Entrance to St. Beatus Caves

The St. Beatus Caves are an extensive cave network located in Switzerland right above Lake Thun. a Legend has it that Saint Beatus killed a dragon who was living in the caves (around the 9th century), there are very impressive waterfalls next to the old Monastery.

St. Beatus is believed to be berried  between the monastery and the cave entrance. a Monastery was established near the openings the caves. Nowadays tourists can access a small part of the caves; the old monastery is no longer operating and instead there is a restaurant and gift shop.

Karijini National Park

Enter Mother Nature's own adventure world, Karijini National Park. Climb, swim or gaze into the depths of its 100 metre chasms, revealing four billion years of the Earth's history and some of the oldest rocks on the planet. Follow the trails, descend into cavernous gorges and cool off in inviting pools beneath plunging waterfalls, or scale Western Australia's second highest peak - Mount Bruce.

Regular flights from Perth land you within easy driving distance of Karijini National Park - it's just two hours from Newman and Paraburdoo, three hours from Port Hedland and four and a half hours from Karratha. You can also join guided tours from Tom Price, Karratha and Port Hedland. Alternatively, doing the journey by road from Perth will take you about three days, heading up the coast via Geraldton or through the outback on the Great Northern Highway.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Karijini, besides being one of the largest and most spectacular national parks in Australia, is the fact that its most iconic scenery is within easy reach. You can pull into a car park, walk 50 metres and see waterfalls rushing down rugged canyons into rock pools.

The waters of Fortescue Falls run all through the year at Dales Gorge, where a cooling dip awaits you at the end of an easy walk to Fern Pool and Circular Pool.

Weano Gorge invites the more adventurous into its winding narrow gorges, the far reaches of which should only be tackled with a guide to enjoy the thrills of jumping down waterfalls and climbing out from the depths of 'The Centre of the Earth'.

Nature lovers will enjoy a walk among the mulga, spinifex, eucalypts, melaleuca and some 50 varieties of acacia, keeping a keen eye out for the euro (rock wallaby), dingoes, 133 species of birds and 92 species of amphibians and reptiles.

Spend the night under a star-filled sky, taking your pick from the camping and glamping options available in the park. For more information on walking, sightseeing, camping, flora and fauna, stop by at the Karijini Visitor Centre.

The Blue Lake

The eyes of the beautiful maiden who died of a broken heart were deep blue. The Blue Lake is also deep blue, in eternal memory of the love of the maiden, which persists beyond death. The small Blausee, steeped in legend, is located in the midst of a small nature park.

Thanks to its very special color and the crystal-clear water, which has its source in subterranean springs, Blausee is one of the best-known mountain lakes in Switzerland. It is located in the midst of a 20 hectare large nature park with a landscape formed by a rock slide that led to the creation of the lake.

The lake and the special forest charmed local inhabitants and tourists early on. In 1885 Blausee was praised in a travel guide as a "jewel of a landscape immersed in magical forest solitude". Today the region is very accessible, thanks to walking paths, picnic spots and bonfire spots. There is a hotel with a spa directly on the shore of the lake, and next to it there is a successful organic trout farm.

Urla-İzmir

İzmir is the third largest city in Turkey with a population of around 3.7 million, the second biggest port after Istanbul, and a very good transport hub. Once the ancient city of Smyrna, it is now a modern, developed, and busy commercial center, set around a huge bay and surrounded by mountains. The broad boulevards, glass-fronted buildings and modern shopping centers are dotted with traditional red-tiled roofs, the 18th century market, and old mosques and churches, although the city has an atmosphere more of Mediterranean Europe than traditional Turkey.

Bath

The city was first established as a spa with the Latin name, Aquae Sulis ("the waters of Sulis") by the Romans sometime in the AD 60s about 20 years after they had arrived in Britain (AD 43), although oral tradition suggests that Bath was known before then. They built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the River Avon around hot springs. Edgar was crowned king of England at Bath Abbey in 973. Much later, it became popular as a spa town during the Georgian era, which led to a major expansion that left a heritage of exemplary Georgian architecture crafted from Bath Stone.

The City of Bath was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1987. The city has a variety of theatres, museums, and other cultural and sporting venues, which have helped to make it a major centre for tourism, with over one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city each year. The city has two universities and several schools and colleges. There is a large service sector, and growing information and communication technologies and creative industries, providing employment for the population of Bath and the surrounding area.

