Interesting Tourist places and things

[minisoji]

Top 10 Tallest Lighthouses in the World


Jeddah Light *World’s Tallest Lighthouse



The tallest lighthouse ever constructed in the world is the concrete and steel Jeddah Light in Saudi Arabia. This mega structure is 133 meters tall. This spectacular lighthouse is located at the end of the outer pier on the north side of the entrance to Jeddah Seaport.



Perry Memorial Monument World’s 2nd Tallest Lighthouse



Tallest Lighthouse in North America
World’s Most Massive Doric Column

The Perry Memorial Monument in Put-in-Bay, Ohio, USA is the tallest lighthouse in North America. It is the 2nd tallest in the world with a height of 107 meter. This is also the world’s most massive Doric column. This memorial, which is a lighthouse at the same time, is visited by 200,000 people each year.



Yokohama Marine Tower *World’s Tallest Skeletal Steel Lighthouse



World’s 3rd Tallest Lighthouse
Tallest Lighthouse in Japan

The impressive Yokohama Marine Tower is considered as the 3rd tallest lighthouse in the world with a height of 106 meters. This lattice tower with an observation deck at a height of 100 meters is located in Yokohama, Japan. It was built in 1961 is the tallest in Japan.


Ile Vierge Lighthouse *World’s 4th Tallest Lighthouse



World’s Tallest Traditional Lighthouse
Tallest Stone Lighthouse in Europe

The Ile Vierge Lighthouse which is made of granite stone is the world’s tallest traditional lighthouse. This 82.5 meter tall structure which was completed in 1902 is located in Finistere, France. It is also the tallest stone lighthouse in Europe.

[minisoji]

Top 10 Tallest Lighthouses in the World

Lighthouse of Genoa *World’s 5th Tallest Lighthouse



World’s 2nd Tallest Traditional Lighthouse
Tallest Lighthouse in the Mediterranean

The Lighthouse of Genoa is the world’s 2nd tallest traditional lighthouse with a height of 76 meters. This stone lighthouse, which is located in Genoa, Italy, is the tallest in the Mediterranean. This lighthouse which was built on the hill of San Benigno is one of the oldest standing structures of its kind in the world.


Phare de Gatteville *World’s 6th Tallest Lighthouse



World’s 3rd Tallest Traditional Lighthouse

Another tall stone lighthouse is the Phare de Gatteville. Gatteville-le Phare is also in France. This 75 meter tall lighthouse which is made of granite was completed in 1835. It is also known as Pointe de Barfleur Light. Phare de Gatteville is the world’s 3rd tallest traditional lighthouse.


Lesnoy Mole Rear Range Light *World’s 7th Tallest Lighthouse



World’s Tallest Range Light
World’s 4th Tallest Traditional Lighthouse
Tallest Lighthouse in Russia

The Red-White colored Lesnoy Mole Rear Range Light is a metal lighthouse located in St. Petersburg, Russia. This 73 meter high structure is the tallest in Russia. It is also the lighthouse with the tallest range light in the world. Lesnoy Mole Rear Range Light is the world’s 4th tallest traditional lighthouse.



Mulan Tou Lighthouse *World’s 8th Tallest Lighthouse



World’s 5th Tallest Traditional Lighthouse
Tallest Lighthouse in China

Mulan Tou Lighthouse is the world’s 8th tallest lighthouse. This 72 meter tall structure in Hainan, China is the world’s 5th tallest traditional lighthouse. This concrete lighthouse, which was completed in 1995, is the tallest in the country. It is also known as the Hainan Head.

[minisoji]

Top 10 Tallest Lighthouses in the World


Baisha Men Lighthouse *World’s 9th Tallest Lighthouse



World’s 6th Tallest Traditional Lighthouse

Another tall lighthouse in China is the Baisha Men Lighthouse. This concrete structure with a height of 72 meters in Hainan province is the world’s 9th tallest lighthouse and the 6th tallest traditional. This beautifully structured lighthouse which was completed in 2000 is the 2nd tallest in China.


Storozhenskiy Light *World’s 10th Tallest Lighthouse



World’s 7th Tallest Traditional Lighthouse
World’s 4th Tallest Stone Lighthouse

The world’s 10th tallest lighthouse is Storozhenskiy Light in Lake Ladoga, Russia. This lighthouse which is made of stone is 71 meters tall. Completed in 1911, Storozhenskiy Light is the world’s 7th tallest traditional lighthouse and the 4th tallest stone lighthouse. It is also known as Storozhno Light.

