Vittoriosa Marina, Malta

Vittoriosa Marina, Malta


Birgu is a very old locality on the south side of the Grand Harbour in Malta, with its origins reaching back to medieval times. The city occupies a promontory of land with Fort St Angelo at its head and the city of Cospicua at its base. Birgu is ideally situated for safe anchorage, and over time it has developed a very long history with maritime, mercantile and military activities. Prior to the establishment of Valletta as capital and main city of Malta, military powers that wanted to rule the Maltese islands would need to obtain control of Birgu due to its significant position in the Grand Harbour.

Thailand, Ko Phi Phi,Amazing Wonder

Thailand, Ko Phi Phi,Amazing Wonder



The islands feature beaches and clear water that have had their natural beauty protected by National Park status. Tourism on Ko Phi Phi, like the rest of Krabi province, has exploded only very recently.In the early 1990s only the most adventurous travelers visited the island, staying in only the most basic accommodation. Nowadays, however, the place has turned into one of the major destinations for visitors to Krabi. However, it is still significantly less developed than the nearby island of Phuket, or Ko Samui, on Thailand's opposite coast.

Ko Phi Phi is a popular place for diving and snorkeling, kayaking and other marine recreational activities.

There's no hotels or other type of accommodation on smaller island Ko Phi Phi Lee. The only opportunity to spend the night on island is to take guided tour to Maya Bay and sleep in a tent.

Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park

Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands National Park is a U.S. National Park located in southeastern Utah near the town of Moab and preserves a colorful landscape eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes by the Colorado River, the Green River, and their respective tributaries. The park is divided into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and the rivers themselves. While these areas share a primitive desert atmosphere, each retains its own character. Two large river canyons are carved into the Colorado Plateau by the Colorado River and Green River. Author Edward Abbey, a frequent visitor, described the Canyonlands as "the most weird, wonderful, magical place on earth—there is nothing else like it anywhere."

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague, Czech Republic


Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. It is the fourteenth-largest city in the European Union. It is also the historical capital of Bohemia proper. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava River, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its larger urban zone is estimated to have a population of nearly 2 million. The city has a temperate oceanic climate, with warm summers and chilly winters.

Prague has been a political, cultural, and economic centre of central Europe with waxing and waning fortunes during its 1,100-year existence. Founded during the Romanesque and flourishing by the Gothic and Renaissance eras, Prague was not only the capital of the Czech state, but also the seat of two Holy Roman Emperors and thus also the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. It was an important city to the Habsburg Monarchy and its Austro-Hungarian Empire and after World War I became the capital of Czechoslovakia. The city played major roles in the Protestant Reformation, the Thirty Years' War, and in 20th-century history, during both World Wars and the post-war Communist era.

Palau, Micronesia

Palau, Micronesia

































Palau , officially the Republic of Palau (Palauan: Beluu er a Belau), is an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is geographically part of the larger island group of Micronesia. The country's population of around 21,000 is spread across 250 islands forming the western chain of the Caroline Islands. The most populous island is Koror. The islands share maritime boundaries with Indonesia, Philippines and the Federated States of Micronesia. The capital Ngerulmud is located in Melekeok State on the nearby island of Babeldaob.

The country was originally settled around 3,000 years ago by migrants from the Philippines and sustained a Negrito population until around 900 years ago. The islands were first visited by Europeans in the 18th century, and were made part of theSpanish East Indies in 1885. Following Spain's defeat in the Spanish–American War in 1898, the islands were sold to Imperial Germany in 1899 under the terms of the German–Spanish Treaty, where they were administered as part of German New Guinea. The Imperial Japanese Navy conquered Palau during World War I, and the islands were later made a part of the Japanese-ruled South Pacific Mandate by the League of Nations. During World War II, skirmishes, including the majorBattle of Peleliu, were fought between American and Japanese troops as part of the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign. Along with other Pacific Islands, Palau was made a part of the United States-governed Trust Territory of the Pacific Islandsin 1947. Having voted against joining the Federated States of Micronesia in 1979, the islands gained full sovereignty in 1994 under a Compact of Free Association with the United States.

