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Geological factors have given us a huge quantity of natural beauties. One of them takes place in Turkey, I am talking about Pamukkale.

Pamukkale consists in a bunch of limestone-forming that gave those curious shapes (you can see it by yourself on the following picture).

@ deepgoswami

It is located in Denizli Province, about 220 miles from Istanbul. Pamukkale was declared as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. Don’t miss this place if you pass by Turkey.

Moreover, the most interesting thing in this curious place is, at the top of this paradise, there are ruins of Hierapolis, which give us one more reasons to pass by this country.

@ Giant Ginkgo

The famous Bamboo forest is located in Kamakura. It is one of the main attractions in Japan.

A walk through this woodland will be unforgettable.

Bamboo is natural material; it has a peculiar beauty offering various colors and beatified feelings. This takes place nearby Kyoto.

Moreover, you can use this occasion to visit some Zen temples, such as the Tenryu-ji temple

In July 2007, after a long period dedicated to votes, the choice of the 7 new wonders of the Ancient World was done.

The celebration took place in Lisbon, where Ben Kingsley, Hillary Swan and Bipasha Basu were the announcers.

Each canditate were presented.

The winners, the new wonders of the Ancient world are:

Petra, Jordania

@ Gauis Caecilius

The Great Wall of China

@ luispabon

The Taj Mahal, India

@ saibotregeel

The Colosseum, Roma

@R.Duran

The Kukulkán temple, Mexico

@ svazquezl

The Machu Picchu, Peru

@ magnusvk

@ svenwerk

View from the The Christ the Redeemer statue

@ SlapBcn
A reminder about all the candidates:

1.-Giza pyramid complex, Cairo, Egypt
2.-Petra, Jordania
3.-Great Wall of China
4.-Moai, Chile
5.- The Taj Mahal, India
6.- The Alhambra, Granada
7.- The Colosseum, Roma
8.- The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
9.- The Statue of Liberty, New York, US
10.- The Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia
11.- The C , Mexico
12.- The Machu Picchu, Peru
13.- The Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
14.-Timbuktu, Mali
15.- Hagia Sophia, Istambul, Turkey
16.- The Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow
17.- The Acropolis, Athens
18.- The Christ the Redeemer statue, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
19.- The Stonehenge, Great Britain
20.- Angkor, Cambodia
21.- The Kiyomizu-dera temple, Kyoto

@La Ferme Aventure

According to Egyptians, pyramid is a peak where life on Earth was born.

Denis Duchêne and his son got the idea to build a pyramid made of glass, entirely transparent. This takes place in “La Ferme Aventure”, in the heart of “les Vosges”, in France.

Inside, you will find a king bed, from where you will enjoy the sunset, a starry night, all of that goes with a soft light supplied by a solar panel.

@La Ferme Aventure

All around this tetrahedron, there are some cairns covered with bracken: An association between the mineral and the vegetal world.

Sheets are not provided, and toilets are outside.
Furthermore you will have your breakfast at the farm.

La Ferme Aventure offers also some activities such as: balneology, visit of the medieval castle in Fontenois, hiking, fishing, and tennis.

@La Ferme Aventure

By Swiv

Everyone has already heard, either from advertising or from movies, about the famous Route 66, also called “The Mother Road”. It has been created in 1926 and 2460 miles long.

From what point to what point does this road go?

Actually, it connects Los Angeles with San Francisco, crossing 8 states which are the state of Illinois, the state of Missouri, the state of Kansas, the state of Oklahoma, the state of ,Texas, the state of New Mexico, the state of Arizona and the state of California.

Through this road you will discover small-town America and its eventful past, but also its historical places. You will be amazed with its landscapes, going from deserts to agricultural plains. Good for forties/fifties lovers: The route 66 has kept all signs of this carefree time.
Along your way you will see restaurants and drive-in, abandoned motels belonging to this period.

Caveman 92223

You will probably cross bikers, as we have already seen in movies, with their leather jacket, riding large engines, making so much noise that they could wake dead people up.
Various tours are organized by various agencies, but it would be better to do it entirely, following the “real” route 66, which means without taking highways.
There are also other ways to do this trip: By auto motor, by big Americans cars, by bus, alone or in group, and others… But if you are a fan of huge engines, and especially of Harley Davidson, it is possible to own one for the period of this unforgettable trip.
Can you imagine driving this engine for 2460 miles, thinking about anything else, for 15 days…But doesn’t matter your means of transport, you will get this feeling of freedom. Once you brush this bitumen, there only you and this magic experience.

