Israel - Masada

Masada is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications in the South District of Israel on top of an isolated rock plateau, or horst, on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea.

When it was constructed under the rule of King Herod, Masada turned from just a plateau with temples into a luxurious mountain resort with steam baths, water cisterns, guard towers, weapons and food warehouses for possible refuge.
During the excavations, surrounding the 20-acre plateau, two large palaces, administrative buildings, storehouses and a Roman bathhouse were dicovered. The largest building was a western palace that served as Herod's principal residence. The northern side contained Herod's private three-tiered palace/villa, which had been built directly on the edge of the cliff. Also uncovered at Masada were two multicolored mosaics -- the earliest of their kind yet discovered in the Holy Land.
Great cisterns were also discovered. They had been cut from the side of the rock and were supplied with water by an intricate system of aqueducts. The Zealots themselves had constructed several buildings, a synagogue, a religion school room and two ritual baths.

Although a legend, it is believed that in its last years of usage in the year 73 A.D., Masada was defended by Jews in the Roman occupied Israel. They defended the untakeable fortress while the Romans, craving total victory, built a ramp to enable them to take control. Even before the morning the Romans planned to storm Masada, the Jews saw themselves faced with two choices - to be or not to be free. They decided that rather then becoming slaves at the hands of the Romans, they would die as free men and women. During the night, all but a small handful of women and children committed the ultimate act of resistance to slavery -- suicide.

Netherlands - Beemster Polder

Beemster is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Also, the Beemster is the first so-called polder in the Netherlands that was reclaimed from a lake, the water being extracted out of the lake by windmills.
The Beemster Polder was dried during the period 1609 through 1612. It has preserved intact its well-ordered landscape of fields, roads, canals, dykes and settlements, laid out in accordance with classical and Renaissance planning principles. A grid of canals parallels the grid of roads in the Beemster. The grids are offset: the larger feeder canals are offset by approximately one kilometer from the larger roads.

Singapore - night view

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula.
Singapore is the world's fourth leading financial centre and a cosmopolitan world city, playing a key role in international trade and finance. The port of Singapore is also amongst the top five busiest ports in the world.

Singapore – old views – 1947 – 1948

Singapore in 1947 – 1948
Scenes from years past, some of which can still be seen today.
Raffles Hotel (top), Chinese Junk (bottom), The Golden Sultan Mosque (right) and a snake charmer.

How Singapore gets her name

During the 13th/14th century, in Palembang (situated in Indonesia) there lived a Prince called Sang Nila Utama aka Sri Tri Buana(who was the son of Raja Chulan, a great king of South India) Hunting wild animals and merry making was how he passed his time. Bored and tired with the usual 'Istana' (Palace) routines, he decided to set sail to a nearby island to search for new adventures.

While onboard the ship, Sang Nila Utama saw a small island, which he was told to be called 'Temasek'. He instructed his crews to stop at the island. While sailing, suddenly the sea turned violence, with great storm turning the great ship down, threatening to swallow the ship into the ocean. The Captain has thrown all cargoes and goods overboard hoping that it could lighten the ship's stability but it doesnt seems to work. He begged Sang nila Utama to throw overboard his heavy gold, bejeweled crown which the Prince was wearing. Ironically it seems to work, and they finally arrived to the island 'Temasek'.

It was a beautiful island with white beach, plants with bright flowers and birds chirping. Suddenly he saw a strange creature in the jungle, an animal which he has never seen before. It was large with black head, reddish body and white chest. It looks fierce and was passing bye arrogantly and it was simply magnificient.

He was then told by his assistant, the animal that he just saw was a lion. So Sang Nila Utama decide to name the island 'Singa Pura' (direct translation to English - Proud Lion) or Lion City and declared himself as the ruler.

