Matterhorn in between Switzerland and Italy

The Matterhorn is considered one of the highest mountains in Switzerland with an average height of over 4,000 meters. Matterhorn is a mountain in the west part of the Alps mountain range, called the Pennine Alps. The peak height of the Matterhorn is 14,692 feet and it falls on the border of Switzerland and Italy. The Matterhorn is a German name that means Meadow peak in English.

The Matterhorn has two different adjacent summits with both of them located on a hundred meter long ridge that has rocks covering it. The Matterhorn has a unique pyramid shape due to erosion over the last million years.

A lot of mountaineers love to go hiking up the mountain. The attempted first ascents, however, were not very successful. History shows that scaling the mountain has not been very safe for climbers. The worst incident occurred in 1865 when many people died while climbing the mountain. During a visit to the Matterhorn, one can take a ride on the cable car, a method that is much safer and makes the mountain more accessible.

New York Skyline Its Marvelous Skyscrapers

New York City is primarily known for its busy active life and its many skyscrapers. In fact, the city is known for having some of the world’s biggest and largest skyline buildings. When people from other countries visit the United States, one of the first places they visit is New York City to see the many buildings and skyscrapers.

One of the most popular high-rise buildings is called the Top of the Rock, also referred to as the GE Building. Many people enjoy this building because of the views of the surrounding city. On the 69th floor is Rockefeller Center. The Empire State Building, which was completed in 1931, is another building to visit and there are two different observation decks to visit. The lower observation area is located on the 86th floor and the other is on the 102nd floor. Visitors can also take a tour of Ground Zero, or the place where the Twin Towers stood before the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Before that, these two buildings were the tallest in New York City at more than 1,720 feet tall.

Some of the other structures that help make the New York City skyline one of the most popular in the world include the MetLife Building, which is one of the 50 tallest buildings in the nation, the Conde Nast Building located in Times Square, and the Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan, which was constructed on the base of the older Hearst Corporation Building.

Very 

The Citigroup Center has 59 stories and is considered to be one of the most important post wars building in the city of New York. New York City also has the Time Square Building and is a unique example of the green and steel construction. Some other skyscrapers are Midtown Manhattan, Time Warner Center and the International Style.

Marrakech City

Marrakech, or Marrakesh, is also known as the red city. It is a significant and a vital city located in Morocco. The city is situated in the foot hills of the Atlas Mountains which are covered with snow all year round. The word Marrakesh is an Arabic word and it means the land of God and idols. Marrakesh is the capital city of the Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz region. The Europeans, Arabs and the Persians long ago used to call this place the Kingdom of Marrakesh.

The city has one of the largest traditional markets and it stays busy the entire year. Tourists come from all over the world to buy items from Marrakech. Not only does the area have a very active day life, but as the night descends, the city becomes even more interesting and active. The place is a city of entertainment and one can find great artists, drummers, dancers, musicians, comedians and storytellers.

There are countless options for dining, from fast and cheap to slow and expensive, everyone will find what they are looking for. The city does not have many historical monuments, rather, its beauty lies in the location and weather

Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous icons in the world and is located on the banks of the Seine River in Paris, France. This prominent structure is made out of iron and is built on Champ de Mars. The tower got its name from the engineer who built it and it is the tallest building in the entire city. It is one of the few places in the world that is visited by more than 200,000,000 tourists since its construction in 1889 and it generates more revenue than any other monument in the world.

The tower was constructed in just three years and its initial purpose was to broadcast radio signals. It stands 1,063 feet high with a 79-foot antenna and weighs around 7,900 tons. During the time the Eifel Tower was made, many people were surprised and shocked to see its daring and intrepid shape. The engineers who were making an effort to create it were accused of trying to do an experiment. But the engineers were sure and confident of what they had in mind. They also understood the forces of the wind and knew that the structure would support stand up to the gusts. Their persistence finally paid off in 1889 when the tower’s construction was completed and it stood tall as one of the largest structures in all of Paris.