All significant stages of the history of England are represented within the city, from the Roman Baths (including their significant Celtic presence), to Bath Abbey and the Royal Crescent, to Thermae Bath Spa in the 2000s. The size of the tourist industry is reflected in the almost 300 places of accommodation – including over 80 hotels, and over 180 bed and breakfasts – many of which are located in Georgian buildings.

Apostle Islands

The Apostle Islands are a group of 22 islands in Lake Superior, off the Bayfield Peninsula in northern Wisconsin. The majority of the islands are located in Ashland County—only Sand, York, Eagle, and Raspberry Islands are located in Bayfield County. All the islands except for Madeline Island are part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

The islands are the spiritual home for the Lake Superior Chippewa. The islands were named the Apostle Islands by New France historian Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, who named them after the 12 apostles (for the 12 largest islands).

Some of the best sea caves of the Great Lakes are located on the shorelines of the Apostle Islands. Many of the best sea caves to visit are located at the following locations: Swallow Point on Sand Island, the North Shore of Devils Island, and near Squaw Bay on the mainland. Arches and delicate chambers are visible . During the winters, visitors can see frozen waterfalls and chambers filled with millions of delicate icicles.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, or VSOE, is a private luxury train service from London to Venice that is popularly referred to as the Orient Express.

The original company was founded by James Sherwood of Kentucky, USA, in 1982; five years earlier, in 1977, he had bought two of the original carriages at an auction when the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits withdrew from the Orient Express service, passing the service on to the national railways of France, Germany, and Austria. Over the next few years, Sherwood spent a total of $16 million purchasing 35 sleeper, restaurant and Pullman carriages. On 25 May 1982, the first London-Venice run was made.

The VSOE has separate carriages for use in the UK and for continental Europe, but all of the same vintage (mostly dating from the 1920s and 1930s). Passengers are conveyed across the English Channel by coach on the Eurotunnel shuttle through the Channel Tunnel. Whereas restored Pullman carriages are used in the UK, in continental Europe restored dark blue former Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits carriages are used. Note that the service in the UK is called the British Pullman, and it has a brown and cream livery and is a day-only train that serves elaborate teas and brunches and visits such sites as castles and spa towns. The service in Europe is the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and has sleeping carriages for full overnight, luxury service. Both the VSOE and the British Pullman are among the World's Top 25 Trains as listed by The Society of International Railway Travelers for high levels of dining, food, off-train experience and accommodation on board.

Englishman River Falls

Situated along the pristine Englishman River north of Nanaimo, Englishman River Falls Provincial Park features two stunning waterfalls cascading along the descending riverbed into a deep canyon.

This picturesque destination, set amid a lush old-growth and second-growth forest of Douglas fir, cedar, hemlock and maple, is an ideal location from which to explore and appreciate the incredible diversity of south central Vancouver Island, including nearby Cathedral Grove, the Pacific Rim, and the sandy shores of Parksville and Qualicum.

The park has a large day-use area and campground and contains several hiking trails that meander through the forest and along the river. Visitors can expect spectacular views along the way, particularly from two bridges that cross the river where it plunges down the narrow rock canyon toward quieter waters below. The lower falls end in a deep crystal-clear pool - an ideal swimming hole in the summer when river levels are low and a great place to view spawning salmon in the fall.

Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope, Africa’s southwesternmost spot, is legendary in seafaring lore. Fifteenth-century Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias (or Portugal’s John II, depending on the account) bestowed its optimistic name because rounding the cape suggested that a feasible sea route existed from Europe, around Africa, to India.

Caño Cristales: The River of Seven Colors

A unique biological wonder, Caño Cristales has been referred as the "river of seven colors," "the river that ran away from paradise," and "the world's most beautiful river."

For most of the year, Caño Cristales is indistinguishable from any other river: a bed of rocks covered in dull green mosses are visible below a cool, clear current.

However, for a brief period of time every year, the river blossoms in a vibrant explosion of colors. During the short span between the wet and dry seasons, when the water level is just right, a unique species of plant that lines the river floor called Macarenia clavigera turns a brilliant red. It is offset by splotches of yellow and green sand, blue water, and a thousand shades in between.

This only happens for a brief period in between seasons. During Colombia's wet season, the water flows too fast and deep, obscuring the bottom of the river and denying the Macarenia clavigera the sun that it needs to turn red. During the dry season there is not enough water to support the dazzling array of life in the river. But for a few weeks from September through November, the river transforms into a veritable living rainbow.
Caño Cristales is located in a remote, isolated area not easily accessible by road. Adventurous tourists can now fly into the nearby town of La Macarena. From there it is a short trip into "Serrania de la Macarena," the national park in which Caño Cristales is located.

