Norway, Nature

Norway is European country with the hightest waterfalls. First 16 places for waterfalls sorted by height are for Norway. There are a lot of things that could be said about Norway, but I'll try to be short.

Nature
Galdhøpiggen (Norway's tallest mountain), Nigardsbreen Glacier, the Geirangerfjord and the Vøringsfossen Waterfall are popular nature attractions.

The Briksdalsbreen Glacier, Norway

Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen has the largest concentration of mountains higher than 2,000 metres in Northern Europe.

Hardangervidda
The vast mountain plateau of Hardangervidda is one of Europe's largest. It is also home to Northern Europe’s largest stock of reindeer.

Dovrefjell
The Dovrefjell mountain area is the home of the musk ox and the barrier between the southern and central regions of Norway.

Vøringsfossen Waterfall

Vøringsfossen in Måbødalen is Norway's most famous waterfall, and has a fall of 182 metres, of which 145 metres is a direct drop.

Vøringsfossen dazzles tourists with its multiple waterfalls all converging at the head of Måbødalen in Hardanger.
Although there are numerous ways to experience the waterfall and the vertical-walled valley, most people will view the falls from the upper and lower lookouts. A path from the scenic national tourist route through Hardanger (Rv 7) leads to the foot of the waterfall.

Another enjoyable way to appreciate the waterfall is to take Trolltoget (the Troll Train) through Måbødalen between Måbø and Fossatromma. The old road, constructed between 1887 and 1924, winds up the mountainside in 125 hairpin bends - an impressive piece of road engineering.
There are several possibillities for photo stops, picknicks and activities in the near surroundings.

Glaciers in Norway

Norway still shows traces of the Ice Age, when the entire country was covered by ice. Jostedalsbreen is the largest glacier in Norway.

More than 2,600 square kilometres of Norway’s land area is covered by glaciers. 60 per cent of Svalbard is covered by glaciers.
Guided glacier walking
Glacier walking is an incredible experience, but it also demands alertness, knowledge and equipment.
The ice mass is in constant movement and can present unexpected dangers from deep crevasses (often covered in snow), avalanches or from large blocks of ice breaking off (calving). There is always danger of ice collapsing even in front of the glacier.
Guarantee your safety by using authorised guides, and never venture out onto or near a glacier on your own. During the summer period there are guided tours on most glaciers. Remember to bring warm clothing, headwear, suitable footwear, gloves and sunglasses.

Let there be northern lights

The North Cape in Finnmark is one of many good places in Northern Norway to see the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis.

Seeing the northern lights is a jaw-dropping and mystical moment. The lights are at their most frequent in late autumn and early spring. October, February and March are the best months for auroral observations. The highest northern lights frequency is between 6 pm and 1 am.
In order to get full value from the show you should avoid the full moon and places with a lot of light as they make the experience considerably paler. Also remember to wrap up warmly.
Theoretically, you can see the northern lights all over Norway. However, the best places are above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway.
Be patient
When dreaming about seeing the northern lights, you must remember that you are at the complete mercy of nature. The northern lights love to play hide and seek. Observing the aurora borealis is often a tug of war between your patience and the aurora itself. Stay in the northern lights area at least a week, preferably two, and you will be rewarded - unless local weather suddenly decides to obstruct your view with clouds.
A rainbow at night
Sometimes the northern lights come all together, dancing across the sky, orange, purple, green and sunset red. Other times they are simply curtains of computer-screen green or a twister of wispy light. The northern lights are never the same twice.

Bulgaria, Plovdiv

There are a lot of beautiful places in Bulgaria and one of them is the Ancient Theatre in Plovdiv.

Built in the early 2nd century A.D. by the Roman Emperor Traianus (98-117), the theatre was one of the most important public buildings in Trimontium, remarkable with its architectural pressiveness and splendour. The Ancient Theatre seated 5 to 7 thousand. The stage itself was decorated with ornaments, cornices and statues.It was unearthed in 1968-79 in a Plovdiv Archaeological Museum work site. The amphitheatre featured 28 carved stone rows of which 20 remained intact. Now within the limits of the Ancient Plovdiv Reserve, the theatre fits its ensemble as the most emblematic venue of the uninterrupted culture and historical succession ever accomplished in the Three Hills City.Revived for a new life, it is an attractive intellectual centre of the city, where the modern culture interacts with the intransitive values of the past.

