Amazing Travel Fact Chile

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Chile:

There is a place in the word known to be the driest as well as the only true desert to receive less precipitation than the polar deserts and the largest fog desert in the world. 
 
Amazing right?
 
The driest place on earth officially is in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile and southern Peru, in western South America (Figure SM4.3).
 
There are locations in the Atacama that have not received measurable rainfall in decades. The factors that converge to make the Atacama Desert so arid include the rain shadow effect from the Andes, the cold offshore ocean current, and the subtropical high pressure system.
 
 

Amazing travel fact Netherlands

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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The Netherlands:

Did you know that there is a museum that houses about 50 cats? Each cat has its own passport and a uniform in the form of a yellow collar. They are registered as qualified specialists in getting rid of mice.  But do you know where the first cat came from?
 
Amazing, right?
 
It is indeed the Hermitage in St Petersburg.
 
The beginning of this tradition starts with Peter the Great. According to the legend, while on one of his numerous trips to Holland, he bought a cat named Basil, who became the first Palace pet.
 
This tradition was later passed on to Elizaveta Petrovna, who ordered that the best mousers from Kazan be brought to St Petersburg. It was Catherine II, the founder of the Hermitage as a museum, who made the cats the official guards of the art galleries, a position the furry employees still hold to this day.
Every year, the Winter Palace organises a well-deserved celebration for them. It now has the status of annual and international celebration. In the Great Winter Court, a solemn opening ceremony is usually held, accompanied by a military band.
 
All Hermitage cats are up for adoption, but you have to show you are worthy of taking care of the cat.
 

Amazing travel fact Slovenia

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Slovenia:

Did you know that there is a castle that was built partly in a cave? The castle is almost one with the mountain. Originally built in the 12th century, it has been rebuilt twice since.
 
Amazing, right?
 
It is the Predjama castle in Slovenia.
 
Predjama Castle is one of the most famous in Slovenia, attracting each year thousands of tourists. Located in small village of Predjama, this amazing Renaissance fortress, built within a cave, is not at all the kind of castle we’re familiar with.
 
This ancient castle doesn’t have crenelated towers, sumptuous interior decorations or refined details, but it is a special place in so many ways. Predjama castle is definitely not incidentally among the most visited places in Slovenia.
 
The first thing that attracts attention is the castle’s location. At some point one could surely believe that the castle is almost one with the mountain in which it lies. And the contrast between the blackened cliffs and the white walls of the castle offers the sensation that it’s almost unreal.
 
Documents certify that “Predjamski Grad”, which mean in Slovenian “the castle in front of the cave”, was built around the 12th century. At that time, the architecture was strongly influenced by elements of the Gothic style. Over the centuries that followed, the castle was owned by several high-bred families.
By far the most famous of them all remains Erazem Lueger, the robber baron who owned the castle in the second half of the 15th century.
 
Predjama Castle is a fifth-storey building with 15 rooms. It has been rebuilt twice, after suffering considerable damage due to the war between Erazem and Emperor Frederik III and after it was destroyed by an earthquake. The present castle was built in 1570 in the Renaissance style and it is considered a real masterpiece.
 

Amazing travel fact Scotland

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Scotland:

Who would not like to leave from platform Platform 9 and ¾ at Kings Cross Station to board the Hogwarts Express on their way to Hogwarts, Harry Potter’s wizard school? Even when you are a muggle, I’m sure you heard of this famous train. It’s a steam train named the Jacobite, and runs along what is considered ‘the greatest railway journey in the world.’ Do you know where we can get on board this famous train? And it’s not Kings Cross!

It’s in Fort William, Scotland. 
 
The famous Harry Potter train runs on the old steam train lines managed by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. The train runs from March until November and they are an absolutely perfect way to see the North Yorkshire Moors and take in some of the best-preserved old railway stations in England. The trip begins at Grosmont Station and takes in Goathland, Newton Dale Halt and Levisham and the final stop is Pickering Station, then returning to Grosmont.
 
In the Harry Potter books the Hogwarts Express is the name of the train that makes a run between London, King’s Cross Station Platform 9¾ and Hogsmeade Station. It makes this run at about six times a year, maybe more, as needed. The Express dutifully carries students to and from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the start and end of every term.
 
