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Riomaggiore (Rimazùu in the local Ligurian language) is a village and comune in the province of La Spezia, situated in a small valley in the Liguria region of Italy. It is the first of the Cinque Terre one meets when traveling 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's Gulf of Genoa, with a small beach and a wharf framed by tower houses. Riomaggiore's main street is Via Colombo and numerous restaurants, bars & shops can be found on this street.
The Via dell'Amore is a path connecting Riomaggiore to its frazione Manarola, also part of the Cinque Terre.
Riomaggiore is the most southern village of the five Cinque Terre, all connected by trail. The water and mountainside have been declared national parks.
December 30, 2018 - "Karnak is located just few Km North of Luxor, and is arguably Egypt’s greatest monument bar the Pyramids.
Built on a gigantic scale, the site covers in total more than 245 acres and is the largest ancient religious site on the planet. It took a total of 1300 years to build and has been attracting pilgrims (and now tourists) for more than 4000 years.
Unable to comprehend its construction as anything other than divine, the ancient Egyptians called the site ‘Ipet Isut’ meaning ‘perfect of palaces’.
The construction of Karnak begun during the middle kingdom, but reached its Zenith during the new Kingdom as the God Amun rose to absolute power in the region. When wars were waged in Ancient Egypt it was seen as the battle between one deity and another for supremacy. Thus Gods were able to rise and fall like kings.
During the height of its power, Karnak presided over 65 villages, 433 gardens, 85 ships, and more than 80,000 workers and slaves.
The site includes three separate temple complexes, the largest and most revered being the Precinct of Amun. Large enough to accommodate 10 cathedrals, the precinct comprises of a sacred lake, several temples, chapels, a court, a festival hall and famously, the great Hypostyle Hall – a towering forest of ancient columns.
The site was once connected to the Luxor Temple - 3Km to the South - by an avenue flanked with sphinxes. Although some of them remain, most are buried beneath the edifices of the modern city." Text from the following website: www.alternativeegypt.com/Luxor/Karnak-Temple.html
December 28, 2018 - "The city of Petra, capital of the Nabataean Arabs, is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, it is Located 240 km south of the capital Amman and 120 km north of the red sea town of Aqaba (see the Map), Petra the world wonder is undoubtedly Jordan's most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction, and it is visited by tourists from all over the world.
It is not known precisely when Petra was built, but the city began to prosper as the capital of the Nabataean Empire from the 1st century BC, which grew rich through trade in frankincense, myrrh, and spices.
Petra was later annexed to the Roman Empire and continued to thrive until a large earthquake in 363 AD destroyed much of the city in the 4th century AD.
The earthquake combined with changes in trade routes, eventually led to the downfall of the city which was ultimately abandoned.
By the middle of the 7th century Petra appears to have been largely deserted and it was then lost to all except local Bedouin from the area.
In 1812 a Swiss explorer named Johannes Burckhardt set out to ‘rediscover’ Petra; he dressed up as an Arab and convinced his Bedouin guide to take him to the lost city, After this, Petra became increasingly known in the West as a fascinating and beautiful ancient city, and it began attracting visitors and continues to do so today.
Petra is also known as the rose-red city, a name it gets from the wonderful colour of the rock from which many of the city’s structures were carved.
The Nabataeans buried their dead in intricate tombs that were cut out of the mountain sides and the city also had temples, a theater, and following the Roman annexation and later the Byzantine influence, a colonnaded street and churches.
In addition to the magnificent remains of the Nabataean city, human settlement and land use for over 10,000 years can be traced in Petra, where great natural, cultural, archaeological and geological features merge.
On December 6, 1985, Petra was designated a World Heritage Site,, also Petra was chosen by the Smithsonian Magazine as one of the 28 places you should visit them before you die." Previous text from the following website: visitpetra.jo/Pages/viewpage.aspx?pageID=124
Most buildings are constructed of traditional mud brick, many of them are hundreds of years old. The site is undergoing UNESCO sponsored reconstruction.
Gyeongju (경주), historically known as Seorabeol (서라벌), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering 511 square miles (1,324 square kilometers) with a population of 264,091 people (as of December 2012). Gyeongju is southeast of Seoul, and east of Daegu. Numerous low mountains, outliers of the Taebaek range, are scattered around the city.
Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BCE – 935 CE), which ruled about two-thirds of the Korean Peninsula at its height between the 7th and 9th centuries, for close to one thousand years. Later Silla was a prosperous and wealthy country, and its metropolitan capital of Gyeongju is believed to have been the fourth largest city in the world. A vast number of archaeological sites and cultural properties from this period remain in the city. Gyeongju is often referred to as "the museum without walls." Among such historical treasures, Seokguram grotto, Bulguksa temple, Gyeongju Historic Areas and Yangdong Folk Village are designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The many major historical sites have helped Gyeongju become one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Korea.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyeongju
Riomaggiore (Rimazùu in the local Ligurian language) is a village and comune in the province of La Spezia, situated in a small valley in the Liguria region of Italy. It is the first of the Cinque Terre one meets when traveling 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's Gulf of Genoa, with a small beach and a wharf framed by tower houses. Riomaggiore's main street is Via Colombo and numerous restaurants, bars & shops can be found on this street.
The Via dell'Amore is a path connecting Riomaggiore to its frazione Manarola, also part of the Cinque Terre.
Riomaggiore is the most southern village of the five Cinque Terre, all connected by trail. The water and mountainside have been declared national parks.
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HISTORY
1895 - W. Hamilton Beattie and A.R. Scott won a competition to design The Balmoral – known then as The North British Station Hotel (The N.B.) and owned by the North British Railway Company.
1902 - The hotel opened on 15 October 1902 as The North British Station Hotel – the only residential building ever erected on the south side of Princes Street – was pronounced one of the great railway hotels, described as a “free rendering of the renaissance period, linking the old Scottish architecture of the old town with the rather severe classical architecture of the new”. The hotel’s iconic clock was set three minutes fast, so that people wouldn’t miss their trains. This is still the case today. The only day that the clock runs on time is on 31st December (Hogmanay) for the city’s New Year celebrations.
1922 – The North British Railway Company became part of the London and North Eastern Railway Company and the hotel started blending and bottling its own whisky, wine and port.
1932 – In July, comedy duo Laurel and Hardy visited the North British Hotel as part of their visit to Edinburgh. Crowds gathered outside the hotel to catch a glimpse of the famous pair.
1947 - The railways were nationalised by British Rail, and the hotel employees became members of the National Union of Railwaymen.
1960s – Over the years a regular galaxy of film and sports stars, princesses and politicians, have posed for photographs by the hotel pillars. Celebrity visitors to the hotel include Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul and Linda McCartney.
1970s – The Queen Mother was a regular visitor to the hotel, where she liked to dine on plain roast lamb for lunch. Prime Ministers, Edward Heath and Harold Wilson, also visited.
1983 - British Rail sold The North British Station Hotel to The Gleneagles Hotel Company.
1988 - The hotel closed for a major refurbishment.
1990 - Balmoral International Hotels - an Edinburgh-based company - bought The North British Station Hotel, with the intention of making it a flagship hotel for a new luxury international hotel group.
1991 - In February the hotel reopened its doors to the public as The Balmoral Hotel, (Balmoral meaning “majestic dwelling” in Gaelic) following a £23-million refurbishment, recapturing its past splendour and majesty.
1997 – On 1st March Sir Rocco Forte purchased The Balmoral, which was the first hotel within his new Rocco Forte Collection.
2003 – In January, The Balmoral’s Executive Chef, Jeff Bland, was first awarded a coveted Michelin Star for culinary excellence in the hotel’s Number One restaurant.
2003 - In December, The Balmoral appointed Debbie Taylor, the first female General Manager in its 101-year history.
2004 – In March, the hotel completed a £7-million refurbishment programme. Olga Polizzi, Director of Building and Design at Rocco Forte Hotels, oversaw the complete refurbishment of the hotel, comprising its 188 bedrooms, The Sir Walter Scott Suite, seven further conference and banqueting suites, Hadrian's Brasserie, Number One restaurant and the lobby.
2005 – In March, The Balmoral launched its Bollinger Bar in the hotel’s Palm Court.