Other beautiful places in Plovdiv are :

Zlatyo Boyajiev GalleryNational Monument of Culture
The house has been owned by the notorious Plovdiv Revival activist Dr. Stoyan Chomakov, one of the most earnest fighters for clerical independence and spiritual unification of the Bulgarians before the
Bulgarian Liberation from Ottoman yoke.Built in 1860, the house represents the late type of Plovdiv Revival period houses. Since 1984 it houses the biggest collection of 71 pictures of the famous Bulgarian artist Zlatyo Boyajiev (1903-1976), which represent his two main periods of his works.

Nedkovich HouseNational Monument of Culture
This Revival period house, built in 1863 strongly influenced by the European classicism, was property of the well-known tradesman and public activist Nikola Nedkovich.Partially restored in 1969 with many well preserved original murals.Today the Nedkovich House houses a museum of the typical interior of the rich Plovdiv homes of the 19th century. The exposition features furniture and object of common use owned by the Nedkovich family.

Stepan Hindlyan HouseNational Monument of Culture
Built in 1835-40, the house impresses with its artistic decoration, with many well preserved original murals. The Chirpan craftsmen Moka an Mavrudi took 6 months to make the interior and exterior murals. One can see beautiful views from Constantinople, Alexandria, Venice and other cities here. The only well preserved bathroom with running hot and cold water can be seen here as well. The well fortified maaza (storage room) can be seen in the northern part of the yard. The house has been restored in 1974 and fitted with Bulgarian Revival period furniture.

Balabanov House
The Balabanov house has been built in the early 19th century by Haji Panayot Lampsha - rich merchant and money-lender.In the early 20th century, it houses its last owner, the merchant Luka Balabanov, whose name it is now known with.Today the first floor houses a permanent exhibition of modern painting. The second floor that served to receive visitors and still features the typical Revival period interior, is the one of the most popular chamber music venues in the city.The two rooms of the ground floor are meant to house temporary artistic exhibitions.