(I found the legend here)

United Kingdom – Manchester Cathedral

Manchester Cathedral is a medieval church on Victoria Street in central Manchester and is the seat of the Bishop of Manchester. The cathedral’s official name is The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George in Manchester. It has also variously been known locally as St Mary’s, Christ Church and, simply, t’owd church. Although extensively refaced, restored and extended in the Victorian period, and then again following severe bomb damage in the 20th century, the main body of the Cathedral largely derives from the wardenship of James Stanley (warden 1485–1506), and is in the Perpendicular Gothic style. Stanley was also primarily responsible for commissioning the spectacular late medieval wooden furnishings, including the pulpitum, the choir stalls, and the nave roof supported by angels with gilded instruments. It is one of the Grade I listed buildings in Manchester.

Uruguay – Montevideo

Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay.

The city was founded by the Spanish in the early eighteenth century; its first European settlers were a boatload of young families from the Canary Islands. Freed slaves from Brazil and Argentina came to the city in the nineteenth century, attracted by rumors of fair treatment. In time, more immigrants would arrive from Italy, Spain (particularly Galicia), Portugal, Germany, France Great Britain (the British built the country’s first railways) and Poland. Most emigrated in the hope of escaping poverty at home; others to escape repression. Montevideo also has a substantial Jewish community.The city expanded from the original colonial settlement (now the Old Town) inland, through vegetable gardens and pastureland that is now the city’s Center, and along a series of beaches, now the modern residential suburbs of Pocitos and Carrasco.

Malta – Hypogeum

The Hypogeum of Paola, Malta, literally meaning “underground” in Greek, is a subterranean structure dating to the Saflieni phase in Maltese prehistory. Thought to be originally a sanctuary, it became a necropolis in prehistoric times. It is the only prehistoric underground temple in the world.

Ireland - Duncannon

Duncannon is a village in southwest County Wexford, Ireland. Bordered to the west by Waterford harbour and sitting on a rocky promontory jutting into the channel is the strategically prominent Duncannon Fort which dominates the village.

According to legend, the settlement at Duncannon dates back to the time of Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fianna in the 3rd century AD.

Primarily a fishing village, Duncannon also relies heavily on tourism and is situated on the clearly signposted and very scenic Ring of Hook drive. Duncannon boasts a mile long, blue flag recipient golden beach and is a very popular spot with locals and tourists alike.
Duncannon Fort, which was built in 1588 incorporates a maritime museum, Arts centre, café and craft shop and is open daily to visitors from June to September.

Cyprus – Paphos – Tombs of the Kings

The Tombs of the Kings is a large necropolis lying about two kilometres (little over a mile) north-west of Paphos harbour in Cyprus.

The underground tombs, many of which date back to the 4th century BCE, are carved out of the solid rock, and are thought to have been the burial sites of Paphitic aristocrats and high officials up to the third century CE (the name comes from the magnificence of the tombs; no kings were in fact buried here). Some of the tombs feature Doric columns and frescoed walls. Archaeological excavations are still being carried out at the site. The tombs are cut into the native rock, and at times imitated the houses of the living.

Croatia Croatia – Sibenik – Cathedral of St. James

Sibenik is political, economic, social and cultural centre of Sibenik-Knin county in Dalmatia, Croatia. Placed in the middle part of Croatian Adriatic coast, in picturesque, well-indented, bay in which river Krka empties. There are 42 000 inhabitants. From all other cities on Adriatic Sibenik takes a special place. While Solin, Trogir, Hvar and Vis were Greek, Roman and Byzantine’s, Sibenik is a “new city “, founded just as a balance to the Byzantine’s Dalmatia. That’s why Sibenik is the oldest Croatian city on Adriatic.

The Cathedral of St. James in Šibenik, is a triple-nave basilica with three apses and a dome (32 m high inside) in the city of Šibenik, Croatia. It is the church of the Catholic Church in Croatia, and the see of the Šibenik diocese. It is also the most important architectural monument of the Renaissance in the entire country. Since 2000, the Cathedral has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Bulgaria – Madara Rider

The Madara Rider or Madara Horseman is an early medieval large rock relief carved on the Madara Plateau east of Shumen in northeastern Bulgaria, near the village of Madara.