Mitchell Falls ~ Western Australia

Mitchell Falls ~ Western Australia























Mitchell Falls is a 25-foot (7.6 m) waterfall located on private property in Yancey County, North Carolina on the slope of Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain in the Appalachian Mountain chain, and highest point in the eastern United States. Both the falls and the mountain are named for Elisha Mitchell, a professor who, while confirming his measurements of the mountain, fell over a rocky ledge above the falls to his death on June 27, 1857.

Shotover River, Otago ~ South Island, New Zealand

Shotover River, Otago ~ South Island, New Zealand































The Shotover River is located in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. The name correctly suggests that this 75 kilometre-long river is fast flowing, with numerous rapids. The river flows generally south from the Southern Alps on its journey running through the Skippers Canyon, before draining into the Kawarau River east of Queenstown.The Edith Cavell bridge crosses the river at Arthurs Point.

Gold mining featured in its early history and it was one of the richest gold bearing rivers in the world. Beginning in 1862 when gold was first discovered on the river at Arthurs Point, the river has been panned, cradled, sluiced and dredged. Today small time gold seekers still work the river and two of its tributaries, Moke and Moonlight Creeks, for gold. It is now a popular river for tourism.

The river is used for commercial white water rafting trips and jet boating rides which operate out of the nearby tourist resort of Queenstown. There is also a canyon swing site on the river a short distance upriver from Arthurs Point. Three jet boat operators have rights to use the river, as do two rafting companies. Much of the land that surrounds the Shotover River, upstream from Arthurs Point, is now foreign owned by Robert Lange, the former husband of singer Shania Twain.

Key West, Florida

Key West, Florida


























Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent, at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. The island is about 90 miles (140 km) from Cuba.

Key West is politically within the limits of the city of Key West, Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city also occupies portions of nearby islands.

The island is about 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide. In the late 1950s, many of the large salt ponds on the eastern side were filled in, nearly doubling the original land mass of the island. The island is 3,370 acres (13.6 km2) in area.

Summersville Lake ~ Nicholas County, West Virginia

Summersville Lake ~ Nicholas County, West Virginia
Summersville Lake is a reservoir located in the US state of West Virginia. The lake is formed by a rock-fill dam (Summersville Dam) on the Gauley River, south of Summersville in Nicholas County. It is the largest lake in West Virginia, with 2,700 acres (1,100 ha) of water and over 60 miles (97 km) of shoreline at the summer pool water level.

The lake was constructed between 1960 and 1966 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in order to control flooding in an 803-square-mile (2,080 km2) watershed along the Gauley River and theKanawha River. At 390 feet (120 m) tall, 2,280 feet (690 m) long, and containing 12,000,000 cubic yards (9,200,000 m3) of dirt and rock, the dam itself is the second-largest rock-fill dam in the Eastern United States. President Lyndon B. Johnson dedicated both the dam and a new Summersville Post Office on September 3, 1966.

The US Corps of Engineers broke a long-standing tradition in naming what was called the Summersville Project. Tradition holds that the project will be named after the town nearest the site of construction, unless named for a person (such as Hoover Dam). However, the town of Summersville was not the one nearest the dam. The village of Gad (located near the present-day marina) was literally flooded at the opening of the reservoir. After briefly considering the name "Gad Dam," it was instead decided to name the project after the next nearest town – Summersville.

Castel del Monte -Abruzzo, Italy

Castel del Monte -Abruzzo, Italy





















Castel del Monte is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and comune in the province of L'Aquila in northern Abruzzo, Italy. Located in the heart of Gran Sasso mountain range, the town is set into a steep hillside nestled beneath mountain peaks near the high plain of Campo Imperatore. Castel del Monte sits opposite the ancient mountaintop fortress of Rocca Calascio and faces Monte Sirente in the distance. It is located in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park.The name Castel del Monte is from the Latin Castellum Montis, meaning "fortress of the mountain". The first evidence of human settlement are artifacts from the 11th century BC discovered in the valley beneath Castel del Monte and believed to be from an ancient necropolis. In the 4th century BC, Romans conquered the area and established Città delle Tre Corone, the name meaning "town of the three crowns". This town was later abandoned after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and replaced by the fortified town of Ricetto in what is now the oldest part of Castel del Monte.

Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany

Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany

Neuschwanstein Castle (German: Schloss Neuschwanstein, pronounced [nɔʏˈʃvaːnʃtaɪn], English: New Swanstone Castle) is a nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssenin southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner. Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and by means of extensive borrowing, rather than Bavarian public funds.

The palace was intended as a personal refuge for the reclusive king, but it was opened to the paying public immediately after his death in 1886. Since then more than 60 million people have visited Neuschwanstein Castle. More than 1.3 million people visit annually, with as many as 6,000 per day in the summer. The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle and later, similar structures.

Ocean House at St. Regis, Bora Bora

Ocean House at St. Regis, Bora Bora

Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island, located about 230 kilometres (143 miles) northwest of Papeete, is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef. In the centre of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano rising to two peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu, the highest point at 727 metres (2,385 feet).

Bora Bora is a major international tourist destination, famous for its aqua-centric luxury resorts. The major settlement, Vaitape, is on the western side of the main island, opposite the main channel into the lagoon. Produce of the island is mostly limited to what can be obtained from the sea and the plentiful coconut trees, which were historically of economic importance for copra. According to a 2008 census, Bora Bora has a permanent population of 8,880.

Hohenzollern Bridge, Cologne, Germany

Hohenzollern Bridge, Cologne, Germany

The Hohenzollern Bridge (German: Hohenzollernbrücke) is a bridge crossing the river Rhine in the German city of Cologne (German Köln). It crosses the Rhine at kilometre 688.5. Originally, the bridge was both a railway and street bridge, however, after its destruction in 1945 and its subsequent reconstruction, it was only accessible to rail and pedestrian traffic.
It is the most heavily used railway bridge in Germany, connecting the Köln Hauptbahnhof and Köln Messe/Deutz stations.


The bridge was constructed between 1907 and 1911 after the old bridge, the Cathedral Bridge (Dombrücke), was demolished. The Cathedral Bridge was unable to handle the increasing traffic in Cologne.[citation needed] It was named after theHouse of Hohenzollern.

The Hohenzollern Bridge was one of the most important bridges in Germany during World War II; even under consistent daily airstrikes the bridge was not badly damaged. On 6 March 1945, German military engineers blew up the bridge whenAllied troops began their assault on Cologne.

After the war, reconstruction was quickly organized; by 8 May 1948, the Hohenzollern Bridge was accessible by pedestrians again. Over the next eleven years the bridge was improved until by 1959 it was usable without any impairment. During the 1980s, the bridge was renovated with two new tracks. The Hohenzollern Bridge now regularly has over 1200 trains pass through daily. The bridge is regarded as an important part of Cologne as it connects Cologne's central station with major European cities on the other side of the Rhine.

Resort Spa Treehouse, Bali

Resort Spa Treehouse, Bali
Bali is an island and a province of Indonesia. The province covers a few small neighbouring islands as well as the island of Bali itself. It is located at the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. One of the country's 34 provinces, Bali has its capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island.

With a population recorded as 3,890,757 in the 2010 census, and currently 4.22 million, the island is home to most of Indonesia's Hindu minority. According to the 2010 Census, 84.5% of Bali's population adhered to Balinese Hinduism while most of the remainder followed Islam. Bali is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking, and music. A tourist haven for decades, the province has seen a further surge in tourist numbers in recent years.

Ocean Huts in Bora Bora

Ocean Huts in Bora Bora
Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island, located about 230 kilometres (143 miles) northwest of Papeete, is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef. In the centre of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano rising to two peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu, the highest point at 727 metres (2,385 feet).

Bora Bora is a major international tourist destination, famous for its aqua-centric luxury resorts. The major settlement, Vaitape, is on the western side of the main island, opposite the main channel into the lagoon. Produce of the island is mostly limited to what can be obtained from the sea and the plentiful coconut trees, which were historically of economic importance for copra. According to a 2008 census, Bora Bora has a permanent population of 8,880.

