Chamonix-Prince of Alps
Chamonix, the host of first winter Olympics in 1924, is a renowned hill resorts in the world. Surrounding by chill mountains of Rhone-Alps, the Chamonix is ideal for mountain sports and sky diving. Near to the Chamonix, there lies the Mount Blanc, the largest peak in Europe. The Chamonix is known for variety of adventure sports like ice climbing, skiing, trekking, rafting and paragliding. During summer, the mountaineers from all parts world flock together in Chamonix and present their skills.
The Chamonix cable car is one of the longest cable car network c. The cable car which runs through the valleys of Chamonix and Aosta, gives the splendid scenery of the underlying green forest and snow clad mountains. Also there is a tramway operated between ST. Gervais and Nid d’aigle passing through the splendid green valleys.
The Chamonix valley has about six areas of skiing of which Grand Montets and white valley are for the hard core skiers. The Mer de Glace, the largest glaciers of Europe, gives the best of the pleasure to the tourists. The Geneva is the nearest major city which is about 100 km from the Chamonix. The tunnel runs below the Mount Blanc provides the passage between Chamonix and Geneva.
Rushmore-Grand Memorial
Mount Rushmore, a prominent tourist as well as memorial place, is situated in the state of South Dakota. The sixty feet granite carved faces of four former presidents was produced from the immense human effort and great thinking. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt are the four presidents, whose faces were carved in the Rushmore mount. Most of the rocks were blasted out and then carved to prefect to get the faces of presidents. The technique of honeycombing was used to do the process of carvings. After blasting, through jackhammer prefect figure was obtained. The sculptor Gutzon Borglum was responsible for the creation of such huge memorial, which took fourteen years to complete.
The memorial is located at the height of about 5,700 feet above sea level. The memorial is intended to depict the four important personalities who played a major role in the first 150 years of independence. It is a hard work of 400 workers who spent the hot summers and worst winters to bring out such a grand architect. Though the memorial was opened shortly after its completion, it was officially dedicated in the year 1991. With an average of 2 million visitors annually, the Mount Rushmore Memorial was a dedication to the four great lives.
Olympia- Glory of Greece
The Olympic Games has derived its name from an ancient Greek City of Olympia in Elis of Greece. The Olympia is the place where the Olympic Games has originally originated and developed around seventh century B.C. and later banned in third century A.D. The site of Olympia has many temples and the sports facilities’. The Olympic Games were organized in the honor of Greek God Zeus.
The whole complex of buildings was constructed in unorganized manner and was built at different periods. The sacred buildings like Temple of Hera, Temple of Zeus and Pelopion were built along one side of the sanctuary. There is an altar for the sacrifices to be performed. The stadium and the sport buildings like Gymnasion, Leonidaion, Phedias workshop and Palestra were found in the west and east part of the complex.
The golden statue of Zeus described as one of the wonders of the world was sculptured in the Phedias workshop. The archway, Greek styled bath houses and athletic buildings were constructed around 200 B.C. The sanctuary is located on the banks of the river Kladeos. The Olympia was at its peak of fame under Greeks rule, but under Romans, the Olympia lost its glory and later diminished.
Sakhalin- Paradise Islands of Russia
Sakhalin Islands, located just off coast Russian mainland, is known for its abundant mineral resources as well as unseen beautiful natural tourist spots. In past, it was controlled by various countries before it was fallen to Russia after Second World War. The cool and humid climate looks awesome for the development tourism industry. The forests found in the center of island are known to the home of millions of wildlife especially endangered species like brown bears, otters and sables. The gray whale and other numerous whale species can only be seen only along the Coast of Sakhalin Island.
he mixed culture of Russians, Koreans, Azerbaijanis and indigenous nomads were found in the Sakhalin islands. The frequent ferry service and airways connect the islands with mainland. Moneron Island, a marine park, is abundant with rich green forests, enchanting wildlife and variety of birds. Another island named Tyuleniy is the nurturing place for fur seals and sea lions. The Vaida Mountains is also another favorite destination for tourists. The mountains ridges hold one of dense forests of the world amidst calmness and historic caves. Literally speaking the nature is at its best in Zhdanko Ridge with gorgeous waterfalls and heart robbing green valleys.
Galapagos Islands-Land of Tortoises
Galapagos Islands, which gave Darwin an inspiration for his theory, are the home of millions of rare plants and animals. These islands belong to Ecuador and are located in the eastern Pacific Ocean. In olden days, it served as a famous port for pirates to hide. The Spanish Colonialism has resulted in the mixed culture with the Native Americans. Some of the major islands are South Seymour, Bartholomew, Culpepper, Isabela, Fernandina, among which Isabela is the largest one. The best season to visit Galapagos Islands is during the summer months of May and April. Some of the noteworthy species include Blue-footed booby, Waved Albatross, Iguanas, Flightless Cormorant and a variety of tortoises, which decorate the islands.
Charles Darwin research center is located at Santa Cruz where rare tortoise species are being bred. Galapagos Islands are famous for Snorkeling and Scuba diving. Darwin Island and Wolf Island are two world premier diving places, which attracts divers from all parts of the world. Trekking to the Bartholomew Island can take the tourists to an exciting and mind boggling landscapes. The best way to see all the beautiful and gorgeous wildlife is through boat from Puerto Ayora or Quito. Because of the astonishing wildlife and forests, Galapagos Islands were recognized as World Heritage Site and Biosphere reserve.
