Interesting Spot on the Maps

Mussenden Temple

2012-08-19T20:32:00.001+08:00

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Mussenden Temple is a small circular building located on cliffs near Castlerock in County Londonderry, high above the Atlantic Ocean on the north-western coast of Northern Ireland.

It was built in 1785 and forms part of the estate of Frederick Augustus Hervey, the 4th Earl of Bristol, Bishop of Derry. Built as a library and modelled from the Temple of Vesta in Italy, it is dedicated to the memory of Hervey's cousin Frideswide Mussenden. Over the years the erosion of the cliff face at Downhill has brought Mussenden Temple ever closer to the edge, and in 1997 the National Trust carried out cliff stabilisation work to prevent the loss of the building.

Wikipedia - Mussenden Temple

Cornbury Park

2012-08-15T16:51:00.000+08:00

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Cornbury Park was a former Royal estate used for hunting. It is located near, a few miles from Charlbury, near the Wychwood Forest in Oxfordshire. A two-story, eleven-bay 17th-century house stands in the grounds. The park is now the location for an annual music festuval.

Wikipedia - Cornbury Park

Padirac Cave

2012-07-22T01:06:00.000+08:00

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The Padirac Chasm or Gouffre de Padirac is a cave located near Gramat, in the Lot département, in France.

The chasm itself is approximately 99 m (325 ft) around its rim with a diameter of approximately 35 metres (115 ft). Visitors descend 75 m via a lift or a staircase before entering the cave system. The cave, at a depth of 103 metres (338 ft), contains a subterranean river system that is partly negotiable by boat. This cave system is regarded as "one of the most extraordinary natural phenomena of the Massif Central".

Wikipedia - Padirac Cave

Golden Gate Bridge

2012-05-27T21:53:00.000+08:00

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Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to Marin County. It is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, California, and the United States. It has been declared one of the modern Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Frommers travel guide considers the Golden Gate Bridge "possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world".

Wikipedia - Golden Gate Bridge

Königssee

2012-03-21T01:48:00.003+08:00

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The Königssee is a lake located in the extreme southeast Berchtesgadener Land district of the German state of Bavaria, near the border with Austria. Large parts are comprised by the Berchtesgaden National Park.

Lying within the Berchtesgaden Alps in the municipality of Schönau am Königsee, just south of Berchtesgaden and the Austrian City of Salzburg, the Königssee is Germany's third deepest lake. Located at a Jurassic rift it was formed by glaciers during the last ice age. It stretches about 7.7 km (4.8 mi) in the north-south direction and is about 1.7 km (1.1 mi) across at its widest point. Except at its outlet, the Königsseer Ache at the village of Königssee, the lake similar to a fjord is surrounded by steeply rising flanks of mountains up to 2700 m (8900 ft), including the fabled Watzmann massif in the west.

The literal translation appears to be "King's Lake", however while German: König does indeed mean "king", there had been no Bavarian kings since the days of Louis the German until Elector Maximilian I Joseph assumed the royal title in 1806. Therefore the name more probably stems from the first name Kuno of local nobles, who appear in several historical sources referring to the donation of the Berchtesgaden Provostry in the 12th century; the lake was formerly called Kunigsee.

Wikipedia - Königssee

Denali National Park and Preserve

2012-03-11T14:55:00.002+08:00

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Denali National Park and Preserve is located in Interior Alaska and contains Denali (Mount McKinley), the highest mountain in North America. The park and preserve together cover 9,492 mi² (24,585 km²).The longest glacier is the Kalhiltna glacier.

Source: Wikipedia - Denali National Park and Preserve

Rila Monastery

2012-03-03T01:15:00.003+08:00

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The Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, better known as the Rila Monastery (Bulgarian: Рилски манастир, Rilski manastir) is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, 117 km (73 mi) south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River at an elevation of 1,147 m (3,763 ft) above sea level. The monastery is named after its founder, the hermit Ivan of Rila (876 - 946 AD).

Founded in the 10th century, the Rila Monastery is regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments and is a key tourist attraction for both Bulgaria and Southern Europe. In 2008 alone, it attracted 900,000 visitors. The monastery is depicted on the reverse of the 1 lev banknote, issued in 1999.