By Caveman 92223

By Caveman 92223

@ cuellar

The Spanish capital is a cosmopolitan city and the economic, financial and administrative center of the country. But Madrid is also an amazing heritage of a huge cultural and artistic patrimony. The king Philip II named it capital of his empire. Its historical center is known as the “Habsburg Madrid”. Its spectacular Plaza mayor is a Centuries’ XVI and XVII proof and the most known place.

Madrid has got 79 museums whereof el Prado museum http://www.spanisharts.com/prado/prado.htm, el Thyssen-Bornemisza museum, la Reina Sofia museum.

The “aristocratic center” of Madrid, close to la Plaza Mayor holds the Royal Palace mixes baroque and classic era, built in the XVII Century. On the other side, at the Plaza Oriente, there is the opera and the modern cathedral of Almudena (picture below).

By fredpanassac

Madrid’s commercial area is located around “la Puerta Del Sol”. There is all kind of shops.
Don’t forget the Clock of “La casa del Correos” whereof its bell rings wish you an happy new year!

Its open spaces are also an important entertainment while visiting Madrid: Retiro Park (picture below), La “Casa Del Campo” and Juan Carlos I park. You can enjoy the sun, walk, row on a lake, and also feeding pigeons.
Without forgetting to say that Madrid is one of the capitals the most verdant in Europe.

By caribb

We have to highlight also that Madrid has a wide-ranging of nightlife: bars, pubs, clubs, and Flamenco shows unite and get involved into traditional folklore festival which are mostly in summer.

One thing is truly sure: You will always find something to do in Madrid!

@ Robert Scales’ photostream

Don’t pack too much!!
As you’re going to be carrying the entire backpack on your back, there’s even more motive to only take the basics. And also, everybody expects you to have an impression of being crummy while you’re travelling. It’s a symbol of honor!

Don’t forget your MP3 player.
For some travelers, they’re an abomination, they will miss some funny parts, or some important conversations and I understand it. But after 24-hour in a bus or in a train, you’ll agree with that fact that it’s the best invention ever.

Avoid school holiday.
If you don’t have any children or any other work engagements, avoiding peak periods can enable you to save some of your money, I’m not talking only about flights, but also housing and entrance once you are there. But be careful, some places have a specific raison to be cheap in low seasons: nothing is opened.

Make use of public transport.
Buses, trains and trams are always cheaper than taxis. It’s also a better way to mix up with local people, and you’ll be surprised at how many different kind people you can get along with.

Learn a bit of slang.
Even if it’s only a few words … even if you only know the question: “Can you speak English?” Locals will notice your effort, they will be pleased, and you will always get something more or better than if you don’t do it.

Don’t be afraid of tours.
Doing a tour might be a bad idea even if you have traveled before. Sure, sometimes it can be really boring, but if you’ve on are restricted in your schedule and have a limited budget, choose a tour company that seems matching with your approach of traveling, and you’ll meet a lot of people like you, and have a plenty of fun.

Bargain.
Negotiate with your travel agent. The fee they charge you for flights is what they assume they can make you to pay. Don’t let them do it.

Enjoy!
Of course you will meet wrong people, wrong situation…etc… and when you’re far away you take it even worse, but keep thinking in this only way: no extraordinary situations (good or bad) = no decent stories to tell. So go with the wind, be kind with everybody, and stuff will work out well…

By Pop_wilson

Did I miss out something? What would you recommend?

It is quite difficult to choose 5 beaches or creeks from Ibiza, but with a little bit of effort we managed it, each one, selected for a specific raison, offers a special place where we can enjoy sea, beach and nature.

La cala Jondal (South of Ibiza)

Surrounded of nature, this crystal clear water makes of this place somewhere enchanted.

@Jaume Meneses

Everyone can find one´s pleasure: A part is made of pebbles and another of fine sand. This beach is alive; there are plenty of snack-bars, refreshment area, restaurants open day and night.
Brazilians dancers give a show on the beach some summer Sundays.

La cala Vadella (West of Ibiza)

It’s one of the most picturesque. To get to the bay, you will need to get down through an ill of pine-wood ending with fine and white sand and crystalline water. There is another to reach this creek.

