The Kingda Ka

The builders of Kingda Ka (located at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey USA) had in mind nothing less than creating the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. And they did it: the construction broke every record at the time of its creation, in 2005 and continues to be the ultimate champion. It reaches the speed of 206 km/hour in just a matter of 3,5 seconds thanks to the hydraulic launch system. At the end of the track, the train goes up to a staggering height  of 139 meters from which there’s only one way: down! Passengers will get to see what it’s like at 1.67 G. and will even get to feel a moment of weightlessness.

As the ride lasts for approximately 28 seconds, the Kingda Ka receives about 1000 visitors per hour, being one of the main attractions of the park. However, things haven’t always gone so well. There have been numerous functioning problems quite from the start, problems that occured later also. Fortunately, no one was in the ride when the tests were made so, in the end, nobody got hurt. Moreover, recently the ride was hit by a lightning, which again gave a hard time to everyone at the park and spoiled the fun for thousands. Now the ride is back “on the market” and as safe as it could be, so feel free to try it!

The Top Thrill Dragster

This roller coaster was the absolute record-breaker at the time of its creation, also being the only stratacoaster. As the tagline, “Race for the sky”, suggests, height is no problem for the coaster, in fact, it’s all about height;  found in the Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio, it is equipped with four dual strobes for air-safety reasons. The coaster is 420 feet tall and the train can reach a speed of 120 miles/hour. All it takes is 3.8 seconds and then you get to experience negative G forces.

And as you do that you probably look quite funny; in order to show that to your friends you can buy the photo 3-4 minutes after the ride. A peculiar thing about this ride is represented by rollbacks, when the momentum given at first is not enough to take the train to the top of the “hill”. This happens usually because of wet weather, strong opposing winds or other conditions of this kind. The ride is specially equipped so that no one gets hurt, so the people have 2 choices: to ride again, witout waiting in a queue( which is fabulous for some as the launch is considered the best part of the ride) or to simply leave. On a few occasions the combination of forces made that the train stopped on the top of the hill, which is not something many are looking forward to.

Son of Beast

Located at Kings Island, in Mason, Ohio, the Son of Beast was built as a sequel to “The Beast”. It soon entered all the roller coaster tops, being the tallest wooden ride in the world. Another attraction point was the vertical loop, which was one of a kind for a wooden ride. However, after an incident in 2006 when 26 people got injured, the loop was taken out of the circuit, even if it hadn’t been its fault. The ride holds numerous records, including the one for the fastest wooden roller coaster and also for the tallest of its kind at a height of 218 feet.

What is also interesting about this ride is the advertising campaign and the image created for it. As you enter the ride you will be surprised to see a box tied with chains from which you can hear growling noises as if a creature was trying to escape from it. This idea was later used in other places as well, but in a slightly different form. However, because of an incident in which a woman claimed to have suffered an injury because of the ride, even though nothing was found to be wrong with it, it was decided to keep it closed for the rest of the 2009 season.

Superman

Superman is located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio Texas and holds the record for the tallest vertical loop(44 meters). Superman is a floorless roller coaster, also being the fastest in the park as it can reach 70 miles per hour. The coaster is now fully functional and can receive an estimated 1600 people per hour. In 2010 some painting work is planned and people are also wondering if Superman will also receive a sound system symilar to others.

Even though the second part of the ride is not as spectacular and doesn’t cause the same adrenaline rush as the first one, it will definitely worth trying this particular ride. There are definitely some details the builders are using in order to make the scare one to remember: firstly the straps are not the ones you may be used to. Even though they are just as safe as any other (no incident is related to Superman), they offer a sensation of not being tied, which can be enough to scare the most. But this is what makes a ride unforgetable, after all.

Viper

Even though it was surclassed by Superman when it comes to the tallest loop, this coaster, found at the Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Clifornia, it is still favoured by many ride enthusiasts. At a height of 57 meters(188 ft) and a length of 1170 meters(3830 ft), it reaches the maximum speed of 70 mph(110 km/h). It definitely received a lot of people looking for some new sensations as was openned in 1990, making it somewhat of a veteran, especially as it still manages to compete with much “younger” coasters.

More than being visited by thousands of people, the Viper has also been the used during the filming of three movies: Encino Man, True Romance and Space Cowboys. Some new coasters were built in the park, thus taking away  the crown of the most extreme ride of the park, but the viper still alltracts tens of thousands of parkgoers. One of the main problems was related to the straps as they caused headaches. After the ride was reconditionned it seems that the situation has definitely changed for the best.

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The Northern Lights, or more scientifically the Aurora Borealis( Aurora was the Roman goddess of the dawn, while the word “boreal” means “north” in Latin) have captivated people’s imagination since the beginning of history as they were totally different from anything encountered by them before. This gave birth to numerous myths as the people of the time were trying as much as possible to give an explanation to the phenomenon; as usually, they turned to religion and created some of the most beautiful legends.

The Inuit people of Alaska believed that the lights were the spirits of the animals they hunted; the Chinese thought that they were fighting dragons; the Eskimos believed that they were signs of the dead trying to contact friends and families and last but not least, the Vikings considered them to be reflections of dead maidens. Now, in Iceland it is still believed that if a preganant woman gazes the lights, her child will be cross-eyed.