The train leaves Platform 9¾ without fail on 1 September at 11 o’clock in the morning, arriving at Hogsmeade Station in the early evening. Some students take the train back to King’s Cross Station to go home for the Christmas and Easter holidays, but some do not, as they stay at Hogwarts. It also makes the run back again to London at the end of term in June.
 
 

Amazing travel fact Scandinavia

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Scandinavia:

Did you know that each year in spring and autumn thousands of birds, starlings, dance across the skies and black out the sun? They move together across the area searching for the perfect spot, while flying in synchronized patterns to protect themselves from predators.
 
Amazing right?
 
Black Sun, or “Sort Sol” as it’s called in Danish, occurs when the starlings pass through the area on their migration route between their winter grounds in southern Europe and summer breeding grounds in northern Scandinavia.
 
They make a stop in the marshlands of the Wadden Sea National Park to rest and find food before continuing on their journey.
 
The phenomenon is a late-night ritual where the birds gather in large flocks just before landing on the marshlands to roost for the night. They move together across the area searching for the perfect spot, while flying in synchronized patterns to protect themselves from predators.
 
 

Amazing travel fact Portugal

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Portugal:

Did you know that there is a medieval village built around a pile of massive granite boulders? Instead of trying to move the boulders, the villagers used them as walls, floors and even roofs.
 
Amazing, right?
 
It is indeed Monsanto in Portugal.
 
Located about a 3-hour drive from Lisbon, Monsanto  is a unique Medieval village in Portugal where many of the houses are sandwiched between, or even under, giant granite boulders.
 
The placement of the rocks determined the shapes of the winding streets and the architecture of the stone houses—instead of trying to move the boulders, the villagers used them as walls, floors, and even roofs.
Besides its extraordinary rock houses, its mountaintop location also gives spectacular views of the surrounding valleys filled with higgledy-piggledy farmlands with olive trees and little stone walls.
 
Further up the mountain are some impressive ruins of a Templar Knights castle.
 

Amazing travel fact Poland

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Poland:

Next to Warsaw did you know Chicago has the highest Polish population in the world?

Scratch a Chicagoan, and you may very well find a Polish connection. Polish Americans are everywhere. The city often proclaims itself as Poland’s second city, with only Warsaw containing a larger Polish population.
 
The first wave of Polish immigration to Chicago was in the 1860s. Since then, Chicago has long been home to one of the largest Polish populations outside of Europe.
Polish Americans have not only helped shape the city; they’ve also helped influence the political development of Poland itself.
 
Ultimately, the mere fact that Chicagoans still brag about it proves that the city’s Polish heritage remains close to their hearts.
 
On the other hand in Warsaw the Old Town, entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List and it’s where the city’s heart has been beating for centuries. However, when you cross the Vistula River and look at the Old Town from a distance, you are struck by how unusual the panorama of the city is – skyscrapers rise above the red roofs of the Old Town.
 
Historical buildings blend in harmoniously with modern architecture, and the city surprises us by revealing its second face…

Amazing travel fact Uzbekistan

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Uzbekistan:

Uzbekistan is one of only two double landlocked countries in the world.

Amazing right?

Landlocked countries face the special challenge of having to rely on other countries with maritime borders for access to ocean trade routes. There are two landlocked countries in the world that are double landlocked, meaning that they are surrounded by countries that are themselves landlocked. The only two double landlocked countries of the world are Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein.

Uzbekistan is a relatively new country. Beforehand, it was one of the republics that made up the Soviet Union. During the Soviet era, Uzbekistan’s goods and people had direct access to the ocean by way of other Soviet republics, such as Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. But in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, and Uzbekistan became independent.

Independence for Uzbekistan meant that the country had no direct access to the ocean via other former Soviet republics that they had during the Soviet era. To improve the movements of goods, Uzbekistan has forged closer ties with Russia, which was the dominant force in the Soviet Union, and which is still the principle foreign influencer in Uzbekistan today. 

Travel to Uzbekistan

 

Amazing travel fact Kazakhstan

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Kazakhstan:

Do you know there is a border between 2 countries that is 6 846 kms in length?

Amazing right?

The international border between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation  is the longest continuous international border in the world, and the second longest by total length.  

The border assumed its modern shape in 1930, and became an international border upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.

Roads and railways were not built with this border in mind, so when the border became international in 1991, for example one branch of the Trans-Siberian Railway was interrupted by two border crossings at Petropavl. In 2017, Russia and Kazakhstan agreed to permit transit (corridor) trains without border control.

