To Wander The World

cabinporn: From Peter Turner in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory,...

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:08:15 -0400

From Peter Turner in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada:

My 12’ X16’ cabin on Echo Lake, where I have lived since December of 2005. No running water and outdoor toilet (ok, it’s a little nippy at -40 C) but electricity, a propane stove for heat, high speed internet and a wireless LAN. I have a spectacular view of a small lake, and mountains behind. In summer, a family of loons nest every year, and in winter ice skating, snowshoeing and cross country skiing can be spectacular!

A group of tourists regroup outside Borobudur temple in...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:04:56 -0400

A group of tourists regroup outside Borobudur temple in Indonesia.

Borobudu is a Mahayana Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:01:00 -0400

Borobudu is a Mahayana Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument was built in the 9th century, and is decorated with over 500 statues of the Buddha. [Map] [Wiki]

fuckyeahrhodeisland: Double rainbow, Newport, Rhode Island.

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:19:10 -0400

fuckyeahrhodeisland:

Double rainbow, Newport, Rhode Island.

The Whitsunday islands off the northeastern coast of Australia...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:26:30 -0400

The Whitsunday islands off the northeastern coast of Australia boast a landscape marbled with glistening white sands and impossibly clear turquoise waters. [Map] [Wiki]

Details of the ceiling in the nave of Sagrada Família, which was...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:04:27 -0400

Details of the ceiling in the nave of Sagrada Família, which was designed to mimic a canopy of trees.

La Sagrada Família is a magnificent cathedral that looms over...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:59:00 -0400

La Sagrada Família is a magnificent cathedral that looms over the skyline of Barcelona, Spain. Construction of the church began in 1882, and it is anticipated to be completed by 2026. [Map] [Wiki]

In 1845, transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:38:19 -0400

In 1845, transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau decided to spend two years in solitude with nature. Transcendentalists like Thoreau believe that man and nature are inherently good, but organized society corrupts them. Thoreau wanted to try being self-reliant and independent. The place he chose for this was Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. There, he wrote one of his most famous books, “Walden; or, Life in the Woods”. [Map] [Wiki]

"Travelers with closed minds can tell us little except about themselves."

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:45:51 -0400

“Travelers with closed minds can tell us little except about themselves.”

- Chinua Achebe

One thing to do before you die: attend Coachella, an annual...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:56:00 -0400

One thing to do before you die: attend Coachella, an annual music festival in hot, sunny southern California. Celebrities and music-lovers alike flock to Indio, CA for three days of music and fashion trendsetting. [Map] [Wiki] [Web]

ikenbot: Celebrate Earth Day in Super High Resolution Enormous...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:27:24 -0400

ikenbot:

Celebrate Earth Day in Super High Resolution

Enormous cloudbanks roll along as day changes to night on our planet Earth in this incredibly high resolution time-lapse video.

The sequence was created by James Drake, a student at the University of Victoria in Canada, using data from the Russian Federal Space Agency’s Elektro-L 1 satellite.

The great wall of China stretches roughly 5,500 miles through...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:11:13 -0400

The great wall of China stretches roughly 5,500 miles through the rolling Chinese hillside.

Up until the year 220 BCE, China was controlled by many different states. These states were constantly at war with one another. China was not a unified nation, until in 221 BCE, Qin Shi Huang conquered all the opposing states and united China, establishing the Qin dynasty. He is regarded as the first emperor of China.

Qin Shi Huang saw that many of the states had begun to build feeble walls. Under the Qin reign, these walls were fortified and connected, making one great wall. [Map] [Wiki]

Mount Roraima is a 9,219 foot tall plateau in Venezuela. In...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 08:21:57 -0400

Mount Roraima is a 9,219 foot tall plateau in Venezuela. In ancient times, the Pemon and Kapon tribes thought that Roraima was the stump of a giant tree which had once held all the fruits and vegetables in the world. [Map] [Wiki]

The Mona Lisa, by Leonardo Da Vinci, is on display at the Louvre...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 07:57:00 -0400

The Mona Lisa, by Leonardo Da Vinci, is on display at the Louvre museum in Paris.

The Louvre is one of the most-visited art museums in the world....

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 07:56:00 -0400

The Louvre is one of the most-visited art museums in the world. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, which began as a fortress built in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. The building was extended many times to form the present-day Louvre Palace.

French royalty once lived in the Louvre Palace, until in 1682, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household. He left the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection of antique sculpture. In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years. During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum, to display the nation’s masterpieces. [Map] [Wiki]

Calligraphy on the outside of the Taj Mahal.

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 07:44:48 -0400

Calligraphy on the outside of the Taj Mahal.

In 1631, Shah Jahan was emperor of the great Mughal empire,...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 07:35:32 -0400

In 1631, Shah Jahan was emperor of the great Mughal empire, which spanned roughly the area of what is now India. His third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died in labor giving birth to their 14th child. Shah Jahan was overcome with grief, and in 1632, ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum to honor his wife. Today, the Taj Mahal still stands ss a stunning example of Mughal architecture. [Map] [Wiki]

The sand at Punalu’u Beach on the Big Island of...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 07:10:00 -0400

The sand at Punalu’u Beach on the Big Island of Hawai’i, USA, is pitch black.

All of the Hawaiian islands were formed by lava hot flowing into the sea, cooling, and hardening. At Punalu’u beach, when lava hits the water, the temperature change is so intense that the basalt (volcanic rock) explodes, creating the fine black sand and pebbles along the shore. The lava that forms Punalu’u comes from the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.

Punalu’u beach is a sanctuary for Hawkbill and Green Sea Turtles, which are endangered. [Map] [Wiki]

Central Park is a lush 843-acre park in the middle of bustling...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 04:11:00 -0400

Central Park is a lush 843-acre park in the middle of bustling New York City, New York, USA. It opened in 1857, and today it’s still a patch of green in the middle of a busy, grey city. [Map] [Wiki]

The Washington Monument in Washington, DC, USA, was built from...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 03:53:49 -0400

The Washington Monument in Washington, DC, USA, was built from 1848-1884. It is the world’s tallest stone structure and the world’s tallest true obelisk. [Map] [Wiki]