Camogli, Liguria, Italy

Camogli, Liguria, Italy
Camogli (Camuggi in Genoese dialect) is a small Italian fishing village and tourist resort located on the west side of the peninsula of Portofino, on the Golfo Paradiso at the Riviera di Levante, in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. As of 31 December 2010 its population was of 5582 inhabitants. The name means "house of wives" ( casa delle Mogli ). Camogli is one of the largest part of the Parco Naturale Regionale di Portofino, and a part of the Portofino Marine Protected Area.

Camogli was in the late Middle Ages a considerable seaport. In its heyday, the fleet consisted of hundreds of Camoglis Tall Ships. It was called the "city of a thousand white sails." 1798, the city has a large contingent of Napoleon's fleet, which was beaten in Egyptian waters of the Nile by Admiral Nelson. This prestigious naval college founded in 1874, Cristoforo Colombo is the nautical tradition as well as a retirement home for masters.

In 1880 the city had (in a population of 12,000) 500 patented ship captains. The former fishing village of Camogli, which now lives mainly from tourism, is known for its colorful houses that line behind the beach. The colors once helped the fishermen of Camogli, easier to catch the way back to their port.

Known until today nationwide, the first division of the local swimming club water polo RN Camogli to have won after the Second World War, several Italian championships. A beachfront swimming pool is one of the most important recent buildings.

Sorano, Tuscany, ITALY.

Sorano, Tuscany, ITALY.


Sorano is a town and comune in the province of Grosseto, southern Tuscany (Italy).It as an ancient medieval hill town hanging from a tuff stone over the Lente River.Sorano was probably inhabited by Villanovan culture, but the first historical mentions are relative to the 3rd century BC, when it was an Etruscan city under the influence of the more populous nearbySovana.

Disappearing from history under the Roman domination, it is again known in 862 when a county was founded by Emperor Louis II, under the Aldobrandeschi suzerainty. The Aldobrandeschi were the most powerful feudataries of southern Tuscany for more than four centuries, disappearing in 1312 when Margherita, son of Ildibrandino, died without male heirs. His daughter Adelaide married to Romano di Gentile Orsini, who added the city to the family fiefs.

The county of Pitigliano-Sorano fought against the Republic of Siena, but was forced to accept its suzerainty from 1417. It regained a full independence in 1556, when the latter was annexed to the Duchy of Tuscany. The fortress, due to its strategic position, was frequently attacked; it was also the seat of fratricidal fights between the Orsini. In 1604, with the death of Alessandro di Bertoldo, it became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

It became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860.

The River in Scotland Fregui

The River in Scotland Fregui
Luce Bay is a large bay in Wigtownshire in southern Scotland. The bay is 20 miles wide at its mouth and is bounded by the Rhins of Galloway to the west and the Machars to the east.

From the 1930s to the 1990s it was a bombing range used for training purposes by RAF aircraft (and later allied aircraft on a leasing basis) based at West Freugh. Discharged bombs were retrieved by a retired minesweeper based at Drummore.

Once an important commercial fishery, Luce Bay is now seldom used for this purpose. It contains important marine and littoral life, however, and has been declared a Special Area of Conservation by Scottish Natural Heritage

The Blue Caves - Cape Skinari, Zakynthos, Greece

The Blue Caves - Cape Skinari, 

Zakynthos, Greece


Zakynthos is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Zakynthos is a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and its onlymunicipality. It covers an area of 410 km2 (158 sq mi) and its coastline is roughly 123 km (76 mi) in length. The island is named after Zakynthos, the son of a legendary Arcadian chief Dardanus. The name, like all similar names ending in -nthos, is pre-Mycenaean or Pelasgian in origin.
Zakynthos is a tourist destination, and has clubs and bars, and hosts events including The Rum and Raybands Boat Party, Total Karnage and The White Party. The island's nickname is To fioro tou Levante (it:Il fiore di Levante, en:The flower of the East), given by the Venetians.

