Natural Rock Pools of Pamukkale, Turkey

Natural Rock Pools of Pamukkale, Turkey

Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey. The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. It is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.
Travertine terrace formations at Pamukkale, Turkey. May 21, 2011

The ancient Greco-Roman and Byzantine city of Hierapolis was built on top of the white "castle" which is in total about 2,700 metres (8,860 ft) long, 600 m (1,970 ft) wide and 160 m (525 ft) high. It can be seen from the hills on the opposite side of the valley in the town of Denizli, 20 km away.

Tourism is and has been a major industry. People have bathed in its pools for thousands of years. As recently as the mid-20th century, hotels were built over the ruins of Hierapolis, causing considerable damage. An approach road was built from the valley over the terraces, and motor bikes were allowed to go up and down the slopes. When the area was declared a World Heritage Site, the hotels were demolished and the road removed and replaced with artificial pools. Wearing shoes in the water is prohibited to protect the deposits.

Source:Wikipedia
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Pisa, Italy

Pisa, Italy

 

Pisa (/ˈpiːzə/; Italian pronunciation: [ˈpiːsa]) is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower (the bell tower of the city's cathedral), the city of over 88,627 residents (around 200,000 with the metropolitan area) contains more than 20 other historic churches, several palaces and various bridges across the River Arno. Much of the city's architecture was financed from its history as one of the Italian maritime republics.

The city is also home of the University of Pisa, which has a history going back to the 12th century and also has the mythic Napoleonic Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies as the best sanctioned Superior Graduate Schools in Italy.[1]

Source:Wikipedia
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Acadia National Park, Maine.

Acadia National Park, Maine

 

Acadia National Park is a stunning national treasure on the coast of Maine in the USA. This “insider's” vacation guide covers all of the best places to see and the towns and villages in the Acadia Region from Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island to Winter Harbor on the Schoodic Peninsula. Wherever you choose, the views are spectacular and nature abounds. No wonder this is one of the most visited parks in the United States and in all of North America.

Bar Harbor, a small seaside resort on the northeastern side of Mount Desert Island, has a unique symbiotic relationship with Acadia National Park. Together, they are like conjoined twins, both born of the same mother - and she is the land and ocean combined.

Historical roots are at play here, a special blend of salty air and the classic Down East character that is recognized and loved by millions. Together, these “conjoined twins” offer an unforgettable Maine vacation.

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Half Moon Cay, The Bahamas

Half Moon Cay, The Bahamas

 

Fulfill your tropical island fantasy on Carnival cruises to Half Moon Cay, the Bahamas. Sway in the sweet Bahamian breezes to the rhythms of calypso and find romance on this private island paradise. Cruises to Half Moon Cay deliver you to an idyllic sun-drenched island hideaway where you can play in the turquoise seas, ride horseback on powdery white sand, and encounter silky stingrays.


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Castelo dos Mouros, Sintra Portugal

Castelo dos Mouros, Sintra Portugal

 

he Castle of the Moors (Portuguese: Castelo dos Mouros) is a hilltop medieval castle located in the central Portuguese civil parish of Santa Maria e São Miguel, in the municipality of Sintra. Taken by Christian forces from the Moors after the fall of Lisbon, it was an important strategic point during the Reconquista, and classified as a National Monument, part of the Sintra Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Source:Wikipedia
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Wadi Dhar Rock Palace, Yemen

Near to Sana'a, Wadi Dhar has most local species of inland birds, except vultures; but particularly interesting is the mule track from Shibam up to Kawkaban. This 45 minute walk rises nearly 923 m , with Tristrams Grackle, larks, wheatears and doves in abundance at the bottom, eagles, ravens and vultures at the top.
There is also a good variety of flowering plants where water trickles through cracks in the rock. The high plateau from Kawkaban, west to Wadi Hajjar, has some hyaena.
The road from Amran to Hajjar is a spectacular series of twisting bends dropping steeply through dark, sombre mountains, down from high altitude to tropical wadi and up again, with such a variety of terrain there is life of all types.
Here, in the village of Suq al-Wadi, stands a famous rock palace. Its commanding position and evidence of an ancient well suggest that the site has been used as a lookout post for centuries. It is a classic example of Yemeni architecture and was built in 1786 by Imam Mansour Ali Bin Mahdi Abbas; in the 1930s Imam Yahya Hamid Al Din extended it as a summer residence.

Today, the palace is an open museum of sorts, and a very popular place to visit, not only for tourists but also for local Yemeni families. Different rooms have descriptive labels in English and Arabic. Nearby is the village of Qaryat al- Qabil, with its walled pathways, orchards and vineyards.  Here on Fridays from 09.00 – 12.00 Yemenis gather for wedding celebrations.


