Saint PETERSBURG, RUSSIA, the Super Place in the world

If the mention of a place can bring to mind a season, then St Petersburg conjures up winter - deepest winter. Snow-covered statues, breath rising in clouds and the Winter Palace seen through mist across the frozen River Neva.
Winter is not an easy time to visit Russia - the biting cold might restrict your sightseeing - but it is the time of year that defines both the city and the Russian people. It is nlso the season when the tsars used to visit St Petersburg. The Winter Palace was built to house and amuse the Russian royal family during the long dark winter months. From inside you can gaze out upon the same frosty scenes that Catherine the Great once saw, the views distorted by a covering of ice on the windows. St Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703, and the Winter Palace was completed in 1762. The founding of a European-style city on the western border of the country, and the moving of the capital from 'Asiatic' Moscow in the east, marked a Europeanization of Russia. The House of Romanov became one of the great ruling dynasties of Europe, rivalling even the Bourbons and the Habsburgs. The Winter Palace is probably their greatest creation.
St Petersburg itself has been at the centre of European history for 300 years. Revolution was fermented in the city, and the tsars were overthrown when the Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace in 1917, ushering in more than 70 years of Communism for Russia. St Petersburg was renamed Leningrad by the new regime and became one of the bulwarks that held up the spread of Nazism during the Second World War; a heroic defence that saw the city all but destroyed. Reverting to the old name of St Petersburg following the fall of Communism was a gesture that marked the demise of the old Soviet Union and the re-emergence of Russia.

Throughout all this history, the Winter Palace has endured. It is a massive structure, stretching some 200 metres along the riverfront. Other buildings, notabCy the Hermitage and the Hermitage Theatre, were added by Catherine the Great, a ruler whose excesses and love of power were to help to bring about revolution and the end of a dynasty.
A palpable sense of history pervades every part of the Winter Palace. It is easy to imagine the Russian royal family residing here, cocooned from the harsh realities of daily life experienced by most of their subjects. Or the monk Rasputin, who held such sway over Tsar Nicholas's wife. Alexandra. that he was poisoned the year before the dynasty fell. One can also imagine the amazement of the Bolsheviks who stormed the palace in 1917, seeing for the first time the opulence in which their rulers lived.

The Hermitage is notable among the riches of the Winter Palace, housing one of the greatest collections of art in the world – an astonishing 2.8 million exhibits. Get there early and you could have works by Monet or Picasso all to yourself.
Despite the Byzantine paperwork required to get a visa, St Petersburg is a relatively easy city to visit. Seemingly unaffected by the long years of Communism, it retains the atmosphere of imperial Russia, especially during the long hard winters when, like the tsars of old, you can seek refuge from the cold amid the warmth and grace of the Winter Palace.

INFO
Although Communism has long since gone. the visa application process has changed little. It is time consuming and there is a lot of paperwork. A visa agency will help to smooth the process. A number of European airlines fly to St Petersburg. Alternatively, you can take the train through Europe. The city is well served by rail connections and it is possible to get a train all the way to Vladivostok or even Beijing. Try to book a central hotel- the city is big and spread out and you will maximize your sightseeing by minimizing travel time. Intourist, the old state travel company, can organize hotels and tours. The metro is an interesting experience and very efficient. but keep track of where you are - station signs are difficult to read and it is easy to miss your stop.

Dubrovnik, Croatia the best wonderful Place

Looking down on to the red-tiled roofs of the Old Town of Dubrovnik as it nestles quietly alongside the cool waters of the Mediterranean, it is hard to credit that its history is steeped in political intrigue, war and destruction. But appearances_are deceptive, and Dubrovnik has a more violent and colourful past than most cities in Europe. For most of its long history Dubrovnik was an independent city state. It ccame under the protection of Venice in the 13th century, and Hungary some 150 years later. The city preserved its independence by careful diplomacy and payment of tributes. Under these conditions it grew into a wealthy democracy with a wide network of trading outposts. As the importance of the city increased many civil construction projects, such as the city walls, were undertaken, and Dubrovnik proved attractive to writers and artists.

