Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles is one of the most prominent châteaus in France, located 20 km southwest of Paris. Before the château was constructed, Versailles was only a small village. Today it is one of the wealthiest suburbs in all of Paris. In the late 17th century, Versailles was also considered the strongest political powerhouse where the monarch used to sit. Following the onset of the French Revolution, however, the royal family had to move back to Paris.

The palace covers a total area of 110,000 square meters and includes 700 rooms, 67 staircases, and more that 200 windows. It is home to numerous paintings, handmade sculptures, drawings, objects and furniture from different centuries.

In 1038, the term Versailles was first coined. Construction on Versailles began in 1624 and included more than 36,000 people who worked on it. Its design has also influenced other cities, including Washington D.C., which has a similar layout based on the street grid of Versailles. Its unique design and construction are just a couple reasons the Palace of Versailles is a popular tourist destination.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located in the southeast region of New Mexico in the United States. It is open to the public every day of the year except December 25, but its most frequented day is July 4th every year. Tourists can enter through the natural entrance and hike by themselves to explore the cave or they can go through one of the other two entries. One entry is located in the Rattlesnake Springs Historic District and the other is in the Cacesern Historic District.

Jim White discovered the Carlsbad Caverns, and he gave some of the rooms their names, including the Big Room, King’s Palace, New Mexico Room, Papoose Room, Queen’s Chamber, and Green Lake Room. He also named other important formations, including Totem Pole, Giant Dome, Witch’s Finger, Bottomless Pit, Iceberg Rock, Fairyland, Temple of the Sun, and Rock of Ages. There are many natural and untapped features present in Carlsbad Caverns. There are several chambers in the cave that have white stalagmites which resembled angels to the room’s discoverers. There are also 17 different species of bats that live within the park.

The most famous part of this National Park is the show cave, which is open to the public and tourists can hike by themselves via the natural entrance. One can also take the elevator that goes to the Underground Lunchroom which is 230 meters (750 ft) beneath ground level.

Out of the entire park, almost two-third has been restored in terms of its habitat and no further change will be allowed under any circumstance.

Balloon Ballroom

Located in the ceiling above the main entrance hall, this small room was first accessed by tying a rope to a bunch of balloons and floating them up into the passage.

Bat Cave

A large, unadorned rocky passage connected to the main entrance corridor that was mined for bat guano in the early 20th century. The majority of the cave’s bat population lives in this portion of the cave.

Bell Cord Room

This room was named for a long, narrow stalactite coming through a hole in the ceiling that resembles the rope attached to a church bell. This room is located at the end of the Left Hand Tunnel.

Bifrost Room

Discovered in 1982, this area is located in the ceiling above Lake of the Clouds. Its name refers to a Norse myth about a world in the sky that was accessed from Earth by a rainbow. The room was given this name because of its location above the Lake of the Clouds and its colorful oxide-stained formations.

Big Room or The Hall of the Giants

This section is the largest chamber in Carlsbad Caverns with a floor space of 33,210 square meters (357,469 sq. ft).

Chocolate High

With a maze of small passages totaling nearly a mile in combined length, this area was discovered in 1993 above a mud-filled pit in the New Mexico Room known as Chocolate Drop.

Green Lake Room

The uppermost of the “Scenic Rooms,” this is named for a deep, malachite-colored pool in the corner of the room. In the 1940s, when the military was testing the feasibility of Carlsbad Caverns as an emergency fallout shelter, the Green Lake was used to look for ripples caused by a nuclear bomb test many miles away. None appeared.

Guadalupe Room

Discovered by a park ranger in 1966, this is the second largest room in Carlsbad Caverns. It is known for its dense collection of “soda straw” stalactites.

Hall of the White Giant

This hall is a large chamber containing a huge white stalagmite. Rangers regularly lead special wild cave tours to this location.

King’s Palace

The first of four chambers in a wing known as the “scenic rooms,” King’s Palace is named for a large castle-like formation in the center of the room.