Travel to Kazakhstan

 

Amazing travel fact Azerbaijan

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Azerbaijan:

Do you know that mud volcanoes are some of the most unique natural phenomenon on Earth. They are active, impressive and definitely worth seeing.

Amazing right?

Azerbaijan or as it is called here the Land of Fire has the highest number of mud volcanoes in the world. Some 350 out of over 1,000 mud volcanoes in the world are located here.

The world’s largest mud volcanoes – Boyuk Khanizadagh and Turaghai – are both in Azerbaijan. Boyuk Khanizadagh, the diameter and height of which are 10 kilometers and 700 meters respectively, erupted on October 10, 2001, shooting out flames 300 meters in the air. It was the highest record for flames shot from a mud volcano. Underground and submarine mud volcanoes are also located in Azerbaijan. 

Mud volcanoes are active all year round. Over the past 200 years, more than 200 major eruptions have been recorded in the country. 

Travel to Azerbaijan

 

Amazing travel fact Tunisia

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Tunisia:

This beautiful place was used as a backdrop in the movies for Indiana Jones, Star Wars and The English patient, just to name a few.

Do you know where this is?

Tunisia in an area known as Tataouine.

If you are a fan of the Star Wars film series, then you are probably aware that main character Luke Skywalker hails from the planet of Tatooine, a dusty desert world inhabited by strange creatures and presided over by twin suns.

But you might not be aware that Tatooine is a real place, brought to life by real-world locations in  Tataouine.

Although a few scenes set on Tatooine were filmed in Death Valley in the United States, the majority of desert scenes in the original Star Wars were filmed in Tunisia, with subsequent films in the series also returning to shoot footage in the country.

Many of the original sets used to film Star Wars in Tunisia still remain standing today and have become some of the most popular attractions for tourists in the country. 

Travel to Tunisia

 

Amazing travel fact South Africa

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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South Africa:

Over a million flowers appear once a year for a brilliant display of colour. 

Amazing right?

With the first rains of spring, the dry, dusty plains of South Africa’s “outback” are magically transformed into a carpet of colour as the Namaqualand wild flowers burst to life.

Almost overnight, the normally drab semi-desert of the Northern Cape is suddenly covered in millions of cheerful flowers, which last from early August to late September. And contrary to popular belief – it isn’t just a bunch of daisies! 

Superlatives don’t do justice to this spectacle. You will find yourself constantly changing your focus from gazing out across a few acres of multicoloured daisies, which almost seem to have been cultivated, or focusing close to your feet and revelling in the myriad of different flowers co-existing in the space of a few metres.

No exaggeration, you will find acres of daisies, or brightly coloured bulbs. Tiny little pockets of delicate flowering plants create a private garden every few metres down the road and everywhere, flowers flourish for their brief but sublime moment in the sun.

Obviously, the exact timing of the flowering and the very best viewing positions change from year to year and even within the season, so it is best to get the latest up-to-date flower reports before heading off. Truly, the blooming of the desert is almost biblical in its proportions.

Travel to South Africa

 

Amazing travel fact Botswana

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Botswana:

2 of the largest diamonds ever found were discovered in Botswana making it one of the richest diamond producers in the world.

Amazing right?

Most of Botswana’s diamond production is of gem quality, resulting in the country’s position as the world’s leading producer of diamond by value.

The diamond firm Debswana has announced the discovery in Botswana of a 1,098-carat stone that it described as the third largest of its kind in the world.

It is the third largest in the world, behind the 3,106-carat Cullinan found in South Africa in 1905 and the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona discovered in Botswana in 2015.

“This is the largest diamond to be recovered by Debswana in its history of over 50 years in operation,” Armstrong said.

“From our preliminary analysis it could be the world’s third largest gem-quality stone.

Travel to Botswana

Amazing travel fact Malta

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Malta:

This church survived a bombing during World War II and is one of the most recognisable sights in the small Maltese town of Mosta is the magnificent dome that covers the Parish Church of the Assumption. It holds a special place in the town.
 
On 9th April 1942, as 300 people sat in the church waiting for mass to begin, a bomb dropped by the German Luftwaffe pierced the dome, bumped into the wall, and rolled across the floor until it came to a stop. It failed to detonate, and so did two other bombs that had fallen outside.
 