The site was effectively closed to tourists for several years because of guerrilla activity in the region along with concerns about the impact of unregulated tourist traffic. It was reopened to visitors in 2009, and today there are several Colombian Tourist Agencies that will fly travelers to La Macarena. From there, they must make their way to the river site on horseback (or donkeyback) and by foot as part of a guided tour. Visitors are not permitted to stay overnight or cook.

Garden of the Gods

It was August of 1859 when two surveyors started out from Denver City to begin a townsite, soon to be called Colorado City. While exploring nearby locations, they came upon a beautiful area of sandstone formations. M. S. Beach, who related this incident, suggested that it would be a "capital place for a beer garden" when the country grew up. His companion, Rufus Cable, a "young and poetic man", exclaimed, "Beer Garden! Why it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods." It has been so called ever since.

Thorncrown Chapel

Nestled in a woodland setting, Thorncrown Chapel rises forty-eight feet into the Ozark sky. This magnificent wooden structure contains 425 windows and over 6,000 square feet of glass. It sits atop over 100 tons of native stone and colored flagstone, making it blend perfectly with its setting. The chapel's simple design and majestic beauty combine to make it what critics have called "one of the finest religious spaces of modern times."

On July 10, 1980 Thorncrown Chapel opened. Since then over six million people have visited this little chapel on the hillside. Thorncrown has won numerous architectural awards. It has been featured on television programs such as NBC Nightly News and the 700 Club. Almost every major magazine in the country has carried a story about the chapel including Time, Newsweek, and Parade.

Thorncrown Chapel is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It is located on Highway 62 West three miles outside of Eureka Springs. There is no admission fee, but donations are accepted. Every tour group will receive a presentation telling the story of the chapel followed by an inspirational song by one of the Thorncrown musicians. There is ample parking for buses and RVs. So, while in the Ozarks, stop by what many have called one of the most beautiful and inspiring chapels in the world. It will be a visit you will not soon forget.

Basilica di Santa Croce

In E.M. Forster's "A Room with a View", the young heroine, Lucy Honeychurch, winds up alone in Basilica di Santa Croce, seen here, without her "Handbook to Northern Italy." With no cultural authority to tell her what to think, Forster wrote, "the pernicious charm of Italy worked on her, and, instead of acquiring information, she began to be happy."

The Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross) is the principal Franciscan church in Florence, Italy, and a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church. It is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about 800 metres south west of the Duomo. The site, when first chosen, was in marshland outside the city walls. It is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile and Rossini, thus it is known also as the Temple of the Italian Glories (Tempio dell'Itale Glorie).

Glass Beach

Glass Beach is a beach in MacKerricher State Park near Fort Bragg, California that is abundant in sea glass created from years of dumping garbage into an area of coastline near the northern part of the town.

Lizard Island

Australia's northern most resort, Lizard Island Reosrt is located right on the Great Barrier Reef, fringed with coral reefs and 24 powdery white beaches. Outstanding in every respect, the unique pleasures of Lizard Island have created an idyllic retreat known as 'one of one'. Spectacular diving and snorkelling opportunities abound, including the famous Cod Hole, where you'll come face to face with a massive, yet curious Potato Cod swimming right up to inspect you with child like curiosity. Discover secluded, pristine beaches by foot or by motorised dinghy with a gourmet picnic just for two. Try bushwalking, sailing, fishing, a glass bottom boat trip, or perhaps indulge in a pampering treatment at the luxurious Azure Spa. Dining is another of the many pleasures here. The menu, which changes daily, is fresh and creative, showcasing the finest local produce. Each of the 40 villas is elegant and spacious, with either ocean or beach views. All meals, beverages and many island activities are included.

Hocking Hills State Park

Hocking Hills State Park is a non-contiguous state park in the Hocking Hills region of Hocking County, Ohio, United States; it is contiguous with the Hocking State Forest. Within the park are several spectacular features based around rock formations, including Old Man's Cave, a narrow, deep gorge featuring waterfalls; Rock House, a cliffed area with a rock shelter; Cantwell Cliffs, a broad gorge at the head of a hollow with a unique stone stairway; and Ash Cave, a large rock shelter with a small waterfall, and Cedar Falls, a larger waterfall south of Old Man's Cave.

Popeye Village

Popeye Village, also known as Sweethaven Village, is a group of rustic and ramshackle wooden buildings located at Anchor Bay in the north-west corner of the Mediterranean island of Malta, two miles from the village of Mellieħa.