The tower has two restaurants located on the first floor. There is built-in lift that can take visitors to the top floor to witness the marvelous view of Paris, France.

Ladakh and Its Mountains

Ladakh, also called the “Land of the High Passes,” is part of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir. It lies in between two of the world’s greatest mountain ranges, the Himalayan and the Karakorum ranges. The people who live here are migrants from the Indo-Aryan and Tibetan civilizations.

The Ladakh region is very thinly populated. It has an altitude ranging from 9,000 feet at Kargil to 21,170 feet at Saser Kanri. The temperature in winter reaches negative 22 degrees Celsius, and during summers it can go up to 20 Celsius. Ladakh has been said to be one of the few places where people can have sun stroke as well as frostbite at the same time.

Water is always scarce because the region hardly receives any rain. Ladakh does not receive rain for over 300 days in a year. The main source of water here is the melted water from the snow which is carried down by smaller streams.

There are beautiful mountains all over Ladakh and it is worth visiting if you are into mountain activities. Some of the adventures that tourists can indulge into are mountain climbing, cycling, Jeep and yak safaris and trekking. Additionally, there are a lot of monasteries in Ladakh that are worth visiting.

Niagara Falls between Canada & The United States

 The Niagara Falls along the border of the United States and Canada is made up of three smaller falls – the Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls, which is located on the Canadian side, is one often referred to as the most attractive of the three and is named for its unique horseshoe shape. The American Falls is a little less impressive than the Horseshoe Falls as it has almost nine times less water in it and that is way it is not very striking to see. The Bridal Veil Falls is even thinner than the American Falls, but the mist that surrounds it gives it a look of the veil of a newly wedded bride.

The falls cover the international border between Ontario Province of Canada and the State of New York. The Niagara Falls is 27 km (17 miles) long from the north to the northwest of Buffalo, New York, and 120 km (75 miles) long from south to southeast of Ontario. Niagara Falls is known both for its beauty as well as the source of much hydraulic power. As such, balancing out both the commercial and industrial usage of the falls has proven very challenging for engineers.

Some of the main tourist attractions around the Niagara Falls include the Maid of the Mist (boat cruise),Journey Behind the Falls (platform and tunnels below the falls), Illumination of the Falls, Observation Tours and the Imax Theater that gives an educational tour of the falls. Most visitors come to Niagara Falls during the summer due to its daytime and evening attractions.

Official tourist website: http://www.niagarafallstourism.com/

British Museum

If you are planning to visit London, one of the most interesting places to see is the British Museum. This popular museum displays a wealth of British masterpieces which include some of the famous antiquities and documents that are related to the nation’s history. The four most common masterpieces that attract the world are the Rosetta Stone, Elgin Marbles, the Great Court and the Magna Carta (not a part of the museum anymore).

The Rosetta Stone is more than 2,200 years old and stands one meter high. It was discovered in the year 1799 and led the Hieroglyphics Decoder. The same message was written on the Rosetta Stone in three different languages.

The second most important tourist attraction is Elgin Marbles. All the ancient sculptures in Elgin Marbles were Greek. However, in the 19th century, Lord Elgin brought them to England. Many critics say that since these sculptures were originally Greek, it should be returned to Greece.

Another great attraction is the Great Court. This is a sizable court of Queen Elizabeth II and is a sight worth visiting. The court has a reading room, which is in the middle of the courtyard. It looks more like an old fashion library with high ceilings ad long tables. The court is now open for public viewing. These facts and more are what make the British Museum worth a visit.

Burj Al Arab in Dubai

The Burj Al Arab is the “tower of the Arabs” and is located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is a luxurious hotel which stands 1,053 feet tall and has the shape of a sailboat. It is said to be the second tallest hotel in the world. The tallest hotel building is the Rose Tower. There is another building that is still unfinished and is nine times taller than the Burj Al Arab. This building is an icon that is defined as the symbol of Dubai and it shows the modern trends that Dubai has been moving towards.