Although the sovereignty of Dubrovnik passed to the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century the city continued to flourish until it was all but destroyed by an earthquake in 1667. It was rebuilt in 1683, but the shifting trade allegiances and wars that rocked Europe during the 18th century weakened its power. The final death blow came in 1808, when Napoleon formally abolished Dubrovnik's tenuous independence, prompting a bombardment by British forces. The city languished through subsequent wars and European politicking until it once again shot to prominence during the 1990s Balkans War, following the break-up of Yugoslavia. During a siege which lasted seven months, before finally being lifted in May 1992, over 2000 shells slammed into the city.

Despite past violence and destruction, Dubrovnik is still a beautiful city. Indeed, the depredations of the siege have been repaired so successfully (with financial assistance from UNESCO) that visitors could be forgiven for thinking that war had never touched it. The best way to get orientated in Dubrovnik is to walk around the towering and immensely thick 13th-century walls that surround the Old Town. At the highest point of the walls on the landward side of the city is the distinctive Minceta Tower, which has the best panoramic views of the city, Lokrum Island near the harbour mouth and the Mediterranean beyond. The battlements at the top of the tower give great views down into the narrow streets and courtyards. Church domes and spires reach above the expanses of red-tiled roofs, and at sunset golden light skims these roof tops and casts the skyline into relief against the surrounding landscape.

The main thoroughfare, the Stradun, divides the city into two halves and extends over 200 metres, from the Pile Gate in the west to the clock tower at the harbour entrance. Once a marsh that separated the Roman and Slavic halves of the city, the Stradun is now paved with stones polished by years of pedestrian traffic, and lined with shops. As you wander the narrow streets away from the Stradun, you get a sense of the tightly knit community.

The houses in the Old Town are small and close together, with laundry strung between them, children play in the streets, and neighbours sit on front steps or lean from windows chatting and watching the world go by. Positioned in the middle of some of the most beautiful coastline in Europe, Dubrovnik is the perfect place to while away a few days. Although it lacks the grandeur of Venice, and the power and inluence it enjoyed in the 15th and 16th centuries has long since passed away, this small and modest city has a beguiling charm of its own.

HAVANA, CUBA the Oldest Place and Beautiful Photos

 

A place to be experienced as much as seen, Havana lives up to all the clichés that have characterized it for so long: the people really do dance the rumba, drink rum and smoke cigars. And everywhere you look, classic American cars - Buicks, Dodges and Chevrolets - cruJse along streets that seem to have changed little since the revolution.
The old part of the city, Habana Vieja, appears caught in a 1950s time warp. It looks like a film set, while the people who inhabit it resemble casually positioned extras: the elderly man sitting on the waterfront at sunset playing the trombone to his friend, another carrying a double bass across a square and the young woman dancing by herself to the music of the band on the terrace of El Patio restaurant. And over it all, making the scene unmistakably Cuban, is the scent of cigar smoke.

At the centre of old Havana is the cobbled Plaza de la Catedral. Ringed on three sides by low colonial buildings, its focal point is the ornate cathedral, its Cuban baroque style reminiscent of melted wax on a candle. Having been spared from tourist development, the square is much as it used to be in the 1950s when pre-revolution Havana was a playground for the rich and a haunt of the Mafia. El Patio, a restaurant housed in an 18th-century mansion, has witnessed many changes in the city, and is the perfect place to watch from as the colour drains from the sky and the cathedral is floodlit. If you are lucky and there is a service on, you can look straight through the open door of the cathedral to the altar as you sit in the square.



Parts of old Havana have been renovated and restored into sanitized shadows of their former selves. The buildings in the Plaza Vieja and Mercaderes now house international shops and dollar restaurants too expensive for most Cuban people. It is the run-down backstreets that have the real atmosphere. Everyone seems to exist outdoors, whether on a rickety balcony, in a shady courtyard or just on the front step. People laugh, talk, eat and smoke, and, most importantly, all the boys seem to play basketball - a national obsession.

