Monopoli, Italy
Sitting on Puglia's Adriatic coast around 30km south of Bari, Monopoli is a lovely town for a day trip, possibly in combination with Polignano a Mare just up the coast, mixing a dip in the sea with a good lunch and a wander around the old town centre.
Like so many towns on the Adriatic, Monopoli's history has been thoroughly influenced by its east-facing position and its fortified sea-front walls and castle tell many a story.
Parking in or around Piazza XX Settembre, location of a colourful street market, head east towards the cathedral. To find it just look upwards and you are sure to see its elegantly conceived bell tower thrusting into the sky. Built in 1693, the tower is over 60 metres high, completely dominating the town below.
Tunis, Tunisia
In Tunisia's capital, the term 'living history' really does apply. Here, waves of colonisation have endowed the city's fabric and culture with an intoxicatingly rich and complex flavour that becomes apparent wherever you explore.
.
Take the magnificent medieval medina, sidelined by the French after colonisation but coming into its own in the 21st century, as boutique hotels open and arty cafes lure locals back to the neighbourhoods their grandparents grew up in. And consider the historic settlement of Carthage, once colonised by Phoenicians and Romans but now the province of upwardly mobile locals, whose sophisticated lives play out among the ruins.
Ed Dueim, Sudan
Ed Dueim is on the west bank of the White Nile, between Khartoum and Kosti. It is home to the University of Bakht, which lies to the north of the town. The university has played an important role in promoting education throughout Sudan. It is known for its two-year course called Al Sanatain, which prepared teachers to teach school, attracting students from all regions of Sudan and neighbouring countries.
Vacherie, Louisiana, USA
Often, when people picture Louisiana, they imagine a long row of oak trees leading to a magnificent plantation house, which is to say that, when they picture Louisiana, they’re picturing Vacherie. It is here that you’ll find that most iconic of all American plantation houses, Oak Alley. With its majestic stand of 300-year-old oaks and its grand, antebellum Greek revival home, it’s easy to understand why Oak Alley so amplifies the reputation of tiny Vacherie. But it doesn’t stop there. Vacherie is home to Laura Plantation, a gorgeous setting where you can learn about Creole culture and slave life. There’s also the 1,000-acre St. Joseph Plantation and Evergreen with its 37 historic buildings, including 22 slave cabins. Either upriver or down, the plantations along Great River Road offers the traveler an unforgettable opportunity to take a step back in time and touch the past at these and other historic locations.
Patricia, Texas, USA
This is what land-based Oil Drilling looks like! The image is of an area just south of a small village called Patrica in Texas. It cover an area about 3km square and is of oil fields.
Patricia isn't very old as far as Texas towns go. It only dates from 1923 when the town's name was changed from Natalie. It's thought that the name was in honor of a Patricia Hopkins who was a granddaughter of an owner of the Birge-Forbes Land Company. The postal authorities necessitated the name change to avoid confusion with Medina County's Natalia. The Birge-Forbes Land Company was way back East in Sherman, Texas, but they held a huge tract of Dawson County land. Matthew C. Lindsey was the company agent.
Villavendimio, Spain
Tiny hamlets are scattered around north west Spain. This one is called Villavendimio and houses about 200 people, mainly farmers, who work the surrounding fields.
San Francisco, California, USA
Consider permission permanently granted to be outlandish: other towns may surprise you, but in San Francisco you will surprise yourself. Good times and social revolutions tend to start here, from manic gold rushes to blissful hippie be-ins. If there's a skateboard move yet to be busted, a technology still unimagined, a poem left unspoken or a green scheme untested, chances are it's about to happen here. Yes, right now. This town has lost almost everything in earthquakes and dot-com gambles, but never its nerve.
Rotterdam, Netherlands
The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe, located in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands. From 1962 until 2004 it was the world's busiest port, now overtaken first by Singapore and then Shanghai. In 2011, Rotterdam was the world's eleventh-largest container port in terms of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) handled. In 2012 Rotterdam was the world's sixth-largest port in terms of annual cargo tonnage.
Guadalajara, Mexico
Guadalajara is the second largest city in Mexico with a population of 1.5 million people and is ranked as the 8th best city to visit in South America. It’s known for the tequila, mariachi, its rich history and its traditions. What’s so unique about the city is that the city itself is very historical while it has managed to become the tech hub of Mexico, and therefore called the Silicon Valley of Mexico.
Kattenbroek, Amersfoort, Netherlands
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the Netherlands’ main east-west and north-south rail lines. The city celebrated its 750th birthday in 2009.
This image is of a suburb called Kattenbroek. Here’s what the architecture website Mimoa.com says about it: Kattenbroek has taken a stand against the tedium and meaninglessness of urban development districts in The Netherlands. Here choices were made in the interests of the residents and simultaneously for trend-setting urban planning with a high social, cultural and political ambition.
This image is of a suburb called Kattenbroek. Here’s what the architecture website Mimoa.com says about it: Kattenbroek has taken a stand against the tedium and meaninglessness of urban development districts in The Netherlands. Here choices were made in the interests of the residents and simultaneously for trend-setting urban planning with a high social, cultural and political ambition.