The architecture who designed the Burj Al Arab was Tom Wright of Atkins. The hotel has 202 rooms and the construction was completed in the year 1999. The Burj Al Arab has 18 elevators and 60 floors. The hotel is located on an artificial island which is constructed almost 80 meters offshore. The hotel looks like a seven-star hotel in and is known for its unique architecture. However, if you go to the official website of the hotel, it claims to be only a five-star hotel.

One of its restaurants, called the Al Muntaha, is situated 660 feet above the Persian Gulf and shows a splendid view of Dubai. Another restaurant within the hotel is called the Al Mahara, which features a seawater aquarium. This restaurant can be reached by catching a submarine and it is within the sea. It holds about 35,000 cubic feet of water and is voted one of 10 best amongst the world.

Yosemite National Park in California

Yosemite National Park, located in the eastern central region of California, covers an area of 761,266 acres which includes the slope of the Nevada mountain chain. It is about six hours north of Los Angeles and is known internationally for its natural features like the great cliffs, waterfalls, streams and flora to fauna diversity. That is why more than 3.5 million people visit this park every year.

More than 95 percent of Yosemite National Park has wildlife in it, including five types of vegetation zones: oak woodland, lower and upper montane, subalpine and alpine. The park is one of the largest habitat centers in all of Nevada and it has an elevation range of 600 to 4,000 meters. There are also also huge rocks that are more than 10 million years old scattered throughout the natural areas.

For tourists, there are also several hotels and accommodations throughout the park, including restaurants and shops. Many visitors enjoy visiting during the summer to enjoy everything the park has to offer.

Château de Chambord

The Chateau de Chambord is one of the famous manor houses in the world. It is located in Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France, and is renowned for its perfect and unique French architecture which combines the French and Italian classical traditions.

The Chambord was constructed under the rule of King Francois I. Its main purpose was to become a hunting lodge for the king. There are doubts as to who actually designed the original building. Some say the design is attributed to Philibert Delorme, a French Renaissance architect. Others say Leonardo da Vinci played a major role in designing it.

The Chambord Chateau is the largest castle in the entire Loire Valley. The centerpiece of the chateau is the double helix staircase. Both of the helices ascend up to the third floor and never connect. The castle is made up of a central tower that is used for a dungeon with four other towers that support all four corners. The Chambord has 440 rooms, 84 staircases and 365 fireplaces along with vault-shaped hallways on each floor to give the building its cross-like shape. There are 11 kinds of towers and three kinds of chimneys. The entire castle is surrounded by 13,000 acres of wooded parkland.

Temple of Heaven in Beijing

The Temple of Heaven in China is a multifaceted and intricate combination of religious and philosophical traditions and concepts. The temple is found in the southeast part of Beijing and was constructed between 1406 and 1420 by King Yongle, who was also the one who made the entire Forbidden City of China. When Jiajing was ruler of China during the 16th century, he changed the name to the Temple of Heaven as it is known today.

Jiajing also contributed significantly by building three more temples, which were called the Temple of Sun, the Temple of Moon, and the Temple of Earth. King Qianlong did further renovations to the Temple of Heaven during the 18th century. In 1914, the swearing-in ceremony of the Yuan Shih Kai also took place in the Temple of Heaven. It was during this time that he declared himself the Emperor of China. Four years later, the temple became open to the public.

Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria

The Neuschwanstein Castle was built during the 19th century on a hill in Bavaria, Germany. Neuschwanstein is a German word that means “New Swan Stone Palace” in English.

The castle was specially made by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. It is the largest photographed building in Germany even though the interior of the castle is not accessible by the public. The castle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Germany due to its scenic beauty and gorgeous surroundings.

History

During the rule of King Ludwig II, visitors were not allowed in the castle. It was only after his death in 1886 that it was opened for all to view. More than 50 million people have visited the castle since it was opened to the public and more than 1.3 million tourists visit it annually. That means that more than 6,000 tourists visit the Neuschwanstein Castle daily.

Hollywood

The castle has such a charm that it even attracted Hollywood filmmakers. In fact, it has been the inspiration in several movies, including the Sleeping Beauty castle and Cinderella castles. It is also the model for the castle found at Tokyo Disneyland.