Lake of the Clouds

This is the lowest known point in the cave. It is located in a side passage off the Left Hand Tunnel. It is named for its large lake containing globular, cloud-like rock formations that formed under water when the lake level was much higher.

Left Hand Tunnel

This tunnel is a long, straight passage marked by deep fissures in the floor. These fissures are not known to lead anywhere. The Left Hand Tunnel leads to the Lake of the Clouds and the Bell Cord Room.

Mystery Room

This room is a small area located in the lower part of the cave. It is named for a mysterious and unexplained noise heard only in this room.

New Mexico Room

Accessed by means of a short slope, the New Mexico Room is located adjacent to the Queen’s Chamber.

New Section

New discoveries are still being made in this section which is described as having fissures east of the White Giant formation. It also parallels the Bat Cave.

Papoose Room

This room is situated between the King’s Palace and Queen’s Chamber.

Queen’s Chamber

Widely regarded as the most beautiful and scenic area of the cave, this is the room where Jim White’s lantern went out while exploring the caverns. He was in the dark for over a half hour.

Spirit World

Located in the ceiling of the Big Room, this area is filled with white stalagmites that resembled angels to the room’s discoverers.

Talcum Passage

This is a room located in the Lower Cave where the floor is coated with gypsum dust.

The Rookery

As one of the larger rooms in Lower Cave, a large number of cave pearls are found in this area.

Underground Lunchroom

Located in the Big Room at the head of the Left Hand Tunnel, this section contains a cafeteria that was built in the 1950s. It is also where the elevators from the visitor center exit into the cave.

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.

Kathmandu City

Kathmandu is the biggest city and the official capital of Nepal. It is located in Kathmandu Valley, which has two other cities called Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. One is the old city and the other is the new city of Kathmandu Valley. The language spoken in Nepal is Napali. Kathmandu city has a total population of 700,000 and it is the only developed and modern city in the entire Nepal.

The view from the Airport is so breathtaking as it is covered from hills all over and has untapped natural beauty and greenery all over. The main religion followed in Kathmandu is Hinduism. It is present in the center of the Himalayas and some of the peaks of the Himalayas are clearly visible.

Kathmandu has a very famous temple that is called Kaasthamandap, which was built in 1567 AD. It is also called Marusthal and is entirely made of wood. It is now rules by the government, but once, it was ruled by the royal house.

Swayambhunath and Boudhanath are two famous stupas within Kathmandu. It also has a famous Hindu shrine, called Pashupatinath. Kathmandu city, throughout the year, has honeymoon visitors visiting mostly from India. The city has a small thickly populated place where you will find monks in abundance. The city has seven most prominent groups of monuments that are rich in culture and heritage, which speak volumes about the city historic past. Durbar Square and Changu Narayan temple are very unique, which is worth a visit.

Kathmandu has some of the best five star hotels in the main city and gambling in the casino is legal.

Metropolitan Museum in New York City

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (also referred to as “The Met” Museum) is found in New York City. It is one of the largest art museums in the world. In total, this museum contains more than two million pieces of art which are divided into 19 different departments. It also has a smaller department in upper Manhattan which displays historic features of medieval art.

This museum has a collection of classical antiques, art of Ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures of the European royals, and also American modern art. It offers exhibits of historic holdings from all of the continents and cultures, including African, Asian, Islamic and many more. It is also an encyclopedia for a full collection of musical instruments, weapons, armor, costumes and accessories from all parts of the world. The Met also has great collection of interiors right from the 1st century up until the modern age of interior design.

The making of the Metropolitan Museum is very unique. Many people from different areas and walks of life came together and began forming the museum in 1870. This group included leading businessmen, financiers, and known artists who had a notion of bringing the art and education in front of the American public. It was formally opened for the public in 1872.

The Metropolitan is known for its sleekness and rich color contrasts. The unique lighting effect adds an added touch to the polished monuments. Its architectural structure is Gothic and is governed by the local administration of New York. Tourists find this facility an ideal place for spending time with their family and friends.