Mexico City, Mexico
The Estadio Azul is a 33,000-seat stadium located in Mexico City. This sports facility is currently used for association football matches and previously (until 1990) for American football. The Tazón México has been played at the stadium. It was the home of Mexican football club Cruz Azul until 2018, and also has been home for Atlante F.C. (hence the nickname Estadio Azulgrana) and the Mexico national football team, especially in the early 1990s. In summer 2016, it was announced by Mexico City authorities that plans to demolish the stadium would begin at the end of the 2017-2018 Liga MX season. However, in July 2018, the demolition project was put on hold and the stadium will temporarily host college sports. Demolition plans may resurface in 2020.
Havana, Cuba
Havana is Cuba’s capital city. Spanish colonial architecture in its 16th-century Old Havana core includes the Castillo de la Real Fuerza, a fort and maritime museum. The National Capitol Building is an iconic 1920s landmark. Also in Old Havana is the baroque Catedral de San Cristóbal and Plaza Vieja, whose buildings reflect the city’s vibrant architectural mix.
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine you are there. Waves crashing against a mildewed sea wall; a young couple cavorting in a dark, dilapidated alley; guitars and voices harmonizing over a syncopated drum rhythm; sunlight slanting across rotten peeling paintwork; a handsome youth in a guayabera shirt leaning against a Lada; the smell of diesel fumes and cheap after-shave; tourists with Hemingway beards; Che Guevara on a billboard, a banknote, a key-ring, a t-shirt…
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine you are there. Waves crashing against a mildewed sea wall; a young couple cavorting in a dark, dilapidated alley; guitars and voices harmonizing over a syncopated drum rhythm; sunlight slanting across rotten peeling paintwork; a handsome youth in a guayabera shirt leaning against a Lada; the smell of diesel fumes and cheap after-shave; tourists with Hemingway beards; Che Guevara on a billboard, a banknote, a key-ring, a t-shirt…
Grammichele, Sicily, Italy
Grammichele is a city of about 15,000 in Catania, Sicily. It was founded by refugees from the neighboring farming village of Occhiolà who survived a terrible earthquake in 1693. It is based on a concentric urban structure with a hexagonal perimeter, and divided into five quarters plus one where the Prince family originally resided.
.
As with much of Italian life, religion has played a significant role in the development of the town. The Mother Church – Dedicated to San Michele, it is one of the most beautiful buildings in town. The vault is ornamented with 1800’s stuccoes depicting the Twelve Apostles and Events of the Life of Jesus Christ. Other interesting stuccoes adorn the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament. The church contains precious works of art, such as two 1600’s paintings depicting San Nicola di Bari and the “Disputa di Santa Caterina”.
.
As with much of Italian life, religion has played a significant role in the development of the town. The Mother Church – Dedicated to San Michele, it is one of the most beautiful buildings in town. The vault is ornamented with 1800’s stuccoes depicting the Twelve Apostles and Events of the Life of Jesus Christ. Other interesting stuccoes adorn the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament. The church contains precious works of art, such as two 1600’s paintings depicting San Nicola di Bari and the “Disputa di Santa Caterina”.
Medina, Saudi Arabia
Medina is the second-most important city in Islam and a major pilgrimage destination. "Medina" means the "City of the Prophet," is in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia.
.
It was to Medina city that Muhammad fled when he was initially driven out of Mecca, and the place where he attracted his first followers. Medina currently has a population of about 600,000 people and is the home of "The Prophet's Mosque."
.
It was to Medina city that Muhammad fled when he was initially driven out of Mecca, and the place where he attracted his first followers. Medina currently has a population of about 600,000 people and is the home of "The Prophet's Mosque."
Florence, Italy
Florence, capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, is home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. One of its most iconic sights is the the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. It is the main church of Florence, Italy and usually referred to as Il Duomo di Firenze. It is a cathedral with a terracotta-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and a bell tower by Giotto (this is the large church at the top of today’s image).
La Paz, Bolivia
There are few cities with such an extraordinary setting as lofty La Paz. At 3,640 metres above sea level, Bolivia’s de facto capital has serious altitude. Fly in and you’ll see the pancake-flat Altiplano (high plain) fall into a steep-sided bowl lined with a maze of adobe and red-brick buildings, which mix with modern skyscrapers at the base. And towering above it all is the jagged, glacier-topped Cordillera Real.
.
That it lacks a long checklist of sights is part of its charm. It’s worth spending time in La Paz, not only acclimatising to the altitude but simply wandering. An amalgam of architectural styles, cultures and beliefs, it has everything from offerings to the goddess Pachamama to incense-filled colonial churches, food stalls to trendy cafes, bowler-hatted cholitas to hipsters among its theatrical street life. It’s frenetic, chaotic, often frustrating but never dull.
.