Tourists Information

The Neuschwanstein Castle is a property of Bavaria, which has spent more than 14.5 million dollars on safeguarding and renovating it. Since photography inside the castle is not allowed, visitors can only leave with memories after visiting it. But a visit to Germany is not complete without a visit to the Neuschwanstein Castle.

Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, is one of the world’s most distinct 20th century buildings. It is also one of the most famous performing art centers in the entire world. In 2007, it became a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Sydney Opera House was designed by a Danish architect named Jorn Utzon. He was the winning entry in a competition that was held to find the best design. In 2003, nearly 50 years after construction began, Utzon received the Pritzker Prize, the highest honor given in the architectural industry. The prize included words like “masterpiece” and “iconic” to describe the building. The unique structure has now become one of the most recognizable symbols for the entire continent of Australia.

The iconic opera house is located in the Sydney Harbor, which is very close to the Sydney Bridge. It serves as a venue for several types of performing arts besides opera, including theater and piano recitals, among other arts. It has been the host building for major events like the Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony. It is currently maintained and opearted by the Sydney Opera House Trust.

San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area is a metropolitan region that surrounds San Francisco and San Pablo Bays in Northern California. The area covers large areas like San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. But it also covers many small rural and urban cities. The bay area has a total of 101 cities and nine counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma. In total, it covers an area of 7,000 square miles.

The total population of the Bay area is approximately 7.2 million people. San Jose is the thickest populated city in the country when comparing number of people and total area of coverage. The Bay Area has the 49th largest urban area in the world and it is often referred to as the Francisco-Oakland-San Jose urban areas. According to the United States Census, the Bay Area also has the highest median household income in the nation. In terms of economics, it is the second largest financial center in the country, too, following behind New York.

The San Francisco Bay Area has includes a number of military base camps, airports and national parks. It is connected through a huge network of roads, highways and tunnels. Visitors to this area will find great landmarks, beautiful attractions and other features that make the Bay Area a place to consider for a vacation.

Some of the main attractions in San Francisco includes

Dead Sea between Israel & Jordan

The Dead Sea, also known as the Sea of Salt, is a massive salt lake that is situated between Israel and the West Bank to the west and Jordan on the east. This body of water is 1,385 feet below sea level and its shores are believed to be the lowest in the world.

The sea itself is 1,240 feet deep, making it the deepest hyper saline lake in the world. The total salinity content is 33.7 percent. Because of its high salinity content, fish and vegetation cannot exist in it at all, hence its name. The Dead Sea is eight times saltier than the other oceans and it is 67 kilometers long and 18 kilometers wide. The main tributary of the sea is the Jordan River as it lies in the Jordan Rift Valley.

People have been visiting this grand sea for thousands of years. Visitors from all over the world come to the Dead Sea with many of them visiting from the Mediterranean basin. In ancient times, it served as a refugee camp for King David. It is also considered to be the first health resort in the world as it supplies a variety of products likes potash for fertilizers and balms. Moreover, the salt from the sea is used to create cosmetic and herbal packets.

The Dead Sea is not polluted and experiences sunny skies and dry air all year round. The place has become famous for its therapeutic qualities. Some of those include climatotherapy, heliotherapy (which is harnessing the positive biological effects of the suns radiation) and the thalassotherapy (which means bathing in the sea water).

Portofino, a Small Italian Fishing Village

Portofino is a small village along the banks of the Italian River that is famous for its fishing opportunities and picturesque qualities. The charming and old-fashioned town has become a popular spot for the rich and the prominent. Many Hollywood stars come to Portofino for fun and relaxation. The town has high cliffs that are lined by trees. The combination of the ocean view, the warm sunny weather, and the delicious food help make Portofino a perfect holiday spot.

Both the administration division, called the Commune, and the Resorts are situated in the province of Genoa. The village has a lot of small harbors and it is one of the more attractive Mediterranean ports in the region.