But as beautiful as these legends may be, what does science have to say about the phenomenon? The Sun is the key; at certain times erruptions take place on the solar surface, erruptions also known as “solar flares”. They release into space large amounts of charged particles in what is known as solar wind. These particles enter The Earth’s magnetic field and are then guided along the lines around the poles. Somewhere between 60 and 400 miles, in the ionosphere, the particles strike the gases found there, which causes them to glow. Oxygen usually causes the lights to be red and green – which is also the most common-, while the nitrogen causes them to become violet. This is how the Northern Lights appear.

There are several places where the mysterious lights can be seen and all of them require extremely warm clothes and in some cases special equipment. These places are: the northern part of Greenland, the Scandinavian coast, Siberia, Iceland, Alaska (in Fairbanks you can witness the lights for 260 days per year). There is also the phenomenon called Aurora Australis in the southern part of the globe, but even though it can be witnessed in some countries (Argentina, New Zealand, Australia) its main spectators are usually… the penguins from Antarctica.

In order to add this experience to your list, it is best to try and reach these locations from October to March. In the rest of the year it is quite difficult to see the Aurora Borealis. Moreover, pick a place somewhere in the countryside as the city lights may be more powerful than the natural lights, thus making the experience useless and much less impressive. Also prepare to be patient: it usually takes some time until the light appear, and when they do, it only happens for 2 to 10 minutes, so be ready to taste every second of it!

Even though in Alaska and Canada there are numerous places where the Northern Lights can be seen with the naked eye, it is highly advisable to have binoculars or other instruments in other locations in order to enjoy the entire beauty of the phenomenon. Also pick a night when the moon is hardly noticeable as a full moon can spoil the entire show. The best hours for watching the lights are between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., when they are the brightest. Now, that you know this tips all you have to do is pick a special tour, as there are many dedicated entirely to watching the Northern Lights; some of them might be a bit spicy in price, but they will definitely worth the effort.

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Pyramids in Italy? You might say that I am misinformed. Even though the Italic Peninsula has definitely had its share of  great civilisations throughout history, none of them created such constructions. However, nature decided to fix this, and so it gave birth to the Ritten pyramids. However, the name of “pyramids” is somewhat misleading. In fact, what you can see here is a group of stalagmite-shaped columns, many of them having a rock placed on top of them in what might seem a precarious balance. The landscape is just splendid as the site is located in the South Tyrol, next to the picturesque village of Ritten, so there are a lot of reasons to visit this place. But what is its story and what is it exactly?

The columns were many times associated to the image of a group of young ladies wearing hats. But what the researchers wanted to discover is who or what exactly lead to the apparition of these curious miracles of nature. Their story has begun during  the Ice Age. 10000 years ago, when the glaciers retreated, numerous materials created by the errosion remained there in a thick layer. Then it was water’s turn to intervene: especially the water from precipitations erroded the layer of clay, thus creating the columns. Those having a rock on top of them survived the “attack”, as the rock acted as an umbrella.

The protection role of the stones is still to be seen today: if a pyramid loses its stone, then it will be erroded in no time. It is a process of continuous evolution: the climate destroys some pillars whilst others are created by the rain. This will continue until no more clay will be left for the apparition of some new pyramids. So there is a very likely chance that future generations will not have the opportunity to see them in reality, but only in photographs. But, until then, the pyramids still attract a large number of tourists and specialists from all around the world.

Earth pyramids are not a very common view, but they can be found in several places in the world, thus receiving different names; in Italy they are called “the earth mushrooms” or “the dwarfs” while in the French Alps they are called “les demoiselles coiffées”. The tallest such column reaches 40 meters in height so, even if they were not made to hold for a very long time, the columns are still impressive in their own way.

So, if you get to Italy, you should definitely try to see this location. Since 1907, when the railway was completed, the area has become accessible to practically everyone. Since 1971 travellers can also benefit from  a paved road, especially designed for this purpose. Among the famous visitors of the pyramids you can count Sigmund Freud and Franz Kafka. If you are not quite familiar with the Italian language, you should know that most of the 7000 people living in the area are of German descent. In fact, Ritten is the German name of the village, its Italian name being Renon. So, now you know what to look for on the map; the next step is no to let this voyage take place just in your imagination!

Sculpture: Constantin Brâncuşi’s sculptures at Tirgu Jiu

The Romanian artist was voted one of the most important creators of his time, his works, such as Madame LR, being sold for no less than almost 30  million euros. Many of these works of art are now part of private collections, so there are plenty of them most of us can’t have access to. However, there is hope left for the ones fascinated by modern art: if you live in Romania or come here as a tourist and get the chance to visit Tirgu Jiu, all you have to do is… take a walk in the park. You will get the chance to see the world-famous sculptural ensemble which includes The Endless Column, The Kiss Gate and The Table of Silence, all of them simple as composition but strong as symbolism.

The Silence Table, for example, surrounded by 12 chairs, represents the table at which combatants would sit before a battle. Almost 30-meter tall, the Endless Column was dedicated by the creator to the soldiers who had died in 1916 during The First World War. Later, the communists planned to get rid of the monument because it didn’t fit to the art promoted by the party; fortunately, their plans remained just plans. Now, after being restaurated, the column still dominates the surroundings. The Kiss gate, through its shape, was created to suggest the triumph of life over death, thus the three sculptures suggesting the same message and state of mind.

Painting: Salvador Dali Museum at St. Petersburg, Florida

There are very few people who have never heard of both the art and excentricity of the great Spanish artist. And out of them there are even fewer who could say that they are not fascinated by the surrealist images that seem to come straight out of our wildest and yet personal dreams. This is why the museum, which has the biggest and diverse collection of paintings and drawings belonging to the artist (together with the one in Spain), is always filled with tourists. They can get the chance to see “in flesh” 96 original oil paintings and more than 1300 other creations of Dali, ranging from simple sketches, to Cubist and of course, Surrealist masterpieces.

