Famous places in the world

Burj Khalifa hồ hải phong

<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Hồ Hải Phong Soaring 828 meters above the
metropolis of Dubai, the Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building. The
design for the 162-story tower combines local cultural influences with
cutting-edge technology to achieve high performance in an extreme desert
climate. </b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMoQxIqIrobVmP5sRrMpKZ9AA65fA_7PddTXzDIU-inl4zjmXgGqbJSONgqitynRIZbKllqbjREkM8BFKLbt9L8LEA4WUxtSGf2IcYyQpneeUkkJgQrSRq3gSXxY8bnWb9kpMYaGXHjI/s1600/Burj-Khalifa-04.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMoQxIqIrobVmP5sRrMpKZ9AA65fA_7PddTXzDIU-inl4zjmXgGqbJSONgqitynRIZbKllqbjREkM8BFKLbt9L8LEA4WUxtSGf2IcYyQpneeUkkJgQrSRq3gSXxY8bnWb9kpMYaGXHjI/s400/Burj-Khalifa-04.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
 <span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">The centerpiece of a large
mixed-use development, the Burj Khalifa contains offices, retail space,
residential units, and a Giorgio Armani hotel. A Y-shaped floor plan maximizes
views of the Arabian Gulf. At ground level, the skyscraper is surrounded by
green space, water features, and pedestrian-friendly boulevards</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCG_qi4XENb-dwv034X_V3l378pQO6beFfYsQ_MhPKWvnzMbTWwtQD0mVkX2oaA-zUEWYnpM2UdLwLEcrqGw2BqXPZ29u49XdL9uncqESK3Tbi3vqS5ahlnJ91RJt2yfksil5HOoJWl8o/s1600/Burj-Khalifa-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCG_qi4XENb-dwv034X_V3l378pQO6beFfYsQ_MhPKWvnzMbTWwtQD0mVkX2oaA-zUEWYnpM2UdLwLEcrqGw2BqXPZ29u49XdL9uncqESK3Tbi3vqS5ahlnJ91RJt2yfksil5HOoJWl8o/s400/Burj-Khalifa-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">The tower’s overall design
was inspired by the geometries of a regional desert flower and the patterning
systems embodied in Islamic architecture. Built of reinforced concrete and clad
in glass, the tower is composed of sculpted volumes arranged around a central
buttressed core. As the tower rises from a flat base, setbacks occur in an
upward spiraling pattern, reducing the building’s mass as it reaches skyward.
At the pinnacle, the central core emerges and forms a spire. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-EZjd7j10EmktRs4iw6nbRqQ0MbL8JmswmnWwetLfW07X_aOMUcYVOEawVcSLJRniJgt-psfKbxlG703Cs9F0orlVuYUmTX2lvojWmLWsoKkVSZBln9PwCKObHH821U3g1aF3Uolx9E/s1600/Burj-Khalifa-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-EZjd7j10EmktRs4iw6nbRqQ0MbL8JmswmnWwetLfW07X_aOMUcYVOEawVcSLJRniJgt-psfKbxlG703Cs9F0orlVuYUmTX2lvojWmLWsoKkVSZBln9PwCKObHH821U3g1aF3Uolx9E/s400/Burj-Khalifa-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">Beyond its record-breaking
height, the Burj Khalifa incorporates new structural and construction
efficiencies to reduce material usage and waste. These include a “sky-sourced”
ventilation system, in which cool, less humid air is drawn in through the top
of the building. The tower also has one of the largest condensate recovery
systems in the world</span><span style="background: white; color: #5b5b5b; font-family: "simhei"; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #5b5b5b; font-family: "simhei"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2wUWjWZEAm3TlGuf0KgJKohl4UQ1H95QOZW5vjChgPgzQ236l1-FP6p8bsTTtAnS4bztEc7SP_wTSlzlICKvd2ZVn2kzXjC_G1r2CoF8DO1l6M7OSOfX7d6pzoPRIw-yh_6l3JXLGB8/s1600/Burj-Khalifa-05.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; font-family: SimHei; font-size: 10pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2wUWjWZEAm3TlGuf0KgJKohl4UQ1H95QOZW5vjChgPgzQ236l1-FP6p8bsTTtAnS4bztEc7SP_wTSlzlICKvd2ZVn2kzXjC_G1r2CoF8DO1l6M7OSOfX7d6pzoPRIw-yh_6l3JXLGB8/s400/Burj-Khalifa-05.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span class="image-caption"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">som.com<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>

Asia Burj Khalifa hồ hải phong

Hồ Hải Phong Soaring 828 meters above the metropolis of Dubai, the Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building. The design for the 162-story tower combines local cultural influences with cutting-edge technology to achieve high performance in an ext…

Niagara Falls

<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Known in the past as the premiere Honeymoon destination,
this geological wonder is not only one of most popular tourist attractions in
the state of New York, but also functions as one of the major power providers
to the state itself. Comprised of three waterfalls — American Falls, Horseshoe
Falls and Bridal Veil Falls — Niagara Falls water stems from the upper Great
Lakes and the river is estimated to be 12,000 years old. The wonder of the
falls has intrigued many and has prompted daredevils to “conquer” the falls in
various contraptions from wooden barrels to rubber balls.</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhil0rctb1PFwgQ3C4JFFMqPfESp-sWZjC5kO2rO1ElM44wZdIEYDqcycACK9HfyBjQHVh2xtmvtwVqIFH7JxhegXo256smgJfIEUTNbmHTBgAJMbnXsfMHBqDnwuO623yaQebjhrMkk/s1600/new-york-niagara-falls-state-park-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhil0rctb1PFwgQ3C4JFFMqPfESp-sWZjC5kO2rO1ElM44wZdIEYDqcycACK9HfyBjQHVh2xtmvtwVqIFH7JxhegXo256smgJfIEUTNbmHTBgAJMbnXsfMHBqDnwuO623yaQebjhrMkk/s400/new-york-niagara-falls-state-park-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Niagara Falls consists of two waterfalls on the Niagara
River, which marks the border between New York and
Ontario, Canada: the American Falls, located on the American side of the
border, and the Canadian or Horseshoe Falls located on the Canadian side. To
the right of the American Falls is a smaller waterfall that has been separated
from the American Falls by natural forces, which is usually called Bridal Veil
Falls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Did You Know?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>"On October 24, 1901, a 63-year-old schoolteacher named
Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to take the plunge over Niagara
Falls in a barrel"</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8UNFMCG9TMTfLzQORW6wsOUyzVKidIsReTh_WLGGZzwZrrhpYGpLtjLV873U-3jFXoME9cCk_3aTtVS9PrbwCGg8V3diD35MFLBbXsQDx6lJexoEaP6OcKeUUl3bcLBvVbUcsTqfw7A/s1600/new-york-niagara-falls-state-park-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8UNFMCG9TMTfLzQORW6wsOUyzVKidIsReTh_WLGGZzwZrrhpYGpLtjLV873U-3jFXoME9cCk_3aTtVS9PrbwCGg8V3diD35MFLBbXsQDx6lJexoEaP6OcKeUUl3bcLBvVbUcsTqfw7A/s400/new-york-niagara-falls-state-park-02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">It is estimated that 12,000 years ago when the falls were
formed, the edge of the falls was as much as seven miles further down river
than it is today. Until the 1950s, when the flow of water began to be
controlled, the brink of the falls moved backward an estimated three feet every
year because of erosion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The water that runs over the falls comes from the Great
Lakes. Ninety percent of the water goes over the Horseshoe Falls. Originally,
as much as 5.5. billion gallons of water per hour flowed over the falls. Today
the amount is controlled by the Canadian and American governments to slow
erosion. In addition, some of the water is diverted to provide power for the
United States and Canada, making Niagara Falls the largest source of electric
power in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMV9HVHtoMjlRdZbCwn8DpboEXm9fDUQqqwUFgl6RMmtvAJ2lT__HxCOLDZM0ZOdjxY_FVI8nYwf4oW2b7811XwfdZOBrMPhlotuWtw7fOPLtjkJM0pWaH9y41084UIOrHMsgHe-Ub-c/s1600/new-york-niagara-falls-state-park-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMV9HVHtoMjlRdZbCwn8DpboEXm9fDUQqqwUFgl6RMmtvAJ2lT__HxCOLDZM0ZOdjxY_FVI8nYwf4oW2b7811XwfdZOBrMPhlotuWtw7fOPLtjkJM0pWaH9y41084UIOrHMsgHe-Ub-c/s400/new-york-niagara-falls-state-park-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">The Horseshoe Falls are 170 feet high. The brink of the
falls is approximately 2,500 feet from one side to the other. The American
Falls are 180 feet high and 1,100 feet long.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The river below Niagara Falls averages 170 feet deep.
Daredevils who go over the falls usually hit the bottom of the river before
popping back to the surface.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Niagara Falls has been one of the most popular destinations
for honeymooners in the world since promoters for the area helped institute
“honeymooning” as a tradition in the mid-nineteenth century. The 1953 film
Niagara starred Marilyn Monroe as a honeymooner with a wandering eye. The film
marked Monroe’s explosion as a film phenom—perhaps because the film features a
full two minutes of Monroe’s soon-to-be-famous backside as she walks toward the
falls for a better view.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ps0Xlk2fnLQ05e4DAdOFeAAvu-m9K2_oV7AM0YCJZg16Xo21Xb256Hg_djo2AwmIqpE8okPxvPzDKGVSmiJjaOMxlP2Q8qY5cfgF0m38IG2suSuZ9KvE-9TNbAH0LszWFebBMP46_kQ/s1600/new-york-niagara-falls-state-park-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ps0Xlk2fnLQ05e4DAdOFeAAvu-m9K2_oV7AM0YCJZg16Xo21Xb256Hg_djo2AwmIqpE8okPxvPzDKGVSmiJjaOMxlP2Q8qY5cfgF0m38IG2suSuZ9KvE-9TNbAH0LszWFebBMP46_kQ/s400/new-york-niagara-falls-state-park-04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">THE BARREL BRIGADE</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">They are a group of daredevils firmly entrenched in North
American folklore. They are the men and women who have made headlines by an act
most people would find inconceivable: choosing to take a ride over the Canadian
Horseshoe Falls—sometimes with only inches of wood or metal as protection from
the pounding rush of thousands of gallons of water. Interestingly, these
adventurers, crazy as they may seem, have chosen not to brave the American
Falls—where less flowing water and more jutting rocks make the descent even
more dangerous. Fifteen adventurers have braved the Horseshoe Falls since 1901.
Read some of their stories below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Annie Edson Taylor</b><br />
Not only the first woman, but the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a
barrel, Taylor was a poor widow when she arrived in Niagara Falls in 1901. The
sixty-three year old (although she said she was forty-two) saw the stunt as a
way to make money. After hiring a manager, she braved the falls on October 24,
1901, in a barrel she designed herself. She survived, but “the heroine of
Horseshoe Falls” didn’t end up with the financial windfall she expected. She
worked as a Niagara street vendor for twenty years and died penniless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Jean Lussier</b><br />
The third person to go over the falls, Lussier took the plunge on July 4, 1928,
not in a barrel, but inside a six-foot rubber ball that was lined with
oxygen-filled rubber tubes. He survived and afterwards made extra money by
selling pieces of the ball’s rubber tubes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgICLIKbOCeOn4bGSKW7rpjgb6htJ-GKF1Ht3l50gOYnM76XO2JKNWdzfC287J7CEMCh9NjYnxaCz1RedJyyPt_Rp2QVR6rJHU5U4UHOAZF9wh-M3QGi8TTOI-kaGvnjGy20vSW8aSIE/s1600/new-york-niagara-falls-state-park-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgICLIKbOCeOn4bGSKW7rpjgb6htJ-GKF1Ht3l50gOYnM76XO2JKNWdzfC287J7CEMCh9NjYnxaCz1RedJyyPt_Rp2QVR6rJHU5U4UHOAZF9wh-M3QGi8TTOI-kaGvnjGy20vSW8aSIE/s400/new-york-niagara-falls-state-park-05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">George Stathakis</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">
This adventurer made the plunge in a ten-foot, one-ton wooden barrel on July 4,
1930. Sadly, however, Stathakis’s barrel was caught behind the falls for
fourteen hours. Having only enough air to survive for three hours, Stathakis
died before he was rescued, but his 105-year-old pet turtle, Sonny Boy, did
survive the trip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Red Hill Jr.</b><br />
The oldest son of a prominent Niagara Falls area family, Red, Jr., went over
the falls on August 5, 1951. His father, Red Hill, Sr., had earned a permanent
place in the history of the falls as its consummate “riverman.” In addition to
pulling 177 bodies from the river, Hill thrice braved the intimidating
Whirlpool Rapids below the falls in his own barrel. Red, Jr., decided to take
the family tradition one step further by braving the Horseshoe Falls on what he
called “the thing,” a flimsily constructed raft made of thirteen inner tubes
tied together with rope and enclosed in a fish net. Soon after his plunge, the
raft’s inner tubes began popping to the surface of the river, but there was no
sign of Hill. His bruised body was not recovered until the next day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Jessie Sharp</b><br />
Sharp, who hoped to advance his career as a stuntman by going over the falls,
chose to attempt the feat on June 5, 1990, in a white water kayak without a
helmet or a life vest. His body was never recovered. Five years later, Robert
Overacker attempted to go over the falls on a jet ski. The fifteenth person
since 1901 to purposely try to make it over the falls, Overacker died. His body
was recovered by the Maid of the Mist, the ferryboat that takes visitors to the
foot of the falls for a closer lo<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Steven Trotter and Lori Martin</b><br />
On June 18, 1995, Trotter and Martin became the first man and woman to go over
the falls together in one barrel. In 1985, Trotter had made the trip by
himself, in a contraption made of two pickle barrels enclosed in large inner
tubes. In 1989, Canadians Peter Debernardi and Geoffrey Petkovich had become
the first team to go over the falls together, enclosed face to face in a single
barrel. They survived with minor injuries, as did Trotter and Martin.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>history.com</i></div>