Wikipedia - Rila Monastery

Budapest-Nyugati Railway Terminal

2012-02-26T20:35:00.003+08:00

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Budapest-Nyugati pályaudvar (Budapest-Western Railway Terminal) is one of the three main railway terminals of Budapest, Hungary. It lies at the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Váci Avenue.

The station was planned by August de Serres and was built by the Eiffel Company. It was opened on 28 October 1877. Previously another station stood in its place, the end station of Hungary's first railway line, the Pest–Vác line (constructed in 1846). This building was pulled down in order to construct the Nagykörút - Grand Boulevard which is now smaller than the outer ringroad (Hungária körút - Hungary Boulevard) and the recently opened motorway ringroad M0 (2008).

The station gave name to the immediately adjacent Nyugati tér (Western Square), a major intersection where Teréz körút (Theresia Boulevard), Szent István körút (Saint Stephen Boulevard), Váci út (Váci Avenue), and Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út (Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Avenue) converge. The square also serves as a transportation hub with several bus lines, tram 4 and 6, and a station of the M3 line of the Budapest Metro.

Hungarian State Railways runs regular service between the station and Budapest Ferihegy International Airport's Terminal 1. The trip takes approximately 25 minutes, costs 365 HUF, and runs 2-3 times per hour.

Beside the train station and partially above its open area there is the WestEnd City Center shopping mall.

Portions of the 2011 film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol were filmed, and took place, in and around the station.

Wikipedia - Budapest-Nyugati Railway Terminal

Navajo Bridge

2012-02-23T12:52:00.002+08:00

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Navajo Bridge crosses the Colorado River's Marble Canyon near Lee's Ferry in the US state of Arizona. Apart from the Glen Canyon Bridge a few miles upstream at Page, Arizona, it is the only roadway crossing of the river and the Grand Canyon for nearly 600 miles (970 km). Spanning Marble Canyon, the bridge carries northbound travelers to southern Utah and to the Arizona Strip, the otherwise inaccessible portion of Arizona north of the Colorado River, which includes the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

Prior to the construction of the first Navajo Bridge, the only river crossing from Arizona to Utah was at nearby Lee's Ferry, where the canyon walls are low and getting vehicles onto the water is relatively convenient. The ferry offered only unreliable service, however, as adverse weather and flooding regularly prevented its operation.

Wikipedia - Navajo Bridge

Keukenhof - the Garden of Europe

2012-02-20T07:07:00.003+08:00

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Keukenhof ("Kitchen garden", Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkøːkə(n)ˌɦɔf]), also known as the Garden of Europe, is situated near Lisse, Netherlands, and is the world's largest flower garden. According to the official website for the Keukenhof Park, approximately 7,000,000 (seven million) flower bulbs are planted annually in the park, which covers an area of 32 hectares.

Keukenhof is located in South Holland in the small town of Lisse, south of Haarlem and southwest of Amsterdam. It is accessible by bus from the train stations of Haarlem, Leiden and Schiphol. It is located in an area called the "Dune and Bulb Region" (Duin- en Bollenstreek).

Keukenhof is open annually from the last week in March to mid-May. The best time to view the tulips is around mid-April, depending on the weather.

Wikipedia - Keukenhof

Monte Corona

2012-02-18T19:17:00.003+08:00

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Monte Corona is a 609m high extinct volcano on the Canary Island of Lanzarote (Spain), near the village of Yé in the municipality of Haría. Its eruption around 4000 years ago covered a large area of the northeast of the island with lava, creating the Malpais de la Corona and two of the island's most-visited geological attractions, the Cueva de los Verdes and the Jameos del Agua.

Wikipedia - Monte Corona

Lake Vostok - Antarctica

2012-02-10T09:27:00.001+08:00

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Lake Vostok (Russian: озеро Восток, lit. "Lake East") is the largest of more than 140 subglacial lakes found under the surface of Antarctica. The overlying ice provides a continuous paleoclimatic record of 400,000 years, although the lake water itself may have been isolated for 15 to 25 million years.

Lake Vostok is located at the southern Pole of Cold, beneath Russia's Vostok Station under the surface of the central East Antarctic Ice Sheet, which is at 3,488 metres (11,444 ft) above mean sea level. The surface of this fresh water lake is approximately 4,000 m (13,100 ft) under the surface of the ice, which places it at approximately 500 m (1,600 ft) below sea level. Measuring 250 km (160 mi) long by 50 km (30 mi) wide at its widest point, and covering an area of 15,690 km2 (6,060 sq mi), it is similar in area to Lake Ontario, but with over three times the volume. The average depth is 344 m (1,129 ft). It has an estimated volume of 5,400 km3 (1,300 cu mi). The lake is divided into two deep basins by a ridge. The liquid water over the ridge is about 200 m (700 ft), compared to roughly 400 m (1,300 ft) deep in the northern basin and 800 m (2,600 ft) deep in the southern.