The museum hosts special exhibitions, taking into consideration everything that could be related to Salvador Dali, in order to provide a complex image of what he really meant for the world. Gems, drawings, famous paintings such as Girl with curls, Portrait of Gala or Self-portrait, all these will stimulate any art lover to spend an entire afternoon here, together with others having the same passion as them. In fact, 6 out of 10 tourists come from abroad and in total a few million people have come to the museum so far.

Architecture: La Sagrada Familia by Gaudi

It is definitely his masterpiece and one of the most famous architectural monuments in the world. Gaudi was indeed a genius who revolutionised architecture with his way of perceiving shapes. But even for a gifted man like he was, the cathedral was a true challenge as he worked at its project for 43 years! The entire construction is filled with symbols, all of them related to the Christian world. The details are also truly amazing: originally there had to be 18 spears: 4 for the sacred family, 12 for the apostles; the tallest had to represent Christ.

Unfortunately, Gaudi died in 1926 giving room to a lot of controversy: should the cathedral be finished the way it is believed that the architect wanted it to be or should someone else innovate and bring a new light to it? The question remains while the cathedral is still waiting for an outcome. Until then tens of thousands of people, both specialists or simple beauty-lovers come every year to pay homage to one of the most amazing religious buildings in the world. The cathedral changed everything: now all roads lead to Barcelona.

Music: the Vienna State Opera

The Vienna State Opera is considered by most to be one of  the best concert location in the world. To begin with, it is the oldest in the German-speaking countries as it was built between 1863 and 1869. Numerous performances took place since then until the Second World War dramatically affected it . The stage and about 150.000 costumes were destroyed then, thus giving a great shock to the cultural life of the time. Fortunately, the opera was reopened in 1955 and continues to attract numerous music-lovers all over the world.

Now the opera offers tours, courses of ballet, opera and also special opera shows for children so as to wake their taste for art early. 50 operas and 15 ballets are performed each year during the 300 days, which is how much the season lasts. Now the opera employs about 1000 people, while the budget for 2008 reached 100 million euros, half of which were offered by the state. So, if you really feel like going to a show you are definitely not going to forget, give it a try even if it’s not your type of music. You won’t be disappointed!

Literature: China Modern Literature Museum

Few people may know that the biggest building in the world dedicated exclusively to literature is located in China. The purpose of the building is to bring together and preserve modern literary works, being the most important primary resource in the country. The museum includes several halls dedicated to research, documents or academic exchange, halls that can be used by the people who need a better understanding of literature. However, the museum is far from being a huge silent library: numerous events are taking place here all the time such as speeches, exhibitions and gatherings.

The museum doesn’t have only books however; numerous other exhibits and collections can be found here and the numbers speak for themselves: 300,000 collected items, among them 170,ooo books, 2,100 kinds and 90,ooo copies of magazines, 142 kinds of newspapers, 10,970 handwritten manuscripts, 8,282 photographs, 7,887 letters, 453 taped recordings, 773 videos and 2,959 cultural artifacts. Moreover, numerous works of art decorate the space, creating the perfect atmosphere to lose yourself in the world of modern Chinese literature.

Dance: The Bolshoi Theatre

The Bolshoi Theatre is a  historic building in Moskow, the home of one of the biggest companies of ballet and opera in the world and also of one of the most influential schools of ballet, whose representations are still highly appreciated both by connoisseurs and simple amateurs of art. It was founded in 1776 by emperess Catherine the Great and has functionned in the same building since 1825. Since then the ballet has become more and more complex, after Stalin’s death also gaining international acclaim thanks to tours all around the world.

This year the original building is also to be reopened after being consolidated and renovated as 75 % of its strcture had become unstable. About 495 million euros were invested for this purpose, but it was definitely worth the effort: now, famous works, such as The Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty or The Nutcracker are to be played again in the original location, where the legend of the Russian ballet was born.

Movies: Bollywood

India has started to produce movies about 100 years ago and still produces more films than any other country every year. Even though the quality of some movies has been disputed by critics, many managed to succeed on the international movie industry. The movies produced here have a special vibe as most of them include numerous scenes of dancing and singing and colorful traditional costumes. At first, the movies were highly conservative, the female performers being covered by their clothes from head to toes. Now, the situation has started to change, English also starting to be used in the dialogues.

Now there are numerous tours that can take you to film studios to see exactly how the movies are made and how the actors work. For example, you can see the Noida and Mumbai film city or festivals dedicated to the seventh art. You can even meet one of the true legends of the movie industry in India, these actors being as famous there as Johnny Depp or Charlize Theron in USA or Europe. It will definitely worth taking a shot as now Indian movies grow in value year after year and have extended to cover practically every genre and theme.

The perfection of the sphere has fascinated generations and generations of scientists and artists together; and this is far from being a new phenomenon. Our ancestors seem to have had the same admiration towards it, so they recreated it in such an extraordinary manner that we are still surprised to this day. It is the case of the stone spheres in Costa Rica, the best-known megalithic creations in the area.

Also known as Las Bolas or The Diquis Spheres(because they are located in the Diquis Delta), they were of the  discovered in the 1930′s while the jugle was being cleared in order to make room for plantations. The workers deteriorated and even destroyed many of them while moving the spheres or while trying to discover a treasure inside of them, animated by movies and legends. Predictably, there was no gold inside of them. Fortunately, the authorities intervened and saved what was left, also restoring the affected spheres and sending them to museums.