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River Liffey, Dublin, Ireland

The Liffey (An Life in Irish) is a river in Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water, and a range of recreational opportunities.[1]

Source:Wikiedia
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Malta

Malta Listeni/ˈmɔːltə/, officially the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta, pronounced [rɛˈpʊbb.lɪ.kɐ ˈtɐ ˈmɐl.tɐ]), is a southern European island country comprising an archipelago of seven islands in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Sicily, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The country covers just over 316 km2 (122 sq mi), making it one of the world's smallest[9][10][11] and most densely populated countries. The capital of Malta is Valletta, which is also, at 0.8 km2, the smallest capital in the European Union.[12] Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English.

Malta's location as a naval base has given it great strategic importance throughout history, and a succession of powers, including the Phoenicians, Romans, Moorish, Normans, Sicilians, Habsburg Spain, Knights of St. John, French and the British, have ruled the islands. Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 and became a republic in 1974. Malta was admitted to the United Nations in 1964 and to the European Union in 2004; in 2008, it became part of the Eurozone.

Malta has a long Christian legacy and its Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Malta is sometimes traditionally claimed to be an Apostolic see because, according to the Acts of the Apostles,[13] Paul the Apostle was shipwrecked on Malta.[14] Catholicism is the official religion in Malta.[15][16]

Malta is a popular tourist destination with its warm climate, numerous recreational areas, and architectural and historical monuments, including nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Hal Saflieni Hypogeum,[17] Valletta,[18] and seven Megalithic Temples, which are some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world.[19][20][21]

Source:Wikipedia
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Amalfi Coast, Italy.

The Amalfi Coast (Italian: Costiera Amalfitana) is a stretch of coastline on the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula in the Province of Salerno in Southern Italy. The Amalfi Coast is a popular tourist destination for the region and Italy as a whole, attracting thousands of tourists annually.[1] During the 10th–11th centuries, the Duchy of Amalfi existed on the territory of the Amalfi Coast, centered in the town of Amalfi. The Amalfi coast was later controlled by the Principality of Salerno, until Amalfi was sacked by the Republic of Pisa in 1137. Since then the Amalfi coast has experienced a crisis.[2] [3] In 1997, the Amalfi Coast was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape.[4]

Source:Wikipedia
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The Dolomites, Italy

he Dolomites (Italian: Dolomiti; Ladin: Dolomites; German: Dolomiten; Venetian: Dołomiti: Friulian: Dolomitis) are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley (Pieve di Cadore) in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley (Val Sugana). The Dolomites are nearly equally shared between the provinces of Belluno, South Tyrol and Trentino.

There are also mountain groups of similar geological structure that spread over the River Piave to the east – Dolomiti d'Oltrepiave; and far away over the Adige River to the west – Dolomiti di Brenta (Western Dolomites). There is also another smaller group called Piccole Dolomiti (Little Dolomites) located between the provinces of Trentino, Verona and Vicenza (see the map).

One national park and many other regional parks are located in the Dolomites. In August 2009, the Dolomites were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Source:Wikipedia

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Soneva Fushi resort, Maldives

This is one of the Maldives’ largest islands, covered by natural leafy vegetation. But instead of being overcrowded with facilities and rooms, much of the island is left in its natural jungle state to create a real desert island experience – albeit one with modern comforts. It’s also a Condé Nast Traveller award winner.

Facilities go far beyond expectation, and the innovative experiences have been carefully thought out. Equipped with a state-of-the-art telescope, the observatory in the organic garden offers an insight into the starlit night sky, while on the beach, Cinema Paradiso hosts movie nights with popcorn, home-made ice-cream and cocktails under the stars. For dining, the main restaurant is NINE, where there’s a cheese room and ice-cream corner with over 60 flavours. The unique Fresh in the Garden is open-air and surrounded by tropical banana trees, and the candle-lit By The Beach offers Japanese and Korean sharing dishes. There’s also a chocolate room! Of the bars, Bar(a)bara is the star, set out on the jetty above the clear waters.

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Shanghai ,China

Shanghai is the largest Chinese city by population[8][9] and the largest city proper by population in the world.[10] It is one of the four direct-controlled municipalities, with a population of more than 24 million as of 2013.[5] It is a global financial center,[11] and a transport hub with the world's busiest container port.[12] Located in the Yangtze River Delta in East China, Shanghai sits at the mouth of the Yangtze in the middle portion of the Chinese coast. The municipality borders the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the north, south and west, and is bounded to the east by the East China Sea.[13]

For centuries a major administrative, shipping, and trading town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to European recognition of its favorable port location and economic potential. The city was one of five opened to foreign trade following the British victory over China in the First Opium War while the subsequent 1842 Treaty of Nanking and 1844 Treaty of Whampoa allowed the establishment of the Shanghai International Settlement and the French Concession. The city then flourished as a center of commerce between east and west, and became the undisputed financial hub of the Asia Pacific in the 1930s.[14] However, with the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, trade was reoriented to focus on socialist countries, and the city's global influence declined. In the 1990s, the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in an intense re-development of the city, aiding the return of finance and foreign investment to the city.[15]

Source:Wikipedia

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