The lake is named after Vostok Station, which in turn is named after the Vostok, the 985-ton sloop-of-war sailed by one of the discoverers of Antarctica, Russian explorer Admiral Fabian von Bellingshausen. The word восток means "east" in Russian, and the name of the station and the lake also reflects the fact that they are located in East Antarctica. The lake was discovered and named by Russian geographer Andrey Kapitsa based on seismic soundings made during the Soviet Antarctic Expeditions in 1959 and 1964 to measure the thickness of the ice sheet. This was one of the last major geographic discoveries on Earth.

On 5 February 2012, a team of Russian scientists claimed to have completed the longest ever ice core of 3,768 m (12,400 ft) and pierced the ice shield to the surface of the lake. Samples of the freshly frozen water in the ice well are expected to be collected at the end of 2012 when the new Antarctic summer starts. The Russian team also plans to send a robot into the lake to collect water samples and sediments from the bottom. Unusual forms of life could be found in the lake's liquid layer, an ecosystem sealed off below the ice for millions of years, conditions which resemble those of the hypothesized ice-covered ocean of Jupiter's moon Europa.

Source: Wikipedia - Lake Vostok

Mole Antonelliana

2012-02-08T19:10:00.002+08:00

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The Mole Antonelliana is a major landmark of the Italian city of Turin. It is named for the architect who built it, Alessandro Antonelli. In Italian "Mole" (literally, "size") indicates a building of monumental proportions. Construction began in 1863, soon after Italian unification and was completed 26 years later, after the architect's death. Today it houses the National Museum of Cinema, and it is believed to be the tallest museum in the world.

Wikipedis - Mole Antonelliana

Alhambra

2012-01-29T17:58:00.003+08:00

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The Alhambra ( /ælˈhæmbrə/; Spanish: [aˈlambɾa]; Arabic: الْحَمْرَاء‎, trans. al-Ḥamrā; literally "the red one"), the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra (Arabic: الْقَلْعَةُ ٱلْحَمْرَاءُ‎, trans. al-Qal‘at al-Ḥamrā’, "the red fortress"), is a palace and fortress complex located in the Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It was constructed during the mid 14th century by the Moorish rulers of the Emirate of Granada in al-Andalus, occupying the top of the hill of the Assabica on the southeastern border of the city of Granada.

~ Source: Wikipedia - Alhambra

Saint-Paul de Vence

2011-12-04T20:40:00.002+08:00

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Saint-Paul or Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. One of the oldest medieval towns on the French Riviera, it is well-known for its modern and contemporary art museums and galleries such as Fondation Maeght which is located nearby.

Wikipedia - Saint-Paul-de-Vence

York Castle Museum

2011-11-14T03:48:00.003+08:00

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York Castle Museum is a museum located in York, North Yorkshire, England, on the site of York Castle, originally built by William the Conqueror in 1068. The museum itself was founded by Dr John L Kirk in 1938, and is housed in prison buildings which were built on the site of the castle in the 18th century, the Debtors Prison (built in 1701-05 using stone from the ruins of the castle) and the Female Prison (built 1780-1785).

The museum's displays include recreated period rooms such as a Victorian parlour and a 17th century dining room. There are displays of everyday life including an exhibition about rites of passage and an exhibition all about washing and cleaning. There is also a Hearth Gallery with recreated fireplaces and kitchens. A display about life in the prison has been opened in the cells of the old Debtors Prison. There is also a recreation of a Victorian street (Kirkgate, named after Dr. Kirk). What was once an Edwardian street (Half Moon Court) is now an exhibit on the 1960s. The museum also has a Barn Gallery, a Children's Gallery and military and costume displays. The former Condemned Cell, possibly once occupied by Dick Turpin, can also be visited. Studio areas feature programmed activities where visitors can come into close contact with items from the museum's large and nationally designated collections.