Bagan-City of Temples
Bagan, the home of rich artistic temples and cultural heritage, is situated on the banks of river Irrawaddy. The city of Bagan has very close ties with the history of Myanmar. For many centuries, the city has been the control center of the Myanmar. The city has as many as twelve thousand Buddhist temples, stupas, pagodas and monuments. Moreover the city is located on the dry plains with green vegetation, which is ideal for the construction of such historic monuments. 
The Bagan has promoted as the cultural capital of the country because of its tremendous and spectacular tradition. The Bagan is well connected with the capital city of Yangon through air, rail and road transports. The hot air balloon ride over the Bagan gives a spectacular view of the traditional Buddhist monuments and is completely safe. Ananda, the prominent Buddhist temple is such a nice place to visit. Ananda has four Buddha statues in each direction indicating the Buddhist philosophy. The monuments look very beautiful and pretty during sunset and sunrise. Some of the majestic monuments found in Bagan are Mahabodhi Temple, Dhammayazika Temple and Nanpaya Temple. The Myazedi inscription, another important historic place, is often referred as the Rosetta Stone of Burma and is carved in four ancient languages.
Petra-Red Rose City of Jordan
Petra, the capital of ancient Nabataenans, has the impressive buildings and extraordinary grandeur. The city seems to have faced a disastrous earthquake in seventh century and later abandoned. The UNESCO, due to its grand culture and splendid edifice, had announced Petra as the cultural heritage site. There existed an excellent water management system that supplies the city from the mountain stream, later it was crippled. The Petra can be reached only by the camel and horse.
The Siq, the long canyon entrance to the city carries lots of sandstone patterns. The treasury seated upon the Siq looks like jaw-drop and has many myths about it. The theater, built in Roman style has a huge capacity of crowd and it used to hold many cultural events. The royal tombs and monastery, the major monument of the Petra enchants the tourists with amazing beauty and architecture. The altars at the top of the mountains, used for the sacrifices, are also a favorite destination for visitors. The Aaron Mountain is known for its religious importance and also the highest peak in the whole of Middle-East. It can be noted that the inscriptions and carvings were made on the red colored rocks and thereby the city is known as ‘Red-Rose City’.
Eiffel Tower- Icon of Paris
The Eiffel Tower, the most renowned structures in the earth, is the prominent symbol for Paris and France. The nineteenth century structure is estimated to be made from ten thousand tons of iron. It was built in 1889 by Gustave Eiffel. The Eiffel tower remained as a symbol of France and Paris for several decades. It consists of three levels for visitors. For reaching each levels of the tower, the lifts were used. These lifts were designed to satisfy the safety and security of visitors. The spiral stairs were also used to access up to third level and is rarely used because of small width of stairs.
The highest level of the tower can utterly deliver the whole view of Paris and its surroundings. In the World War times, the tower was served for communication purposes. There is a small museums situated at the base of the east and west tower. The famous restaurants located in the Eiffel tower are Altitude 95 and Jules Verne. During the night time, the whole Eiffel tower was glow by the lights and looks very beautiful, which draws tourists from all walks of life. The Eiffel tower would be a best destination for weekends as the nearest air destination is Paris, the one of busiest airports in the world.
Kimberley- Not only for Diamonds!!
Like many other African nations, South Africa is gifted with a variety of natural resources and wildlife. One among such place is Kimberley, the world famous center for diamond mines. The city is situated near the confluence of two rivers namely Orange and Vaal Rivers and remained as a place of strategic importance and historic influence. The mining of diamonds were started at the late nineteenth century. The renowned “Big Hole”, which was dug by thousands of workers for finding the diamonds, is the biggest tourist attraction in the city of Kimberley.
The Open Mine Museum brings about the significant proceedings and artifacts including ‘Eureka’ of the Kimberley mines. Apart from mining, Kimberley is also famous for Bird’s sanctuary of Flamingo Island, built on the waters of Kamfers dam. The islands serve as the home for about thousands of flamingos. The memorials such as Digger’s and Honoured Dead Memorial records some of the important historic events in the region. Some of the leisure monuments like City Hall and Kimberley Club can be useful in giving pleasure and joy to the tourists. The famous Museums like McGregor, Magerfontein Battlefield and Duggan Cronin Gallery houses many rare and old artifacts like photographs, paintings and sculptures.
Azores-Island of Beauty
Not many of us, doesn’t know that Azores was the western most tip of the Europe. Azores is an autonomous region of Portugal and a well known tourist center from good old times. Actually Azores is a group of about nine islands. The green mountains that forms the most of the islands would surely been a treat to the tourists. The steep hills would turns out to be the best place for adventurous sports.
Apart from the natural sceneries, Horta, the sailing port of island, would be an ideal place for the beach lovers and sea sports adventurers. There were many blue water bodies like Sete CIdades, Furnas, and etc all around the islands. Fogo Lake, commonly known as Fire Like, is a beautiful lake located at the top of mountains and is known for its heart robbing views and amazing sand beach. The climate in the Azores will be mainly sub-tropical with mild seasonal variations. The Angra, a historic town, is a place which is worth to watch and it contains some of rare glimpses of early Portuguese events. Here the marinas were abundantly found in all these islands. In recent years, whale watching and adventurous sea diving are being developed too much extent to woo the visitors.