Although Cuba has the highest literacy and lowest child mortality rates in all of Latin America it still has great poverty, which some attribute to 50 years of Communism and others blame squarely on the long-running US boycott. Certainly, there is limited political freedom, and everyday life can be hard. Most Cubans live in small, one- or two-room apartments, and if you look through the elaborately barred windows on the ground floor you might see the whole family gathered round an old TV set, watching a South American soap opera or a live baseball game. You will know which windows to look through: TVs are a rarity here, so there will often be a small crowd in the street outside watching as well.
Sometimes it seems that most of the population of Havana congregates on the Malecón at sunset. This stretch of the waterfront, lined on one side by crumbling buildings and on the other by the sea, is a magnet for people of all ages. As the once-elegant façades are bathed in golden evening light music is played, a little impromptu dancing breaks out and people sip rum cocktails as they watch the sun sink slowly into the sea.

INFO
Travel to Cuba is complicated by the travel ban imposed by the United States. The national carrier, Cubana, flies from severaL European and South American airports. There are also a number of flights from Cancún and Mexico City. Visas are easy to obtain and although the US State Department forbids most of its citizens from visiting, the Cuban authorities are happy not to stamp their passports. Accommodation is plentiful In Havana but for convenience you should stay in Habana Vieja. One of the most atmospheric hotels is the newly refurbished Ambos Mundos, where Hemingway used to stay before he bought a tinea (an estate) on the island.

Lhasa, Tibet/China the best historical Place

It is not just the altitude that makes Lhasa a dizzying experience, although at nearly 4300 metres you get only get 65 per cent of the oxygen you would get in each breath at sea level. That light-headed feeling comes in part from the deep spirituality of the place, and from the heady mix of juniper smoke and the ever-present smell of yak butter. Expansion and modernization characterize the Chinese part of the city, but the old Tibetan quarter still has an ethereal, almost medieval atmosphere, especially in the network of small streets that surrounds the Jokhang Temple. The centre of Tibetan Buddhism, the Jokhang was completed in AD 647, although it has been continually restored and expanded ever since - most recently following damage caused when the Chinese brought their Cultural Revolution to Tibet.

There are several distinct pilgrimage circuits around the Jokhang. The outer one, called the Lingkhor, runs around the entire city. The Barkhor, or middle route, is a circular road that runs round the outside of the temple. Throughout the day and long into the night pilgrims process in a constant stream - always clockwise - around the Barkhor. Fearsome-looking Khambas (people from the eastern highlands), notable for the red threads braided into their hair, mingle with scarlet-robed monks and Golok nomads who wear huge sheepskin coats. Most spin prayer wheels as they walk, or mumble prayers which they keep count of on long strings of beads. Some stroll and chat, while others display penitence by repeatedly prostrating themselves along the route. Protected by leather aprons and with wooden paddles on their hands, they throw themselves across the paving flags, making a skittering sound that echoes around the Barkhor.

In the square in front of the Jokhang are two large braziers where pilgrims burn offerings of juniper: its pungent fragrance will for ever remind you of Lhasa. Also here is a small market, selling everything that the pilgrims might need for their devotions: yak butter, prayer flags, prayer wheels and, of course, fresh juniper. Within the main porch of the temple are two giant prayer wheels kept in constant motion by the streams of pilgrims. On the patio in front, pilgrims of all ages prostrate themselves t\me and again in a repetitive ritual, seemingly inured to the discomfort. Inside the Jokhang, a double row of prayer wheels skirts the outside of the main prayer hall. This inner pilgrimage route is called the Nangkhor, and pilgrims walking around it attempt to spin each of the prayer wheels by hand to release their prayers up into the sky. Inside the dark main hall of the Jokhang the air is heavy with the smell of yak-butter lamps, and the occasional low, rhythmic chanting of monks imparts a hallowed atmosphere that threatens to overwhelm the emotions. Pilgrims walk round the outside of the main hall- the centre being the exclusive preserve of monks, statues of former abbots and a giant golden Buddha image - past a number of small shrines and statues.