Source: Wikipedia - York Castle Museum

York Castle

2011-11-02T03:13:00.002+08:00

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York Castle in the city of York, England, is a fortified complex comprising, over the last nine centuries, a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruinous keep of the medieval Norman castle is sometimes referred to as Clifford's Tower. Built originally on the orders of William I to dominate the former Viking city of York, the castle suffered a tumultuous early history before developing into a major fortification with extensive water defences. After a major explosion in 1684 rendered the remaining military defences uninhabitable, York Castle continued to be used as a jail and prison until 1929.

The first motte and bailey castle on the site was built in 1068 following the Norman conquest of York. After the destruction of the castle by rebels and a Viking army in 1069, York Castle was rebuilt and reinforced with extensive water defences, including a moat and an artificial lake. York Castle formed an important royal fortification in the north of England.

In 1190, 150 local Jews were killed in a pogrom in the castle keep. Henry III rebuilt the castle in stone in the middle of the 13th century, creating a keep with a unique quatrefoil design, supported by an outer bailey wall and a substantial gatehouse. During the Scottish wars between 1298 and 1338, York Castle was frequently used as the centre of royal administration across England, as well as an important military base of operations.

York Castle fell into disrepair by the 15th and 16th centuries, becoming used increasingly as a jail for both local felons and political prisoners. By the time of Elizabeth I the castle was estimated to have lost all of its military value but was maintained as a centre of royal authority in York. The outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642 saw York Castle being repaired and refortified, playing a part in the Royalist defence of York in 1644 against Parliamentary forces. York Castle continued to be garrisoned until 1684, when an explosion destroyed the interior of Clifford's Tower. The castle bailey was redeveloped in a neoclassical style in the 18th century as a centre for county administration in Yorkshire, and was used as a jail and debtors' prison. Prison reform in the 19th century led to the creation of a new prison built in a Tudor Gothic style on the castle site in 1825; used first as a county and then as a military prison, this facility was demolished in 1935. By the 20th century the ruin of Clifford's Tower had become a well-known tourist destination and national monument; today the site is owned by English Heritage and open to the public. The other remaining buildings serve as the York Castle Museum and the Crown Court.

Wikipedia - York Castle

Bratislava

2011-10-29T19:12:00.003+08:00

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Bratislava ([ˈbracɪslava] ( listen); German: Pressburg formerly Preßburg, Hungarian: Pozsony) is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries. Bratislava and Vienna are two of the closest European national capitals to each other, at less than 60 kilometres (37 mi) apart.

Bratislava is the political, cultural, and economic centre of Slovakia. It is the seat of the Slovak president, the parliament, and the executive branch of the government. It is home to several universities, museums, theatres, galleries and other important cultural and educational institutions. Many of Slovakia's large businesses and financial institutions also have headquarters there.

The history of the city, long known by the German name Preßburg, has been strongly influenced by people of different nations and religions, namely by Austrians, Czechs, Germans, Hungarians, Slovaks, and Jews. The city was the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary, a part of the larger Habsburg Monarchy territories, from 1536 to 1783 and has been home to many Slovak, Hungarian, and German historical figures.

Wikipedia - Bratislava

Tower of Hercules

2011-10-20T20:05:00.004+08:00

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The Tower of Hercules (Galician and Spanish: Torre de Hércules) is an ancient Roman lighthouse on a peninsula about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 mi) from the centre of A Coruña, Galicia, in north-western Spain. Until the 20th century, the tower itself was known as the "Farum Brigantium". The Latin word farum is derived from the Greek pharos for the Lighthouse of Alexandria. The structure is 55 metres (180 ft) tall and overlooks the North Atlantic coast of Spain. The structure, almost 1900 years old and rehabilitated in 1791, is the oldest Roman lighthouse in use today. There is a sculpture garden featuring works by Pablo Serrano and Francisco Leiro.

The Tower of Hercules is a National Monument of Spain, and since June 27, 2009, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the second tallest lighthouse in Spain, after the Faro de Chipiona.

Wikipedia - Tower of Hercules

Spaceport America (Southwest Regional Spaceport)

2011-10-18T19:02:00.003+08:00

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Spaceport America (formerly the Southwest Regional Spaceport) is a spaceport located in the Jornada del Muerto desert basin in New Mexico, United States. It lies 90 miles (140 km) north of El Paso, 45 miles (72 km) north of Las Cruces, 30 miles (48 km) east of Truth or Consequences. It is currently under active development and is expected to be completed in 2011.