2007 – 11th January, J.K. Rowling finished writing ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ (the seventh and final instalment in the Harry Potter series) at the hotel. To mark the occasion, the author signed an antique bust in the room in which she stayed.
2007 – 1st March, The Balmoral celebrates 10 years as a Rocco Forte Hotel, also marking the 10-year anniversary of The Rocco Forte Collection.
2007 – 7th November, The Balmoral launched the chic and stylish Balmoral Bar after a complete refurbishment by Olga Polizzi.
2009 – Bedrooms on the 5th and 6th floor of The Balmoral are fitted with new Italian marble bathrooms with iconic Sean Connery prints.
2011 – In June, The Balmoral completes a soft refurbishment of its fourth floor bedrooms.
2011 – 7th October, The Balmoral’s fine-dining restaurant, Number One, retains its Michelin star for the 10th successive year.
2012 – In June, the Balmoral completes a soft refurbishment of the first, second and third floor bedrooms.
2012 – 15th October, The Balmoral celebrates its 110th Anniversary.
2013 – In September, The Balmoral launches SCOTCH – a new signature whisky bar.
2013 – In October, The Balmoral completes a full refurbishment of Palm Court.
2014 – In October, The Balmoral’s fine-dining restaurant, Number One, retains its Michelin star for the 13th successive year.
2015 – In January, The Balmoral completes a £200,000 refurbishment of Number One.
2017 – In October, The Balmoral completes a refurbishment of Castle Facing bedrooms.
2017 - Rocco Forte Hotels marks its 20th year, The Balmoral carries out a refresh of its castle view rooms along with an upgrade of the hotel’s J.K. Rowling Suite.
2018 - Brasserie Prince opens after a multi-million pound refurbishment of the hotel's bar and brasserie; the hotel's old town view rooms are refurbished including the Scone & Crombie suite, the hotel's presidential suite.
2019 - The hotel's Princes St view rooms are upgraded, along with the hotel's royal suite, the Glamis Suite.
www.roccofortehotels.com/hotels-and-resorts/the-balmoral-...
The site is unique, having no parallels in the Nile valley, and dates from the mid-3rd century BCE to the mid-4th century CE. It encompasses numerous archaeological remains, the main monuments of which are the ‘Great Enclosure’, the ‘Small Enclosure’, the Lion Temple and the Great Hafir. The Great Enclosure is one of the most monumental complexes in Sudan with a perimeter of 1200 metres.
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Built in the 1840's, the Palm House at Kew is considered the world's most important surviving Victorian iron and glass structure. It was designed to accommodate the exotic palms being collected and introduced to Europe in early Victorian times and now represents one of the most threatened habitats on earth. It is considered "the world's most important surviving Victorian glass and iron structure". The structure's panes of glass are all hand-blown. There are 16,000 panes of toughened glass, some of which are curved and very expensive. The palm house has the oldest potted plant in the world here, the Encephalartos altensteinii, since 1775. We also have two very old Dioon spinulosum, one male and one female, and a Brownea X crawfordii, all since 1889.
13. Many rare and threatened species grow in the Palm House including several palms endemic to tropical islands, such as Ravenea moorei, from Comoros, of which there are very few left in their natural habitat. Another critically endangered, very beautiful palm here is the Pelagadoxa henryana.
14. Currently our tallest Palm House plant is the Cuban royal palm (Roystonea regia) but some of the giant bamboo shoots often grow taller than this before being cut back.
December 28, 2018 - "The city of Petra, capital of the Nabataean Arabs, is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, it is Located 240 km south of the capital Amman and 120 km north of the red sea town of Aqaba (see the Map), Petra the world wonder is undoubtedly Jordan's most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction, and it is visited by tourists from all over the world.
It is not known precisely when Petra was built, but the city began to prosper as the capital of the Nabataean Empire from the 1st century BC, which grew rich through trade in frankincense, myrrh, and spices.
Petra was later annexed to the Roman Empire and continued to thrive until a large earthquake in 363 AD destroyed much of the city in the 4th century AD.
The earthquake combined with changes in trade routes, eventually led to the downfall of the city which was ultimately abandoned.