The monument is dated back to circa 710 AD and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979. The dating means the monument was created during the rule of Bulgar Khan Tervel, and supports the thesis that it is a portrayal of the khan himself and a work of the Bulgars, a nomadic tribe of warriors which settled in northeastern Bulgaria at the end of the 7th century AD and after merging with the local Slavs gave origin to the modern Bulgarians. Other theories connect the relief with the ancient Thracians, claiming it portrays a Thracian god.

Bulgaria – Rila Monastery

The Rila monastery lies in the very Rila mountain, at 1,147 meters above sea level. It is situated 117km away from Sofia to the south.

The monastery is believed to have been founded by a hermit, John of Rila, in the 10th century, during the reign of the Bulgarian Tzar Peter (927-968). St John of Rila, whose relics are exhibited for pilgrims in the main church, in fact lived in a cave about half-an-hour walk away from the present-day monastery complex. The monastery itself is considered to have been built by his scholars, who came to the place to be taught by him.
Similarly to other Bulgarian monasteries that survived during Ottoman times, the Rila monastery has acted as a centre of spiritual and cultural life for the Bulgarian nation during the foreign rule. During that time, the monks created new works and made copies of medival Bulgarian authors, representing mainly the Turnovo and Mount Athos schools.

The monastery was declared a national historical monument in 1976, while in 1983 it was inscribed in UNESCO’s list of world heritage.

Belgium – UNESCO Sites

Antwerpen

Bruxelles – Grand Market

Gent – Belfry

Brugge – Historic Center

Belarus – Brest Fortress-Hero – Memorial Complex

Brest Fortress was built in the 1830s-early 1840s at the meeting-point of the rivers Bug and Mukhavyets.

During construction, the entire town was relocated to a new position 2km away. St Nicolas Church was built in 1851-1876. Much of it was severely damaged during World War 2.

The site occupies more than four square km, although many of the outer defences were damaged or destroyed during the wars of the 20th century.

There is a citadel at the centre of the fortress, linked to three artificial island fortifications by bridgeheads:

• Kobrin fortification (north-eastern side)
• Terespol fortification (western island)
• Volyn fortification (south-eastern island)

The fortress was captured by the German army in 1915 and after World War 1 remained within Polish territory. In 1930 it became infamous as a prison in Poland in the aftermath of the Brest Elections.

In 1939 Brest Fortress was assigned to the Soviet Union. It earned the title of Hero Fortress for the courage demonstrated by Soviet soldiers when they fought against the German army in 1941. Whilst the Nazis took the town of Brest – 90% of which was destroyed in the fighting – the two regiments garrisoned inside the fortress held out.

For the people of Belarus, Brest Fortress remains a famous symbol of the Soviet resistance during World war 2.

Austria – Graz – aerial view

Graz’s “Old Town” is one of the best-preserved city centers in Central Europe. In 1999, it was added to the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage Sites.

Graz was the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2003.

Australia-Sydney-Opera House

Sydney is the largest city in Australia and Oceania, and the state capital of New South Wales, and is located on Australia’s south-east coast of the Tasman Sea.

The site of the first British colony in Australia, Sydney was established in 1788 at Sydney Cove by Arthur Phillip, commodore of the First Fleet. The city is built on hills surrounding Sydney Harbor where the iconic Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge feature prominently. The hinterland of the metropolitan area is surrounded by national parks, and the coastal regions feature many bays, rivers, inlets and, most famously, beaches. Within the city are many notable parks, including Hyde Park and Royal Botanical Gardens.

Sydney is known as an international center for commerce, arts, fashion, culture, entertainment, education and tourism. Sydney has hosted major international sporting events, including the 1938 British Empire Games, the 2000 Summer Olympics, the final match of the 2003 Rugby World Cup, as well as the 2008 World Youth Day. The main airport serving Sydney is Sydney Airport.