Bomb experts dismantled the explosive and disposed of it in the sea. The Maltese people viewed the escape as a miracle, and today a replica of the bomb can be seen in a sacristy at the back of the church. This lucky event spared the the parishioners as well as the neoclassical structure, whose dome, commonly called the Rotunda of Mosta, is inspired by Rome’s Pantheon and is one of the largest unsupported domes in the world.
 
In the 1830s, Mosta’s residents raised the funds for the erection of a new church on the site of the existing one, which was carried out such that the newer structure came up around the old one which was later demolished. This ensured that there was always a church to pray at.
 
Designed by Giorgio Grognet de Vassé, it is beautifully decorated in shades of blue, gold, and red. After 27 long years of construction, the church was  officially dedicated in 1871. 
 

 

Amazing travel fact Ireland

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Ireland:

There are beaches so stunning, that they are Unesco World Heritage sites. This special beach thanks its name to a legend, where giants crossed from one country to another and has over 40.000 dramatic basalt columns.
 
Amazing, right?
 
Located on one of Europe’s most magnificent coastlines, the Antrim coast of Ireland, the Giant’s Causeway is stunning.
 
The symmetry of the rock columns that make up this stretch of landscape are a natural curiosity that intrigues and amazes.
 
Giant’s Causeway earned its name from the legends of an ancient roadway, once used by giants to cross between Ireland and Scotland.
 
The reality is no less fantastic though: the 40,000 dramatic basalt columns were actually formed by an ancient volcanic eruption.
 
Regardless of its origins, you can visit the UNESCO-listed site year-round; it’s generally quietest first thing in the morning and late afternoon in the summer months.
 
If you have the foresight check the tide times too, as it is most visible and explorable at low tides.
 

Amazing travel fact Hungary

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Hungary:

Do you know The Gombos Hills Wine Cellars in Hungary are part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites due to their uniqueness.
 
Amazing right?
 
The picturesque cellars of Gombos Hill with their characteristic triangle-shaped doors are true masterpieces of folk architecture.
 
The Tokaj region has been protected since 1737 and the landscape faithfully preserves historical traditions.
 
Visit the five-star hotels for manor-house splendour and you will find Tokaji wines from local producers on the menu. In the heart of the Mád commune – where most of the grapes for the Royal Tokaji Company are cultivated – a 17th-century mansion, has period-furnished suites and a strong organic wine list.
 
The character of the wines of Tokaj comes from the terroir but also from the bizarre way in which it is aged in underground caves, lined with botrytis, a thick black mould. You can hire bikes in Sárospatak and discover the Gombos-hegy: rows of ancient triangular stone facades with doors to Hobbit-like cellars, many of which host tastings.
 
For the comprehensive story and a European perspective, the World Heritage Wine Museum in Tokaj is a must-visit.
 

Amazing travel fact Germany

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Germany:

Do you know there’s a city where you can surf on a river?

Amazing Right?

Munich, Germany, is a long way from the ocean and it can get rather cold in winter, but that doesn’t stop some hearty surfers from catching a wave.

The Eisbachwelle is a year-round river surfing spot at the edge of the city’s English Garden. Water shoots out from under a street and creates a perpetual wave as the stream runs into the park.

It’s not the sea and sand you expect from beach movies. The water ranges from cold to frigid, so surfers are usually covered in full wetsuits and may have to walk through snow to get to the river.

On the plus side, there’s no paddling around waiting for the perfect wave; you just wait your turn and drop in.
 
The bridge is a great place to watch the action, so the Eisbachwelle is also popular with photographers and spectators. 
 

Amazing travel fact France

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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France:

Did you know that there is a museum housed in a former royal palace that is the most visited museum in the world? In 2019 it had a total of 9.6 million visitors! It would take you around 200 days to see each of the 35,000 works of art on display at the museum if you took 30 seconds to see each and every piece. Not only that, the museum owns roughly 550,000 works, most of which it keeps locked up in storage.
 
Amazing, right?
 
It is indeed The Louvre in Paris
 
On the Right Bank, just north of the western tip of the Île de la Cité, stands the Louvre, one of the world’s largest palaces….
 