Americas Niagara Falls

Known in the past as the premiere Honeymoon destination, this geological wonder is not only one of most popular tourist attractions in the state of New York, but also functions as one of the major power providers to the state itself. Comprised of th…

The Grand Canyon

<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Located in northern Arizona, the Grand Canyon is known
throughout the world for its size and colorful landscape. Measuring over 270
miles long, up to 18 miles wide and a mile deep, the canyon’s walls contain
rock layers that reveal a timeline of Earth’s history. </b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHrw78w0jjfJ89oK5nse01qFIoAGdXMc7Mcsp9qCmxwaL6bjJQQu2SJ10dM97fdQlGcqsRFiiVnVjBgPojnLOY7vvQnRQPHxleeQ-sShBFRcR4jj-SnuS47L8Nnu-jAaQvmwGGxsA7iSs/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHrw78w0jjfJ89oK5nse01qFIoAGdXMc7Mcsp9qCmxwaL6bjJQQu2SJ10dM97fdQlGcqsRFiiVnVjBgPojnLOY7vvQnRQPHxleeQ-sShBFRcR4jj-SnuS47L8Nnu-jAaQvmwGGxsA7iSs/s400/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">It has been a locale for
human use and occupation for millennia, with ruins and artifacts from
inhabitants dating back nearly 12,000 years, In the early 1800s, trappers and
expeditions sent by the U.S. government began to explore and map the canyon. It
was first afforded Federal protection in 1893 as a Forest Reserve and later a
National Monument, achieving National Park status in 1919.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqykkSWj7CGfRhISurUCgejuK9B5cPRiif1CTijrJ1pyx8yQJDL-De34IEZRtS0AJAKYXOoduYOfrWE5EdozD-U6j91HMKlra6dsH7hgGSw-1Vg_ZH0re3dIXMQpAszu0jMrGBzVD0gk/s1600/Grand-Canyon-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqykkSWj7CGfRhISurUCgejuK9B5cPRiif1CTijrJ1pyx8yQJDL-De34IEZRtS0AJAKYXOoduYOfrWE5EdozD-U6j91HMKlra6dsH7hgGSw-1Vg_ZH0re3dIXMQpAszu0jMrGBzVD0gk/s400/Grand-Canyon-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Over 270 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and a mile deep,
the Grand Canyon is known throughout the world for its overwhelming size and
its intricate and colorful landscape. Located in northern </span><a href="http://www.history.com/topics/us-states/arizona" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Arizona</a><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">, the
majestic vista is geologically important because the layers of ancient rocks so
beautifully preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon reveal a timeline
of Earth’s history.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOx9aSotPbSKXUq_6Azzhb2m3BmxndWczhyh-lsCLRdSgHFL-PEe_MDhyphenhyphenp5thoEm6YbnpTuWOlKZUzeooNbOGZf32ORa7qxNK2_UEbLM9JfDr5XGni0iRHwXKiX8RLgbq5HDo-QdOtZVo/s1600/grandcanyon1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOx9aSotPbSKXUq_6Azzhb2m3BmxndWczhyh-lsCLRdSgHFL-PEe_MDhyphenhyphenp5thoEm6YbnpTuWOlKZUzeooNbOGZf32ORa7qxNK2_UEbLM9JfDr5XGni0iRHwXKiX8RLgbq5HDo-QdOtZVo/s400/grandcanyon1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">In the early 1800s, trappers and expeditions sent by the
U.S. government began to explore and map the Southwest, including the canyon.
Although first afforded Federal protection in 1893 as a Forest Reserve and
later as a National Monument, the Grand Canyon did not achieve National Park
status until 1919, three years after the creation of the National Park Service.
Today Grand Canyon National Park encompasses more than 1 million acres of land
and receives close to 5 million visitors each year.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>history.com</i></span></span></div>

Americas The Grand Canyon

Located in northern Arizona, the Grand Canyon is known throughout the world for its size and colorful landscape. Measuring over 270 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and a mile deep, the canyon’s walls contain rock layers that reveal a timeline of Ear…

