Petra, Jordan

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Petra (from URU $e-eh-{la}[-li].KI in Akkadian, "petra-πέτρα", cleft in the rock in Greek; Arabic: البتراء, Al-Batrāʾ) is an archaeological site in the Arabah, Ma'an Governorate, Jordan, lying on the slope of Mount Hor[1] in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is renowned for its rock-cut architecture. Petra is also one of the new wonders of the world.

The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was discovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It was famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate prize-winning sonnet by John William Burgon. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage."[2] In 1985, Petra was designated a World Heritage Site.

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Loch Ness

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Loch Ness (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Nis) is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands ( [show location on an interactive map] 57°18′N 4°27′W / 57.3°N 4.45°W / 57.3; -4.45) extending for approximately 37 km (23 miles) southwest of Inverness. Its surface is 15.8 metres (52 ft) above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the legendary Loch Ness Monster, also known as "Nessie".

It is connected at the southern end by the River Oich and a section of the Caledonian Canal to Loch Oich. At the northern end there is the Bona Narrows which opens out into Loch Dochfour, which feeds the River Ness and a further section of canal to Inverness. It is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland; its water visibility is exceptionally low due to a high peat content in the surrounding soil.

Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 56.4 km² (21.8 sq mi) after Loch Lomond, but due to its great depth is the largest by volume. Its deepest point is 230 m (754 ft) ,[1] deeper than the height of London's BT Tower at 189 m (620 ft) and deeper than any other loch with the exception of Loch Morar. It contains more fresh water than all lakes in England and Wales combined [2], and is the largest body of water on the Great Glen Fault, which runs from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south.

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Montego Bay, Jamaica

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Montego Bay is the second largest city in Jamaica and is the location of Jamaica's largest airport, the Sir Donald Sangster International Airport.

Montego Bay is known for its duty free shopping and cruise line terminal at its Free Port on a beautiful, man-made peninsula jutting into the bay. Its sheltered Doctor's Cave Beach with clear turquoise waters is one of the most famous beaches on the island. The bay is surrounded by picturesque low mountains.

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Óbidos, Portugal

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Óbidos (pron. IPA: ['ɔbiduʃ]) is a town (vila) of around 3,100 inhabitants and the seat of the municipality (concelho) of the same name, located in the subregion Oeste and district of Leiria, in Portugal. The municipality has an area of 142.17 km² and a population of 10,875 inhabitants (2001). It is bounded in the northeast and east by Caldas da Rainha, in the south by Bombarral, in the southeast by Lourinhã, in the west by Peniche and in the northwest by the Atlantic Ocean.

The town of Óbidos is located on a hill and is still encircled by a fortified wall. The well-preserved mediaeval look of its streets, squares, walls and its massive castle have turned the picturesque village into a preferred tourist attraction in Portugal.

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Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen

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Kongens Nytorv (King's New Square) is a square in central Copenhagen at one end of Strøget.

The square was designed by Christian V in 1670 and contains an equestrian statue of him. Notable buildings around the square include the Royal Danish Theatre (Det Kongelige Teater), Charlottenborg Palace, the French Embassy, and Hotel d'Angleterre.

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Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

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The Cliffs of Moher (Irish: Aillte an Mhothair, lit. cliffs of the ruin, also known as the Cliffs of Coher from the Irish: Mhothair) are located in the parish of Liscannor at the south-western edge of The Burren area near Doolin, which is located in County Clare, Ireland.

The cliffs rise 120 meters (394 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 meters (702 ft) just north of O'Brien's Tower, eight kilometres away. The cliffs boast one of Ireland's most spectacular views. On a clear day the Aran Islands are visible in Galway Bay, as are the valleys and hills of Connemara.

O'Brien's Tower is a round stone tower at the approximate midpoint of the cliffs. It was built by Sir Cornelius O'Brien, a descendant of Ireland's High King Brian Boru, in 1835, as an observation tower for the hundreds of tourists that frequented the cliffs even at that date. From atop that watchtower, one can view the Aran Islands and Galway Bay, the Maum Turk Mountains and the Twelve Pins to the north in Connemara, and Loop Head to the south.