In 1546 Francis I, who was a great art collector, had this old castle razed and began to build on its site another royal residence, the Louvre, which was added to by almost every subsequent French monarch. In the 17th century, major additions were made to the building complex by Louis XIII and Louis XIV. Cardinal de Richelieu, the chief minister of Louis XIII, acquired great works of art for the king. Louis XIV and his minister, Cardinal Mazarin, acquired outstanding art collections, including that of Charles I of England.
 
The Louvre ceased to be a royal residence when Louis XIV moved his court to Versailles in 1682. The idea of using the Louvre as a public museum originated in the 18th century.
 
The Louvre building complex underwent a major remodelling in the 1980s and ’90s in order to make the old museum more accessible and accommodating to its visitors. The ground-level entrance to this complex was situated in the centre of the Cour Napoléon and was crowned by a controversial steel-and-glass pyramid designed by the American architect I.M. Pei.
 
In 1993, on the museum’s 200th anniversary, the rebuilt Richelieu wing, formerly occupied by France’s Ministry of Finance, was opened; for the first time, the entire Louvre was devoted to museum purposes. The new wing, also designed by Pei, had more than 230,000 square feet (21,368 square metres) of exhibition space, originally housing collections of European painting, decorative arts, and Islamic art.
 
Three glass-roofed interior courtyards displayed French sculpture and ancient Assyrian artworks. The museum’s expanding collection of Islamic art later moved into its own wing (opened 2012), for which Italian architects Mario Bellini and Rudy Ricciotti enclosed another interior courtyard beneath an undulating gold-coloured roof made of glass and steel.
 
In 2012 a satellite location of the Louvre in the northern French town of Lens opened to the public. The museum, designed by the Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, was intended to boost the economy of the region and to alleviate crowds at the Paris site.
 
 

Amazing travel fact Croatia

Written by Gill Dewar on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

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Croatia:

Did you know that there is a city in Europe that has an Egyptian Sphinx on display, made of black granite?
Twelve of them were originally brought over to this town 3500 years ago.
 
Amazing, right?
 
Do you know where we need to travel to in order to see this black Sphinx?
 
Emperor Diocletian himself is a founder of Split city; he used to belong to divine rulers, same as pharaohs, and, to unconditionally prove it, he brought twelve sphinxes to Split after Diocletian put down a rebellion in Egypt somewhere around the year 297.
 
Unfortunately, only one survived and is now standing at the Peristyle.
 
The sphinx on the Peristyle is made of black granite. It dates back to the period of pharaoh Tuthmosis III who lived from 1479 until 1425 BC. She holds a vessel for offerings in her hands.
 
Second one is the one that probably stood opposite from the previous one, and is now in the Archeology Museum after being donated in 1875. by one of Split noble families. This one is a little bit smaller, and made probably around 1,400 BC, maybe for one of temples in Thebe.
 
The same museum holds several other fragments. For example, back part of the one made of white stone, or head made of red granite found in Salona.
 
During excavations around Vestibule small black granite Sphynx was found beheaded This one is now in one of the halls of Palace’s substructures. There we can also see the small fragment of front legs and chest made of red granite.
 

Amazing Travel fact Olympics

Written by Traveltalksteam on . Posted in Amazing Facts.

amazing travel facts greece

AMAZING TRAVEL FACTS

With the exciting games taking place in Tokyo this year, did you know that during the first modern Olympics in Greece, many of the world’s top sportsmen were banned from participating? As a result, several tourists participated. The most famous was John Pius Boland, and Irishman, registered by a friend on the spot, who won singles and doubles in the tennis tournament. Amazing, right?

Do you know in which year these Olympics took place?

#amazingtravelfacts #traveltalksplatform

The first olympics took place on April 6 in 1896.

Despite the best efforts of Pierre de Coubertin and the newly formed International Olympic Committee, the 1896 games met with little fanfare outside of Greece.

Most counties didn’t bother to send official representatives, and a ban on professional athletes prevented many of the world’s top sportsmen from participating.

The U.S. team, for example, consisted of 13 college and amateur athletes who traveled to Athens on their own dime. “In effect we selected ourselves,” team member Thomas Curtis later wrote.

Many other competitors were local Greeks or even vacationers who chanced upon the contest and decided to sign up.

The most famous of these accidental Olympians was John Pius Boland, an Irishman who traveled to the games as a spectator and ended up participating after a friend registered him for the tennis competition. Boland had to scrounge a racket and take to the courts in leather-soled shoes, but he went on to claim victory in both the singles and doubles tournaments.

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