The spheres were discovered next to pottery belonging to the Aguas Buenas culture, but also next to much older artifacts, so they could have been created any time between 200 BC and 1500 AD. The dating difficulties are also given by the fact that the speheres are not in their original place any more. Many of them decorate important buildings now or can be seen in museums such as the one in San Jose. Two of them were taken to US, one being in Washington and another one at Harvard.

There are over 300 stone spheres that have been discovered so far, ranging from a few centimeters in diameter to 2 meters and a weight of 16 tons. Several types of rock were used for their creation, but most were sculpted in gabbro, a rock similar to granite. No unfinished spheres were discovered so far, this letting room for a lot of hypotheses, many of them being identical to a sci-fi scenario. It was even claimed that the spheres were absolutely perfect, up to a milimetric scale. The truth is however less fascinationg: the spheres may have been made with a high degree of accuracy, but they are not perfect.

Some claim that the spheres were made in Atlantis, others that nature itself is responsible for the creations, while the alien version (far from being a surprise) seems to be the most popular. The ones who support the theory claim that such detail at such a scale could not have been created without some modern technology like the laser, especially as the rock is quite tough. However, archaeologists proved that the rock can be modelled by applying chilled water and hot coals for example, then polishing being enough to reach the desired shape.

What no one knows for sure is why they were created. Originally, they were arranged in allignments that were destroyed as the spheres were moved, so it is believed that their purpose was religious. As the colonists arrived, their legacy ended and the spheres were forgotten until the 20th century.  Now they seem to sparkle much more interest being considered some priceless artifacts that have to be protected as even taken away from their place, they still hold a mysterious air.

Tuthankamun’s tomb

Tutankhamun’s tomb is probably the best-known in the world, maybe because of the fascination people will always  for the Egyptian culture. Moreover, the treasure hidden in it has sparkled our imagination since  Howard Carter found it in 1922 and is still considered to be one of the biggest archaeological discoveries ever made, especially as the tomb was almost intact.

Tutankhamun ruled Egypt form the age of 9 for 10 years and the cause of his death is still a mystery. Some reasearchers believe thst he was murdered, possibly because he had grown up and had started to impose his own will in the political affairs.

After the death of the young pharaoh the tomb remained almost untouched for a very long period of time until its discovery. The treasure, which comprised numerous objects of cult, most of them made of gold and other precious materials, its value being appreciated at about 650 million $. The most famous is definitely the mortuary mask, which is still considered iconic for the Egyptian culture.

The mainstream culture profited from the myth of the curse that is said to affect anyone entering in contact with the tomb or the treasure, some bizarre deaths and accidents being related to it, even if most of them have a less interesting explanation. In order to get a taste of the treasure yourself there is a possibility that you might see some items of it in your own country as tours have been organised in countries such as: USA, Germany or the UK.
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Lenin’s mausoleum

Now we move further to another very well known ruler and also much more controversial, Vladimir Lenin, whose embalmed body can be seen by visitors since 1924. After the dictator’s death about 10,000 letters were received, all demanding for the preservation of the body. The task was completed but another one followed: a tomb had to be built in order to allow the people to say good bye to the ruler. The Red Square was the chosen place and the construction was finished immmediately. As the visitors’ number reached 100,000 it was decided to enlarge the tomb.

Moreover, in 1929 it was established that the body could be preserved for a lot more time, by keeping it at a certain temperature and humidity and by using special chemicals, a new sarcophagus also being designed. Until 1972 more than 10 million people came to see the tomb.

For its importance, the body was moved during the German invasion in order to be safe, but it was returned after the war. For some time, Stalin’s preserved body was kept next to Lenin’s but then it was buried during the de-Stalinization process. Now you can visit the site without paying a fee; you will have to wait in a long queue however and follow the rules, which are quite strict, especially as the tomb is carefully guarded.

Emperor QIN SHIHUANG’s tomb

This is another megalomaniac wonder, created by one of the most powerful rulers in the world in order to remain immortal, at least in the collective memory. There are few people who haven’t heard of the emperor’s Terracotta army, an incredible work of art meant to accompany the ruler in his afterlife in the mortuary complex which spreads on about 52 square kilometres.. The tomb dates from 221 B.C. and is located at the foot of the Li Mountain. No entrances or exists were found and it is known that in order to keep the secret of the tomb, Qin ordered that the workers would be buried alive inside.

This is just one example of how cruel the emperor proved to be; even though he brought peace to the Chinese, he also ordered that all the books would be burnt. Many Confucians were also killed for their belief and fear was a common feeling among the people.

In his las years the ruler became obsessed with finding immortality, taking large amounts of mercury for that purpose, which eventually killed him. Feeling that death was not far away he ordered the creation of the terracotta army, which is amazing in its realism and dimensions, more than 8000 soldiers, horses and chariots serving the emperor in his afterlife.

Edgar Allan Poe’s grave

Edgar Allan Poe must be one of the most important and influential writers in the world. His dark, mystical creations inspired thousands of other works of art, not to mention readers all around the world. It would not be an exaggeration to say that there is a real personality cult dedicated to Poe, both as a writer and a man. A lot of mysteries are related to the end of his life: firstly the cause of his death is still an unsolved problem for the researchers who still have a lot to figure out. However, there are plenty of theories, varying from alcoholism and delirium tremens to rabies and syphilis.