THE ODEON OF THE ANCIENT PHILIPPOPOLIS
THE ANCIENT FORUM, the civic centre of Philippopolis, covers an area of 20 000 sq. m in the heart of the ancient city. It developed in accordance with the history of the city from the 1st to the 5th century AD. Organized around an open-air square, it was surrounded by porticoes and rows of shops along the eastern, southern and western sides. Its northern side was occupied by public buildings connected with the civic administration, and with the cultural and religious life of the ancient city.
The ODEON of Philippopoiis was found in 1988 during excavations in the northern part of the Forum by the archaeologists Z. Karov and M. Martinova. In 1993 archaeological investigations were suspended due to lack of funds. In 1995 the Forum complex was declared a cultural monument of national importance. The Odeon, as a major part of the Forum, has the same status and lies within the boundaries of an area under strict safeguard and protection. A programme for the conservation, restoration and exposition of the site was approved in 1999. In 1997 the Odeon of Philippopolis (today's town of Plovdiv, Bulgaria), together with the Odeon at Thessalonica (Greece) and the theatre at Taormina (Italy), were included in the Raphael European programme funded by the Council of Europe, and excavations were renewed.In 2001 -2002, with the financial contribution of the A. G. Leventis Foundation, the archaeological excavation of the building was completed with a view to its restoration and future incorporation in the life and structure of the contemporary city.
The Odeon is situated in the northeastern corner of the ancient Forum and comprises all elements of an ancient theatre building enclosed in a square space and covered with a roof. The rectangular frame integrates it in the orthogonal street system of the ancient city, and it represents a dominant feature in the forum complex. The best preserved remains are those of the latest arrangement of the Odeon, dated to the mid-3rd century and connected with the reconstruction of the building after it had been burnt down as a result of the Gothic invasions in 251 AD. The П-shaped galleries along the edges surround a central area including the cavea, the orchestra and the skene. The cavea encircles the orchestra and on its western side there was a narrow raised stage (skene). The cavea and the skene are separated by two aisles (parodoi) leading from the galleries into the orchestra. From the structure of the cavea radial walls were found supporting beehive-shaped vaults upon which the rows of seats were placed. The arrangement of the stage building (skene) and the architecture of the facade of the cavea (scaenae frons) have been clarified: it is a two-storey structure in a Roman-Corinthian order. The facade was built in opus mixtum. The abundance of metal clamps and joints indicates that the building was covered with a wooden roof structure, supported by impressively large trusses.
Four construction periods have been identified in the excavated remains of the Odeon. They date from t 1st to the 4th century AD and are connected with substantial changes in the size and capacity of the structure. As an element of the city square of the Roman period, the building served as the city council chamber of Philippopolis. After its reconstruction it was also used as an auditorium for small theatrical performances, musical and literary events.
The preliminary project was based on an architectural model of the ancient building determined by means of graphic reconstruction. The project comprised two versions in respect to the building itself, as well as to the treatment of the surrounding urban area. It elucidated the communicational and functional linkage7 of the Odeon with the other parts of the Forum and with the modern urban environment. Models were used to decide the spatial proportions, the aesthetic and structural composition of the ruins, as well as the adaptive incorporation of the Odeon into the life of the modern city, following its original character as a o small theatre building for concerts, performances and assemblies.
The graphic reconstruction was of major importance in determining the nature of the reconstruction work to be carried out. It was based on the data from archaeological investigation and architectural exploration. The well-preserved substructure of the building allowed the clarification of the plan of the superstructure of the stage building (skene) and the auditorium fcavea) which had been significantly disturbed, thus delaying resolution of the architectural model. A more precise investigation of the fragmentary remains (parts of columns, capitals, architraves, etc.), together with the help of analogies in building practice for ancient buildings and the rules of the architectural orders, provided evidence for the creation of a complete architectural reconstruction. The graphic reconstruction encompasses two construction phases, comprising essential differences in respect to the orchestra, the cavea and the skene.
The first period, termed intermediate, is characterized by an elongated horseshpe-shaped orchestra with radial walls flanking it, bearing the hive-shaped conipal vaults which support masonry seats. Judging from, the dimensions of the rectangle enclosingithe cavea, there were twelve rows of seatsJHJDjjLbJab-aod about 0.68m wide. Remains of the basic first row survived a 0.5m wide stone plinth and two rows of seating, which were the basis for the reconstruction adopted. The/seats were probably panelled with marble as .taere werg'Sbundanf quantities of broken slabs found on the site. The stage buildings KeffeTcbTfiprises two parallel walls 1.40m apart. The presence of vertical grooves for the structure of the stage curtain is an indication of the theatrical nature of the building. The stage was 1.50m higher than the level of the orchestra. The beds for the trusses found in situ clarify the construction of the stage. The scaenae frons (stage building fagade) was shaped with porticoes which are present in the graphic reconstruction as a result of the abundance of fragments columns, capitals, etc. as well as of the presence of risolite fixed in the internal western wall of the skene. The model which has been accepted for the scaenae frons as one comprising a central portico with four Corinthian order columns and side porticoes of twin columns on the north and south. The frieze-architrave of the central portico has been determined from the fragmentary collapsed remains.
The greatly disturbed upper part of the cavea cannot provide evidence in situ for the posj stairways which are typical of this type of building. Following tradition, the project envis the analemmata (the western confining walls of the cavea) and two more uniformly placed witb respect to the cavea. The last construction period is connected with the overall reconstruction of the cavea; the dimensions of the orchestra were decreased, white the overall diameter of 11 m was preserved, as a result of which it assumed a semi-circular shape. The side facing the cavea was bordered by marble orthostats, the pavement was of large marble slabs. The number of seats was increased and the cavea adopted new dimensions reflecting the political changes and the subsequent new functional demands. The scaenae frons retained its fagade of two-storey porticoes. The collapsed fragments which were found indicate the presence of a second storey with columns and capitals of smaller size.The detailed project of the Odeon was based on the data from the final archaeological investigations. The idea of a deep horseshoe-shaped orchestra was adopted, thus preserving in situ all original stone structures, the original level and pavement of the large orchestra, and also exhibiting the remains of the last construction periodin their original aspect - the orthostats, the semi-circular orchestra, the parodoi and the parts of the southern analemmata. The project envisages a reconstruction of the base plinth stonework and the first two rows of seating, while the remaining five rows will be constructed with new wooden material upon a metal frame structure. The central part of the cavea is interrupted by the fence wall of the neighbouring private estate. The development of the skene is greatly reduced in extent to a one-storey fragmentary part from the centra! portico.
The project provides valuable exposition space with protective covering of the authentic structures, exposing ttieir multiple layer structure and the long span of life of the ancient building. Also included are the whole southern gallery, part of the eastern gallery together with the spaces between the radial walls, the stage channel and part of the northern gallery and rooms. A small museum exhibition and an information centre for the archaeological complex can also be established. Access to the exhibition halls lies through the western portico through the two small entrances of the stage wall. Thus the western portico and the open-air space will be integrated in the modern implementation of the archaeological site. At this stage of reconstruction the Odeon will be accessible from the north, from Gurko Str., but the project preserves the possibility of reconstructing the original ways of access -from the ambulatio on the south, and from the cardo maximus to the east.
The idea of the authors of the project is to create a new, interesting urban area, defined by the remains of the restored archaeological site, as a focus of cultural life in the existing heterogeneous urban environment. Cultural events and spontaneous happenings in city life in a democratic society will define the functional character of the Odeon in retrospect to its initial image.
Archaelogist: Maia Martinova-Kyutova Restorers: Arch, Vera KolarovaArch. Roumiana Proykova Dipl. Eng. Peyo Manov