Moher tower, located at Hag's Head, is a square stone ruin. It appears to be the remains of a watchtower placed during Napoleon's reign in Europe.

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The Cenotaph, London

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Probably the best-known cenotaph in the modern world is the one that stands in Whitehall, London. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who conceived the idea from the name of a structure in Gertrude Jekyll's garden,[1] and constructed from Portland stone between 1919 and 1920 by Holland, Hannen & Cubitts. It replaced Lutyen's identical wood-and-plaster cenotaph erected in 1919 for the Allied Victory Parade commissioned by David Lloyd George, and is a Grade I listed building.[2] It is undecorated save for a carved wreath on each end and the words "The Glorious Dead", chosen by Rudyard Kipling.
A ceremony at the Cenotaph, London, on Sunday 12 June 2005, remembering Irish war dead.

The sides of the Cenotaph are not parallel, but if extended would meet at a point some 1 mile (1.6 km) above the ground. Similarly, the "horizontal" surfaces are in fact sections of a sphere whose centre would be 900 feet (270 m) below ground.[3]

It is flanked on each side by various flags of the United Kingdom which Lutyens had wanted to be carved in stone. Although Lutyens was overruled and cloth flags were used, his later Rochdale cenotaph has stone flags. In the years following 1919, the Cenotaph displayed a Union Flag, a White Ensign, and a Red Ensign on one side and a Union Flag, a White Ensign, and a Blue Ensign on the other side. On 1 April 1943, an RAF Ensign was substituted for the White Ensign on the west side of the monument. The flags displayed as of 2007 represent the Royal Navy, the British Army, the Royal Air Force, and the Merchant Navy.

The Cenotaph is the site of the annual national service of remembrance held at 11:00 a.m. on Remembrance Sunday, the closest Sunday to 11 November (Armistice Day).

Uniformed service personnel (excluding fire and ambulance personnel) always salute the Cenotaph as they pass. It was, for example, very noticeably the only salute made by the Royal Horse Artillery driver of Diana, Princess of Wales's funeral carriage during that procession; on that occasion he did not salute even the Queen.[citation needed]

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Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic

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Charles Bridge (Czech: Karlův most Cs-Karluv most.ogg listen (help·info)) is a famous historical bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Absolute Location: [show location on an interactive map] 50°5′11.21″N 14°24′42.68″E / 50.0864472°N 14.4118556°E / 50.0864472; 14.4118556. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of 15th century. As the only means of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau), the Charles Bridge used to be the most important connection between the Old Town, Prague Castle and adjacent areas until 1841. Also this 'solid-land' connection made Prague important as a trade route between east and west Europe. The bridge was originally called the Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or the Prague Bridge (Pražský most) but has been the "Charles Bridge" since 1870.

The bridge is 516 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide, resting on 16 arches shielded by ice guards. It is protected by three bridge towers, two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the Old Town side. The Old Town bridge tower is often considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, erected around 1700.

During the night Charles Bridge is a quiet place. But during the day it changes its face into a very busy place, with painters, owners of kiosks and other traders alongside numerous tourists crossing the bridge.

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Naked World

Naked World - Widescreen

In this revealing follow-up to the 2001 HBO presentation Naked States: America Undercover, the fearless cameras of "America Undercover" follow flesh photographer Spencer Tunick as he attempts to achieve his ambitious goal of photographing naked people on all seven continents. By photographing nude people both individually and in large groups across the globe, the controversial Tunick explores the role that nudity plays in various cultures and encourages discussion in the ongoing debate about nudity in legitimate art. With just one year to achieve his ambitious goal and nine countries to visit, Tunick offers a compelling look at a variety of cultures and the key role that the human form has played in art throughout the ages. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Cordillera del Paine

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The Cordillera del Paine is a small but spectacular mountain group in Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia. It is located 400 km (244 miles) north of Punta Arenas, and about 2,500 km south of the Chilean capital Santiago. It belongs to the Commune of Torres del Paine in Última Esperanza Province of Magallanes y Antártica Chilena Region. No accurate surveys have been published, and published elevations have been claimed to be seriously inflated, so the elevations given on this page are all approximate.[1]

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