CN Tower

<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Dubbed "Canada's Wonder of the World", the CN
(Canadian National) Tower has long been a source of pride for Canadians in and
around Toronto and has been a favorite tourist attraction for those visiting
this enticing Canadian city.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciGYSPAq3F_mfKMLe1ylSL3VUb6Kh16l9U0uYyVtjDmTpQurBYAA-0z7GWh0cdbxABiNwjlZuarASF81sCOwKtJtZ12Zk78Q_0PlKo1sJMBluHn4JBvDUiv9E79PqzRkU3kdRqhfqW3o/s1600/CN-Tower-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciGYSPAq3F_mfKMLe1ylSL3VUb6Kh16l9U0uYyVtjDmTpQurBYAA-0z7GWh0cdbxABiNwjlZuarASF81sCOwKtJtZ12Zk78Q_0PlKo1sJMBluHn4JBvDUiv9E79PqzRkU3kdRqhfqW3o/s400/CN-Tower-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Tower Specifics</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">At 553 meter (1,815 feet) in height, the CN Tower was
technically the world's tallest building (if you include communications towers
and not just habitable space) from its completion in 1976 until 2009. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Toronto Tourist Board estimates that approximately two
million visitors annually head to the tower, which was built between 1973 and
1976 by Canadian National in hopes of demonstrating "the strength of
Canadian industry by building a tower taller than any other in the world"</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">However, the CN Tower was actually built for more practical
reasons as well. A Canadian construction boom in the 1960s transformed the
downtown area into a region of skyscrapers, causing a major telecommunications
problem throughout the city of Toronto. With its microwave receptors located at
338m (1,109 ft.) and 553m (1,815 ft), the CN Tower quickly solved the
communication problems for the city, which had become a major concern for both
businesses and residents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjHwV9s6t4cnF4H0e1AFsisI4W3ftA8SlRGFToQl2GmS5tHcjZyZ9mCQRnc-wb2V8p2eGfYyvgIkEFSZrjwDglaT_5Tcw8R-iOJyYbkkrjx-6wJcZ9ANl8ld1WiDd-U714u7jxl5JFRk/s1600/CN-Tower-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjHwV9s6t4cnF4H0e1AFsisI4W3ftA8SlRGFToQl2GmS5tHcjZyZ9mCQRnc-wb2V8p2eGfYyvgIkEFSZrjwDglaT_5Tcw8R-iOJyYbkkrjx-6wJcZ9ANl8ld1WiDd-U714u7jxl5JFRk/s400/CN-Tower-02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">At night the tower is illuminated with a programmable LED
lighting. The colors change throughout the year to celebrate or honor specific
occasions. The </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">official
site</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"> has a calendar with the lighting schedule.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Visiting the Tower<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">If you're not afraid of heights, visiting the CN Tower is
one of the greatest experiences you'll enjoy in Toronto. Soar up to 342 m
(1,122 feet) and you'll arrive at the outdoor observation deck where, on a
clear day, you'll be treated to amazing views of the city. There's also an
"elephant-proof" glass floor located indoors where you can look
straight down to the street level. It opened on June 26, 1994, and is the first
such floor in the world. No one's ever fallen through it and never will, but
taking that first step onto the glass floor is, nonetheless, a little scary! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3hyXocFV1m8XknSKnV16iaeXWsyVd8D_aJl3cZ9E73uGTsZFIc6sJ6f59kPueH0zUwJs2HoEA0xzKg1HGzd8ttXmipgGuhHYRW32Uzd9nR-WtxRqcIDWqFZk2rhk3F3PliOLKhMGUn0/s1600/CN-Tower-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3hyXocFV1m8XknSKnV16iaeXWsyVd8D_aJl3cZ9E73uGTsZFIc6sJ6f59kPueH0zUwJs2HoEA0xzKg1HGzd8ttXmipgGuhHYRW32Uzd9nR-WtxRqcIDWqFZk2rhk3F3PliOLKhMGUn0/s400/CN-Tower-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Ascend another fourteen feet and you'll hit the Indoor
Observation Deck (great for cold weather days) as well as the Horizons Café,
where you can grab a light meal with a great view. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Hop on the elevator again and you'll reach 360, the CN
Tower's restaurant, which rotates once every 72 minutes, providing visitors
with a complete and unobstructed view of the city. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZfJkbUcrOqrSGxAb5ZsAcKIVvnAHKjv7BUuX-pBrkizWf6riZnoNtIStN6kwp0KhKsSSVWhNfnonggUwaCfJ36gb3Uf6J3YkU3TOkRuSPfn-gCnW9jcaZTRaqMdYbn_TQOs-yH8i07w/s1600/CN-Tower-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZfJkbUcrOqrSGxAb5ZsAcKIVvnAHKjv7BUuX-pBrkizWf6riZnoNtIStN6kwp0KhKsSSVWhNfnonggUwaCfJ36gb3Uf6J3YkU3TOkRuSPfn-gCnW9jcaZTRaqMdYbn_TQOs-yH8i07w/s400/CN-Tower-04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">If that's not high enough for you, continue on to the Sky
Pod, which sits at 447 meters (1,465 feet)! Until 2008, this was the world's
highest public observation deck. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">For the real thrill-seekers, there's the Edgewalk, a walk
on top of the main pod, at a height of 356 meters, during which you can even
lean over the edge of the pod.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7xUDi7qGLZ9jOJfvXSFqtYi5RLURGHaUlqdy-SE9zeLDktSPp8MBkWpgpwiWdobYnI10zJ80NSdrzvVnWClDmV8D3_eKcfoF46NsPrLpwTsbtI0CADEBCUx5bbyZ79XUXX3h2mpE5e8/s1600/CN-Tower-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7xUDi7qGLZ9jOJfvXSFqtYi5RLURGHaUlqdy-SE9zeLDktSPp8MBkWpgpwiWdobYnI10zJ80NSdrzvVnWClDmV8D3_eKcfoF46NsPrLpwTsbtI0CADEBCUx5bbyZ79XUXX3h2mpE5e8/s400/CN-Tower-05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">aviewoncities.com<span class="image-caption"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>

Americas CN Tower

Dubbed "Canada's Wonder of the World", the CN (Canadian National) Tower has long been a source of pride for Canadians in and around Toronto and has been a favorite tourist attraction for those visiting this enticing Canadian city. Tower Specifics At…

Christ the Redeemer - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: white; border-collapse: collapse; text-align: justify;">
 <tbody>
<tr>
  <td style="padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
   <tbody>
<tr>
    <td style="padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Christ
    the Redeemer is a statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that was built as a
    symbol of Brazilian Christianity. In 1850, the idea of building a religious
    monument was first suggested by a Catholic Priest. It wasn't until 1920
    when a group petitioned for support to build a landmark statue that it
    became a reality. The design was chosen from several ideas and construction
    began in the 1920s, taking nine years to finish. Today, Christ the Redeemer
    is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJjdziim3w1HHsk1pqhX9bGEogzsn0efT7B4yzrKockTc69dN5UulcFl4ImrV2mO8s7yEOHUh8_pQjdoMi-smjmrJ_hV_GWx4j4Ez1XAL8kLhXcjyMyfCb8miLiaj4M8k30rfkUmxk1c/s1600/Christ+the+Redeemer+-+Rio+De+Janeiro%252C+Brazil-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJjdziim3w1HHsk1pqhX9bGEogzsn0efT7B4yzrKockTc69dN5UulcFl4ImrV2mO8s7yEOHUh8_pQjdoMi-smjmrJ_hV_GWx4j4Ez1XAL8kLhXcjyMyfCb8miLiaj4M8k30rfkUmxk1c/s400/Christ+the+Redeemer+-+Rio+De+Janeiro%252C+Brazil-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></td>
   </tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: white; border-collapse: collapse; text-align: justify; width: 555px;">
 <tbody>
<tr>
  <td style="padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 416.05pt;" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Interesting
  Christ the Redeemer Facts:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Christ
  the Redeemer is the largest art deco statue in the world. It is 98 feet tall
  (not including the 26 foot pedestal), and the arms stretch to 92 feet wide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
  statue weighs approximately 635 tonnes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Christ
  the Redeemer is located in the Tijuca Forest National Forest, at the top of
  the Corcovado Mountain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DQqoiJZT9HEhBDdMJcuxEJIqlnmYJ9xyUn_A43ORcjzCiBDmBnGR_oPJX-IC2LW3Xrj5XGwYHTRPyilStgqzjalXnetTwk51X0Pba9O25mdCH22ARqMCqdb8wYoZifFWpYRRbU-qkMQ/s1600/Christ+the+Redeemer+-+Rio+De+Janeiro%252C+Brazil-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DQqoiJZT9HEhBDdMJcuxEJIqlnmYJ9xyUn_A43ORcjzCiBDmBnGR_oPJX-IC2LW3Xrj5XGwYHTRPyilStgqzjalXnetTwk51X0Pba9O25mdCH22ARqMCqdb8wYoZifFWpYRRbU-qkMQ/s400/Christ+the+Redeemer+-+Rio+De+Janeiro%252C+Brazil-02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
  statue is considered an icon of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Christ
  the Redeemer is the 5th largest statue of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
  first suggestion to build a large religious monument was made in the 1850s by
  a Catholic priest names Pedro Maria Boss. The request for financing wasn't
  approved because Princess Isabel was not a fan of the idea. The request was
  officially denied in 1889 when Brazil mandated the separation of church and
  state. A petition started by a group in the early 1920s, called the Catholic
  Circle of Rio, was successful. Construction began in 1922 and took nine years
  to complete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUocRKgPjqjUJ3DhUt1W_oAVp0y-VZ8_wQ2qOeR7Y3fwiyjzZHIuTpTtIkka1U1GLOuxFhlbKrsFtCV_H8b_m34-h_vjLszUfFfohqkMBTlVJqn7rCm0JhbLHNrAzz5BPZKJHiXl4sls/s1600/Christ+the+Redeemer+-+Rio+De+Janeiro%252C+Brazil-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUocRKgPjqjUJ3DhUt1W_oAVp0y-VZ8_wQ2qOeR7Y3fwiyjzZHIuTpTtIkka1U1GLOuxFhlbKrsFtCV_H8b_m34-h_vjLszUfFfohqkMBTlVJqn7rCm0JhbLHNrAzz5BPZKJHiXl4sls/s400/Christ+the+Redeemer+-+Rio+De+Janeiro%252C+Brazil-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
  money to build Christ the Redeemer came from Brazil's Catholic community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">There
  were several designs to choose from. One was a depiction of the Christian
  cross. Another was a statue of Jesus holding a globe, while standing over a
  pedestal that was to symbolize the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
  chosen statue is meant to show that Christ loves all and will embrace all
  that come to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
  stones that were used to build Christ the Redeemer came from Sweden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
  statue was completed in 1931. It officially opened on October 12, 1931.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The cost
  in 1931 was approximately $250,000 US. Today that would roughly be the
  equivalent of $3.2 million US.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRn3fYRrCZ1D1gwZ6Y6HJlVYXSz6sveF5konRTSGX474uRSaVoZ11IRF6r6XLPty1mU2i1jRU0w6oJxD18n5ge1g1pWtgbtETPjaL81rIBtz9HkRAy9oArBKld3zSiIcgCi6gH-HvBbQM/s1600/Christ+the+Redeemer+-+Rio+De+Janeiro%252C+Brazil-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRn3fYRrCZ1D1gwZ6Y6HJlVYXSz6sveF5konRTSGX474uRSaVoZ11IRF6r6XLPty1mU2i1jRU0w6oJxD18n5ge1g1pWtgbtETPjaL81rIBtz9HkRAy9oArBKld3zSiIcgCi6gH-HvBbQM/s400/Christ+the+Redeemer+-+Rio+De+Janeiro%252C+Brazil-04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
  statue had to be constructed in pieces and carried to the mountain top to be
  erected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
  materials used to build Christ the Redeemer were reinforced concrete and
  soapstone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
  right arm points to south Rio de Janeiro and the left arm points to north Rio
  de Janeiro.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In 2008
  a violent electrical storm resulted in a lightning strike to the statue. The
  head, eyebrows and fingers were damaged. The soapstone exterior of the statue
  prevented severe damage as it acted as an insulator. The Rio de Janeiro state
  government began a restoration effort. They replaced some layers of soapstone
  and repaired the lightning rods on the statue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">All the
  stone used in restoration efforts came from the same quarry as the original
  stone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCh7XEEe7cwAbKJDp38p15G5zqNbSNCM0wzblNxXRQulWrgWh-TJ4l5q8j-OFp8PbSvfWwb-U0mIYLk29jLwAp4eTnri0iOQ6fBKYhPa0y7k0o3GV_ENZHV2cpoxxJI-nGvAjjaWl2f4/s1600/Christ+the+Redeemer+-+Rio+De+Janeiro%252C+Brazil-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCh7XEEe7cwAbKJDp38p15G5zqNbSNCM0wzblNxXRQulWrgWh-TJ4l5q8j-OFp8PbSvfWwb-U0mIYLk29jLwAp4eTnri0iOQ6fBKYhPa0y7k0o3GV_ENZHV2cpoxxJI-nGvAjjaWl2f4/s400/Christ+the+Redeemer+-+Rio+De+Janeiro%252C+Brazil-05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Christ
  the Redeemer was vandalized in 2010 by a housepainter. He had sprayed the
  head and right arm with graffiti. The culprit was later identified.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In 2003
  there were escalators, elevators and walkways installed. These made it
  possible to access the platform that surrounds Christ the Redeemer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
<tr>
  <td style="background: transparent; padding: 0cm 0cm 4.5pt 13.5pt; width: 416.05pt;" valign="top" width="555"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This
  statue became one of the New Seven Wonders of the World on July 7th, 2007.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
 </tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>softschools.com</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>