It was built as a film set for the production of the 1980 live-action musical feature film Popeye, produced by Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions and starring Robin Williams. Today it is open to the public as an open-air museum and family entertainment complex.

Le Moulin de l'Abbaye Hotel

The Moulin de l'Abbaye sits in the heart of the beautiful village of Brantôme, known as the "Venice of the Périgord". Nestled alongside the original mill-pond, this spot is one of the most delightful places in the Dordogne. The mill itself is wreathed in ivy, and looks out over the 16th century masterpiece that is the right-angled bridge, the Pont Coudé, which links the abbey, founded in 769 by Charlemagne, with the monastery garden as well as the medieval tower, the Renaissance pavilion and the abbey itself.

Zion National Park, Utah

Emerald pool at Subway

The mystical journey through the Left Fork of North Creek involves route finding, plunging cautiously into chilly pools then sloshing, sometimes frantically, through frigid water over and through difficult obstacles. The narrow Subway section of this hike forces hikers through a unique tunnel sculpted by the Left Fork of North Creek. Churning water chisels the rock floor, forming shallow potholes that fill to the brim with frosty water. Silhouettes dance freely on multi-colored walls where only a trickle of sun light penetrates into the curved chamber of the Subway. Falling water echoes in the nature carved tunnel where dragonflies dart, frogs laze about and shimmering emerald pools tempt cold hikers to dawdle. Before long, the promise of daylight urges an exit to the warmth of the sun waiting outside the Subway. The canyon widens as hikers cross back and forth across the creek, making their way to the grueling uphill exit. For those that want a glimpse of the canyon, but choose to stay away from uncomfortable obstacles, explore the canyon from the bottom where thin sheets of glistening water cascade over mossy stair-step slivers of rock.

Sleepy Hollow Cemetary

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is a cemetery located on Bedford Street near the center of Concord, Massachusetts. The cemetery is the burial site of a number of famous Concordians, including some of the United States' greatest authors and thinkers, especially on a hill known as "Author's Ridge."









Famous Graves:

• The Alcott family, including Amos Bronson Alcott (Transcendentalist, philosopher, educator), Abby May (Wife of Amos Bronson Alcott), and their daughter Louisa May Alcott (author of Little Women and others)
• Ephraim Wales Bull (inventor of the Concord Grape)
• Arthur R. Bethke (Concord Oil Owner, US Army Captain, Bethke Cancer Center)
• William Ellery Channing (Transcendentalist and poet)
• Ralph Waldo Emerson (Transcendentalist and poet)
• Daniel Chester French (sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial)
• Nathaniel Hawthorne (author of The Scarlet Letter and others)
• Sophia Hawthorne (wife of Nathaniel Hawthorne)
• George Frisbie Hoar (19th-century politician)
• Richard Marius (Reformation historian and Southern novelist)
• Ralph Munroe (yacht designer and pioneer of South Florida)
• Elizabeth Peabody (education reformer)
• Franklin Benjamin Sanborn (author and social reformer)
• Henry David Thoreau (Transcendentalist, philosopher, and author)
• George Washington Wright (California's first representative in Congress)

Gifford Pinchot National Forest

Lower Lewis River Falls

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is one of the oldest National Forests in the United States. Included as part of the Mount Rainier Forest Reserve in 1897, this area was set aside as the Columbia National Forest in 1908. It was renamed the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in 1949.

Whether you seek solitude, social activity, creative inspiration, wildlife, forest products or scenic beauty, you can find it in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. We invite you to enjoy the many different aspects of your National Forest.

Located in southwest Washington State, the Gifford Pinchot National Forest now encompasses 1,312,000 acres and includes the 110,000-acre Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument established by Congress in 1982.


The Lewis River Valley will delight any explorer who comes looking for spectacular waterfalls surrounded by old-growth forest. This is an area packed with some of the most spectacular and interesting waterfalls on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Trails, ranging from easiest to most difficult, provide paths of discovery through this diverse landscape. Easy wheelchair accessible trails allow close approach to Big Creek, Curly Creek, Miller Creek and Lower Lewis River Falls. Other waterfalls are viewed from the Lewis River Trail, which follows the Lewis River for over 15 miles.

Socotra

Socotra has been described as one of the most alien-looking place on Earth, and it’s not hard to see why. It is very isolated with a harsh, dry climate and as a result a third of its plant-life is found nowhere else, including the famous Dragon’s Blood Tree, a very-unnatural looking umbrella-shaped tree which produces red sap. There are also a large number of birds, spiders and other animals native to the island, and coral reefs around it which similarly have a large number of endemic (i.e. only found there) species. Socotra is considered the most biodiverse place in the Arabian sea, and is a World Heritage Site.