Towering above the whole city of Lhasa is the Potala Palace. The former home of the Dala, Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, it is now little more than a museum. The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959, following the Chinese invasion in the early 1950s, has recently stated that he never expects Tibet to be liberated. While Tibetans enjoy more religious freedom than they originally did under the Chinese, pictures of the Dalai Lama are still banned and any dissent is strongly suppressed. Migration from China means that Tibetans are now in a minority in their own country, so even if there were to be a referendum on the nation's future it would probably preserve the status quo.

INFO

Tibet is a politically sensitive area, so the rules on visiting are subject to change without notice. You will need a special permit as well as a Chinese visa. The easiest way there is to take a tour from either Kathmandu or the city of Chengdu in China, although travellers from Nepal are often unable to change the duration of their permit once they arrive. Travellers from Chengdu can change the date of their return flight and effectively stay in Lhasa for the duration of their visa.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil the best Amazing Place

The mountain of Corcovado, topped by a 32-metre statue of Christ the Redeemer facing out over Guanabara Bay, has to be the great enduring image of Rio de Janeiro. From up here, on a clear day, you can see almost the whole city, from the downtown business district to the Internationally famous beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana. It also has one of the best views of Sugar Loaf Mountain, another of the city's great landmarks.

Rio de Janeiro is arguably the most stunning harbour city in the world, pipping both Sydney and Hong Kong. While the last two are amazing in their own way, Rio has the advantage of being built on a series of hills, some of which are still covered by virgin forest, and looks out over the most beautiful natural scenery of the granite islands in Guanabara Bay. Corcovado, set within a park that opens at 8 am, can be reached either by taxi or by a creaking old tram that winds its way up to the summit. You should really make the effort to reach the top early in the morning when misty clouds, backlit by the rising sun, sometimes fill the bay, with just the tops of the islands peeking above them. Ifs also well worth visiting at sunset, when the sun sinks into the hills behind Rio and the city lights up.

Similarly, the view of both Rio and Corcovado from Sugar Loaf Mountain is worth seeing at both ends of the day, when the city assumes quite different appearances. If you want to see the actual sunrise you will have to take a taxi to San Cristobel Point, which lies outside the park. Although not as high as Corcovado. it still enjoys a commanding view over the bay. From the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain it is possible to take a very short helicopter ride that flies you up and around the statue of Christthe Redeemer.

Rio, however, is about so much more than sights or even natural · beauty. No other city in the world epitomizes the 'Life's a Beach' philosophy more than Rio. And where better to see this than at Copacabana and Ipanema? Both immortalized in song, these beaches mirror the character of the cariocas, as the citizens of Rio cal themselves. As the clubbers who congregate there to wind down after an all-night party give way to the first of the morning's joggers, the next 24 hours will see everything from holidaymakers to beach boys, from volleyball players to bodybuilders - all set to a background of bossanova music and perhaps accompanied by a cocktail.

 

Rio has endured a bad reputation for street crime over the years, but has gone a long way to clean up this problem. As with most major cities, drugs and poverty make certain parts of the city riskier than others, but if you stick to the main areas (which include all the principal tourist sites) and don't carry valuables conspicuously, you will probably find Rio far less threatening than many European capitals. In fact, the biggest annoyance I suffered - though totally well meaning - was that the locals constantty warned me to be careful with my possessions.

INFO

Many airlines fly to Rio from all over the world. Most of the hotels are out along the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema. The most famous hotel is the Copacabana Palace, run by the Orient Express Group. Even if you do not stay there you should visit the terrace bar for a sundowner. When on the beach, leave · all your valuables in your hotel or with the guards posted on the beach by most of the top hotels. The downtown area is quite a way from the beaches, but táxis are cheap and plentiful. The stunning views from Sugar Loaf Mountain and Corcovado are not to be missed.