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts center on Bennelong Point in Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who, in 2003, received the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s highest honor.

The Sydney Opera House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007.Currently, it is the most recently constructed World Heritage Site to be designated as such, sharing this distinction with such ancient landmarks as Stonehenge and the Giza Necropolis. It is one of the 20th century’s most distinctive buildings and one of the most famous performing arts centers in the world.

Germany - Hamburg

Hamburg is a major port city situated on the Elbe River in northern Germany.
Hamburg is a city-state. It values its status as a city, being as independent as possible of other states that have existed or currently exist in Germany. Nevertheless, over the centuries, Hamburg has always been an international city. This is not only because of its position in international trade, but also in political dimensions.
One of the most important harbors in Europe and the world, Hamburg takes great pride in its mercantile background, which built the city's wealth in the past centuries. From 1241 on, it was member of the Hanseatic League, a medieval trade monopoly over Northern Europe. In the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, millions left Europe on their way to the new world through the Hamburg harbor. Today, the harbor ranks second in Europe and sixth to seventh world-wide. Consequently, one of Hamburg's tag lines is "The Gate to the World" (derived from the city’s coat of arms, showing an argent city wall with a gate and crowned by three towers on a field of gules). Hamburg is known to be one of the richest metropolitan area in the European Union, like Brussels and London.
The harbor is the heart of the city, however, Hamburg is one of the most important media hubs in Germany, too. Half of the nation's newspapers and magazines have their roots in Hamburg. And unknown even to some locals is the fact that, with one of the Airbus aircraft assembly plants, Hamburg is a major location of the world's aerospace industry, right after Seattle (USA) and Toulouse (France).
The mercantile background reflects in the city's architecture. The only palace in Hamburg is the town hall, house of the citizen's parliament and the senate. Apart from that, the city still has large quarters with expensive houses and villas. These residences are home to merchants and captains, surrounded by lots of greenery.

Austria - Freistadt

Freistadt (literally "Freetown") is a small Austrian town in the state of Upper Austria in the region Mühlviertel.
Freistadt was an old medieval town (founded around 1220) that separated the Habsburg and Bohemian lands. It was a crossroad of the salt and iron trade route during the Middle Ages from the Danube to Bohemia. The outer and inner walls, towers and gates of the old city, build mainly between 1363 and 1393 still exist today.

Japan - Hanami

Hanami literally means “flower viewing”, however, it commonly refers only to cherry blossom viewing. Cherry blossom viewing is easy: Simply enjoy the intensity of the many blossoms by looking at a single tree or a group of trees. From a distance, the trees appear as beautiful clouds, while the beauty of single blossoms can be enjoyed from a close distance.

Germany - Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting August 13, 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses. The Soviet-dominated Eastern Bloc officially claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a Socialist State in East Germany. However, in practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period.

In 1989, a radical series of Eastern Bloc political changes occurred, associated with the liberalization of the Eastern Bloc's authoritarian systems and the erosion of political power in the pro-Soviet governments in nearby Poland and Hungary. After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on November 9, 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the next few weeks, a euphoric public and souvenir hunters chipped away parts of the wall; the governments later used industrial equipment to remove most of the rest. The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, which was formally concluded on October 3, 1990.

Slovenia – Kobarid

Kobarid is a town and a municipality in the upper Soča (Italian Isonzo) valley, western Slovenia, near the Italian border.
Kobarid is known for the famous Battle of Caporetto also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo or the Battle of Karfreit. It took place from 24 October to 19 November 1917 (WWI).
Austro-Hungarian forces, reinforced by German units, were able to break into the Italian front line and rout the Italian army, which had practically no mobile reserves. The battle was a demonstration of the effectiveness of the use of stormtroopers and the infiltration tactics developed in part by Oskar von Hutier. The use of poison gas by the Germans played a key role in the collapse of the Italian Second Army.
The Italian retreat was documented by Ernest Hemingway in his novel “A Farewell to Arms”.