But what makes this grave so special? Well, there is a legend related to it that has attracted a lot of attention since the beginning. Every year, a stranger wouuld show up nat the grave and leave there three red roses and a bottle of cognac, which was the author’s favourite. The man would show up dressed in black and with his face covered by a scarf and a hat. Vigils were organised in many years and the stranger continued to show up, the same mystic ritual taking place every year. The identity of the man remained a mystery, even if new claims seem to prove that there wasn’t a lot of mysticism in the happening. But mystery or not, the grave still attracts a lot of people coming to leave a homage to the man who changed the world in his own particular way.

Autumn is that time of the year when you realise that the holiday’s over and that it’s time to get down to some serious work. No more sandy beaches, tropical islands or other sunny locations. However, the fact that the weather has got colder and that you can practically smell the winter doesn’t mean that travelling is over (of course, as long as maoney and time allows it); in fact, autumn offers great new opportunities at smaller prices as not every tourist knows where to go and what it is that can be done in this season. So let’s begin an autumnal journey!

Germany

Even though for most the tourist season is over in September, there is still a whole lot to do if you come later in this country even if the weather might play some tricks on you. If you’re lucky enough you might enjoy sunny days and a blue sky and also the harvesting time, which is something not to be missed.

First of all, starting October the prices start to drop dramatically, at plane tickets and also when it comes to accomodation, souvenir shops and restaurants. Got your attention already? Well, there is a lot more. For music lovers it’s going to be a true delight: the opera and classical music venues, all begin their activity now.

If you’re looking for some fun you should definitely try going to a wine festival (they are usually called “Federweissen”); here, you will witness manifestations dedicated to wine, as the name says, but you will also get the chance to enjoy local dishes.

Some examples are the Glorious Rheingau days, which take place in the Rhine Valley or Stuttgart Wine Village, which starts earlier at the beginning of September. But as much as the new wine might cheer you up don’t forget to bring warm clothes and also be prepared for a shorter programme in most facilities.

China

You may have never thought about visiting China in the autumn, but this is also a perspective definitely worth taking into consideration. Again “festival” is the word of the day; some festivals, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival (also called the Moon Festival) are 2000-year old, since the old times when emperors would pray for a good harvest and bring sacrifices to the moon for this purpose.

On this occasion you can enjoy the famous “moon cakes”, specially created for this festival by using carefully-selected ingredients that will make this culinary experience an unforgettable one.

Secondly, you may enjoy what nature has to offer in China. As an example, you can enjoy autumn’s red leaves at Beijing Fragrant Mountain in  late October. Then, in order to feast your eyes and also put yourself to the test physically you could try and climb The Yellow Mountain (Huangshan).

The view is absolutely breathtaking, so it will be easy to understand why it has inspired so many painters. However, again don’t forget about the warm clothes a s a serious cold is the last thing you need!

France

France is another country filled with autumn attractions really worth taking advantage of. For the romantic in you, but not only, enjoying the colors of the leaves and watching them fall is just the right thing to do. There are several places where you can do this such as the lovely city of Strasbourg with its gardens and parks and also the Loire Valley, where the landscape’s beauty is doubled by the presence of the chateaux.

Even though a little less known, Montsegur, a place close to the Pyrenees, is one of the best places in the world to watch the fall foliage, especially from the top of Mount Pog.

If you have no problem with unpredictable weather changes then you should have no second thoughts about going to France. You can benefit from very good bargains, both related to transport and activities and you will also spend less time waiting in queues – so, if you’re not a fan of the crowd…

Moreover, there are numerous wine festivals, which are not to be missed in this country. An example is Limoux, a southern city, where you can taste the new wine in one of the numerous vineyards.

USA – Yellowstone

Even though this country has definitely a lot to offer in any season, this particular location is one that could keep one busy for an entire autumn. The park offers some very good accomodation in charming and also luxurious cabins, but you will not spend a lot of time here as the site practically invites you to go out.

If you decide to come here, then this will also be a good occasion to find out a thing or two about the protection programmes taking place in order to save the rare species of animals from here.

And talking about animals, you may have very good chances to see some of them, especially as the crowd is gone. Moreover, the landscape, now colored by the fall foliage, should definitely worth the time and money. An idea is to try horseback riding, which is offered at the park; it is a relaxing and comfortable solution for taking a look around.

And, in order to bring some energy to your trip, pay a visist to the Old Faithful, the best-known geyser in the area, which never disappoints the visitors, offering the same “show” without ever being late.

Every time we find ourselves unable to explain something, more than feeling powerless we feel fascinated and attracted to that particular something. This is also the case of the strange  beautiful megaliths that can be found all around the world and whose history is still an open case. There are more types of monoliths: firstly, there are the menhirs, a term used for the first time in  France ( in Breton men=long, hir=stone) that refers to huge stone pillars erected long time ago by ancient civilizations. The dolmens on the other hand, include 2 or more such pillars, supporting another one placed on top of them and which may have been used as tombs. Moreover, there are also numerous temples and similar constructions made of stone that still manage to sparkle our imagination even nowadays. If you’ve ever been attracted by these stone giants or have some interest for them, here’s where you should go.

United Kingdom

It is the place where the most famous stones in the world are hosted: the Stonehenge. This setting includes 4 circles that are made out of rocks as tall as 6 meters and as heavy as 50 tons. The mystery is very complex: firstly it’s hard to explain how people could transport such giants 5000 years ago from a couple of hundreds of kilometers away.