Village of Oia, Santorini, Greece

Village of Oia, Santorini, Greece
Santorini is a Greek wine region located on the archipelago of Santorini in the southern Cyclades islands of the Greece. Wine has been produced there since ancient times, and during the Middle Ages the wine of Santorini became famous worldwide under the influence of the Republic of Venice. The Italian influence is still present in modern Santorini winemaking: the most famous tuscan sweet wine is called Vin Santo. The Santorini's Vin Santo (labeled here and officially as "Vinsanto" to disclaim it form the homonym Tuscan wine) is made in a passito style from grapes dried in the sun after harvest. Santorini also produces blended and rosé wine made from white grapes such as Athiri, Aidini and Assyrtiko, and red grapes such as Mandelaria. 

Four Season Resort...Bora Bora

Four Season Resort...Bora Bora

Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island, located about 230 kilometres (143 miles) northwest of Papeete, is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef. In the centre of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano rising to two peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu, the highest point at 727 metres (2,385 feet).

Bora Bora is a major international tourist destination, famous for its aqua-centric luxury resorts. The major settlement, Vaitape, is on the western side of the main island, opposite the main channel into the lagoon. Produce of the island is mostly limited to what can be obtained from the sea and the plentiful coconut trees, which were historically of economic importance for copra. According to a 2008 census, Bora Bora has a permanent population of 8,880.

Amalfi at Night,Italy

Amalfi at Night,Italy

Amalfi is a town and comune in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery. The town of Amalfi was the capital of the maritime republic known as the Duchy of Amalfi, an important trading power in the Mediterranean between 839 and around 1200.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Amalfi was a popular holiday destination for the British upper class and aristocracy.

Amalfi is the main town of the coast on which it is located, named Costiera Amalfitana, and is today an important tourist destination together with other towns on the same coast, such as Positano, Ravello and others. Amalfi is included in theUNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Sorrento, Italy!

Sorrento, Italy!


Sorrento (Neapolitan: Surriento) is a small town in Campania, southern Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination which can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii, as it lies at the south-eastern end of theCircumvesuviana rail line. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri.The Amalfi Drive (connecting Sorrento and Amalfi) is a narrow road that threads along the high cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Ferry boats and hydrofoils provide services to Naples, Amalfi, Positano, Capri and Ischia. Sorrento's sea cliffs and luxury hotels have attracted notable people, including Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti.
Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.

Somewhere in the Needles District of Canyonlands on the way to Druid Arch

Somewhere in the Needles District of Canyonlands on the way to Druid Arch

Canyonlands is a popular recreational destination. On average 440,039 people visited the park each year. The geography of the park is well suited to a number of different recreational uses. Hikers, mountain bikers, backpackers, andfour-wheelers all enjoy traveling the rugged, remote trails within the Park.

Rafters and kayakers float the calm stretches of the Green River and Colorado River above the Confluence. Below the Confluence, Cataract Canyon contains powerful whitewater rapids, similar to those found in the Grand Canyon. However, since there is no large impoundment on the Colorado River above Canyonlands National Park, river flow through the Confluence is determined by snowmelt, not management. As a result, and in combination with Cataract Canyon's unique graben geology, this stretch of river offers the largest whitewater in North America in heavy snow years.

The Island in the Sky district, with its proximity to the Moab, Utah area, attracts the majority (59 percent) of park users. The Needles district is the second most visited, drawing 35 percent of visitors. The rivers within the park and the remote Maze district each only account for 3 percent of park visitation.

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California


City and County of San Francisco, is the leading financial and cultural center of Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.The only consolidated city-county in California, San Francisco encompasses a land area of about 46.9 square miles (121 km2) on the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, giving it a density of about 17,620 people per square mile (6,803 people per km2). It is the most densely settled large city (population greater than 200,000) in the state of California and the second-most densely populated major city in the United States after New York City. San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California, after Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose, and the 14th most populous city in the United States—with a Census-estimated 2012 population of 825,863.The city is also the financial and cultural hub of the larger San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan area, with a population of 8.4 million.

Alaskan Way, Seattle

Alaskan Way, Seattle
Alaskan Way, originally Railroad Avenue, is a street in Seattle, Washington, that runs along the Elliott Bay waterfront from just north of S. Holgate Street in the Industrial District—south of which it becomes East Marginal Way S.— to Broad Street in Belltown—north of which is Myrtle Edwards Park and the Olympic Sculpture Park. The right-of-way continues northwest through the park, just west of the BNSF Railway mainline, and the roadway picks up again for a few blocks at Smith Cove.It follows a route known in the late 19th century as the "Ram's Horn" (because of its shape). Alaskan Way gives its name to the Alaskan Way Viaduct, which carries Washington State Route 99 through Downtown Seattle.