China – Beijing – Summer Palace

The Summer Palace started out life as the Garden of Clear Ripples in 1750 (Reign Year 15 of Emperor Qianlong). Artisans reproduced the garden architecture styles of various palaces in China. Kunming Lake was created by extending an existing body of water to imitate the West Lake in Hangzhou. The palace complex suffered two major attacks—during the Anglo-French allied invasion of 1860 (with the Old Summer Palace also ransacked at the same time), and during the Boxer Rebellion, in an attack by the eight allied powers in 1900. The garden survived and was rebuilt in 1886 and 1902. In 1888, it was given the current name, Yihe Yuan. It served as a summer resort for Empress Dowager Cixi, who diverted 30 million taels of silver, said to be originally designated for the Chinese navy (Beiyang Fleet), into the reconstruction and enlargement of the Summer Palace.

In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List. It declared the Summer Palace "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value." It is a popular tourist destination but also serves as a recreational park.

The Pavilion pf precious Clouds it is also know as the Bronze Pavilion or Baoyun Pavilion.

It is a structure with a double-eaved roof. With a height of 7.55m, it weighs 207 tonnes. The pillars, rafters, brackets, tiles, beasts on the ridges, windows and doors and even the lintel of the bronze pavilion are all made from wood. Greenish-grey in color, it is delicately and intricately made. It is documented that the copper cuttings accumulated in the process of polishing the surface amounted to 2,500kg. The pavilion sits on a white Buddhist-style marble base with carvings. Bells with the same material and color hang by brackets from the four corners. The bells ring in the wind. The sunlit painted pavilion looks dainty and delicate, giving a sense of perpetuity.

When the construction of the bronze pavilion was finished, Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) wrote poetry on the stele standing before it. In the reign of Emperor Qianlong, Lamas from Tibet came here to pray for the emperors and empresses of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) on the first and fifteenth day of each lunar month. The 10-meter-high brackets on the stone cliff behind the pavilion were all used to hang Buddha figures during the ceremony.

Constructed in the twentieth year of the reign of Qing Qianlong, Baoyun Bronze Pavilion survived many calamities and historical shifts. In 1860, the Allied Forces of Britain and France burned the Garden of Clear Ripples (former name of the Summer Palace) but the Baoyun Bronze Pavilion remained intact due to its bronze material. Nevertheless, the furnishings inside the pavilion were all destroyed, leaving a bronze table alone. In 1900, the Eight Allied Armies ransacked the Summer Palace, yet could do nothing to the bronze pavilion.

Uruguay – Punta del Este – Casa Pueblo

Punta del Este is an upscale resort on the southern tip of Uruguay, southeast of Maldonado and about 140 km east of Montevideo. The city has much colonial architecture contrasting with more modern buildings. Nowadays it has a scenic shore, typical resort houses, modern buildings, a port with mooring capacity, department stores, restaurants, and pubs. There are several large houses, and gardens lined with plants.
Casapueblo is the house of noted Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró located in Punta Ballena (Whale Point) near Punta del Este, Uruguay. It is an homage to the artist’s son Carlitos Miguel, one of the sixteen survivors of the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571. Casapueblo is now a citadel-sculpture that includes a museum, an art gallery, and the Hotel Casapueblo.

United Kingdom – Stonehenge

Stonehenge is surely Britain’s greatest national icon, symbolizing mystery, power and endurance. Its original purpose is unclear to us, but some have speculated that it was a temple made for the worship of ancient earth deities. It has been called an astronomical observatory for marking significant events on the prehistoric calendar. Others claim that it was a sacred site for the burial of high-ranking citizens from the societies of long ago.
The stones we see today represent Stonehenge in ruin. Many of the original stones have fallen or been removed by previous generations for home construction or road repair. There has been serious damage to some of the smaller blue stones resulting from close visitor contact (prohibited since 1978) and the prehistoric carvings on the larger sarsen stones show signs of significant wear.

