Gunther Holtorf’s 23-year road trip

This Mercedes Benz G-Wagen, affectionately named Otto, has carried Gunther Holtorf and his wife Christine on an incredible 500,000 mile journey around the world.In 1989, Gunther Holtorf and his wife Christine climbed aboard their 1988 Mercedes Benz G-Wagen to travel from Germany to Africa, where they planned to complete a once-in-a-lifetime road trip that would last 18-months.Except the trip didn’t last 18-months, it has lasted 23 years, spanned more than 200 countries and the G-Wagen now has 800,000 kilometers, or 500,000 miles, on its odometer. That’s the equivalent of 20 times around the equator.

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In The Huge Abandoned Bunker

This is one of the alernate command posts of the Warsaw Pact contries located on the territory of Moldavia. There are similar constructions in Belorus, Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan.Object 1180 represents two cylindrical blocks each 36 m in diameter and 60 m deep divided into 10-12 levels. There is an additional level used as a fridge centre.The bunker was not finished and finally was abandoned, but the structure is so colossal that is truly worth visiting. It’s hard to imagine how deep everything is buried here.The staircase between the levels of the command block have also suffered looting.It would be nice for Indiana Jones movies…Typical storey of the command block has two big rooms and a corridor between them. The rooms are 4-5 m high. The walls are made of steel.

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Pulitzer Photos

Pulitzer Prize is the most prestigious award for journalists, photographers and reporters.It goes only to the best, whose work is recognized bright, original and emotional. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of American (Hungarian-born) publisher Joseph Pulitzer, and is administered by Columbia University in New York City. Prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one categories. In twenty of these, each winner receives a certificate and a US$10,000 cash award. The winner in the public service category of the journalism competition is awarded a gold medal, which always goes to a newspaper, although an individual may be named in the citation. 

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Buddha Statue in Leshan

 The Leshan Giant Buddha (simplified Chinese: Lèsha-n Dàfó) was built during the Tang Dynasty (618–907AD). It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet. It is the largest carved stone Buddha in the world and it is by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world. The Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. It was not damaged by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

Construction was started in 713, led by a Chinese monk named Haitong. He hoped that the Buddha would calm the turbulent waters that plagued the shipping vessels traveling down the river. When funding for the project was threatened, he is said to have gouged out his own eyes to show his piety and sincerity. After his death, however, the onstruction was stuck due to insufficient funding. About 70 years later, a jiedushi decided to sponsor the project and the construction was completed by Haitong's disciples in 803.Apparently the massive construction resulted in so much stone being removed from the cliff face and deposited into the river below that the currents were indeed altered by the statue, making the waters safe for passing ships.

At 71 metres (233 feet) tall, the statue depicts a seated Maitreya Buddha with his hands resting on his knees. His shoulders are 28 metres wide and his smallest toenail is large enough to easily accommodate a seated person. There is a local saying: "The mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain". This is partially because the mountain range in which the Leshan Giant Buddha is located is thought to be shaped like a slumbering Buddha when seen from the river, with the Leshan Giant Buddha as its heart.

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A Statue of Genghis Khan

The world's largest statue of a rider on a horse was erected in Mongolia This statue, showing Chinggis Khaan (1162-1227) with a golden whip in his right hand gazing into the distance, has been erected at the Tsonjin Boldog site connected to many historic events in the territory of Erdene soum in Tov aimag, 54 km from Ulaanbaatar.

Here, Temujin (Chinggis Khaan's childhood name) becoming the great Khaan who conquered half the world after overcoming difficulties in his childhood when he lost his father, found a whip on the way back from Khereid's Toiril Khaan, where he had gone to ask for help when Mergid had captured his wife in 1117. Finding a whip is perceived by Mongolians as a good omen. Therefore, finding the whip, Chinggis Khan became greedy seeing it as a path being opened to the great cause.

The haughty and yet honorable statue is surrounded by 36 columns representing 36 Mongolian Khaans. The entire edifice is covered in 250 tonne of steel. Visitors will ascend to the exhibition hall using an elevator at the back of the horse and will walk to the horse's head passing through its chest and the back of its neck from where they will have an excellent panoramic view over the complex area and the scenery beyond. Within the complex area covering 212 ha, 13th Century living will brought to life for today's modern people. The statue is also surrounded by over 200 ger camps and examples of tribes' lifestyles with trading using coins from the 13th Century. Construction of the whole complex is to be completed in 2010, with a spa, hotel and golf course currently underway. 