By the middle of the 7th century Petra appears to have been largely deserted and it was then lost to all except local Bedouin from the area.
In 1812 a Swiss explorer named Johannes Burckhardt set out to ‘rediscover’ Petra; he dressed up as an Arab and convinced his Bedouin guide to take him to the lost city, After this, Petra became increasingly known in the West as a fascinating and beautiful ancient city, and it began attracting visitors and continues to do so today.
Petra is also known as the rose-red city, a name it gets from the wonderful colour of the rock from which many of the city’s structures were carved.
The Nabataeans buried their dead in intricate tombs that were cut out of the mountain sides and the city also had temples, a theater, and following the Roman annexation and later the Byzantine influence, a colonnaded street and churches.
In addition to the magnificent remains of the Nabataean city, human settlement and land use for over 10,000 years can be traced in Petra, where great natural, cultural, archaeological and geological features merge.
On December 6, 1985, Petra was designated a World Heritage Site,, also Petra was chosen by the Smithsonian Magazine as one of the 28 places you should visit them before you die." Previous text from the following website: visitpetra.jo/Pages/viewpage.aspx?pageID=124
The Extension of the natural listing of a United Nations World Heritage property of Jungfrau - Aletsch - Bietschhorn (first inscribed in 2001), expands the site to the east and west, bringing its surface area up to 82,400 ha., up from 53,900. The site provides an outstanding example of the formation of the High Alps, including the most glaciated part of the mountain range and the largest glacier in Eurasia. It features a wide diversity of ecosystems, including successional stages due particularly to the retreat of glaciers resulting from climate change. The site is of outstanding universal value both for its beauty and for the wealth of information it contains about the formation of mountains and glaciers, as well as ongoing climate change. It is also invaluable in terms of the ecological and biological processes it illustrates, notably through plan succession. Its impressive landscape has played an important role in European art, literature, mountaineering and alpine tourism / Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe includes several restaurants and a permanent exhibition about the Jungfrau Railway and the Alps and the Ice Palace ‘s ice sculptures include vaulted rooms, birds, animals, penguins, people, automobiles, furniture, and even a bar. The palace is an amusing novelty and is worth visiting when you're on the Jungfraujoch. It also includes Europe's highest-altitude post office. An older building includes a research station / Jungfraujoch (German: "maiden saddle") is a saddle [the saddle between two hills (or mountains) is the region surrounding the highest point of the lowest point on the line tracing the drainage divide (the col) connecting the peaks] connecting two major 4000ers of the Bernese Alps: the Jungfrau and the Mönch. It lies at an elevation of 3,463 metres (11,362 ft) above sea level and is directly overlooked by the rocky prominence of the Sphinx. The Jungfraujoch is a glacier saddle, on the upper snows of the Aletsch Glacier, and part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, situated on the boundary between the cantons of Bern and Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Since 1912, the Jungfraujoch has been accessible to tourists by the Jungfrau line, a railway from Interlaken and Kleine Scheidegg, running partly underground through a tunnel through the Eiger and Mönch. The Jungfraujoch railway station, at an elevation of 3,454 metres (11,332 ft) is the highest in Europe. It lies east of the saddle, below the Sphinx station, and is connected to the Top of Europe building, which includes several panoramic restaurants, shops, exhibitions, and a post office. Several tunnels lead outside, where secured hiking trails on the crevassed glacier can be followed, in particular to the Mönchsjoch Hut. The normal route to the Jungfrau and Mönch starts from there. The Sphinx Observatory, one of the highest astronomical observatories in the world, provides an additional viewing platform at a height of 3,572 metres (11,719 ft), the second-highest in Switzerland. It can be reached by an elevator from the Jungfraujoch. The observatory houses one of the Global Atmosphere Watch's atmospheric research stations. The Jungfraujoch radio relay station, which is not accessible to the public, is installed west of the Jungfraujoch, on the Jungfrau ridge. It is Europe's highest radio relay station
The carvings of the semi circular stone slab were the same in every sandakada pahana. A half lotus was carved in the centre, which was enclosed by several concentric bands. The first band from the half lotus is decorated with a procession of swans, followed by a band with an intricate foliage design known as liyavel. The third band has carvings of four animals; elephants, lions, horses, and bulls. These four animals follow each other in a procession symbolizing the four stages in life: growth, energy, power and forbearance. The fourth and outermost band contains a carving of flames, usually interpreted as representing a fire altar.
