Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

 Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatian: Nacionalni park Plitvička jezera, colloquial Plitvice, pronounced [plîtʋitse]) is the oldest national park inSoutheast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia. The national park was founded in 1949 and is situated in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia, at the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The important north-south road connection, which passes through the national park area, connects the Croatian inland with the Adriatic coastal region. The protected area extends over 296.85 square kilometres (73,350 acres). About 90 percent of this area are part of Lika-Senj County, while the remaining 10 percent are part of Karlovac County.In 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage register among the first natural sites worldwide. Each year, more than 1,200,000 visitors are recorded. Entrance is subject to variable charges, up to 110 kuna or around $18USD per adult in peak season. Strict regulations apply.

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

Preikestolen (Preacher’s Pulpit), Norway

Preikestolen (Preacher’s Pulpit), Norway

 Preikestolen or Prekestolen, also known by the English translations of Preacher's Pulpit or Pulpit Rock, and by the old local nameHyvlatonnå (the carpenter-plane’s blade), is a massive cliff 604 metres (1982 feet) above Lysefjorden, opposite the Kjerag plateau, inForsand, Ryfylke, Norway. The top of the cliff is approximately 25 by 25 metres (82 by 82 feet), almost flat, and is a famous tourist attraction in Norway.The tourism at the site has been increasing, around 2012, the plateau was each year visited by between 150,000 and 200,000 people^[1] who took the 3.8 km (2.4 mi.) hike to Preikestolen, making it one of the most visited natural tourist attractions in Norway. In fact, there were so many tourists during the summer season of 2012 that a project to improve the path up to the cliff is currently under way.

Preikestolen (Preacher’s Pulpit), Norway

Preikestolen (Preacher’s Pulpit), Norway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preikestolen

The Great Wall of China

Wall of China

 The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China in part to protect the Chinese Empire or its prototypical states against intrusions by various nomadic groups or military incursions by various warlike peoples or forces. Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC;these, later joined together and made bigger, stronger, and unified are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall. Especially famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains. Since then, the Great Wall has on and off been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced; the majority of the existing wall was reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty.

Wall of China

Other purposes of the Great Wall have included border controls, allowing the imposition of duties on goods transported along the Silk Road, regulation or encouragement of trade and the control of immigration and emigration. Furthermore, the defensive characteristics of the Great Wall were enhanced by the construction of watch towers, troop barracks, garrison stations, signaling capabilities through the means of smoke or fire, and the fact that the path of the Great Wall also served as a transportation corridor.

Wall of China

Cinque Terre, Rio Maggiore, Italy

Riomaggiore (Rimazùu in the local Ligurian language) is a village and comune in the province of La Spezia, situated in a small valley in theLiguria region of Italy.

Cinque Terre, Rio Maggiore, Italy

 It is the first of the Cinque Terre one meets when travelling north from La Spezia.The village, dating from the early thirteenth century, is known for its historic character and its wine, produced by the town's vineyards. Riomaggiore is in the Riviera di Levante region and has shoreline on the Mediterranean'sGulf of Genoa, with a small beach and a wharf framed by tower houses. Riomaggiore's main street is Via Colombo, where numerous restaurants, bars and shops can be found.

Cinque Terre, Rio Maggiore, Italy

 
The Via dell'Amore is a path connecting Riomaggiore to its frazione Manarola, also part of the Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre, Rio Maggiore, Italy

Riomaggiore is the most southern village of the five Cinque Terre, all connected by trail. The water and mountainside have been declared national parks.

Chittorgarh Fort, India

Chittorgarh Fort, India

Chittorgarh Fort (HindiRajasthani: चित्तौड दुर्ग Chittorgarh Durg) is the largest fort in India and the grandest in the state of Rajasthan. The fort, plainly known as Chittor, was the capital of Mewar and is today situated several kilometres by road south of Bhilwara. It was ruled initially by Guhilot and later by Sisodias, the Suryavanshi clans of Chattari Rajputs, from the 7th century, until it was finally abandoned in 1568 after the siege by Emperor Akbar in 1567. It sprawls majestically over a hill 180 m (590.6 ft) in height spread over an area of 280 ha (691.9 acres) above the plains of the valley drained by the Berach River. The fort precinct with an evocative history is studded with a series of historical palaces, gates, temples and two prominent commemoration towers. These monumental ruins have inspired the imagination of tourists and writers for centurie

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Hiller lake(pink lake), Western Australia

Hiller lake(pink lake), Western Australia

Hiller lake(pink lake), Western Australia

Scientists have proven the strange pink color is due to the presence of algae which is usually the cause of strange coloration. (Photo by Jean Paul Ferrero/Ardea/Caters News)

Petra, Jordan

Petra, Jordan