@ appartementvermittlung- ruegen

It is possible to do scuba diving. Vadela creek is the favorite creeks of boats lovers. You will enjoy this sunny creek by day and by night.
We advise you the restaurant Maria Luisa where you will eat a delicious rice as well as fresh fish and seafood.

La cala Xarraca (North of Ibiza)

If you don’t like fine sand beaches but you like calm this creek will be your paradise this is a perfect place for snorkeling. This transparent water offers a bunch of sea species and vegetation.
Even if it is plenty of rocks, fine sands and natural mud bath are close.
This place is perfect to spend as day. You will enjoy a sunth bath and/or doing activities.

@ CrazyVet

La cala Boix (East of Ibiza)

It is a quite creek on the eastside of the island. Its sand it’s not as white as others Ibiza’s beaches but it offers a relaxing environment where you won’t be disturbed.

@ MnGyver

It’s quite tricky to reach it through the ill. It’s advised to not take this way with children or physical difficulties. The way from the parking place to the beach is short but the stares in between aren’t easy to access.

Sa Caleta (South of Ibiza)

It’s located on the east of La cala Jondal. It’s a popular creek which full from early in the morning. It’s not a place quiet, but the landscape is characteristic. With orange rocks all around, no wind can reach this creek.
It’s a man-made beach. Some years ago, we covered it with sand and we took rocks off from the coast to transform it as we can see nowadays.

@ sml!

Ibiza has a lot of creeks, you will certainly find yours.

@ twenty_questions

Nowadays, traveling to some countries without being vaccinated should be unthinkable.
However, each year, hundreds of travelers jump in this adventure. A single bite, in a tropical country, can waste your holiday and your plans for the future.

Some diseases are grave, such as the yellow-fever (spread via South American and African mosquitoes), the dengue-fever (mostly city area in South America, Africa, and Asia), or the Malaria (South America, Africa, Asia), among others.

Du to globalization, diseases travel easily from a country to another. Via people going back to their own country, or via mosquitoes, taking a flight, landing on another continent and spreading these diseases.

We also know viruses are able to mutate and to get worse, such as the West Nile Virus in 1999 in New York.
To sum up, viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungus travel freely at an international level. We have, as travelers, the mission of preventing this disease-spreading with vaccines and going for regular checkups.

Warning!! Because of the climate change, some mosquitoes are now able to reproduce in more places (more northern); the best is to ask your doctor or in a vaccination center.

@ poil0do

Some vaccines, such as hepatitis A and B, have to be administered some weeks before the departure. It is also better to do a check up some month after being back; moreover, for some diseases, such as Malaria, there is no vaccine. The only way is taking pills everyday. But theses pills are not fully reliable: only 60 % and symptoms can appear later.

Also, some vaccines are mandatory to get into a country, such as the yellow-fever in India or some part of Africa.

Traveling to tropics well vaccinated, would avoid worries and would allow spending relaxing holiday.

Never forget this common saying: “Prevention is better than cure!”

@ starbeard

Patrick was born in Wales, during the 4th century. When he was 16 years old, invaders kidnapped him, and took him to the other side of the sea where he stayed 6 years, working as a pastor.
He took comfort in religion and converted himself into Christianity. After having studying priesthood for 14 years, Patrick went back to Ireland where he built churches and spread Christianity for the next 30 years, till he dies, the 17th of March 460.

St Patrick’s Day is celebrated worldwide. Usually, everyone wears something green (Christian or not) and/or linked to the Gaelic culture: there are a lot of shows and we drink mostly Irish beverages: beers, Irish stout, such as Murphys, Harp or Guinness, whisky, cider…). They even have green beers.

@ Fiskal

But did you know that…

Irish people are not always happy to wear green. The Irish folklore considers that this color is bad luck because it was the favorite one of the Leprechaun and the legend says all the ones who wear a lot green will be kidnapped.

But what is the deal between Patrick and the shamrock?

@ mafleen

Patrick used this shamrock to explain Trinity Sunday mystery: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit = 3 distinct elements within a single entity. His disciples got used to wear a shamrock the day of his celebration.

Beside Irish culture celebration, Patrick’s day is also, and especially, originally, a Christian fair celebrated by the Christian church, Irish church and other Christian community. This day is always during the Lent.

The parade in Dublin lasts 5 days and brings together 500 000 people each year.
The biggest parade of this day happens in New York. Each year, more than 2 millions of people meet there to enjoy Patrick’s day. Others big parades happen all around the world: Manchester, Argentina, London…

@Youtube