This is the god Amseti, who appears here with a human head. He wears a tight fitting tunic/skirt, which was originally blue, with yellow "scales". A hooked beard partially covers his large Ousekh-necklace. In his left hand the god holds a was-sceptre, and his right holds the hand of Tanwetamani. (Hand-held camera, by torchlight)
Bridge or causeway to south gate of Angkor Thom. On each side are 54 stone figures engaged in the performance of a famous Hindu story: the myth of the Churning of the Ocean. On the left side of the moat, 54 'devas' (guardian gods) pull the head of the snake 'Shesha' while on the right side 54 'asuras' (demon gods) pull the snake's tail in the opposite direction. In this myth, the body of the snake is wrapped around the central mountain—Mt. Meru—perhaps corresponding here to the Bayon temple at the center of the site. In any case, the myth relates that as the Devas pulled the snake in one direction and the gods pushed in the other, the ocean began to churn and precipitate the elements.
Ku 16, Room B, east wall: This painting shows the ruler being led by the four sons of Horus: Imsety with a human head, monkey-headed Hapy, Qebehsenuef with a falcon head and Duamutef with a canine head. All wear wigs and face towards the entrance. (Hand-held camera, by torchlight)
December 28, 2018 - "The city of Petra, capital of the Nabataean Arabs, is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, it is Located 240 km south of the capital Amman and 120 km north of the red sea town of Aqaba (see the Map), Petra the world wonder is undoubtedly Jordan's most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction, and it is visited by tourists from all over the world.
It is not known precisely when Petra was built, but the city began to prosper as the capital of the Nabataean Empire from the 1st century BC, which grew rich through trade in frankincense, myrrh, and spices.
Petra was later annexed to the Roman Empire and continued to thrive until a large earthquake in 363 AD destroyed much of the city in the 4th century AD.
The earthquake combined with changes in trade routes, eventually led to the downfall of the city which was ultimately abandoned.
By the middle of the 7th century Petra appears to have been largely deserted and it was then lost to all except local Bedouin from the area.
In 1812 a Swiss explorer named Johannes Burckhardt set out to ‘rediscover’ Petra; he dressed up as an Arab and convinced his Bedouin guide to take him to the lost city, After this, Petra became increasingly known in the West as a fascinating and beautiful ancient city, and it began attracting visitors and continues to do so today.
Petra is also known as the rose-red city, a name it gets from the wonderful colour of the rock from which many of the city’s structures were carved.
The Nabataeans buried their dead in intricate tombs that were cut out of the mountain sides and the city also had temples, a theater, and following the Roman annexation and later the Byzantine influence, a colonnaded street and churches.
In addition to the magnificent remains of the Nabataean city, human settlement and land use for over 10,000 years can be traced in Petra, where great natural, cultural, archaeological and geological features merge.
On December 6, 1985, Petra was designated a World Heritage Site,, also Petra was chosen by the Smithsonian Magazine as one of the 28 places you should visit them before you die." Previous text from the following website: visitpetra.jo/Pages/viewpage.aspx?pageID=124
I traveled to India for the first time to present a keynote at the 3rd Global Conference on Emerging Trends for Business Librarianship, November 21-22, 2017 at the Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad, India. We did some sightseeing on our last day in India and visited the amazing Rani ki vav stepwell near Patan, north of Ahmedabad. I am so very glad that I made it here. From the Wikipedia page, "Rani ki vav, or Ran-ki vav (Queen’s step well) was constructed during the rule of the Chaulukya dynasty. It is generally assumed that it was built in the memory of Bhima I (r. c. 1022–1064) by his widowed queen Udayamati and probably completed by Udayamati and Karna after his death. A reference to Udayamati building the monument is in Prabandha Chintamani, composed by the Jain monk Merunga Suri in 1304 AD." The term vav is Gujarati for stepwell. Pictures from Thursday November 23, 2017.