The site has been described "the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport". As of October 2009, eight suborbital missions have been successfully launched from the port.

Wikipedia - Spaceport America

Legoland Florida

2011-10-17T00:23:00.002+08:00

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Legoland Florida is a theme park in Winter Haven, Florida, scheduled to open on Saturday October 15, 2011. Merlin Entertainments Group will operate the park which will encompass 145 acres (0.59 km2) of the former Cypress Gardens amusement park, making Legoland Florida the world's largest Legoland park.

Wikipedia - Legoland Florida

Official website

LEGOLAND Florida, opening October 2011, is a 150-acre family theme park located in Winter Haven, just 45 minutes southwest of the Orlando theme parks or downtown Tampa. The Park will offer interactive attractions, family rides, shows, restaurants, shopping and beautiful landscape specifically geared for families with children ages 2 to12.

The Willis Tower (Sears Tower)

2011-10-15T19:31:00.003+08:00

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The Willis Tower (formerly named, and still commonly referred to as, the Sears Tower) is a 108-story, 1,451-foot (442 m) skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois.[4] At the time of its completion in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York, and it held this rank for nearly 25 years. The Willis Tower is the tallest building in the United States and the seventh-tallest freestanding structure in the world.

Although Sears's naming rights expired in 2003, the building continued to be called the Sears Tower for several years. In March 2009, London-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings agreed to lease a portion of the building, and obtained the building's naming rights.[6] On July 16, 2009, the building was officially renamed the Willis Tower.

Wikipedia - Willis Tower

St Pancras railway station

2011-09-03T15:01:00.003+08:00

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St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the British Library, King's Cross station and the Regent's Canal. It was opened in 1868 by the Midland Railway as the southern terminus of that company's Midland Main Line, which connected London with the East Midlands and Yorkshire. When it opened, the arched Barlow train shed was the largest single-span roof in the world.

After escaping planned demolition in the 1960s, the complex was renovated and expanded during the 2000s at a cost of £800 million with a ceremony attended by the Queen and extensive publicity introducing it as a public space. A security-sealed terminal area was constructed for Eurostar services to Continental Europe—via High Speed 1 and the Channel Tunnel—along with platforms for domestic connections to the north and south-east of England. The restored station houses fifteen platforms, a shopping centre and a bus station, in addition to London Underground services from King's Cross St Pancras tube station. St Pancras is owned by London and Continental Railways along with the adjacent urban regeneration area known as King's Cross Central. The redeveloped terminus has been described by the travel writer Simon Calder as "the world's most wonderful railway station".

Wikipedia - St Pancras railway station

Biserica Neagră

2011-08-28T17:38:00.003+08:00

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Biserica Neagră or Black Church (German: Schwarze Kirche; Romanian: Biserica Neagră; Hungarian: Fekete templom) is a cathedral in Braşov, a city in south-eastern Transylvania, Romania. It was built by the German community of the city and stands as the main Gothic style monument in the country, as well as being the largest and one of the most important Lutheran (Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession in Romania) places of worship in the region.

Wikipedia - Biserica Neagră

Temple of All Religions

2011-08-25T00:20:00.003+08:00

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The Temple of All Religions (Russian: Храм всех религий) or the Temple of the Universe (Russian: Вселенский храм) is an architectural complex in Staroye Arakchino Microdistrict of Kazan, Russia, incorporating Orthodox church, minaret, synagogue and other recognizable forms of religious architecture. Its construction continues, having been started in 1992 by local artist and philanthropist Ildar Khanov. The structure serves as a cultural center and a residence for Khanov and his assistants.

Khanov is known for his activities involving healing people from alcoholism, drug addiction and various diseases. Former and current patients of Khanov help him in maintaining and developing of the Temple, either by direct involvement in construction works or through sponsorship.

The structure is not an active temple of one or several religions, but rather a "temple of culture and truth" as Khanov describes its mission. It has become a popular landmark of the city of Kazan, which takes pride in peaceful combination of different cultures (Islamic Tatar culture, Orthodox Russian, and others). The Temple is visited both by tourists and by people seeking Khanov's help.

Khanov says that eventually the structure will have 16 domes, corresponding to 16 of the world religions.

Wikipedia - Temple of All Religions