Japan – Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 m (12,388 ft). Along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku, it is one of Japan’s “Three Holy Mountains” (Sanreizan). An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji is just west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji’s exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers.

Mount Fuji is believed to possess a female spirit. There is a myth recounting a story of the measurement of Mount Fuji and Mount Haku by the Buddha Amida. It is said that Haku, a male mountain, was taller than Fuji, however Mount Fuji was so enraged by this measurement that she destroyed the top of Haku. This created the eight peaks of Mount Haku and thus Mount Fuji became the tallest of the Japanese mountains.
Mt. Fuji has been the home to many things. It has been known as the home of a fire god, the Shinto goddess of flowing trees, and since Buddhist times the dwelling of Dainichi Nyorai, who was the Buddha of All-Illuminating Wisdom. One of the deities of Mt. Fuji is known as Sengen, the goddess of Fuji. She is also known as Ko-no-hana-saku-ya-hime (“Radiant-blooming-as-the-flowers-of-the-trees”) On the summit of Mt. Fuji is her temple. She was said to in ancient times sit on a cloud while her invisible servants threw in any pilgrims who were not pure of heart. Another deity of Fuji was the Luminous Maiden. She was said to have led a certain emperor to his doom. He is still worshipped at the small shrine marking where he vanished. A third and final deity that is known is O-ana-mochi or “possessor of the great hole” (crater).

Belgium – Lommel – German soldiers cemetery (WWII)

The largest German military cemetery (Kriegsgräberstätte) in Europe is situated in Lommel. Since 1946 39.099 soldiers who died in W.O.I but mainly in W.O.II are buried here. During the fighting in Belgium and Germany (mainly at Aachen and Düren) the Americans buried the German dead provisionally on 4 temporary cemeteries from which the dead were later brought over to Lommel. Thousands of German soldiers who have died on Belgian soil found here their last resting place in Lommel

The cemetery lies next to the N746, the way from Lommel to Leopoldburg.

Bulgaria – Vidin – Baba Vida Fortress

Baba Vida fortress in the town of Vidin on the river Danube in Northwesternmost Bulgaria is the only medieval fortress that has survived to this day in this country.

A portulan, a travel guide of sorts, from the Roman times first mentioned the fortress under the name Ad Malum (probably of Celtic origin). The Romans later changed the name to Bononia, which the Slavs pronounced as Budin, and the Proto Bulgarians as Bdin. The present-day name Vidin appeared for the first time in Ottoman registers as early as the XV century.

Baba Vida is a medieval fortress built on the foundation of the Roman Bononia fortification that existed for five centuries till the mid sixth century A.D. It was part of the Danubian frontier of the Roman Empire. The citadel had two parts, a housing and economic part, and a defensive part. The castle represented a square building encircled by two walls, an inner wall and an outer wall, forming a courtyard in between. The castle towers were built on the inner wall. Four of them occupied the four corners pointing to the four directions north, south, east, west. There were also five lateral towers, and of course the main entrance tower, built on the outer wall. The fosse in front of the castle was filled with water from the river Danube. It had a wooden bridge that went up and down. The principal construction works date from the period of the Second Bulgarian kingdom, the late XII –early XIV century. During that time Hungarian and Bulgarian rulers took turns to hold the possession of the fortress. The last dynasty of Bulgarian kings before the country fell under Ottoman domination, the Shishman dynasty, originated from there. The building technique combined stone and brick bound by mortar. After the fall to Ottoman domination the castle was turned into a fortification and served that purpose right till the early XIX century. Baba Vida fortress underwent rebuilding to allow for fire from small-calibre rifles and canons from the outer wall.

