Rolf Potts' Vagabonding Jeremy Mercer's top 10 bookshops After his life as a crime reporter in a Canadian city took a turn for the worse, Jeremy Mercer decided to head for Paris, where he happened upon the city's most famous bookshop, the legendary Shakespeare and Co. In Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs, Mercer describes the time he spent living in the bookshop, the people he met and his relationship with the shop's octogenarian owner. Here he chooses his 10 favourite bookshops from around the world. "Bookstores are sanctuaries. 1. This is a dream of a bookstore. 2. George Whitman has been running what he calls "a socialist utopia masquerading as a bookstore" for 50 years. 3. bookartbookshop, 17 Pitfield St, London, UK All serious book addicts get off on the physical objects as well as the words: the smell of the paper, the feel of the binding, the font of the print ... 4. In the heart of Williamsburg, Clovis Press has a stunning collection of New York City small press and subversive literature. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
The Amazing Monasteries of Bhutan The Kingdom of Bhutan is sometimes overlooked, locked between Tibet and India, but the Land of the Dragon as the Bhutanese call it is home to some of the most exquisite Buddhist monasteries in the world. Here, we take a fleeting visit to some of the over forty monasteries in Bhutan – quite a number considering the population of the entire country is only around 700,000. Taktsang Dzong Image credit Flickr User taxidesign The Taktsang Monastery (also known as a Dzong) is high up in the Paro valley area of the country and work started on this amazing structure in 1692, the same year as the first Salem Witch Trial. Punakha Dzong The old capital of the country (till 1955) is Punakha and it is home to perhaps the most imposing Dzong in the country. The monastery is positioned at the confluence of two rivers, which have the most marvellous names. Tango Monastery Travel less than ten miles north of the capital of Thimphu and you will discover the Tango Monastery. Tongsa – The Door to Heaven
Neft Daşları Neft Daşları (Azerbaijani: Neft Daşları, the Oil Rocks, also Neftyanyye Kamni or Neftekamni in Russian) is an industrial settlement in Baku, Azerbaijan. The settlement forms part of the municipality of Çilov-Neft Daşları in Əzizbəyov raion.[2] It lies 100 km (62 mi) away from the Azeri capital Baku, and 55 km (34 mi) from the nearest shore in the Caspian Sea. A full town on the sea, it was the first oil platform in Azerbaijan, and the first operating offshore oil platform in the world, incorporating numerous drilling platforms. The settlement began with a single path out over the water and grew into a system of paths and platforms built on the back of ships sunk to serve as the Neft Daşları's foundation.[3] The most distinctive feature of Neft Daşları is that it is actually a functional city with a population of about 2,000 and over 300 km (190 mi) of streets built on piles of dirt and landfill.[4] Etymology[edit] History[edit] Construction of the settlement[edit] Post-independence[edit]
7 Unexpected Dive Spots Around the World When most people envision scuba diving and snorkeling, they tend to imagine tropical locales with sandy beaches, turquoise water and brightly-colored fish. Places like the Caribbean, South America, and the South Pacific come to mind. But these aren’t the only destinations where you can plunge below the surface and discover a whole new underwater world. There are plenty of other places where you can see local sea life and dive historic shipwrecks far from the most-popular (and crowded) hot spots. Iceland The American and Eurasian continental plates meet at Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park, where they are forming a rift in the land as they slowly move apart. At Silfra Lake, the rift runs underwater. Though you won’t see fish in the ice-cold water, you will be treated to the vertigo-inducing sight of the deep fissure far below. >> Read about ten reasons to visit Iceland now >> Search for flights to Iceland >> Find hostels in Iceland Sudan The ship sank in 1977 after being stuck on a reef.
The Ellora Caves: Cliff Temples of India [25 pics] Photograph by Girl in the Rain Located in the Indian state of Maharashtra, the magnificent Ellora Caves are 34 structures excavated out of the vertical face of the Charanandri hills. An official UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Ellora Caves consists of 12 Buddhist, 17 Hindu and 5 Jain temples and monasteries built between the 6th and 10th century. They stand as a testament to the religious harmony prevalent during this period of Indian history. The Ellora Caves are the most visited ancient monument in the state and are a must-see for any tourists in the area. Enjoy the incredible photographs below with information on these historical monuments sprinkled throughout. Photograph by Raj Photography Photograph by <3 Cishore Photograph by Kareem Mayan Photograph by Xinoda Photograph by Koshy Koshy - The Buddhist caves (also called Vishvakarma caves) are the earliest of the Ellora Caves, dating from 500 to 750 AD. Photograph by Jon Baldock Photograph by A Lip Rim Toke Photograph by Kezia Cantwell-Wright
The Most Dangerous Roads in the World Nov 30, 2010 / Category : Misc / 12 Comments At one time or another, most drivers encounter unsafe road conditions. Hazards can appear in many different forms, for instance, poor weather, drunk drivers, and simple human error can all complicate an otherwise uneventful journey. On the other hand, sometimes the condition of the road itself can put your life in jeopardy. It is hard to imagine how many dangerous roads there are. Stelvio Pass Road, Italy The eastern Alps countryside of Italy are incredibly breathtaking. Trollstigen, Norway Trollstigen translated means "Troll's Ladder." Col de Turini, France Who doesn't want to go to the south of France? North Yungas Road, Bolivia This road is also known as the "Road of Death." Taroko Gorge Road, Taiwan (Chungheng) A tunnel with no lights off a cliff equals a disaster waiting to happen. Los Caracoles Pass, Andes A very popular path through the Andreas Mountains between Chile and Argentina. Lena Highway, Russia Known as the "Highway from Hell."
Fairytale Destinations Is it a dream or is it for real? These places will make you wonder whether you step into the land of magic and fantasy or still firmly stand on the ground. With unearthly nature, unreal landscapes or fairy tale architecture, these destinations will take you far away from your humdrum reality. Picturesque Colmar in France, considered the most beautiful city in Europe, looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale. As if being the wine capital was not enough, Colmar, with its pretty squares, fountains and canals, is also called the "little Venice" (la Petite Venise). The Lord of the Rings' scenery of Faroe Islands truly makes you believe the archipelago is inhabited by hobbits and elves. Saksun, Faroe Islands. Castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Germany in autumn. It is not a sugary Disneyland construction, although it looks like a fairy tale palace occupied by some capricious princess. If there was a fairy tale about the enchanted land of clay, its setting would look like Cappadocia.
The Philosophical Traveller Sümela Monastery in Turkey | IcreativeD Close-up of Sümela monastery from across the valley The Sümela Monastery (Turkish: Sümela Manastırı), Greek: Μονή Παναγίας Σουμελά, i.e. monastery of the Panaghia ("All Holy", the Greek name for the Virgin Mary) at Melá mountain is a Greek Orthodox monastery, standing at the foot of a steep cliff facing the Altındere valley, in the region of Maçka in the Trabzon Province of modern Turkey. At an altitude of about 1,200 metres (3,900 ft), it is a major tourist attraction of Altındere National Park. The monastery is on a ledge in a steep cliff Sümela Monastery as illustrated in a postcard addressed in 1903 The "backyard" of the monastery today If you enjoyed this post, Leave comment please!