Chefchaouen, the Blue City of Morocco

Chefchaouen is a small charming city of about 40,000 inhabitants located in northeastern Morocco near the Mediterranean Sea. Situated in the heart of Morocco's Rif Mountains, Chefchaouen is a tourist’s delight with affordable accommodations, and above all, a picturesque town set against the dramatic backdrop of the Rif Mountains filled with white-washed homes with distinctive, powder-blue accents.

Chefchaouen was painted blue by the Jewish refugees who lived there during the 1930's. The beauty of Chefchaouen's mountainous surroundings are enhanced by the contrast of the brightly painted medina (old town). It is this beauty and the relaxed atmosphere of the town that makes Chefchaouen very attractive to visitors. The main square in the medina is lined with cafes and filled to the brim with locals and tourist mingling easily. Another reason why backpackers love Chefchaouen is the easy availability of drugs. Tourism in Chaouen is driven by its reputation as center of the marijuana plantations region in North Morocco. During the summer approximately two hundred hotels cater to the influx of European tourists.

Chefchaouen is a popular shopping destination as well, as it offers many native handicrafts that are not available elsewhere in Morocco, such as wool garments and woven blankets. The goat cheese native to the area is also popular with tourists. The countryside around it has a reputation for being a prolific source of cannabis. The Chefchaouen region is one of the main producers of cannabis in Morocco. Hashish is subsequently sold all over town, but is mostly the domain of native Chaouenis.

Skaftafell Ice Cave

Ice caves are temporary structures that appear at the edge of glaciers. They look amazingly beautiful from the inside. This particular cave is located on the frozen lagoon of the Svínafellsjökull glacier in Skaftafell, Iceland. The centuries old ice coming down the slopes of Öræfajökull via Svínafellsjökull glacier has metamorphosed into highly pressurized glacier ice that contains almost no air bubbles. The lack of air means that it absorbs almost all visible light, apart from the blue fraction which is then visible to the naked eye. However, this blue ice can be seen only under certain circumstances. It can be seen in winter after long periods of rain when the surface layer of the glacier has been washed away. It can be seen in ice-caves like this one and on floating icebergs that have recently rolled over.

This cave in the glacier ice is the result of glacial mill, or Moulin where rain and melt water on the glacier surface are channeled into streams that enter the glacier at crevices. The waterfall melts a hole into the glacier while the ponded water drains towards lower elevations by forming long ice caves with an outlet at the terminus of the glacier. The fine grained sediments in the water along with wind blown sediments cause the frozen meltwater stream to appear in a muddy colour while the top of the cave exhibits the deep blue colour. Due to the fast movement of the glacier of about 1 m per day over uneven terrain, this ice cave cracked up at its end into a deep vertical crevice, called cerrac. This causes the indirect daylight to enter the ice cave from both ends resulting in homogeneous lighting of the ice tunnel.

The cave is accessible through a 22-foot entrance on the shoreline. At the end it tapers to a tight squeeze no more than four feet high. Ice caves are in general unstable things and can collapse at any time. They are safe to enter only in winter when the cold temperatures harden the ice. Even so one could hear constant cracking sounds inside the cave. It was not because it was going to collapse but because the cave was moving along with the glacier itself. Each time the glacier moved a millimeter loud sounds could be heard.

Chamarel Falls and the Colored Earth

The Seven Coloured Earths, a small region near the village of Chamarel, Mauritius, is a geological curiosity and a major tourist attraction of Mauritius. This relatively small area of about 7,500 square meters comprises of sand dunes of seven distinct colours (approximately red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow).

The sands were formed from the decomposition of volcanic rock (basalt) gullies into clay, further transformed into ferralitic soil by total hydrolysis (chemical break- down of minerals by water). The two main elements of the resulting soil, iron and aluminium, are responsible for red/anthracite and blue/purplish colours respectively. The different shades of colour are believed to be a consequence of the molten volcanic rock cooling down at different external temperatures.

An unusual property of the sands is that they settle in different layers even if mixed together that gives the dunes a surrealistic, striped colouring. This strange phenomenon can be observed even on a smaller scale, if one takes a handful of sands of different colours and mixes them together, they'll eventually separate into a layered spectrum. The cause of their consistent spontaneous separation is yet to be explained. Another interesting feature of Chamarel's Coloured Earths is that the dunes seemingly never erode, in spite of Mauritius' torrential, tropical rains.