Secondly, the purpose of the setting is still to be unveiled; various explanations exist, from time measuring and the purpose of a burial and religious site to alien involvement an strange magic rituals. The history of the site is closely connected to the druids, an ancient population that existed long before the Romans arrived, but many questions are still to be answered. Now the place is protected as visitors started to threaten the integrity of the stones as they either wanted a souvenir or they wanted to leave a mark of their passing.

But the Stonehenge is far from being the only place to find megaliths in the UK; in fact, this country is one of the richest in such constructions in the world. The menhirs and the dolmens all have their special names and histories, but the most interesting are the legends behind them. As an example, the Crousa menhirs, close to the town called Mullion, are said to return to the spot during the night if ever taken from there.

The sites are spread all over the country and it’s really worth checking out the less-known megaliths especially because of the tranquility they can transmit, away from a maddening crowd of tourists trying to get a better look. For more information you can enter here and choose a location.

France

This country is also famous worldwide because of the giant stones turned into monuments by the ancient peoples. The most famous of all the sites in France is definitely Carnac, where more than 3000 stones have been erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany. They may be as old as 6500 years and the site definitely holds another record: it is the biggest of its kind known so far.

But if historians haven’t found all the explanations so far for the density of the stones, a Christian legend claims that the rocks were soldiers pursuing Pope Cornelius and that they were turned like this by him. Like in the case of Stonehenge, the public proved to be very interested in the site, but protection measures were needed in order to preserve it the way it is. However, organized tours can get access to Carnac, so you can enjoy the experience.

Other sites are just as interesting: an example is Filitosa, located in  Corsica. The menhirs are remarkably well preserved and what’s surprising about them is the fact that they were sculpted so as to have human characteristics. France has also managed to break a few records: Le Grand Menhir Brise measures 20 metres and 300 tonnes, having been for a long time one of the biggest in Europe. Now it’s unfortunately fallen and scientists are still puzzled by the means used to transport the giant stone a few thousands of years ago.

Sweden

Even though they are not just as famous as the sites in UK or France, the ones in Sweden are just as interesting and if you get to travel to this country you should try and visit them, you won’t have anything to regret an you should meet no difficulties, except maybe for the attempts to pronounce their names.

This time, the stones are related to the viking history, many times serving as burial places, the most famous being the stone ships. The dead were all burnt at the time and over the place where the ashes were put to rest a stone was to be erected.

Two such settings you can choose are Gettlinge and Hulterstad. In Gettlinge, numerous artifacts were discovered, giving a good idea of how life was at the time and also of how advanced people really were from a technological and cultural point of view. The site is also protected because of the numerous species of rare plants, some species being true relicts that can be found only here. The situation is similar in Hulterstad, the site being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Argentina

Now we leave the old European continent for a trip into South America as the megalithic art seems to be far from singular in the world. In fact, the entire South America is filled with such constructions, some of them being amongst the most impressive in the world. In Argentina there are numerous menhirs, many of them sculpted in a manner characteristic to the populations that inhabited the region in the past. One of the best places to see them is called Parque los Menhires which  is accessible to tourists all around the world.

The site includes about 117 menhirs, some of them sculpted so as to make them look like human faces or like animals. The blocks of stone were moved from their original places and collected here, which unfortunately made them lose some of their initial meaning. However, tourists can still enjoy the beauty of the stones, all concentrated in a single place. The blocks were estimated to be older than 2000 years and many of them have an impressive size, their sculptures giving them a mysterious air. The site is open every day, and the entrance is 3 pesos, a small price for a high reward.

Egypt

Few other places hosted a civilization as advanced culturally and scientifically as Egypt and that is also proved by the megalithic constructions that can be seen all around the country. Millions of tourists are attracted every year by the beauty and magnificence of some of the most impressive man-made sites, the result of tens of years of continuous work of entire generations. In no other country were the gods or the kings offered such megalomaniac proves of obedience like here.

One of the most impressive sites must definitely be Karnak, the temple built here being the biggest religiously-purposed building in the world. The temple was dedicated to the “god of the gods” Amon Ra and its goal was to make people feel small and totally insignificant in comparison to the power of the god. The temple definitely met its goal as even now tourists stare in awe at the huge columns that seem impossible to move, even using today’s cranes. Even though the name of Karnak is immediately associated with the one of the temple, there are also constructions dedicated to other gods here.

Tourists can feast their eyes with numerous paintings and scultpures, many portraying gods’ life or aspects from the pharaoh’s existence. The sanctuary, where the god’s statue was kept, was a holy place and priests had to shave their heads and bodies and also wash three times every day in order to purify before entering there. The other people were not allowed to enter the temple and they could only see the god’s statue once a year at a special holiday. The temple was built in such a manner so that the sun’s  light would create a special atmosphere that is still kept even now when religious rituals don’t take place here any more.

Another place worth visiting is the double representation of the pharaoh Amenhotep III called the Colossi of Memnon. The two giant statues were built about 3400 years ago and now they are quite damaged, however not less impressive. The eastern colossus was claimed to “sing”, the ones who heard the noise produced by it being struck by luck after that. Even Strabo claimed to have heard it, but the exact origin of the sound it is not known. Since then, the sound hasn’t been heard, maybe because the colossus was repaired.

Russia

Russia is not exactly the first location that comes into your mind whan you think about megaliths. However, if you happen to visit this country you have the opportunity to see some very interesting dolmens, different from anything they could have witnessed before and yet very similar to others from other regions of Europe. The dolmens cover the Western Caucasus, are made of very large stones and usually present a hole in their walls. Many of the dolmens were used as tombs, archaeologists discovering artifacts and human remains here. However, they were unable to find out who exactly built them and what happened to them.