Source : http://ideabg.com/clients/oldtown/en/

Kathmandu

The capital city, Kathmandu is enriched with temples more than homes and festivals exceeding the number of days in a year. The whole valley with its seven heritage sites has been enlisted in cultural World Heritage Site list. The place, which blends cultural vigor with modern facilities possible on earth is place liked by tourists been here. The place has more to offer and it is not only administrative capital of the country but to the fullest extend capital of traditional culture and physical resources. Three Durbar Squares - Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, Pashupatinath, Bouddhanath, Swoyambhunath and Changunarayan are the places most revered by the Kathmanduities and whole world.
Kathmandu is not big when one compares it to other cities in South Asia. Kathmandu is a fascinating old city today where pagodas, narrow cobbled lanes, old carved windows, and stone shrines are backdrops to the drama of life that continues unhindered. Here the experiences are amazing, views fascinating, and the climate charming.
There are living Goddesses whose smiles are a benediction. There are reincarnate Lamas who foresee the future with a roll of dice and scriptural reference. There are walks that lead the adventurous to legendary places where ogres once lived. There are hidden gardens behind palaces yet unseen and courtyards where miracles happen, and a city the Buddha visited.
The natural beauty of Pokhara in Midwestern Nepal is simply bewitching. Forming the backdrop are the spectacular Annapurna Mountains with the magnificent fish-tailed Machhapuchhre dominating the scene. Adding to Pokhara's enchantment are the three serene lakes of Phewa, Rupa and Begnas. Lumbini, in the southwest, is the birthplace of Lord Buddha and a World Heritage Site. An inscription on the Ashoka Pillar identifies the Sacred Garden as the place where the Buddha was born. Lumbini has a number of artistic temples and monasteries built through international support.
UNESCO recalls Chitwan as one of the few remaining undisturbed vestiges of the 'Terai' region, which formerly extended over the foothills of India and Nepal at the foot of the Himalayas. The Chitwan National Park has been enlisted in natural World Heritage Site. It has a particularly rich flora and fauna. One of the last populations of single-horned Asiatic rhinoceros lives in the park, which is also one of the last refuges of the Bengal tiger.

