Rancho Texas park is a small ZOO near Puerto del Carmen. Very modern and very nice getaway for whole family and nature/animal lovers. It’s main attractions are White Tigers, Parrot show and my favorite, the Birds of prey show.

Lanzarote Aquarium

While it cannot be comapred to the biggers ones, like the one in Tenerife, this aquarium is rather small, focused mainly on sealife living in the Atlantic Ocean surrounding Canary Islands.

Parque Tropical

There are supposed to be more than 1000 spieces of different animals in this park though most of it consists of birds from all around the world – from tiny ones to the big ostriches. Quite a lot of them are placed in the aviarys where they fly freely while you walk among them.

Jardin de Cactus is located near Costa Teguise and features more than 1.000 spieces of this spiniest plants. Designed by Cesar Manrique it is positioned inside an amphiteater like hole with terraces around it, full of plants.

View from Jardin de Cactus towards the north, full of cactus fields.

Mirador del Rio is a lookout on the northern part of the island which was used during centuries to warn the islanders from the pirate attacks. There was even a gun battery added later but in 1970s Cesar Manrique converted the old gun battery to a restaurant in a clever arhitecural way. If you don’t want to pay the entrance fee to the restaurant, you can admire the spectacular views of the Isla Graciosa a little bit further down the road.

If you want to grow something, you have no other space than to grow it on the hills. All the hills on the north are covered with terraced hills.

Only a fool would not take advantage of constant winds and turn them into electricity.

Puerto del Carmen is the place where we stayed during our holiday. Southern part is the old town but the tourist demand stretched it several kilometers to the north. Riviera is full of pubs, restaurants and shops.

If you want to see something then you’d better head to the old port and experience some of the local arhitecture.

“El Diablo” is the symbol of the park, made by Cesar Manrique who made many Lanzarotian statues and POIs.

Upon entering the gates of National Park, you’re greeted to the amazing landscape of volcanoes and it’s products

Slowly approaching the visitors center inside the park, be prepared to wait in queues as there’s limited available parking. The building itself reminded me of Jabba the Hutt’s palace

Reaching the visitors center, you can board a bus and take the tour through the park and experience the volcanic processes up close and personal.

One of the lava pillars you can see enroute.

Lava fields extending kilometers and kilometers…

Only the distant views of Atlantic Ocean can convince you, you’re not visiting planet Mars.

A view of one of the bigger craters at Timanfaya.

Another volcano crater with a view of visitors center in the background.

You can taste volcanic chicken in restarurant El Diablo in the visitors center, grilled on hot air coming from the Timanfaya’s active underground.

A view of the road from the park towards Yaiza, crossing the lava fields.

Vivildy ilustrated lava flow into the Atlantic in the last eruptions less than 200 years ago.

Black beaches are uncommon and quite frequent on the Western Coast of Lanzarote.

Western coast’s ‘out of this world’ shapes.

The older eastern coast is much more sublime.

Where sand meets the black rocks battered by Atlantic Ocean.

A view from Playa Quemada towards the cliffs on the SouthEastern coast.

Ragged rocks near the town of El Golfo.

Lago verde, volcanic walls of all shapes and colours and black beach – a really surreal place to see.

Detail of the volcanic formations over the Lago verde.

And the nice town of El Golfo on the Western coast.

Lit by the setting sun, the warm coloured clouds give nice contrast to the Nature’s works of this island.

Lanzarote is the eastern most island of the Canary Islands and 4th by the size. It is positioned around 125km away from the African coast and just a few kilometers from the Fuerteventura island and of course surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Canary islands are great to visit all year around as temperatures don’t change much. Constant winds offer the adventurers excellent opportunities for sailing, surfing, windsurfing and kiting. But let the photos do the talking…

Typical Lanzarotian landscape – volcanic hills, sea and constantly changing cloudy skies

Postcard from Lanzarote – dry grass, volcanic rocks and exotic plants.

Moonlike hills in the area of Femmes in the south.

Agricultural storage house made from rocks in the Femmes region – black thing in the background are acutally cultivated fields.

Probably the best beaches, at least for swimming, are at the southern most tip of the island. With plenty of small lagoons you are guaranteed to find a private spot on the beach.

One of the small lagoons with Furteventura seen in the background.

Long sandy beaches and almost no crowds – what more would you want?

This was our favorite beach – surrounded by rocks on both sides, it limited the size of waves and the sea temperature was a bit higher.

With no industry hundred of kilometers around, the water is crystal clear as seen in this shot.

La Papagayo beach on the eastern side of the peninsula with white bulidings of Puerto del Carmen seen in the background.

These beaches are accessible either by boat from Playa Blanca or by car (rental rates of just around 100eur for Opel Corsa or similar). But don’t be scarred when taking the exit for La Papagaya beach at the roundabout – after some 10 meters, asphalt transforms into rocky gravel that leads you into a national park (entrance 3eur per car) and all the beautiful beaches. Note the traffic sign on that road though

A view of the Kremlin from the Patriarshy Bridge

The mighty Cathedral of Christ the Savior – the building was  built between 1839 and 1883 and destroyed in 1931. The cathedral was rebuilt on the same spot as original between 1994 and 1997.

Another view of the Cathedral from the nearby park.

Dostoyevski’s monument in front of the National library of the Lenin name, contrasting some old gone era compared with the neon signs in the background.

Hero cities of the Great Patriotic war monument (WW2) by the Kremlin’s West wall. Each of the boxes contains soil from the dedicated city.

Eternal flame burning at the Tomb of an unknown soldier, dedicated to the fallen in World War 2.

“For the fallen soldiers who fought for their homeland 1941-1945″

Marshal Zhukov, who concquered Berlin in 1945, now proudly guards the Square of Revolution and entrance to the world famous Red Square.

Northern Kremlin wall with Spasskaya tower at the front and Watch tower at the back with grey dome of Senate building visible, home to Russian President administration.

Kazan Cathedral in the NorthEastern corner of Red Square was built in 1636 but was destroyed in 1936 under Stalin’s orders. After the collapse of Soviet union, it was the first church to be rebuilt in the period of 1990-1993.

A view of Red Square with Kremlin on the right side and Gum commercial center on the left. Unfortunately, this year it was cluttered with fences and construction material, the square being prepared for some events at the end of August and early September.

Saint Basil’s Cathedral is probably the most iconic Moscow building featureing the distinctive onion domes. It was built between 1555 and 1561 under commision by Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) and was almost demolished by Stalin in 1930s.

Ilyushin Il-96-400T

MiG-31B ‘Foxhound’

MiG-29SMT ‘Fulcrum’

Su-34 ‘Fullback’

Tu-95 ‘Bear’

A-50 ‘Mainstay’

Tu-160 ‘Blackjack’

Kazan Ansat

Mi-8AMTSh ‘Hip’

Mi-26T ‘Halo’

Mi-28N ‘Havoc’

Airbus A380-800

A-10C Thunderbolt II

B-52H Stratofortress

Club-K – ordinary container mounted missile system

S-300VM Antey-2500 (NATO SA-23 ‘Gladiator’) anti-aircraft and anti-missile system

UNV-2M radar detection and fire control radar for SA-3 missile systems

Russo-Indian Brahmos cruise missile

Various types of bombs

Kh-59M2E cruise missile

RVV-SD medium range air to air missile

IR sensor to be used with the new PAK-FA fighter

All seeing eyes of PAPV system

generations of legendary RPGs

Air Traffic Control tower simulator

PowerJet SaM146 turbofan engine – developed by NPO Saturn and French Snemca companies and used by Sukhoi Superjet 100

Boeing family