Americas Christ the Redeemer - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Christ the Redeemer is a statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that was built as a symbol of Brazilian Christianity. In 1850, the idea of building a religious monument was first suggested by a Catholic Priest. It wasn't until 19…

Machu picchu

<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><b>Tucked away in the rocky countryside northwest of Cuzco, Peru, Machu Picchu is believed to have been a royal estate or sacred religious site for Inca leaders, whose civilization was virtually wiped out by Spanish invaders in the 16th century. For hundreds of years, until the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham stumbled upon it in 1911, the abandoned citadel’s existence was a secret known only to peasants living in the region. The site stretches over an impressive 5-mile distance, featuring more than 3,000 stone steps that link its many different levels. Today, hundreds of thousands of people tramp through Machu Picchu every year, braving crowds and landslides to see the sun set over its towering stone monuments and marvel at the mysterious splendor of one of the world’s most famous manmade wonders.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0-ZhFEbe932w1RMYa83jXZHk_3TVKPSZfOGuVkV1JR4iUOPYhhvKIpvJjVkmH7V86GkTxjzeYqvI8yjGRarxL-U22H4JKzqZMuVFKYBmxbzy36EVUDiSyZX20DYy7X1z2zxvrX98KgxO/s1600/Machu-Picchu-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0-ZhFEbe932w1RMYa83jXZHk_3TVKPSZfOGuVkV1JR4iUOPYhhvKIpvJjVkmH7V86GkTxjzeYqvI8yjGRarxL-U22H4JKzqZMuVFKYBmxbzy36EVUDiSyZX20DYy7X1z2zxvrX98KgxO/s400/Machu-Picchu-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">MACHU PICCHU’S INCA PAST</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Historians believe Machu Picchu was built at the height of the Inca Empire, which dominated western South America in the 15th and 16th centuries. It was abandoned an estimated 100 years after its construction, probably around the time the Spanish began their conquest of the mighty pre-Columbian civilization in the 1530s. There is no evidence that the conquistadors ever attacked or even reached the mountaintop citadel, however; for this reason, some have suggested that the residents’ desertion occurred because of a smallpox epidemic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXBdC6_wvdqZiAY2ipqX7W_qhRZWgVGJlwLL-XsM2DVWQ_yInrnCwi6k0Mmj1VsvYvE9EFZxtfelnNFATFv0JFGhPqIIweMzOzmf0Rnun0M7unLFKZ4WEDI9IHd4ZWEHQbvwwniavDzDM/s1600/Machu-Picchu-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXBdC6_wvdqZiAY2ipqX7W_qhRZWgVGJlwLL-XsM2DVWQ_yInrnCwi6k0Mmj1VsvYvE9EFZxtfelnNFATFv0JFGhPqIIweMzOzmf0Rnun0M7unLFKZ4WEDI9IHd4ZWEHQbvwwniavDzDM/s400/Machu-Picchu-02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Did You Know?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">“Machu Picchu is made up of more than 150 buildings ranging from baths and houses to temples and sanctuaries”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Many modern-day archaeologists now believe that Machu Picchu served as a royal estate for Inca emperors and nobles. Others have theorized that it was a religious site, pointing to its proximity to mountains and other geographical features that the Incas held sacred. Dozens of alternate hypotheses have cropped up in the years since Machu Picchu was first unveiled to the world, with scholars variously interpreting it as a prison, a trade hub, a station for testing new crops, a women’s retreat or a city devoted to the coronation of kings, among many examples.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">MACHU PICCHU’S “DISCOVERY” BY HIRAM BINGHAM<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">In the summer of 1911 the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham arrived in Peru with a small team of explorers hoping to find Vilcabamba, the last Inca stronghold to fall to the Spanish. Traveling on foot and by mule, Bingham and his team made their way from Cuzco into the Urubamba Valley, where a local farmer told them of some ruins located at the top of a nearby mountain. The farmer called the mountain Machu Picchu, which translates to “old peak” in the native Quechua language. On July 24, after a tough climb to the mountain’s ridge in cold and drizzly weather, Bingham met a small group of peasants who showed him the rest of the way. Led by an 11-year-old boy, Bingham got his first glimpse of the intricate network of stone terraces marking the entrance to Machu Picchu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_ZrZV4P7G7M1lI0yiHwQcHg_pdJzLMcVCDbzbE__v7Lhzziy9clm8VwIPEC1NGIr6vvJAEgrcOnawrEaqXqgrHJnUGx1wHuvyvwP8o2v6qq5AsWRtt6oS1Qaz0xzMQsfBAZ1WtfueYQW/s1600/Machu-Picchu-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_ZrZV4P7G7M1lI0yiHwQcHg_pdJzLMcVCDbzbE__v7Lhzziy9clm8VwIPEC1NGIr6vvJAEgrcOnawrEaqXqgrHJnUGx1wHuvyvwP8o2v6qq5AsWRtt6oS1Qaz0xzMQsfBAZ1WtfueYQW/s400/Machu-Picchu-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The excited Bingham spread the word about his discovery in a best-selling book, “The Lost City of the Incas,” sending hordes of eager tourists flocking to Peru to follow in his footsteps up the formerly obscure Inca Trail. He also excavated artifacts from Machu Picchu and took them to Yale University for further inspection, igniting a custody dispute that lasted nearly 100 years. It was not until the Peruvian government filed a lawsuit and lobbied President </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Barack Obama</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"> for the return of the items that Yale agreed to complete their repatriation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Although he is credited with making Machu Picchu known to the world—indeed, the highway tour buses use to reach it bears his name—it is not certain that Bingham was the first outsider to visit it. There is evidence that missionaries and other explorers reached the site during the 19th and early 20th centuries but were simply less vocal about what they uncovered there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">THE SITE OF MACHU PICCHU<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">In the midst of a tropical mountain forest on the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes, Machu Picchu’s walls, terraces, stairways and ramps blend seamlessly into its natural setting. The site’s finely crafted stonework, terraced fields and sophisticated irrigation system bear witness to the Inca civilization’s architectural, agricultural and engineering prowess. Its central buildings are prime examples of a masonry technique mastered by the Incas in which stones were cut to fit together without mortar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcpVZ6ZlFoODBYO5Ke1wC8NolPT4e1HF6qbRHhjot1kG8q7g03qby8N_FOCK7JFJpLMKz4UVaNbDMN4wsShbRKoDyjbf3-hM_-JyZYF2C1ABZH0rIXrJA-bCpeHW8-ZOIIW5td6LTnUNF/s1600/Machu-Picchu-04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcpVZ6ZlFoODBYO5Ke1wC8NolPT4e1HF6qbRHhjot1kG8q7g03qby8N_FOCK7JFJpLMKz4UVaNbDMN4wsShbRKoDyjbf3-hM_-JyZYF2C1ABZH0rIXrJA-bCpeHW8-ZOIIW5td6LTnUNF/s400/Machu-Picchu-04.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Archaeologists have identified several distinct sectors that together comprise the city, including a farming zone, a residential neighborhood, a royal district and a sacred area. Machu Picchu’s most distinct and famous structures include the Temple of the Sun and the Intihuatana stone, a sculpted granite rock that is believed to have functioned as a solar clock or calendar.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">MACHU PICCHU TODAY<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 and designated one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, Machu Picchu is Peru’s most visited attraction and South America’s most famous ruins, welcoming hundreds of thousands of people a year. Increased tourism, the development of nearby towns and environmental degradation continue to take their toll on the site, which is also home to several endangered species. As a result, the Peruvian government has taken steps to protect the ruins and prevent erosion of the mountainside in recent years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>history.com</i></span></span></div>