Machu Picchu, Peru

The ruins of Machu Picchu, rediscovered in 1911 by Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham, are one of the most beautiful and enigmatic ancient sites in the world. While the Inca people certainly used the Andean mountain top (9060 feet elevation), erecting many hundreds of stone structures from the early 1400's, legends and myths indicate that Machu Picchu (meaning 'Old Peak' in the Quechua language) was revered as a sacred place from a far earlier time. Whatever its origins, the Inca turned the site into a small (5 square miles) but extraordinary city. Invisible from below and completely self-contained, surrounded by agricultural terraces sufficient to feed the population, and watered by natural springs, Machu Picchu seems to have been utilized by the Inca as a secret ceremonial city. Two thousand feet above the rumbling Urubamba river, the cloud shrouded ruins have palaces, baths, temples, storage rooms and some 150 houses, all in a remarkable state of preservation. These structures, carved from the gray granite of the mountain top are wonders of both architectural and aesthetic genius. Many of the building blocks weigh 50 tons or more yet are so precisely sculpted and fitted together with such exactitude that the mortarless joints will not permit the insertion of even a thin knife blade. Little is known of the social or religious use of the site during Inca times. The skeletal remains of ten females to one male had led to the casual assumption that the site may have been a sanctuary for the training of priestesses and /or brides for the Inca nobility. However, subsequent osteological examination of the bones revealed an equal number of male bones, thereby indicating that Machu Picchu was not exclusively a temple or dwelling place of women.
One of Machu Picchu's primary functions was that of astronomical observatory. The Intihuatana stone (meaning 'Hitching Post of the Sun') has been shown to be a precise indicator of the date of the two equinoxes and other significant celestial periods. The Intihuatana (also called the Saywa or Sukhanka stone) is designed to hitch the sun at the two equinoxes, not at the solstice (as is stated in some tourist literature and new-age books). At midday on March 21st and September 21st, the sun stands almost directly above the pillar, creating no shadow at all. At this precise moment the sun "sits with all his might upon the pillar" and is for a moment "tied" to the rock. At these periods, the Incas held ceremonies at the stone in which they "tied the sun" to halt its northward movement in the sky. There is also an Intihuatana alignment with the December solstice (the summer solstice of the southern hemisphere), when at sunset the sun sinks behind Pumasillo (the Puma's claw), the most sacred mountain of the western Vilcabamba range, but the shrine itself is primarily equinoctial.
Shamanic legends say that when sensitive persons touch their foreheads to the stone, the Intihuatana opens one's vision to the spirit world (the author had such an experience, which is described in detail in Chapter one of Places of Peace and Power, on the web site, www.sacredsites.com). Intihuatana stones were the supremely sacred objects of the Inca people and were systematically searched for and destroyed by the Spaniards. When the Intihuatana stone was broken at an Inca shrine, the Inca believed that the deities of the place died or departed. The Spaniards never found Machu Picchu, even though they suspected its existence, thus the Intihuatana stone and its resident spirits remain in their original position. The mountain top sanctuary fell into disuse and was abandoned some forty years after the Spanish took Cuzco in 1533. Supply lines linking the many Inca social centers were disrupted and the great empire came to an end. The photograph shows the ruins of Machu Picchu in the foreground with the sacred peak of Wayna Picchu towering behind. Partway down the northern side of Wayna Picchu is the so-called "Temple of the Moon" inside a cavern. As with the ruins of Machu Picchu, there is no archaeological or iconographical evidence to substantiate the 'new-age' assumption that this cave was a goddess site.

Petra, Jordan

Petra is the treasure of ancient world, hidden behind an almost impenetrable barrier of rugged mountains, boasting incomparable scenes that make it the most majestic and imposing ancient site still-standing nowadays.. It has been said "perhaps there is nothing in the world that resembles it", actually, for sure, there is nothing in the world that resembles it. The rock-carved rose-red city of Petra is full of mysterious charm, it was "designed to strike wonder into all who entered it".
Petra is considered the most famous and gorgeous site in Jordan located about 262 km south of Amman and 133 km north of Aqaba. It is the legacy of the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled in southern Jordan more than 2000 years ago. Admired then for its refined culture, massive architecture and ingenious complex of dams and water channels, Petra is now a UNESCO world heritage site and one of The New 7 Wonders of the World that enchants visitors from all corners of the globe.
The approach through a kilometer long, cool, and gloom chasm (or Siq) a long narrow gorge whose steeply rising sides all but obliterate the sun, provides a dramatic contrast with the magic to come. Suddenly the gorge opens into a natural square dominated by Petra's most famous monument, The Treasury (El-Khazneh), whose intricately carved facade glows in the dazzling sun.

More facades beckon the visitor on until the ancient city gradually unfolds, one monument leading to the next for kilometer after kilometer. The sheer size of the city and the quality of beautifully carved facades is staggering and leads one to reflect on the creativity and industry of the Nabataeans who made Petra their capital.
Petra is always breathtaking, and never to be forgotten. It flourished for over 400 years around the time of Rome and Christ (pbuh), until it was occupied by the Roman legions of the Emperor Trajan in 106 AD.
The Petra basin boasts over 800 individual monuments, including buildings, tombs, baths, funerary halls, temples, arched gateways, and colonnaded streets, that were mostly carved from the kaleidoscopic sandstone by the technical and artistic genius of its inhabitants.
Petra sights are at their best in early morning and late afternoon, when the sun warms the multicolored stones, you can view the majesty of Petra as it was seen first when discovered in 1812 after being lost by the 16th century for almost 300 years!