 200 landscapes with tumultuous forms painted during this period mark a turning point in his aesthetic.

In Soutine’s Footsteps

From the Céret Modern Art Museum, a 4 km loop passes by the various cubist-commissioned buildings, then ventures, climbing the Tech river, into the mountain scenery that inspired Soutine.

View of Ceret, Soutine, 1922.

➤ Article appeared in GEO HS magazine no. 133, “France, our favorite walks for the summer,” June–July 2026.

➤ Do you love GEO? Then to never miss a beat, discover our subscription plans to receive GEO at home every month with ease.

From the Coast to the Mountains: Albania’s Great Outdoors

June 8, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

L’autre intérêt majeur d’un séjour ou d’un circuit en Albanie, peut-être plus grand encore que les côtes, sont les montagnes. - Photo JFR

Dream Yacht

The coastline attracts the bulk of foreign tourists visiting Albania, a new Mediterranean frontier opened up by European tour operators in under ten years.

To the south, the Albanian Riviera, along the Ionian coast where the mountains literally plunge into the sea, houses the country’s finest sandy beaches. Vlora serves as the gateway to this coastline, with a planned airport, ferry links to Italy, and modern developments.

Radhima, Orikum, the Karaburun Peninsula (and its beaches accessible only by boat), Dhërmi and Himara are other popular resorts.

Farther south, opposite the Greek island of Corfu, near the site of Butrint, Saranda, Ksamil and Manastiri, host family hotels, villas and residences, but the whole area sadly lacks cohesion.

As for Durrës, further north, its coast, marred by anarchic construction and a polluted sea, is crowded in the summer by Albanian communities and neighbors from Kosovo.

Shkodra Lake and its 240 bird species

Lakes also offer their share of attractions. In the north, Shkodra Lake, bordering Montenegro, is an officially protected area that shelters 240 species of birds.

The lake expands or recedes with rainfall. To the south, the saline Butrint Lake, naturally linked to the Ionian Sea, sits at the heart of the eponymous national park, made up of plains, forests, wetlands and mountains.

Magnificent Lake Ohrid, bordering North Macedonia

It also shelters nearly 250 species of birds, as well as reptiles and amphibians, and offshore, the Mediterranean monk seal can be found.

To the southeast, bordering North Macedonia, the magnificent Lake Ohrid, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a retreat and vantage point, enjoyed around the town of Pogradec.

The Mountains and the Theth Valley

The other major draw of a stay or a tour in Albania, perhaps even greater than the coasts, is the mountains. Woven with rushing rivers, they cover 70% of the country and promise secret itineraries through valleys and villages tucked away. In the north, these are the Dinaric Alps, near Montenegro and Kosovo. They conceal the secluded Theth Valley.

Several ranges then extend toward the Greek border, with the country’s highest point at the border with North Macedonia, Mount Korab (2,751 m).

Many hikers choose Berat as a base camp before venturing to explore the surrounding mountains. The southern reliefs are especially alluring.

In a wild setting of grassy slopes and narrow passes, where one encounters many flocks of sheep watched over by shepherds (there are also wolves and bears), the narrow road between Gjirokastër and Korçë is spectacular, traversing landscapes that are pristine and punctuated by rare villages.

Resurgence of the Bistritza River

It is a pity that ecological practices have not yet become the norm. Whether coastal or mountainous, nature still suffers far too much from the presence of illegal dumps and litter scattered on the ground without a second thought.

One can also explore the Vjosa valley, the only river still regarded as wild because it is not dammed — though a project is underway.

The Bistritza River, for its part, presents a curiosity. One of its sources is a resurgence. After a pleasant approach hike (accessible to all) through high wooded slopes, one encounters this stream of fresh, translucent water bursting from beneath the mountain. The Blue Eye, that is its name, embodies in its own way the country’s natural wealth.

Table of Contents