Africa Machu picchu

Tucked away in the rocky countryside northwest of Cuzco, Peru, Machu Picchu is believed to have been a royal estate or sacred religious site for Inca leaders, whose civilization was virtually wiped out by Spanish invaders in the 16th century. For hu…

Edinburgh Castle

<div style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;"><b>Edinburgh
Castle has played a pivotal role in Scottish history, both as a royal residence
– King Malcolm Canmore (r 1058–93) and Queen Margaret first made their home
here in the 11th century – and as a military stronghold. The castle last saw
military action in 1745; from then until the 1920s it served as the British
army's main base in Scotland. Today it is one of Scotland's most atmospheric
and most popular tourist attractions.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EFInPpfZfzL3sJ7YqqKcrbzqkn-YOdEG3Q7jZ-vMpeShHZ1AzoMVdAtQzHN8rbyYilLxnG5uaUFlvPajbHnvNlNlrSOULsKEw_ztHpqNjZf5Xdjmg7gzgywd8MnnToDMr5U1vH3wqwE/s1600/Edinburgh-Castle-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EFInPpfZfzL3sJ7YqqKcrbzqkn-YOdEG3Q7jZ-vMpeShHZ1AzoMVdAtQzHN8rbyYilLxnG5uaUFlvPajbHnvNlNlrSOULsKEw_ztHpqNjZf5Xdjmg7gzgywd8MnnToDMr5U1vH3wqwE/s400/Edinburgh-Castle-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">The
brooding, black crags of Castle Rock, rising above the western end of Princes
St, are the very reason for Edinburgh's existence. This rocky hill was the most
easily defended hilltop on the invasion route between England and central
Scotland, a route followed by countless armies from the Roman legions of the
1st and 2nd centuries AD to the Jacobite troops of Bonnie Prince Charlie in
1745.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">The
Entrance Gateway , flanked by statues of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace,
opens to a cobbled lane that leads up beneath the 16th-century Portcullis Gate
to the cannons ranged along the Argyle and Mills Mount batteries. The
battlements here have great views over New Town to the Firth of Forth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CHv1y42a_F_D8hzd1y9fkhJgFkQTyUTFLIXzOZPVuh_kpzXMdR-IjLdKMBMq7PrgdW0ETEK2QMsTyriuY-b23f1bo4SahMOUduyhzkNFeICfvBhyYYOeHvwAA__l-eThQsppoBTHCXs/s1600/Edinburgh-Castle-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CHv1y42a_F_D8hzd1y9fkhJgFkQTyUTFLIXzOZPVuh_kpzXMdR-IjLdKMBMq7PrgdW0ETEK2QMsTyriuY-b23f1bo4SahMOUduyhzkNFeICfvBhyYYOeHvwAA__l-eThQsppoBTHCXs/s400/Edinburgh-Castle-02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">At
the far end of Mills Mount Battery is the famous One O'Clock Gun , where crowds
gather to watch a gleaming WWII 25-pounder fire an ear-splitting time signal at
exactly 1pm (every day except Sunday, Christmas Day and Good Friday).</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">South
of Mills Mount, the road curls up leftwards through Foog's Gate to the highest
part of Castle Rock, crowned by the tiny, Romanesque St Margaret's Chapel , the
oldest surviving building in Edinburgh. It was probably built by David I or
Alexander I in memory of their mother, Queen Margaret, sometime around 1130
(she was canonised in 1250). Beside the chapel stands Mons Meg , a giant
15th-century siege gun built at Mons (in what is now Belgium) in 1449.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxn0RkePWnnF9_cp7CVmwJTcvw04vW6lbCckUMb4zJau4Mjiz-ThMWfmg0XYCw-hPSIlsdziUK08HAtY5LIrOZyab3QaOEquIkpua4GHH4ZVnRlHizO-EW4pkvmfqSaAFGKbeKuDzSWTc/s1600/Edinburgh-Castle-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxn0RkePWnnF9_cp7CVmwJTcvw04vW6lbCckUMb4zJau4Mjiz-ThMWfmg0XYCw-hPSIlsdziUK08HAtY5LIrOZyab3QaOEquIkpua4GHH4ZVnRlHizO-EW4pkvmfqSaAFGKbeKuDzSWTc/s400/Edinburgh-Castle-04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">The
main group of buildings on the summit of Castle Rock is ranged around Crown Sq,
dominated by the shrine of the Scottish National War Memorial . Opposite is the
Great Hall, built for James IV (r 1488–1513) as a ceremonial hall and used as a
meeting place for the Scottish parliament until 1639. Its most remarkable
feature is the original, 16th-century hammer-beam roof.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpoNS7lxZzoRMf5BPJiVndWNT-org9o2Mvhn2Uqgx-vsV7DVXCg-f3LrAIkHd3Mvt-4AdAyKHQxwmYJ472FQwB1nHtJVVHuYYnuq3sjYAMzCIvBSSwTvkMhss9_rkF5IV6rQRc_zzVso/s1600/Edinburgh-Castle-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpoNS7lxZzoRMf5BPJiVndWNT-org9o2Mvhn2Uqgx-vsV7DVXCg-f3LrAIkHd3Mvt-4AdAyKHQxwmYJ472FQwB1nHtJVVHuYYnuq3sjYAMzCIvBSSwTvkMhss9_rkF5IV6rQRc_zzVso/s400/Edinburgh-Castle-05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">The
Castle Vaults beneath the Great Hall (entered from Crown Sq via the Prisons of
War exhibit) were used variously as storerooms, bakeries and a prison. The
vaults have been renovated to resemble 18th- and early 19th-century prisons,
where graffiti carved by French and American prisoners can be seen on the
ancient wooden doors.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">On
the eastern side of the square is the Royal Palace , built during the 15th and
16th centuries, where a series of historical tableaux leads to the highlight of
the castle – a strongroom housing the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish crown
jewels), the oldest surviving crown jewels in Europe. Locked away in a chest
following the Act of Union in 1707, the crown (made in 1540 from the gold of
Robert the Bruce's 14th-century coronet), sword and sceptre lay forgotten until
they were unearthed at the instigation of the novelist Sir Walter Scott in
1818. Also on display here is the Stone of Destiny .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8ckOJUMkTaKJbsF4ErRkfQERbKKgLFoXZ4TL6LPH6ZUbeRrefsFaP1btYKU5cYSj64TM85w0ZU8rd3PIa10ab_ud39L95Ktf4wdG8hupmJeJA_dfVdJlcXI2t2lelt_qL9hN5JWw4gc/s1600/Edinburgh-Castle-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8ckOJUMkTaKJbsF4ErRkfQERbKKgLFoXZ4TL6LPH6ZUbeRrefsFaP1btYKU5cYSj64TM85w0ZU8rd3PIa10ab_ud39L95Ktf4wdG8hupmJeJA_dfVdJlcXI2t2lelt_qL9hN5JWw4gc/s400/Edinburgh-Castle-06.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt;">Among
the neighbouring Royal Apartments is the bedchamber where Mary, Queen of Scots
gave birth to her son James VI, who was to unite the crowns of Scotland and
England in 1603.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span class="image-caption"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">lonelyplanet.com<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>

Europe Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle has played a pivotal role in Scottish history, both as a royal residence – King Malcolm Canmore (r 1058–93) and Queen Margaret first made their home here in the 11th century – and as a military stronghold. The castle last saw milita…