[minisoji]

The Grass Roofs of Norway

Norwegians have their own way of going green, and quite literally. For hundreds of years houses in Norway have been covered with turf. And they come in different varieties. Some are bright green and almost velvety. Others are golden and look like they’re growing wheat or oats. A number of turf roofs have flowers mixed in with the grass, and a few have small trees.



The advantages of turf roofs (also called sod roofs) are many. They are very heavy, so they help to stabilize the house; they provide good insulation; and they are long-lasting.



Turf roofs in Norway are a tradition and you will see them everywhere. Roofs in Scandinavia have probably been covered with birch bark and sod since prehistory. During the Viking and Middle Ages most houses had sod roofs. In rural areas sod roofs were almost universal until the beginning of the 18th century. Tile roofs, which appeared much earlier in towns and on rural manors, gradually superseded sod roofs except in remote inland areas during the 19th century. Corrugated iron and other industrial materials also became a threat to ancient traditions. But just before extinction, the national romantics proclaimed a revival of vernacular traditions, including sod roofs. A new market was opened by the demand for mountain lodges and holiday homes. At the same time, open air museums and the preservation movement created a reservation for ancient building traditions. From these reservations, sod roofs have begun to reappear as an alternative to modern materials.



Every year, since 2000, an award is also given to the best green roof project in Scandinavia by the board of the Scandinavian Green Roof Association.

[minisoji]

Skeleton Lake of Roopkund India



Roopkund is in Uttarakhand in India and is famous for its skeleton lake. This lake consists of about 400 skeletons. The actual reason for the death of all these people remains a mystery even today. Countless theories for the reason of this lake of skeletons were put forth through the past couple of decades.



Many believed that it was a ritualistic sacrifice bestowed by the people who died themselves while scientists say that these people died because of an epidemic. The lake was discovered by a park ranger in 1942 by accident. After extensive research on the area, scientists were able to uncover the actual reason for the deaths.



The scientists concluded that the group of people died from a large hailstorm in the region. They could not find any shelter in the open Himalayan mountains which lead to mass death. The lake is covered with ice for most part of the year. However, there are several treks that are conducted around the area and is a good option to explore if you want to get a glimpse of this skeleton lake.

[minisoji]

Le Palais Idéal


From far way this palace looks like a cross between a temple of Angkor and La Sagrada Familia, but up close it's much like a Monet painting with small pebbles and stones replacing the intricate brush strokes. Pillars, flying buttresses and grottoes carefully crafted of found stones form the 26 meters long and 10 meters high "Palais Idea".



Ferdinand Cheval (1836-1924), a French postman, began work on his dream palace in the late 19th century. As the story is told, Cheval tripped on a rock in 1879 along his mail route, picked it up and was so fascinated by its peculiar shape that he was inspired to build the imaginative palace. Coming from humble beginnings, Cheval had minimal formal education and no architectural experience, however, he was self-educated with help from the Le Magazin Pittoresque. Over the course of 34 years he enduring the criticism and mockery of his neighbors as he continued building. Pushing a wheelbarrow along his expanded mail route of 42km, he collected stones and he completed the building with no outside help. The criticism eventually turned into admiration, and tourists began flocking to Hauterives to see the Palais Idéal.



The architecture is inspired by different styles and eras, mingling together Chinese, Algerian and Northern European influences to create a fantastic and completely original castle of grottoes. "You start wondering," the postman wrote of his palace, "if you have not been carried away into a fantastic dream with boundaries beyond the scope of imagination." The fantastic dream brought to life in Le Palais Ideal is completed by fanciful statues resembling ostriches, elephants and bears.

[minisoji]

Drvengrad - The Wooden Town of Serbia



Drvengrad, the wooden Town in Serbian is a traditional village that the Serbian film director Emir Kusturica had built for his film Life Is a Miracle. It is located in the Zlatibor District near the city of Uzice, two hundred kilometers southwest of Serbia's capital, Belgrade. It is located near Mokra Gora and Visegrad, best known for Yugoslav Ivo Andric's Nobel-winning novel, The Bridge on the Drina. Kusturica was the 2005 recipient of the Philippe Rotthier European Architecture award.