The inner courtyard was home to the guards and also housed the many warehouses. There used to be a chapel in the XIII-XIV century unearthed during excavations and researchers assume that the fortress was also home to the feudal lord of the region. In the XVII-XVIII century the Ottomans built stone quarters for the garrison.

Belarus – Belavezhskaya Pushcha

Belavezhskaya Pushcha, is an ancient woodland straddling the border between Belarus and Poland, located 70 km (43 mi) north from Brest (BE). It is one of the last and largest remaining parts of the immense primeval forest which once spread across the European Plain.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve lies in parts of the Brest voblast (Kamianiec and Pruzhany districts, BE) and Hrodna Voblast (Svislach district) in Belarus and on the Poland side near the town of Białowieża in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (62 km (39 mi) south-east of Białystok (PL) and 190 km (120 mi) north-east of Warsaw).
The border between the two countries runs through the forest and is closed for large animals and tourists for the time being. The forest is home to 800 wisent, the continent’s heaviest land animals. The security fence keeps the wisent herds physically and genetically separated.

China – Macau

Macau is one of the two special administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong.
Macau was a Portuguese colony and both the first and last European colony in China. Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on 20 December 1999. The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer.

Ruins of Saint Paul Cathedral

The Ruins of St. Paul’s refer to the façade of what was originally the Cathedral of St. Paul, a 17th century Portuguese cathedral in Macau dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle. Today, the ruins are one of Macau’s most famous landmarks. In 2005, the Ruins of St. Paul were officially enlisted as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Macau.
Built from 1582 to 1602 by the Jesuits, the cathedral was the largest Catholic church in Asia at the time, and the royalty of Europe vied with each other to bestow upon the cathedral the best gifts. With the decline in importance of Macau, which was overtaken as the main port for the Pearl River Delta by Hong Kong, the cathedral’s fortunes similarly ebbed, and it was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in 1835.

Estonia – Episcopal castle of Haapsalu

Haapsalu Castle was built to be the main residence of the Bishop of Saare-Lääne (Ösel-Wiek) bishopric and dates back to the 13th century,the attached Dome church being an impressive example of early Gothic architecture mixed with Romanesque elements. The castle was expanded into its current shape in the 16th century when the outer wall surrounding the castle with its cannon towers was completed. The walls reached a height of 10 meters and were over 1 meter thick. The inside of the walls was equipped with moats and bastions housing cannons.During the Livonian War in the 16th century, which incidentally marked the end of a semi-independent bishopric, the castle was badly damaged. In the 17th century the castle was no longer used as a defense building by the Swedes who now ruled the Province of Estonia. The walls were partially demolished during the Northern War in 1710 at the command of the Russian Czar Peter who took over the rule of Estonia in the 18thcentury, turning the castle in effect into ruins. The western side of the castle houses a picturesque 29 meter Watchtower dating from the13th century, later used as a bell tower. The Dome church attached to the castle was probably built in the1260-s, following the style of the Cistercian Order.
The round baptism chapel on the eastern side of the church was built in the 14th or 15th century and is the site of a famous legend. On moonlight August nights the shape of a Lady in White appears on the inside wall of the chapels the moon shines through the chapel window. This Lady is said to have been a woman who was in love with a cannon, entering the castle against the rules, therefore having been walled in there alive as a punishment.
The church has been restored and it is again in active use by the local congregation of the Estonian Lutheran Church since 1990.

Canada - Toronto

Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America. Toronto is at the heart of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) which contains 6.2 million people, and is part of a larger combined region in Southern Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe, totaling over 8.1 million residents making up approximately 25% of Canada's population. The city began as a backwoods English trading post in 1793, but has grown to be the cultural and economic focus of English Canada. Owing largely to the country's liberal immigration policies of the 1960's, and the region's strong economy, Toronto has, in recent decades, been transformed into one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities in the world. More than 80 ethnic communities are represented, and over half of the city's residents were born outside Canada.