Vancouver, CA!

Vancouver, CA!
City of Vancouver, is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada.
Vancouver encompasses a land area of about 114 square kilometres, giving it a population density of about 5,249 people per square kilometre (13,590 per square mile). Vancouver is the most densely populated Canadian municipality with more than 5,000 residents, and the third most densely populated city over 200,000 residents in North America, behind New York City and San Francisco.The 2011 census recorded 603,502 people in the city, making it the eighth largestCanadian municipality. The Greater Vancouver area of around 2.3 million inhabitants is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country and the most populous in Western Canada.
Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada; 52% of its residents do not speak English as their first language.

White Sands National Park, New Mexico

White Sands National Park, New Mexico

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a United States National Park in the Guadalupe Mountains in southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave, Carlsbad Cavern. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is open every day of the year except Christmas Day. Visitors to the cave can hike in on their own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the visitor center.

The park entrance is located on US Highway 62/180 approximately 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Carlsbad Caverns National Park participates in the Junior Ranger Program. The park has two entries on theNational Register of Historic Places: The Caverns Historic District and the Rattlesnake Springs Historic District. Approximately two thirds of the park has been set aside as a wilderness area, helping to ensure no future changes will be made to the habitat.

Carlsbad Cavern includes a large cave chamber, the Big Room, a natural limestone chamber which is almost 4,000 feet (1,220 m) long, 625 feet (191 m) wide, and 255 feet (78 m) high at the highest point. It is the third largest chamber in North America and the seventh largest in the world. The largest chamber in the world is the Sarawak Chamber in Malaysia.

La Rogue-Gagea on the Dordogne River, France

La Rogue-Gagea on the Dordogne River, France


The Dordogne (Occitan: Dordonha) is a river in south-central and southwest France. Contrary to appearances, the name of the Dordogne is not a recent word resulting from the names of the Dore and the Dogne. It comes from an ancient Durānius, dérived from a Pre-Celtic root dur-, dor- (as the Durance).The river rises on the flanks of Puy de Sancy (1 885 m) in the mountains of Auvergne, from the confluence of two small torrents above the town of Mont-Dore: the Dore and the Dogne. It flows generally west about 500 km through the Limousin and Périgord regions before flowing into the Gironde, its common estuary with the Garonne, at the "Ambès beak", in the north of the city of Bordeaux.

The medieval forms adopted a redoubled suffix -ononia: Dorononia fluvius (sixth century), Dornonia (eighth century) that evolves in Dordonia (ninth century) by a phenomenon of dissimilation, giving the impression of an etymology *Dore-Dogne.

Azalea bushes at Shiofune Kannon Temple, Tokyo, Japan

Azalea bushes at Shiofune Kannon Temple, Tokyo, Japan



The temple is dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokitesvara). According to legend, a statue of the Kannon was found in the Sumida River in 628 by two fishermen, the brothers Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma Takenari. The chief of their village, Hajino Nakamoto, recognized the sanctity of the statue and enshrined it by remodeling his own house into a small temple in Asakusa, so that the villagers could worship the Kannon.

The first temple was founded in 645 C.E., which makes it the oldest temple in Tokyo. In the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu designated Sensō-ji as tutelary temple of the Tokugawa clan.

The Nishinomiya Inari Shrine is located within the precincts of Sensō-ji; and a torii identifies the entry into the hallowed ground of a Shinto shrine. A bronze plaque on the gateway structure lists those who contributed to the construction of the torii, which was erected in 1727 (Kyōhō 12, 11th month).

During World War II, the temple was bombed and destroyed. It was rebuilt later and is a symbol of rebirth and peace to the Japanese people. In the courtyard there is a tree that was hit by a bomb in the air raids, and it had regrown in the husk of the old tree and is a similar symbol to the temple itself.