Florence Cathedral

<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Duomo di Firenze,
the cathedral of Florence, was built between 1296 and 1436. The cathedral is
one of the largest in the world. Its imposing dome, attributed to the
Florentine architect Filippo Brunelleschi, still dominates the city.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDbcUzxzGm6Rv411O1Sg5GvSBKTdD46h0lsk30Z9yG55Vb8B7DHNXQlVDJqzad3o4_RNV9LwkUPT-8KC4qRJ-oS3tZtsi5D4izyRa-4JYRXziXV4ieeW9KFQaCz6imICYfBOkBnZ-YrE/s1600/Florence-Cathedral-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDbcUzxzGm6Rv411O1Sg5GvSBKTdD46h0lsk30Z9yG55Vb8B7DHNXQlVDJqzad3o4_RNV9LwkUPT-8KC4qRJ-oS3tZtsi5D4izyRa-4JYRXziXV4ieeW9KFQaCz6imICYfBOkBnZ-YrE/s400/Florence-Cathedral-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
 <b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Cathedral</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Cathedral of Florence, officially known as Cattedrale
Santa Maria del Fiore but better known as the Duomo, was originally planned in
1296 as a Gothic cathedral by Arnolfo di Cambio. It replaced the church of
Santa Reparata, a cathedral church with a history going back to the early
Middle Ages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The new cathedral symbolized Florence's growing importance
and was to be significantly larger than its predecessor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrE5iuef8Sbr7PMkD0RDCU5mmM4CCgJ4MllLl9X93UHPIVLvBxAPeSrKX7uIF81qI7AN84MeiDXWorrR0_eNTi_0c5JZ9EvuK7kkJAIfir_H0As0QB_-qpjpv9NrbKI-nT_cLEoDnFL0/s1600/Florence-Cathedral-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijrE5iuef8Sbr7PMkD0RDCU5mmM4CCgJ4MllLl9X93UHPIVLvBxAPeSrKX7uIF81qI7AN84MeiDXWorrR0_eNTi_0c5JZ9EvuK7kkJAIfir_H0As0QB_-qpjpv9NrbKI-nT_cLEoDnFL0/s400/Florence-Cathedral-02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Francesco Talenti, who lead the construction of the
cathedral from 1351 on increased its size even more by expanding the apses and
extending the nave. Filippo Brunelleschi - the most important architect of the
early Renaissance - designed the Duomo's most striking feature, the enormous
dome.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Construction of the church would last until 1436 when it
was consecrated by pope Eugene IV. The originally planned Gothic front facade
however was unrealized. The magnificent marble cladding that we see today was
only added much later, between 1871 and 1887, in a neo-Gothic style with
colorful patterns. As a result the facade nicely complements the design of the
cathedral's fourteenth-century bell tower. Some statues that were created for
the originally planned facade are now on display at the Museo dell'Opera dell
Duomo, a nearby museum dedicated to works of art from the cathedral.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufnqLeUQYVRmjPQ0dNQRPECV1AktUagBpMQ59kGf-D0355dtkzDe4WNpX1AQ4WOlEGymXPQjlS63AeE-YHJKTKnAEMvOMsykB5w-dMsK9t9x7QwJikNTdelp2YRtymE1tCP8ai7tl-HY/s1600/Florence-Cathedral-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufnqLeUQYVRmjPQ0dNQRPECV1AktUagBpMQ59kGf-D0355dtkzDe4WNpX1AQ4WOlEGymXPQjlS63AeE-YHJKTKnAEMvOMsykB5w-dMsK9t9x7QwJikNTdelp2YRtymE1tCP8ai7tl-HY/s400/Florence-Cathedral-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The cathedral's interior is less colorful and decorations
were kept to a minimum. The exception is the fresco on the dome's interior,
painted between 1572 and 1579 by Giorgio Vasari and Frederico Zuccari. The
fresco depicts the Last Judgment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Dome<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The dome of the Duomo was the world's largest when it was
completed in 1436 and still towers over the city. The lantern on top of the
dome was added later, in 1461, by Michelozzi Michelozzo. The dome, a marvel of
engineering, was designed by Brunelleschi, who submitted his plans after he
went to Rome to
study the Pantheon,
which long had the world's largest dome. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Brunelleschi managed to create the enormous dome without
supports thanks to an ingenious design which consisted of an inner shell made
of bricks with a herringbone pattern and a horizontal stone chain, which
reduced stress and allowed the weight to be evenly distributed. The outer, much
smaller shell supports the roof and protects the inner shell from the elements.
Between the two shells is a staircase, which leads visitors to the base of the
lantern.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyIwrUfFOi5QZ_YCWSglqZBD1Viwa4K0SOIvYmzuQt9tIQ35Ppggbm9Y4T0WmlQdbN_gduWUQ7smE-eS3Hu1f2EZ3Tzaxvzshy4zFX8QCxvFn1AsEabASlgu9XMZqXmClkSCseeiRKhg/s1600/Florence-Cathedral-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyIwrUfFOi5QZ_YCWSglqZBD1Viwa4K0SOIvYmzuQt9tIQ35Ppggbm9Y4T0WmlQdbN_gduWUQ7smE-eS3Hu1f2EZ3Tzaxvzshy4zFX8QCxvFn1AsEabASlgu9XMZqXmClkSCseeiRKhg/s400/Florence-Cathedral-04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Campanile</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The bell tower of the cathedral was originally designed in
1334 by Giotto di Bondone, at the time the official master builder of the city.
After Giotto died in 1337 the bell tower was completed first by Andrea Pisano
and later by Francesco Talenti. The eighty-five meter high tower was completed
in 1359. The colorful facade is clad with green, pink and white Tuscan marble.
The relief decorations were created in terra cotta by Andrea Pisano.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The tower is accessible to visitors and offers a
magnificent view of the city and the cathedral's dome in particular.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Baptistery<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Baptistery is one of Florence's oldest buildings and
predates the cathedral. It was constructed on top of Roman foundations,
possibly as early as in the sixth century. The interior dates back to the
thirteenth century when the mosaics on the ceiling - depicting stories from the
bible - were created. The exterior white and green marble cladding was added
around the same time. The facade cladding was so popular that it became a model for
many other baptistery and church facades in Tuscany.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
After the interior and cladding were finished, the guild of the wool merchants
- who funded the renovation - decided to replace the wooden doors with new bronze
ones.<br />
The south doors were created in 1336 in a Gothic design by Andrea Pisano and
depicts ecclesiastical scenes. A succession of disasters, including an outbreak
of the plague, postponed the creation of the other doors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufnqLeUQYVRmjPQ0dNQRPECV1AktUagBpMQ59kGf-D0355dtkzDe4WNpX1AQ4WOlEGymXPQjlS63AeE-YHJKTKnAEMvOMsykB5w-dMsK9t9x7QwJikNTdelp2YRtymE1tCP8ai7tl-HY/s1600/Florence-Cathedral-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufnqLeUQYVRmjPQ0dNQRPECV1AktUagBpMQ59kGf-D0355dtkzDe4WNpX1AQ4WOlEGymXPQjlS63AeE-YHJKTKnAEMvOMsykB5w-dMsK9t9x7QwJikNTdelp2YRtymE1tCP8ai7tl-HY/s400/Florence-Cathedral-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Finally, in 1401, the wool guild organized a competition to select a design for
additional new doors. Seven artists submitted panels, and in 1403 a design by
Ghiberti was selected. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The panel submitted by Ghiberti's main rival Brunelleschi
however - on display in the Bargello- is now
considered the first Renaissance artwork as it departed from the prevailing
byzantine art style by using perspective and showing realistic depictions of
humans and their environment.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ghiberti completed the panels for the north doors in 1424
after which he started working on the east doors, which were finally completed
in 1452. These last doors, depicting scenes from the bible, are considered
Ghiberti's best work and have been described by Michelangelo as the Gates of
Paradise. The panels have long been replaced by replicas, the originals are now
on display at the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Museo dell'Opera del
Duomo<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">This museum, located nearby at Piazza del Duomo 9, is
dedicated to the history and construction of the Cathedral of Florence. The museum
has a valuable collection of artwork from the cathedral, such as sculptures,
reliquary, religious paintings and the original panels of the doors of the
baptistery. Tools used for the construction of the cathedral are also on
display.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i>aviewoncities.com</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>

Europe Florence Cathedral

The Duomo di Firenze, the cathedral of Florence, was built between 1296 and 1436. The cathedral is one of the largest in the world. Its imposing dome, attributed to the Florentine architect Filippo Brunelleschi, still dominates the city. Cathedral …

