Beautiful Places On Earth

Avignon is a major city of Provence in southeastern France. It is located on the banks of the Rhone River. Avignon is also known as the “City of Popes” because the Popes fled here in the 14th century during the Catholic Schism or Papal Schism. Today, Avignon still retains the old city wall, the palace, the stone bridge and many other historic sites. It was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

One of the main sights in Avignon is the Papal Palace or Palais des Papes. The Papal Palace is a typical Romanesque building and an impressive monument constructed from 1316 to 1370. Besides, Avignon is also known for its many medieval bridges around the city especially the Pont Saint-Bénezet or Pont d’Avignon which originally spanned across the Rhone River.

Historic Centre of Avignon

Avignon can be easily accessed from Marseille, which is approximately 85 kilometers away. Do visit Avignon during the summer to attend the famous Avignon Festival. This famous theatre festival was founded in 1947 and features traditional theatrical events such as dance, music and cinema.

The Palace of Versailles was originally a small royal hunting lodge in Versailles, France. Versailles today is a suburb of Paris, some 20 kilometers southwest of the French capital. Since moving from Paris to here in 1682, King Louis XVI had utilized 28 years to expand the original royal hunting lodge into one of the largest palaces in the world. The Palace of Versailles was the royal residence as well as center of political power in France until the royal family was forced to return to Paris in October 1789 because of the French Revolution.

The Palace of Versailles features grand appartement du roi (residence of king of France), grand appartement de la reine (residence of queen of France) on the main or principal floor. There are also le petit appartement du roi (king’s private apartment) and le petit appartement de la reine (queen’s private apartment). But what really stands out in the Palace of Versailles is the Galerie des Glaces or Hall of Mirrors. This central gallery of the Palace of Versailles has 17 mirror-clad arches that reflect the 17 arcaded windows that overlook the gardens which is its most spectacular feature.

Outside the palace is the Gardens of Versailles. The Garden of Versailles represents one of the finest examples in French garden design. Situated to the west of the palace, this 800-hectare classic French garden features Grotte de Thétys, Bassin de Latone, Bassin d’Apollon, the grand canal and many more architecture jewels. The Palace and Gardens of Versailles were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

Palace and Park of Versailles

Windmills are placed together with tulips, cheese and wooden shoes as the national treasures of the Netherlands. Among them, windmills are considered as the national symbol of the country and the Netherlands is also known as the “country of windmills”.

Kinderdijk is a village in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is approximately 15 kilometers east of Rotterdam. The most characteristic feature of this village is its network of windmills. There is a network of 19 windmills which were built around 1740 to drain the polder. These windmills have survived more than 2 centuries despite they went out of use in the late 1940s. However, all 19 mills are still maintained in operating condition to function as fall-back mills in case of failure of the modern equipment. Today, this group of windmills is the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands. The windmills of Kinderdijk have become one of the best known Dutch tourist sites, especially after they were declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.

Do plan your visit to Kinderdijk on the second Saturday of May every year as it is the National Windmills Day this day throughout the Netherlands. On this day, there are more than 600 windmills in action and some are open for public viewing.

Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout

Napa Valley is the filming location for the 1995 film “A Walk in the Clouds” starring Keanu Reeves and Anthony Quinn. Success of the movie internationally has also helped to promote Napa Valley as both the most visited winery and a popular tourist destination in United States. In fact, Napa Valley had been awarded “The World’s Best Wine and Food Destination” by recently TripAdvisor’s 2010 Travelers’ Choice Awards!

Today, there are some 450 wineries in Napa Valley that grow many grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot, just to name a few. The valley is a very popular tourist destination in California, attracting approximately 4.5 million visitors every year.

Napa Valley is not just about wines and wine tasting. The climate is great and the environment is just wonderful! Napa Valley also features fantastic winery landscapes. Just get a vacation rental with panoramic views of winery just right in front of your windows. You can also enjoy the beautiful sunrise and sunset! To find out more on what you can do in Napa Valley, watch the video below.

The Grape Escape – Napa Valley

Derives its name from the Indian tribe that lived in the valley, Yosemite National Park is one of the most visited national parks in United States. The park covers an area of approximately 3,100 square kilometers and is located in the central Sierra Nevada of California in the western part of United States.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is known for its granite landforms, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia or Sierra redwood groves as well as its biological diversity.

Although represents only 1 percent of the total park area, Yosemite Valley is the most visited spot in the national park. Some of the most popular features here include the Tunnel View and some high granite summits such as El Capitan, Half Dome and Sentinel Dome. The Tunnel View features the first view of the valley through the Wawona Tunnel and is the most photographed spot within the Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite National Park is open to public year round. The most popular activities here are hiking, mountain climbing, horseback riding and winter activities such as skiing. Yosemite National Park is rather accessible by road. It takes approximately 4 hours and 6 hours to drive to the park from San Francisco and Los Angeles respectively.

Yosemite National Park