One interesting site is on the coast of the Black Sea in the Krasnodar area, near Gelendzhik. Here, other items were found as well – big stone balls and animal sculptures. The dolmens were considered to have magical powers and to be some kind of gates between worlds, so the people would often leave offerings here.

Some of the ancient traditions are still kept today, especially the ones that are said to help increase fertility. Unfortunately, vandalism affected the dolmens severely, and if measures will not be taken fast, there is the risk of losing these ancient remains before the other generations will get to see them.

Lebanon

The most famous location to see in this country in order to taste a piece of history is Baalbek, a town situated at the altitude of 1170 m. Numerous cultures interacted and made the place what it is now: the point where cultures mixed and left traces of their common existence. The first human settings appeared here about 5000 years ago, the first temple dedicated by the Phoenicians to their god Baal (who also gives the name of the site) being built in 2000 b.c. Later, when Alexander the Great conquered the place, its name became Heliopolis, “The city of the sun”. Then, the city became a Roman colonia, numerous temples being built for most of the gods.

The temples remained to this day, blocks bigger than 100 tons being used for their construction. How they were built remained quite a mistery for some time until modern experiments proved that by using ancient cranes even such giants could be moved, even if the move required a lot of people.

Now the place is a World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO. The most impressive are the three huge stones from the temple of Jupiter Baal, known as Trilithon, which are the biggest ever used in an ancient construction. The stones weigh each about 800 tons and maybe this is why numerous people believe aliens had something to do with the constructions.

Bolivia

Bolivia is the place to find the constructions left by another ancient civilization of the world. And one of the most famous sites is Tiwanaku (also known as Tihuanaco  or Tihuanacu), where ancient temples were left up to this day to puzzle scientists. The first time the site was recorded 1549, when it was discovered by the conquistadors.

The name of the place is believed to come from the ancient word taypiqala , meaning “stone in the center” because of the belief that it was the centre of the world. The architecture of the Tihuanaco is characterized by an extraordinary craftsmanship not to be seen in many other places.

The blocks match perfectly with each other, even though they sometimes weigh over 100 tonnes. Many antropomorphic, but also puma heads are to be seen, giving an insight into the spiritual life of the population who lived there. However, many things could not be clarified as this people had no written language whatsoever. Their main activity was agriculture and this also caused their collapse: once the food source dried up, so did the civilization. Now the site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and both scientists and tourists can enjoy a sunrise at the Gateway of the Sun.

Easter Island

The island is also known as Rapa Nui or Isla de Pascua, as it was discovered in 1722 in a Easter Sunday. It is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world, the closest coast being the one of Chile. Even though not very large, the island has a very complex history that includes many tragedies.

The inhabitants fought with each other, lead the environment into collapse and also faced slavery, all before they disappeared. What makes the island famous worldwide is the discovery of numerous human statues made of giant stones, many of which wore hats.

It is again very difficult to explain how the stones were transported, and also their purpose, even if most scholars believe it to be religious. Again, the aliens were involved in the story as the biggest statue had about 70 tonnes, which is not at all negligeable;  but it seems that ancient techniques may have been sufficient to finish the job.

The monuments are called “moai” and their strange physionomy has puzzled scientists ever since, thus giving way to new theories. About 887 moai have been discovered and it seems that they also has colored eyes made of coral, which started to be recreated. Now the site is protected, a tourist who wanted to take a souvenir being fined 17,000$.

The Athos Mountain

Even though not impressive necessarily through its height (2.033 m), this mountain has become renown worldwide because of the intense spiritual life related to it. The mountain is situated in the northern part of Greece on a peninsula carrying the same name and is currently the place where 20 important orthodox monastaries can be found along with other smaller places for prayer. The region is independent from an administrative point of view, being organised as a monastic state. In modern Greek, its name, Άγιοv Όρος means “holy mountain” and even since early history people have been attracted by this place and considered it different from any other.

In Antiquity the Greeks built here temples for their most important gods and also an impressive statue of Apollo, which was famous at the time. There was also an oracle on the mountain, one that was visited by people all around the country. Later, as Christianity spread all around Europe, the churches’ existence started to be menaced by the Ottoman Empire. However, numerous contributions from orthodox countries such as Vallachia or Moldavia helped the monastaries continue their activities; in fact, contributing to their wellfare was a true honor for the rulers of the time. In 1912, after the first war in the Balcans Russia showed its intention of spreading control on the peninsula as a protector of Christianity. However, the place remained part of Greece and gained its administrative independence after WWI. Now, life here is undisturbed by political affaires.

A particularity of the place, which has fascinated people for quite some time is the fact that women are by no means allowed to enter the monastaries; not even animal females are allowed here and the rules are very strict. Many times, women tried to break the rules, sometimes by dressing up as men, but the punishment was severe. This tradition caused an outcry among the feminist groups, but no change is to happen. This happens because the mountain is considered “The Garden of the Virgin Mary”, thus being dedicated to her. As a result, no other woman is allowed to step here. So, if you are a man and want to go on a truly unforgetable pilgrinage, then you can choose this location. The main language spoken here is the Greek, but Russian, Bulgarian, Romanian and others as well are spoken according to the origin of the monks. However, English has also statted to be used more, so you should face no problems from this point of view.