Pompeii

<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Pompeii is one of the most significant proofs of Roman
civilization and, like an open book, provides outstanding information on the
art, customs, trades and everyday life of the past.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOlprIvtOyClWAklRYodlC73rcnTfpTDNBd5vapz_vD0WCEdKYLyNsqdYS2pHNE687x6pGsZMVxvd4kHnmos-Am_nii5Z0VSwKSdil_LT-xRIr_4Y1YIxTMLJ6v0Abuiq84HjP8XMR5c/s1600/Pompeii-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOlprIvtOyClWAklRYodlC73rcnTfpTDNBd5vapz_vD0WCEdKYLyNsqdYS2pHNE687x6pGsZMVxvd4kHnmos-Am_nii5Z0VSwKSdil_LT-xRIr_4Y1YIxTMLJ6v0Abuiq84HjP8XMR5c/s400/Pompeii-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
 <span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">The city has re-emerged from the darkness of centuries
precisely as it would have been when it was unexpectedly buried in the thick
layer of ash and lava which poured down from the devastating eruption of
Vesuvius. It was the year 79 A.D. The scale of the tragedy was appalling: in
what had been one of the most active and splendid Roman centres, life came to a
permanent standstill.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2nOxyASRUs9BlaJV70EOCg0_lNf039LXZ2ImxKcsYbuDpnarad90Yn3__B3qy52eEoXZc5rmXzqRmdFK6CHlmnjiwK8WvMtLx5gmUln9_fSgoVS-UfAIGx5lRaOL0Crut6NOQAQ8OfY/s1600/Pompeii-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2nOxyASRUs9BlaJV70EOCg0_lNf039LXZ2ImxKcsYbuDpnarad90Yn3__B3qy52eEoXZc5rmXzqRmdFK6CHlmnjiwK8WvMtLx5gmUln9_fSgoVS-UfAIGx5lRaOL0Crut6NOQAQ8OfY/s400/Pompeii-02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">The thick layer of volcanic material which submerged it,
made up to a large extent of ash and lapilli - non-hard material, unlike that
which covered Herculaneum and which solidified into extremely hard stone -has
meant that the city has remained intact until the present day, not only as far
as its buildings are concerned, but also as regards the contents inside the
houses and shops, providing an absolutely fascinating picture of
"daily" life.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcHsalBjObvSz8hA7uEj8-KzmxxynaUSLjUQLoVwFpaVFxgucjYlSgEWlzhmuGnRb2E5l5Z-EMPwkTSB3DWij_ivn-MjHgb5xJDL6XiQoGBcG1D-EmJ142GqMTgWNoySZY-928C8eaKQ/s1600/Pompeii-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcHsalBjObvSz8hA7uEj8-KzmxxynaUSLjUQLoVwFpaVFxgucjYlSgEWlzhmuGnRb2E5l5Z-EMPwkTSB3DWij_ivn-MjHgb5xJDL6XiQoGBcG1D-EmJ142GqMTgWNoySZY-928C8eaKQ/s400/Pompeii-04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The walls of the houses are covered with electoral
propaganda messages or risque jokes aimed at particular citizens. The signs on
the shop doorways indicate the activity carried out there or the name of the
owner. Alongside the elegant villas belonging to the nobility and the luxurious
residences of the middle class, stand modest houses where several families
lived.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiH1NCkxzRqw-IFGTdyFBKdakv1jpCARzdwzFSF7dbegVwevTbKBxM6X7_qPgDINp8SffbJyCBPG-cRxDka5lN4dBemDedsyj_-NxVD6hW29rCPkVrTnaOexgFVCmac-GhaSDl9qIXwA/s1600/Pompeii-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiH1NCkxzRqw-IFGTdyFBKdakv1jpCARzdwzFSF7dbegVwevTbKBxM6X7_qPgDINp8SffbJyCBPG-cRxDka5lN4dBemDedsyj_-NxVD6hW29rCPkVrTnaOexgFVCmac-GhaSDl9qIXwA/s400/Pompeii-05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The peasant dwellings on the other hand are situated around
vegetable gardens or small plots of land. On the edge of the city stood the
brothels, squalid rooms intended as places of pleasure for sailors and
travellers passing through, in the narrow lanes, the workshops and utility
rooms provide further evidence of the daily routine performed by workmen and
slaves as well as the women of the house. The houses still contain furniture,
ornaments, gold and silverware, work tools, kitchenware, bronze and terracotta
lamps, foodstuffs of all kinds, counters for serving drinks, grain mills and
grindstones, workshops for manufacturing cloth, smithies and outlets selling
groceries, fruit and vegetables.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZ1mu4K3tL8mFB1Mj0HyVuaJhODZjdZLfC_3jBSiQR3h6v2B9uBccgQ_d-ZZATTPzueEmUwSjZl_OeWxDrrqSJHwplYh3irGeBvd2ZpxSZ2ZuADg0ZGY3rmIbkyJt60eA6Rz3BvkwlqI/s1600/pompeii-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZ1mu4K3tL8mFB1Mj0HyVuaJhODZjdZLfC_3jBSiQR3h6v2B9uBccgQ_d-ZZATTPzueEmUwSjZl_OeWxDrrqSJHwplYh3irGeBvd2ZpxSZ2ZuADg0ZGY3rmIbkyJt60eA6Rz3BvkwlqI/s400/pompeii-06.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">There is a remarkable record of Roman painting, of which,
without the finds made in Pompeii, virtually nothing would be known.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The architecture and development of the various types of
houses is also amply documented. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Thus the excavated city provides outstanding historical
evidence of Roman civilization: these reminders of the past, which are so vivid
and tangible in the remains brought to light, contribute to the fascination of
the present.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>pompeionline.net</i></span></span></div>

Europe Pompeii

Pompeii is one of the most significant proofs of Roman civilization and, like an open book, provides outstanding information on the art, customs, trades and everyday life of the past. The city has re-emerged from the darkness of centuries precisely…

Matterhorn

<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>July 14, 2015 - To celebrate today’s 150th anniversary of
the Matterhorn’s first ascent, we present 10 fun facts about Europe’s most
famous summit.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kr5L5A14M0ff_sA113TyfIx0kO36PODbATfax7guEKXLa6afoLls1dcRTow4nxZcKdJDwJVmXfb3TkMMb8m5cQPJm0YEHWkXymfkZyDm5zp8F6_O5cvoxCb2tXvs0sJVxrWf-0ffEzI/s1600/Matterhorn-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kr5L5A14M0ff_sA113TyfIx0kO36PODbATfax7guEKXLa6afoLls1dcRTow4nxZcKdJDwJVmXfb3TkMMb8m5cQPJm0YEHWkXymfkZyDm5zp8F6_O5cvoxCb2tXvs0sJVxrWf-0ffEzI/s400/Matterhorn-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">1. At 4,478 meters (14,692 feet), the Matterhorn is only
Western Europe’s 12th-highest peak, but it is taller than Mt. Whitney, the
highest summit in the Lower 48 of the U.S., by about 187 feet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">2. The Matterhorn straddles two countries, Switzerland and
Italy, and has three common names. The German name Matterhorn derives from the
words for "meadow" and "peak." The Italian name (Cervino)
and French (Cervin) likely originated with the Latin word for forest, silva,
though some believe it comes from the Italian and French words for “deer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5vbIsenznZx56wp7a61O4uPmGBEldE-CaDNwnPBESEFapeFrHJm7Wc9Dq92XPBD_3zqG_MXb-JG9AUpah8Zx2JXf25r_9xA8mslJ3qoQwpzPjF7hbUi-dIm8DKlRDwQU5T4a2NtRSB4/s1600/Matterhorn-02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5vbIsenznZx56wp7a61O4uPmGBEldE-CaDNwnPBESEFapeFrHJm7Wc9Dq92XPBD_3zqG_MXb-JG9AUpah8Zx2JXf25r_9xA8mslJ3qoQwpzPjF7hbUi-dIm8DKlRDwQU5T4a2NtRSB4/s400/Matterhorn-02.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">3. The first ascent on July 14, 1865, from the Swiss side
of the mountain, ended a race that lasted nearly a decade and came down to the
wire, with rivals on the Italian side poised only 1,250 feet below the top when
Edward Whymper and Michel Croz first reached the summit. In order to ensure his
rivals knew they were beaten, Whymper rather unsportingly shouted at the
Italian team from the top and hurled rocks to make a clatter. “The Italians
turned and fled,” Whymper wrote in his famed book Scrambles Amongst
the Alps.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">4. The glorious victory was marred when, during the
descent, four of the seven climbers in the summit party fell to their deaths.
The remaining three, including Whymper, likely would have fallen as well if the
rope linking the men had not broken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdr1_YjRRoN3X9GPQWpwceJG5YFYVtWq1iGBvDJma4tzjJJIUuEUKHtLSvlPut89TZVFjZacmQBZdX7uyjrwV4bbnSu-0ftRxBTpEECJxEI7oEqq3LZgN01pkALmPkntEMml3NeEZD-8/s1600/Matterhorn-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFdr1_YjRRoN3X9GPQWpwceJG5YFYVtWq1iGBvDJma4tzjJJIUuEUKHtLSvlPut89TZVFjZacmQBZdX7uyjrwV4bbnSu-0ftRxBTpEECJxEI7oEqq3LZgN01pkALmPkntEMml3NeEZD-8/s400/Matterhorn-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">5. The second route up the Matterhorn, the Lion Ridge
from Italy, was completed just three days after the first, on July 17,
1865.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">6. Since the first ascent, more than 500 people have died
while climbing or descending the Matterhorn—an average of three to four per
year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">7. About 3,000 people summit the Matterhorn annually.
However, starting this year, by reducing the size of the hut at the base of the
most popular route, the Hörnli Ridge, and eliminating camping outside the hut,
Swiss officials hope to slash the number of climbers by as much as
one-third and reduce crowding on the mountain. About 80 percent of
Matterhorn climbers are either guides or clients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMASTdvzwQQ3OCSExbCntm9TDpov3WT8eoL_4bFO6CxCtwwsQgoOMxpTigngx0vkv9zLEVYbPThHkWLHHLyiV1YaH4_C0GQrFUNN0-OIv1zaanl-iN11B0rls7EXS4Pa6SqjEiz-w-_Q/s1600/Matterhorn-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMASTdvzwQQ3OCSExbCntm9TDpov3WT8eoL_4bFO6CxCtwwsQgoOMxpTigngx0vkv9zLEVYbPThHkWLHHLyiV1YaH4_C0GQrFUNN0-OIv1zaanl-iN11B0rls7EXS4Pa6SqjEiz-w-_Q/s400/Matterhorn-04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">8. Both a railway and a cable car to the summit of the
Matterhorn have been proposed. The latter, a tramway from the Italian town
of Breuil-Cervinia, was proposed in 1950 but scuttled after tens of
thousands of people protested to the Italian government.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">9. Emil Cardinaux’s striking poster of the Matterhorn
(shown above), designed as a card in 1903 and printed as a tourism poster for
Zermatt in 1908, is considered the first modern travel poster and a landmark of
20th-century design.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroT2R0yxRU31sezqkPQuiBceKBSpvzEDcvvnb7qyMiNtDY2MEN7uh7rrDXHT6TRxSVEs7nUHJTL9PYc50KTvz8y9FJgxd857SiKKOWvORn5NzRcnKIQMxwxL2ahPSjXtLIJ6Bc43eGnM/s1600/Matterhorn-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroT2R0yxRU31sezqkPQuiBceKBSpvzEDcvvnb7qyMiNtDY2MEN7uh7rrDXHT6TRxSVEs7nUHJTL9PYc50KTvz8y9FJgxd857SiKKOWvORn5NzRcnKIQMxwxL2ahPSjXtLIJ6Bc43eGnM/s400/Matterhorn-05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">10. The mountain is closed to all climbing today (July 14,
2015), out of respect for those who have died on the peak.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>climbing.com</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>