One can travel to Portofino through numerous ways. One can take a train, fly into Genoa and then either take a taxi ride by road or opt for a sea taxi. The city is a true travel destination and offers a variety of activities for the visitors. Visitors can indulge in shopping opportunities, beautiful sightseeing, water games and the famous Italian dining. Some of the common places for sightseeing include Castello Brown, San Giorgio Church and the famous lighthouse. Castello Brown is a castle that sits on a hill a bit above the village. It has a garden that gives a beautiful view of Portofino and the sea.

The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg

The State Hermitage Museum is one of the largest museums in the world. It has over three million pieces of artwork in it. The museum is situated along the Palace Embankment in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The museum has such a large collection of art that it cannot all be put out on display at one time. The museum was built in 1764 and was made public in 1852. The huge collection of the State Hermitage Museum is spread out in six different buildings along the Palace Embankment. The most prominent and well known amongst them is the Winter Palace, which is currently the official residence of Russian tsars.

It is very interesting to know that the Hermitage Museum also has international branches which are located in Amsterdam, London, Las Vegas, and Ferrara, Italy. In fact, the State Hermitage Museum is even in theGuinness Book of World Records for having the world’s largest collection of paintings.

Some of the famous works in the State Hermitage Museum are the western art collections that include Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Poussin, Claude Lorrrian, Watteau, and Tiepolo. The museum also has a beautiful assortment of Faberge jewelry.

Even though the main museum was established in 1764, it has seen constant expansions every century. In the 19th century, relics of Greek and Scythian culture were added to the museum. Also, a large amount of gold was put on display, thus making it the world’s richest collection of gold. During the 20th century, private collections from several of the Russian tsars were added to the museum.

Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies

 Banff National Park is located in the Canadian Rockies in Canada and it is said to be the oldest national park in the country as it was established in 1885. The national park covers a total area of 6,641 square kilometers and has a huge terrain of mountains, glaciers, ice fields and dense forest as well as alpine landscapes. The ice field of the Banff National Park extends and connects to another national park called the Jasper National Park. It also has some neighboring national parks to its west called the Yoho National Park. Another one towards the south is the Kootenay National Park and the one towards its east is Kananaskis Park. Out of all the national parks in the locality, the main commercial park is the Banff which also includes the Banff town in the Bow River Valley.

During the earlier days, a lot of hotels were opened in the locality and huge amounts of money were spent in attracting tourists to the park and the town. It was in 1960 when the Banff National Park was open throughout the year and almost five million visitors paid a visit to the park. Today, the Banff National Park is one of the most visited parks in the world. However, one of the biggest dangers that it is facing today is the unbalance in its ecosystem. A lot of research and study was conducted to identify measures that could help in the preservation of its ecosystem.

Madina Munawara The 2nd Holiest City in World For Muslims

Madina also spelled Medina is officially known as Madinah Al Munawara and is located at a distance of 490 km from Makkah and 550 km from Jeddah. This is the place where Prophet Muhammad.sal spent his last years of life and where he died and was buried. His tomb lies inside the Masjid An Nabawi here. It is the most important mosque for Muslims after Masjid Al Haram in Makkah.

There are three important mosques in Madina, Masjid An Nabawi, Masjid Quba and Masjid Al Qiblatain. Non-Muslims cannot enter this city. There are many date orchards and oasis in this place and this is one of the fertile lands of Arabia. Jannathal Al Baqi is the graveyard at Madina.

When Muhammad.sal came to this place as Hijra, the people of Madina embraced them with warm welcome and gave him all that he needed. After that three important battles took place near this place between the people of Makkah and Madina namely the battle of Badr, the battle of Uhud and the battle of Trench.

The people of Madina speak Arabic and there are two famous universities here namely Islamic University of Madinah and Taibah University. The climate of Madina is moderate in most of the months. The months of Jun, July and August are very hot and it is cold during the months of November, December and January. It gets very little rainfall just before the onset of summer.

Guidelines: 

Most of the accommodations in Madina are situated around Masjid An Nabawi and so the mosque will be in walkable distance from the hotels.