That it lacks a long checklist of sights is part of its charm. It’s worth spending time in La Paz, not only acclimatising to the altitude but simply wandering. An amalgam of architectural styles, cultures and beliefs, it has everything from offerings to the goddess Pachamama to incense-filled colonial churches, food stalls to trendy cafes, bowler-hatted cholitas to hipsters among its theatrical street life. It’s frenetic, chaotic, often frustrating but never dull.
New York City, New York, USA
New York City comprises 5 boroughs sitting where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean. At its core is Manhattan, a densely populated borough that’s among the world’s major commercial, financial and cultural centers. Its iconic sites include skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building and sprawling Central Park. Broadway theater is staged in neon-lit Times Square.
Port of Singapore, Singapore
On average Singapore Port attracts 130,000 vessel calls annually. The quality, efficiency, competitiveness and reliability of its port and shipping services make it the preferred international port of call.
.
The Port of Singapore refers to the collective facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade handling functions in harbours and which handle Singapore’s shipping. Currently the world’s second-busiest port in terms of total shipping tonnage, it also trans-ships a fifth of the world’s shipping containers, half of the world’s annual supply of crude oil, and is the world’s busiest transshipment port. It was also the busiest port in terms of total cargo tonnage handled until 2005, when it was surpassed by the Port of Shanghai. Thousands of ships drop anchor in the harbour, connecting the port to over 600 other ports in 123 countries and spread over six continents.
.
The Port of Singapore refers to the collective facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade handling functions in harbours and which handle Singapore’s shipping. Currently the world’s second-busiest port in terms of total shipping tonnage, it also trans-ships a fifth of the world’s shipping containers, half of the world’s annual supply of crude oil, and is the world’s busiest transshipment port. It was also the busiest port in terms of total cargo tonnage handled until 2005, when it was surpassed by the Port of Shanghai. Thousands of ships drop anchor in the harbour, connecting the port to over 600 other ports in 123 countries and spread over six continents.
St Petersburg, Florida, USA
St. Petersburg is a city on Florida’s gulf coast, part of the Tampa Bay area. It’s known for its pleasant weather (hence its “Sunshine City” nickname), making it popular for golfing, boating, fishing and beachgoing. Its waterfront parks host the Dali Museum, featuring surrealist works of art; the Museum of Fine Arts, with works ranging from ancient to contemporary; and Mahaffey Theater, home of the Florida Orchestra.
Putorana Plateau, Siberia
The Putorana Plateau or the Putorana Mountains is a high-lying basalt plateau, a mountainous area at the northwestern edge of the Central Siberian Plateau, to the south from Taymyr Peninsula.
.
The area pictured shows part of the Putoransky State Nature Reserve, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated about 100 km north of the Arctic Circle, the site serves as a major reindeer migration route – an increasingly rare natural phenomenon – and is one of the very few centres of plant species richness in the Arctic.
.
The area pictured shows part of the Putoransky State Nature Reserve, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated about 100 km north of the Arctic Circle, the site serves as a major reindeer migration route – an increasingly rare natural phenomenon – and is one of the very few centres of plant species richness in the Arctic.
Nevada, USA
SolarReserve’s Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Facility located in Nevada is the first utility-scale facility in the world to feature advanced molten salt power tower energy storage capabilities. The project delivers enough firm, reliable electricity from solar energy to power 75,000 homes in Nevada during peak demand periods, day and night, whether or not the sun is shining. The project, which entered into commercial operation in late 2015 and delivers 110 megawatts of electricity plus 1,100 megawatt-hours of energy storage, is the only operating utility scale molten salt power tower on the planet.
Tokyo Bay, Japan
Tokyo city centre is just south of the Arakawa River. The other two rivers running into the bay are the Edo River to its north and the Tama River.
.
Greater Tokyo is home to nearly 38 million people, making it the world’s largest ‘megacity’ (a metropolitan area with more than 10 million people). There are over 30 megacities across the globe.
.
Greater Tokyo is home to nearly 38 million people, making it the world’s largest ‘megacity’ (a metropolitan area with more than 10 million people). There are over 30 megacities across the globe.
Liberty Island, United States
Liberty Island, home to Statue of Liberty, was known as Bedloe’s Island until 1956.
Liberty Island lies off the southern tip of Manhattan Island, New York, U.S., and is a mere 12 acres or so. The statue is by French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi’s and it’s full name is “Liberty Enlightening the World”. Although the monument is within New Jersey waters, Liberty Island and a portion of Ellis Island are within the territorial jurisdiction of New York state.
Liberty Island lies off the southern tip of Manhattan Island, New York, U.S., and is a mere 12 acres or so. The statue is by French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi’s and it’s full name is “Liberty Enlightening the World”. Although the monument is within New Jersey waters, Liberty Island and a portion of Ellis Island are within the territorial jurisdiction of New York state.
Nice, France
Nice, capital of the Alpes-Maritimes department on the French Riviera, sits on the pebbly shores of the Baie des Anges. Founded by the Greeks and later a retreat for 19th-century European elite, the city has also long attracted artists. Former resident Henri Matisse is honored with a career-spanning collection of paintings at Musée Matisse. Musée Marc Chagall features some of its namesake’s major religious works.