Mount Fuji

This mountain is probably one of the most famous from all over the world for more reasons, but one of the most important, for its spiritual importance. The volcano is the tallest in Japan (3776 m) and is located on the Honshu island, in the northern part of the Izu Peninsula. Its last erruption took place in 1707 and since then nothing else has happened. Fuji is still considered an active volcano, but the chances of an erruption happening are pretty slim. The volcano is located in the place 3 tectonic plates meet: the Ohotsk, the Euro-Asian and the Phillippines’, being part of the Pacific’s Circle of Fire.

The mount is famous most noticeably because of its perfect, elegant shape, especially when covered with snow. From almost any point the volcano looks the same, its natural beauty attracting thousands of visitors every year, being one of the most important tourist attractions in the country. The site is quite easy to reach, for example by taking the shinkansen from Tokio in direction of Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka. If you are lucky you can get a good view of the mountain, but usually the clouds make this almost an impossible mission. There are better chances of seeing the mountain in the cold season, so pack some warm clothes. The mountain can be climbed in July and August.

The volcano started to be worshipped and considered sacred in the Shintoist religion because of its special shape and maybe this is why the firs ascension was made by a monk in 663. The mountain was considered the home of a fire god and also the dwelling of a Shinto goddess. The story repeats again as women were not allowed on the mountain until the Meiji restoration in 1868. Now, thousands of people of both sexes climb the volcano, many doing this with respect and devotion to the thousands and thousands of pilgrims that passed there before them. Unfortunately, not everyone pays the same respect and litter has become and increasing problem. However, the mountain remains just as misterious as before and it seems that it will remain like this. According to some scholars the name of the mountain means “never dying” or “no death” and it fits like a glove.

Mount Olympus

Even though the ancient Greeks are long gone, their heritage remains and their sacred mountain continues to attract numerous tourists and to fascinate them as the home of the powerful and yet strangely human-like gods. This mountain is also the tallest in its country reaching 2919 m in its tallest peak called Mytikas (the Nose). An interesting fact about this mountain is the fact that that it is far from being the only one named like this. Thre are others called Olympus in Turkey, Cyprus, New Zealand, USA, and also one on Mars, being the tallest known volcano in the Solar System.

The mountain is located 100 kilometers from the city Salonik and in order to start a climb you have to start from Litochoro, also known as the “City of Gods”. Olympus is known not only for its history, numerous species of plants and animals, not to mention geological structures being found only here. This determined UNESCO to declare the area a protected site. The beauty of the place, not to mention the numerous archaeological discoveries and the churches at the base, attract numerous tourists, making the site one of the most famous in Greece.

And then again it’s the mythology that fascinates. In the past, the people believed that the mountain was the home of the 12 most important gods, who directed mortals’ destinies from there while plotting against each other. However, the legends are not very clear about what exactly Olympus was for the gods as it was definitely not a kind of heaven. The clearest version is given by Poseidon, who says that he is the ruler of the waters, Zeus the ruler of the sky while Hades owned the house of the dead. Olympus was what they had in common. The mountain had a gate of clouds and people would have never got the possibility to see the gods listening to Appollo’s divine music and enjoy ambrozia.

So let us go back to a time when human beings were far from roaming the planet: to the Cretaceous period. This is when Australian dinosaurs’ relatively peaceful existence was interrupted by a globe of fire which hit the Earth with a force hundreds of times bigger than the one of the bomb that erased Hiroshima in 1945. But the apocalypse was far from over; a giant mushroom made of dust and incandescent material rose and covered the sun for the entire Southern Hemisphere for a few months. The impact itself hadn’t been the worst part. However, slowly, everything got back to what it had been before the unexpected guest appeared. What didn’t change was the crater left by the comet – Gosse Bluff.

The size of the site is quite impressive, especially as it was created by a sphere made of ice, carbon dioxide and dust with a diameter of 600 meters. However, the force of it should not be disconsidered. As scientists have calculated, the impact destroyed about 400 square kilometers of land, the hole made into the ground reaching 800 meters in depth. The initial crater reached 20 kilometers in surface, what we can see now having about a quarter of it. Anyway, that doesn’t make it less impressive, especially seen from above; it looks like a fingerprint left by a huge finger on the surface of Australia.

The crater got its name after the explorer Edmund Gosse, who discovered in 1873, without being too impressed. He only wrote a few lines about it, maybe because from the ground the place is not as impressive as from above. The aboriginals, however, were familiar with the place long before the discovery. The site is full of hiding places, hunting traps and shelters, some of them decorated with the red palm prints of the long-gone inhabitants. Because of all these factors, now the crater is aknowledged as a sacred place.

But Gosse Bluff proved not to be interesting only from a spiritual point of view. Scientists were also puzzled at first by its origin; some blamed it on the gases from the bowels of the Earth, gases that may have caused an erruption. Others blamed it all on a meteorite, but even if this theory proved to be more plausible, the density of the sphere that hit our planet had to be much smaller. And this is how the solution was found: a comet ended its voyage here, in Australia in a very spectacular way.

What’s interesting about this area is the fact that other impacts occured also. Quite close to the site visitors can see the Henbury Craters, made by 12 fragments of a meteorite that hit the Earth about 4700 years ago and cracked as it entered in the terrestrial atmosphere. Its Aboriginal name means “the hellish fire stone of walking sun”. This means that this time, there were witnesses of the impacts, witnesses that survived and told a magnificent story further.

So, if you’re interested in getting close to one of the biggest craters on Earth and get that special feeling of “being small”, check it out – you may find it as Tnorala (the Aboriginal name). There are roads that lead you right next to the site, and if you’re here you can also get a look at the Ayers Rock(Uluru), another famous Australian monument.