You can find all the hotels of Madina having equal heights as it is a custom here not to raise the elevation of the buildings above the minarets of Haram. But still these buildings have 15 or 16 floors.

Mostly there will be three underground floors and the shopping complexes are located under the ground. The underground spaces are also used for car parking purposes

As soon as you get near Madina by bus, you can see the minarets of the mosque at a distance. Recite Salawat on seeing them.

Recite as many Salawat as you can when you are at Madina and offer them to Prophet Muhammad.sal.

It is not desirable to bargain with the merchants of Madina. But the prices will be very reasonable not calling for a bargain.

People of Madina are usually soft and it will be a pleasure to make business with them. It is better to buy souvenirs here as the prices are very reasonable.

Praying at Masjid Al Munawara 40 times continuously is said to fetch a place in heaven and so make it a habit to be present at the mosque 15 minutes before each prayer.

There are so many places of visit near Madina and it is better to go there early morning and return before Zuhr prayer.

The Masjid Qiblatain in Madina is the place where the direction of prayer was changed from Jerusalem towards Kaaba.

Masjid Quba is very special as this is where Jumma prayer was held for the first time and the foundation stone of this mosque was laid by Prophet.sal himself.

The place of the battle of Badr is on the way from Madina to Jeddah.

Uhud Mountain is one of the places of visit here and the graveyard of Hamza and other 70 Sahabis who laid their lives in Uhud battle are buried near it.

There are many other small mosques in Madina namely Salman Parsi mosque, Umar mosque, Abu Bakr mosque and so on.

It is a pleasant thing to visit one of the date orchards to see how the date fruits are processed.

There is a big dates market in Madina at walking distance from Masjid An Nabawi. But it is advisable to go there early morning so that you can come back for Zuhr prayer. Carrying a trolley or trolley bag will help to bring back the date fruits purchased. There are many varieties of fruits and you can see almost all of them in the market.

When you go for visiting the tomb of Muhammad.sal please note there is specific route and specific time for ladies. Inquire that time on your first visit so that you will not miss it.

Apart from the tomb of Muhammad.sal, there are also the tombs of his daughter Fathima, his grandson Hassan, his friends Abu Bakr and Umar in that place. So convey your salaams to all of them.

There are many pillars inside the sanctum and praying at each one of them is desirable.

After saying Salam to the Prophet.sal, you have to convey the salams of all your friends and relatives who have asked you to.

The Rowlathul Jannah inside the sanctum is considered to be a place of paradise. This place is distinguished by a different colored carpet. Entering this place is considered to be entering heaven and so get into that and make your prayers.

Jannathul Baqi is the graveyard of Madina located adjacent to the mosque and this is the place where thousands of Sahabas were buried. So visit this place for Ziyarat.

Spend your days peacefully at Madina respecting the reverence of the city.

Mecca, the Holiest City in Islam

Mecca, also called Makkah, is a city in Saudi Arabia. It is the holiest city in Islam and is considered to be very sacred to Muslims. Muslims believe that it is very important to visit Mecca at least once in their lives. It is very interesting to note that almost three million Muslims pay visit to this city every year. Today Mecca is dealing with both positive and negative issues. It is still very popular for tourism, but it is having hard times dealing with infrastructure problems.

Mecca is the home of Masjid Al Haram. This is the world’s largest mosque. Initially, it was a place for trading during the 7th century. Also, till 1924, it was governed by the local sheriffs. After that, it saw a lot of modernization and growth in its size and structure. Today, it is ruled by the local municipality of Mecca by a Mayor who is directly appointed by the Government of Saudi Arabia.

The history of Mecca dates back to 2000 BC. Some people believe that Abraham built the Kaaba with his son, Ishmael. Over the years, this place had almost 360 idols. Mecca today has the biggest Mosque in the world. Every day, daily prayers are offered in it and another step is being taken by the government to renovate the entire place so that it can accommodate 900,000 people at a time. By Saudi law, non-Muslims are forbidden to enter Mecca, which is strictly enforced by the government.