City sitting on seven hills, mixed with rich maritime history and contemporary culture - Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon 263; Fado, urban popular song in Portugal 00563 Rua Augusta Arch - main entrance gateway of the city Another relocation, this time to Southampton , another hiatus of my blog. Based on popular demand, I am on board again. What and Why Lisbon ( Portuguese : Lisboa ) , sitting on seven hills, occupies a unique space in Europe’s hist

Ancient Egypt royal necropolis and monuments in an ancient capital - Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis 87 Valley of the Kings with...

Historic spa town adorned with gorgeous Belle É poque architecture - The Great Spa Towns of Europe 1613; Knowledge, craft and skills of...

Spectacular rock columns built by 'giant' gracing the coast of Northern Ireland - Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast 369 Giant's...

Fortified city protected by three mediaeval castles - Three Castles, Defensive Wall and Ramparts of the Market-Town of Bellinzona 884...

Prime destination for geology, palaeontology and natural splendour - Monte San Giorgio 1090 Monte San Giorgio from Morcote (from...

Great wall of Roman legacy in Britain - Frontiers of the Roman Empire 430 What and Why Hadrian's Wall (Latin : Vallum Hadriani ) ,...

The heart of wine-making and Romanesque architectural heritage - Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion 932; Gastronomic meal of the French 00437;...

A mediaeval monastery with a well-preserved wall gallery of Carolingian art - Benedictine Convent of St John at Müstair 269 Benedictine...

A treat for speleogists: world's longest cave system - Mammoth Cave National Park 150 Mammoth Cave What and Why The Mammoth Cave National...

' Above there is heaven, below there is Suzhou-Hangzhou ': for gardens, canals, food, operas, silk and scholastic activities - Classical Gardens of Suzhou 813; The Grand Canal 1443; Kun Qu opera 00004 Canal in Suzhou This post marks the 5th anniversary of my blog. What and Why The quote ' Above there is heaven, below there is Suzhou-Hangzhou ( Chinese : 上有天堂、下有苏杭 , Shangyou tiantang, Xiayou Su-hang ) ' aptly describes how beautiful Suzhou (苏州) has always been in the eyes of

World engineering marvel that conquers the scenic Alps - Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes 1276 Brusio viaduct What and Why The Bernina Express is a sightseeing railway line operated by the Rhaetian Railway ( German : Rhätische Bahn ) that runs between Chur of Switzerland ( Schweiz ) to Tirano of Italy (Italian: Italia ) with a main stop at Saint Moritz ( Sankt Moritz ) . The train line is actually two separated lines combined together: the Bernina Li

A beautiful park with an impressive ecosystem under a blue haze cover - Great Smoky Mountains National Park 259 Great Smoky Mountains...

Formation of Alps in Switzerland - Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona 1179; Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps 1363; Avalanche risk management 01380; Alpinism 01471; Alpine pasture season 01966; Yodelling 02287 Piz Sardona What and Why The Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona ( German : Weltnaturerbe TektonikArena Sardona ) is a major mountain thrust fault caused by the collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates 100 million years ago! This major shearing action no

The sacred mountain in Malaysia with a rich biodiversity - Kinabalu Park 1012 Low's peak What and Why Mount Kinabalu ( Malay : Gunung...

Top of Europe and the most distinctive sights of the Alps - Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch 1037; Alpinism 01471 Sphinx (from internet) What...

The warm cradle that produces Swiss wines - Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces 1243; The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement 1321; Winegrowers’ Festival in Vevey 01201; Art of dry stone construction, knowledge and techniques 02106 Lavaux vineyard What and Why Along the north bank of Lake Geneva ( French : Le Léman ) lies a 30-km stretch of terraced vineyards that produces the wine appellation of the region. The region, which occupi

A vista of a thousand karst formations of beautiful shapes and forms in the sea - Ha Long Bay 672 Halong Bay What and Why Halong Bay ( Vietnamese : Vịnh Hạ Long ) is the most popular tourist destination of Vietnam ( Việt Nam ) which features an extremely scenic ocean of karst formations in the sea. The entire bay occupies more than 1,500 km2 of area, including almost 2,000 islets or various limestone forms. Many of these karsts are hollow with enormous caves within. Whil

Wading through beautiful limestone caves sitting inland - Trang An Landscape Complex 1438; Quan Họ Bắc Ninh folk songs 00183 Tam Coc What and Why Tr à ng An is a very scenic area located near the city of Ninh Bình which features beautiful limestone mountains and caves along the river. A common tourist activity is to ride a boat and wade through the limestone caves and witness the beautiful sceneries. The river itself nurtures an aquatic ecosystem of various seafood species

The world's tallest trees - Redwood National and State Parks 134 Redwood National and State Parks What and Why The Redwood National and...