Things to Do in Kelowna & Okanagan Valley

While Port of Spain is Trinidad’s political capital, the city of San Fernando is the industrial capital, and the center of Trinidad’s significant oil and gas industries.  Even though San Fernando is primarily an industrial area, there are still many good reasons to visit.  The Harris Promenade, at the city center, is an urban green space where you can find open air concerts. During the pre-colonial era, the natives called this area Anaparima, which means “one hill” and that single hill remains as San Fernando Hill, where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city. Just south of San Fernando, you’ll find one of the island’s most popular attractions, Pitch Lake, the world’s largest naturally occurring tar pit, similar to the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. You can walk on the semi-solid surface of the lake to explore the unique environment. To the east of San Fernando, you can find the strange mud volcanoes of The Devil’s Woodyard.

One of Madrid’s leading art museums and most famous artistic training schools, the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Art, or the Museo de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes San Fernando, features an impressive collection of 15th -20th century European art. Founded in 1752, the museum is perhaps most famous for its many Goya paintings – the Spanish master was the institution’s painting director for many years – and works include his ‘Self-portrait in front of the Easel’.

Over 1500 paintings and 570 sculptures make up the museum’s main collection, with a predominant focus on Spanish, Flemish and Italian artists. Notable artists include Leandro Bassano, Vincent Lopez, José Ribera, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Joaquín Sorolla, Ignacio Zuloaga, Velázquez and Haes, with sculptures by Mariano Benlliure, Picasso and Pablo Gargallo, to name a few. Further exhibits showcase around 15,000 drawings and prints, along with displays of silverware, jewelry and porcelain.

The museum building itself is also worth a second look – a grand baroque residence designed in the 17th-century by José Benito de Churriguera and retaining many of its rich original interiors.

Iguazu Falls aren't northern Argentina's only UNESCO World Heritage Site. History buffs may be tempted away from the falls by the Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis, a cluster of well-preserved ruins of reducciones, or settlements, built here by the Catholic order in the 1600s. There are four of these beautiful walled cities to explore: Sao Miguel das Missoes, in Brazil, and Argentina's Nuestra Señora de Loreto, Santa Maria Mayor, and San Ignacio Mini, the finest of them all.

San Ignacio Mini was originally founded in 1611, and moved to the current location in 1696. Hewn from beautifully carved red sandstone, it was designed to both protect and convert indigenous Guaranis, primarily children, to Catholicism. The remains of a magnificent church, as well as sleeping and living quarters, can all be explored on a guided tour.

After the Spanish Empire evicted the Jesuits in 1767, the recciones were systematically destroyed and forgotten. The ruins, rediscovered in 1897, have been partially restored. A nightly light show spectacular tells the story of Guarani life inside these crumbling walls.

The Santiago skyline is dominated by San Cristobal Hill (Cerro San Cristobal), a forested mountain rising 2,821 feet (860 meters) above the city. The site is protected as part of the Santiago Metropolitan Park (Parque Metropolitano), one of the most famous city parks in Chile, and was developed into a public green space at the start of the 20th century, after the astronomical observatory was constructed on top of the hill. Today, the park serves as a scenic escape above the smog that can grip Santiago on winter days, and offers fantastic views across this city of 6.5 million to the Andes Mountains.

Built in 1521, The San Juan Cathedral (aka La Santa Catedral San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico) is one of the highlights of any trip into Old San Juan. The second oldest cathedral in the Americas, this historic landmark lies right in the heart of Old San Juan and boasts an impressive array of religious and historical artifacts including the tomb of notorious Spanish conquistador Ponce de Leon and the mummy of St. Pio. An operational cathedral, you can attend mass here Saturdays at 7 pm, Sunday at 9 and 11 am, and weekdays 7:25 am and 12:15 pm. And experience a traditional catholic mass, or, when service isn’t being conducted, you can wander the nave free of charge, gaze at the huge stained glass windows, or marvel at the construction of the oldest church on U.S. soil.