Europe Matterhorn

July 14, 2015 - To celebrate today’s 150th anniversary of the Matterhorn’s first ascent, we present 10 fun facts about Europe’s most famous summit. 1. At 4,478 meters (14,692 feet), the Matterhorn is only Western Europe’s 12th-highest peak, but it i…

Neuschwanstein Castle

<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9.0pt;"><b>Germany is the land of
fairy tales that gave the world Wilhelm Hauff and The Brothers Grimm, for
example. Germany is also home to the most magical castle on the planet,
Neuschwanstein Castle, the name of which translates as «The New Swan Cliff». It
was built in the second half of the nineteenth century by Ludwig II of Bavaria,
or as they called him, «The Fairy-Tale King».</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6YARR1dVrp3t9Kb56B2_GIxGRYhCrTSUN668sBPmQXFBwuYW78ufwATjuUYHLF9lk3LIv69RyLtafcprAFA4tY-fpFjlM2at0EO5q0sMntqUpBeYieNQK5JzkWJyW8noRlPaTtiEMbg/s1600/Neuschwanstein-Castle-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6YARR1dVrp3t9Kb56B2_GIxGRYhCrTSUN668sBPmQXFBwuYW78ufwATjuUYHLF9lk3LIv69RyLtafcprAFA4tY-fpFjlM2at0EO5q0sMntqUpBeYieNQK5JzkWJyW8noRlPaTtiEMbg/s400/Neuschwanstein-Castle-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">Ludwig II holds a
special place amongst other German rulers. What set him apart from his
stringent and warrior-like predecessors was his romanticism and dreamy
character, so much so that he channelled all of his statesman's passion
(alongside with state funds) towards making his dreams come true, dreams of
magical countries populated by fairy-tale creatures.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">Disillusioned by the
daily routines of Munich, Ludwig II was not interested in its problems.
Instead, day by day he became more and more submerged in his own dream world.
This gave the world several castles — Herrenchiemsee, Linderhof and
Neuschwanstein, each one is a masterpiece of world architecture, enchanting us
with its weightlessness and fairy-tale silhouettes with magnificent mountains
as a backdrop.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiS8KyJM73EMAkWLsMvLD7OhtKqTwmrGCv-5GwObzcnJBxBT6jGgVhjVjjECV1NJvbgYf-0XEWhjHa5_jIo5umnlX6txx6jqTN2Zyd9R7U0C-QSxdWyZ5qw6FHUsd1j92c7UUnXUjt8WA/s1600/Neuschwanstein-Castle-02.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiS8KyJM73EMAkWLsMvLD7OhtKqTwmrGCv-5GwObzcnJBxBT6jGgVhjVjjECV1NJvbgYf-0XEWhjHa5_jIo5umnlX6txx6jqTN2Zyd9R7U0C-QSxdWyZ5qw6FHUsd1j92c7UUnXUjt8WA/s400/Neuschwanstein-Castle-02.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">Wartburg Castle was
chosen as the model for Neuschwanstein as it is the only remaining castle from
the feudal period in Bavaria. Ludwig the II's creation surpassed the original.
At the time the King was very deeply moved by Richard Wagner's opera
«Lohengrin», he saw himself in the opera's main character, the noble white
swan-knight, a fairy-tale hero of the ancient legends. And with the help of
architects he created his own «Swan Castle».</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9.0pt;">The walls of the
castle depict the magical world of «The Song of The Nibelungs»
(«Nibelungenlied»), medieval legends of Przival, Lohengrin and Tannhäuser, The
Holy Grail, Tristan and Isolde... The masters spent a long time working very
carefully on every hall and every panel painting, with every detail a true
masterpiece. This is also the reason why the building work took so long and
failed to reach completion even in Ludwig's lifetime. As an example, the wood
carving in one bedroom took 14 carpenters 4 and a half years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBvSgBmN9H9o9EDK17sZpvFqiycykQs7Zr3bnRtPnM-G5UhG_u8C6mSONfh2hJZ0WY5P7-ue2SxzeybdkPeFAmB9NzW7zBkWzWls_nFrJrVXOsWxNb8i2FDSHldUshiyP9Y8SVmQQO40/s1600/Neuschwanstein-Castle-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBvSgBmN9H9o9EDK17sZpvFqiycykQs7Zr3bnRtPnM-G5UhG_u8C6mSONfh2hJZ0WY5P7-ue2SxzeybdkPeFAmB9NzW7zBkWzWls_nFrJrVXOsWxNb8i2FDSHldUshiyP9Y8SVmQQO40/s400/Neuschwanstein-Castle-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">Yet the King had the
incredible ability to combine fantasies with reality, and despite the castle's
heavenly appearance, it was equipped with all the modern technology of its
time. The rooms in the royal residence were fitted with hot air central
heating, toilets were equipped with an automatic flushing system, electric
bells were in place to summon servants and some floors even had telephones!</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9.0pt;">Neuschwanstein is
first and foremost a true fairy tale made of stone. It became the prototype for
the Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland Paris and a source of inspiration for
Tchaikovsky's ballet «The Swan Lake». But in the end it drove the King insane, and
instead of attending to the urgent duties of his country as a ruler, he went on
expeditions, following the footsteps of Wilhelm Tell or had dinner with the
spirit of Louis XIV. Night became day and day became night for Ludwig II and
for that he was nicknamed The Moon King.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn0QSDMsVpL1usGwR4u3AXiM9H_PwzIMMLhKvi4KHFtJqWpg1Flk5jmBPdxiXWe5NWJSXLQ3JwycnKYO_WrcaDHeUJqJtK7LHoDADRCyn7c5V341FKGoDYUuMC63b_BuzHgDnD10Y3THE/s1600/Neuschwanstein-Castle-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn0QSDMsVpL1usGwR4u3AXiM9H_PwzIMMLhKvi4KHFtJqWpg1Flk5jmBPdxiXWe5NWJSXLQ3JwycnKYO_WrcaDHeUJqJtK7LHoDADRCyn7c5V341FKGoDYUuMC63b_BuzHgDnD10Y3THE/s400/Neuschwanstein-Castle-06.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">According to Bavarian
law a king can be removed from power if found unfit to govern. It is not
surprising then that eventually (in 1886) he was deposed. He was transported to
the Berg Castle and died the next day in a lake under mysterious circumstances
together, with the psychiatrist who diagnosed him as insane. These mysterious
events have contributed to the intriguing image of the castle. Just two months
after the King's death, the unfinished Neuschwanstein was open to visitors!</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9.0pt;">And it was the right
thing to do. No stories or photos of Neuschwanstein can possibly depict its
beauty. Once you have admired our aerial panoramas, we strongly recommend you
see the fairy tale for yourself. Getting to Neuschwanstein Castle: there are
trains and taxis available from nearby towns.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvX1E3h_EId2J6dyzPd2OfID4YiPkI3wKL1rohIOk3iNS3_OO2our38dPHM1O5kKYfejfOAi8E1_0oHBILT8nFaKFfgD0FAAL8SCmMgK3LXIISkdgi-FnWkYuqp971kTWWn-n-Dd53to/s1600/Neuschwanstein-Castle-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvX1E3h_EId2J6dyzPd2OfID4YiPkI3wKL1rohIOk3iNS3_OO2our38dPHM1O5kKYfejfOAi8E1_0oHBILT8nFaKFfgD0FAAL8SCmMgK3LXIISkdgi-FnWkYuqp971kTWWn-n-Dd53to/s400/Neuschwanstein-Castle-05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.25pt;">There are several
other famous castles in the area surrounding Neuschwanstein, namely
Hohenschwangau, Füssen and Schwangau. For the convenience of tourists, a
special "romantic road" was created (Romantikstrasse), a special tour
popular with visitors to Bavaria. The surrounding area also boasts ski slopes
and special lifts to take skiers and tourists to the top of the Tegelberg
Mountain. In general, even a whole day is not enough to fully enjoy the beauty
and diversity of this place.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span class="image-caption"><i><span lang="EN-US">airpano.com<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>

Europe Neuschwanstein Castle

Germany is the land of fairy tales that gave the world Wilhelm Hauff and The Brothers Grimm, for example. Germany is also home to the most magical castle on the planet, Neuschwanstein Castle, the name of which translates as «The New Swan Cliff». It …