When Christopher Columbus first set out to discover the New World, he could not have imagined that he would see some of the world's most beautiful sights that would undoubtedly take his breath away.As gathered from his chronicles, the exotic beauty of a particular island in the Caribbean Sea left him absolutely spell-bound.In his essay about the discovery of this land of Cuba, he passionately describes the splendor of its lush greenery and landscape; a land of exotic flowers and trees and wide, clear rivers."Discovery" is a rightful term to use, when trying to explain that it was Christopher Columbus who put Cuba on the world map.This is more so, because before Columbus reached there, this island was already inhabited by a race known as the Ciboney.Their line of ancestry has been traced to Central and South America.These people were perhaps the first human inhabitants of Cuba and had settled there for several thousands of years.The Ciboney tribes were not particularly skilled at agriculture, but were primarily fishermen, hunters and gatherers.After the Ciboney, another community that migrated to Cuba were the Arawak Indians.It is recorded that there were between 50,000 to 90,000 Arawak Indians there by the time of Columbus' discovery.It has been historically traced that they had probably migrated to Cuba from the Orinoco basin in Venezuela.Another possible area of migration is from the Guianas in South America.The Arawak Indians were primarily boat-builders and agriculturists.There were also many who were skilled in pottery and the creation of wooden artifacts.The people who were skilled at agriculture were called the "Taino.".In fact, Cuba gets its name from the Taino word cubanacan, which means "a central place.".History records that Columbus discovered Cuba before the dawn of the 28th of October 1492.He first thought that he had entered Asia's mainland, and was convinced that the name "Cuba," which was what the aborigines called it, was the Indian name for Japan.He then claimed the land for Spain and called it "Juana." It is said Columbus named the island after the infant Don Juan, child of the Spanish monarchs Fernando V and Isabel I, who were also his benefactors.There were other names that Columbus successively gave to this land.But in the end, it was the original name "Cuba" that finally stayed with the country.By the 5th of December 1492, Christopher Columbus had explored the northeast coast of Cuba.He also covered the northern coast of Hispaniola.It was there that one of his renowned ships, the Santa Maria, had to be abandoned.One of the island's natives, Cacique Guacanagari, permitted him to leave a few of his sailors behind.As a result of this, Christopher Columbus founded the La Navidad settlement with 39 men.

Madrid is the largest town in Spain as well as its capital.It is renowned for its past and also for its spectacular nightlife.The profound power of religion in its architecture and in the lives of the people is very conspicuous.A large number of churches frame the capital city.Madrid is a multipurpose city.One can do a lot of things for entertainment including sightseeing, visiting beaches, walking around museums and playing in virtual water parks.These are some of the favorite tourist attractions.As would be anticipated from a huge European capital, Madrid houses excellent European art, magnificent bastions and mansions, Michelin-rated food joints, fashionable outlets and many games and relaxing activities.The extraordinary Prado museum was specially made by King Carlos in 1785 and is a natural knowledge museum which is frequented by the tourists.Nowadays it contains masterpieces from the art el Greco, era- works of Velázquez, Botticelli, Goya, Rembrandt, Ruben's and Raphael to mention a few.For art lovers, it is imperative to visit the museum a number of times as only half of its invaluable collections are on exhibition at any given time.Madrid's arte Sofia museum is well-known throughout the whole world for its collection of modern art.It features the three supreme artistic giants of Spain- Miro, Dali and Picasso.Picasso's fresco Guernica, recognized as an anti-war alarming statement of the twentieth century holds the center place in the museum.The wreckage of the Basque community of Guernica at the time of the civil war in Spain is the source of its motivation and provides insight into this globally commended magnum opus.At the Reina Sofia one can also see artistic patterns from the 1940's through the provisional displays of sculpture, photography and films.The Thyssen-bornemisza museum features paintings, sculptures, tapestries and carvings which total more than eight hundred in numbers.The talent here varies from the traditional to the current and contains paintings which are ranked among the world's highest pieces of artistry.The national archeology museum is a must visit if one wants to have a sneak into the town's genesis and history.There the artifacts range from the antediluvian era till the 15th century.The vestiges of the primeval civilizations can be viewed here- Iberians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Moors and Carthaginians.Museo Del Ejercito showcases 27000 objects of antique armor and martial souvenirs together with a rapier supposedly carried by the famous Spanish protagonist el Cid.Also, one can see armor suits, tents of the Moors and the cross born by Christopher Columbus.Any visit to Madrid is incomplete without a trip to Palacio Real.The visitors are allowed to enter approximately 50 out of the 2800 plush rooms that were initially owned by King Carlos in 1764.Then, close to the Prado museum is one of the most beautiful open estates of el Retiro where the magical crystal turret of the 19th century is situated.It is amongst the top 10 places to visit on the traveler's list.For the children, there is the Casade Campo Park, which was once imperial hunting lands.At present it is a 4000-acre woody recreational area with a lake for boating, games and relaxation activities, an amusement park and a zoo.The zoo contains more than 6000 animals including lions, gorillas, tigers and koalas.Daily shows include dolphins and sea lions and are organized here.There is a gigantic aquarium containing a couple of million liters of water where sharks swim.One can see the eagles descending down on the lake at the aviary.The breeding and training of hawks is also carried out there.