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A Beautiful Castle On A Lake

Loreto – a small private island and a castle on Lake Iseo in northern Iatly.At the end of the 5th century there was built a monastery, which existed for several centuries, abandoned in 16th century. During a visit to the island of Cardinal Carli Borromeo in 1580, there lived a hermit named Peter. In the late 19th century historian Gabriel Rose mentioned the presence on the island of Loreto ruins of an ancient fortress with two towers and a chapel.

After changing several owners in the early 20th century the island went to Royal Navy captain Vincenzo Richeri, who built the neo-Gothic castle and a marina with two small beacons there in 1910. A conifer garden was planted around the castle . 

Recently, the island became famous because George Clooney was going to get it. But he has already got a residence nearby, so for some reason he changed his mind. The area of ​​Lake Iseo, situated in Lombard Predalpah is 65 square km, maximum depth – 251 m, maximum width – 5 km, the maximum length – 25 km. Lake fills a basin of an ancient glacier terminal, has steep rocky shores. 

On the southern shore of the lake there is an eponymous town of Iseo. In the middle of the lake there is the largest natural lake island (the mountain-island) in Europe, Monte Isola, popular with hang gliders. 

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30 Vintage Photos of the Empire State Building Under Construction

30 Vintage Photos of the Empire State Building Under Construction

From its completion in 1931 until construction of the World Trade Center’s North Tower in 1972, the Empire State Building stood as the tallest building in the world. As of 2012, it is the 15th tallest skyscraper in the world and the fourth tallest free standing structure in the Americas.

At 102 floors and a roof height of 1,250 feet (381 meters), the Empire State Building was constructed in a mind-blowing 410 days. It was finished three months early and drastically under budget due to reduced building costs during the Depression [Source].

The incredible gallery below was made available by the New York Public Library. It showcases the amazing work of photographer Lewis Wickes Hine (1874-1940), a pioneering social photographer. All of the images below were taken in 1931 during the construction of the Empire State Building. Many of the images may give you chills as the workers traverse steal beams unsecured with no harnesses.

The views of New York City in the background of many of the photos give the viewers a sense of the dizzying heights these fearless workers operated at. It’s a truly special gallery that offers a fascinating glimpse into one of the most iconic buildings in the world.

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Chrysler Building

Chrysler Building

Chrysler Building skyscraper was once owned by the "Chrysler" company.The building was constructed in 1930, today it is considered one of the symbols of New York.Building height is 319 m. It is located on the eastern side of Manhattan. Now owners of the skyscraper are: «TMW Real Estate» (75 percent) and «Tishman Speyer Properties» (25 percent).

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England Castles: Castle HOWARD

England Castles: Castle HOWARD 

Castle Howard is a very impressive 18th century stately home of unusual architectural design, with an elevated central domed roof. This beautiful house has many rooms each with its own atmosphere, filled with paintings, antique sculptures, relics, treasures and many books.
The House is situated in the Howardian Hills fifteen miles northeast from the city of York, on a grand estate of 10,000 acres. Open to the public are the House built by Sir John Vanbrugh, rose gardens, the Great Lake, temples, lawns, nature walks, Ray Wood, fountains and waterways. It is also a working estate including the thriving businesses of farming, forestry, fishing, shooting, tree nursery, a caravan site and property letting.Built in 1699, Castle Howard is still the private home of the Howard family. The House and grounds gained great publicity from the television drama Brideshead Revisited, which was filmed there.A visit to Castle Howard makes a very pleasant day out, and of similar estates that I have visited it is rivaled only by Chatsworth House in Derbyshire.Castle Howard is located off the A64, about a 20 mile drive from York.

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The Most Important Sacred Places On The Planet

The Most Important Sacred Places On The Planet

In recent years, religious tourism is becoming increasingly popular. There are more and more of believers and the interest in religion is waking up. Religious places are very adorable, regardless of beliefs and religions that are being promoted out there. People come to these places to get closer to God, have faith, or cure. 

Ta Prum

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