Venice, Italy the Wonderful Place

No city is more romantic than Venice, and no sight more essentially Venetian than gondolas bobbing on a misty Molo, the waterfront where the Piazza San Marco meets the lagoon. In the very early morning the square is quiet, with only a few commuters disturbing the handful of pigeons that strut imperiously on its worn flagstones. Soon the place will be thronged with both tourists and birds, but for now you can be virtually alone.

Piazza San Marco has been at the centre of the city since it was first constructed in the 16th century, aLthough some of the buiLdings around it date from much earlier. At one end lies the Basilica di San Marco, construction of which began almost 1000 years ago. Squat and strangely shaped, its domed roof looks more Islamic than Christian when seen from the soaring heights of the adjacent campanile, or bell tower. At sunset the façade of the basilica seems to come alive as the mosaics, and even the stone itself, glow in the warm evening light.

Stretching from San Marco down to the waterfront is the Gothic white edifice of the Palazzo Ducale, or Doge's Palace. The doges · ruled the city from AD 697 until Napoleon's troops deposed the last of them in 1797. Although peppered with moralistic statues and carvings that depict such things as the fall of Adam and Eve, and a drunken Noah, the palace is best appreciated from afar, as it would have been by visitors arriving by sea in the days of the doges. Seen from a boat on the lagoon. or even from the top of the campanile on the island of San Giorgio, the façade combines elegance with a feeling of fantasy.

If the doges wished to portray an impression of piety with the outside of their palace, the inside shows a much more worldly extravagance. Room after room is decorated with the finest gilding and paintings, including works by Titian and Tintoretto. The doges were responsible for the judicial side of Venetian life, and many condemned people were led across the two-lane Bridge of Sighs to the prisons opposite.

Although not, strictly speaking, connected to the Piazza San Marco, the Grand Canal is linked with it. A lazy, sweeping 'S' shape, it cuts through the city, defining it almost as much as the piazza does. The end of the canal opens into the lagoon where it meets the piazza, and the waterfront here is lined with the ubiquitous gondolas.

As all roads in Venice seem to lead to Piazza San Marco – virtually every street or alley junction has a signpost pointing in that direction - so all canals seem to lead to the Grand Canal. Now used mainly by tourists, gondolas still glide past the palazzos that line its sides.

Venice can be cold and damp during the winter, but this is a perfect time to visit. There are far fewer visitors, hotel prices are lower and, if you are lucky, you might even be there when the water floods Piazza San Marco, forcing locals and tourists on to raised walkways to keep their feet dry. Even in the winter you can experience blue skies and amazingly clear light.

A perfect winter day in Venice has to end with a warming hot chocolate or a typically Venetian spritz cocktail (white wine, lemon peel, a bitter aperitif and seltzer) at Caffe Florian. Founded in 1720, this elegant café, once patronized by Byron and Goethe is decorated with mirrors and murals cracked by years of damp sea air.

INFO

From Marco Polo airport you can catch a vaporetto (water bus) or water taxi that drops you off at the Molo. Accommodation is expensive and can be hard to find in the peak summer months. The industrial town of Mestre is a short train ride away and offers cheaper options. A network of vaporetti ply the main canals and are a good way to get around. Otherwise, just walk and enjoy the experience of getting lost.

Samarkand, Uzbekistan the best Wonderful Place

The great city of Samarkand lies on the so-called Silk Road, the ancient trading route that led from China through the Middle East and into Europe. The city grew rich through trade, and constructed some of the finest buildings to be found in the Islamic world. Its strategic position has led Samarkand to be conquered and sacked many times throughout its long and bloody history. The first settlement there was constructed in the 6th century BC and was first conquered by Alexander the Great some 200 years later. As trade routes built up over the next few hundred years, the city grew in power and wealth despite being captured by both the Turks and Hun tribes. Indeed, it continue

d to flourish, as recorded by the Buddhist monk and traveller Xuan Zang when he arrived there in AD 630. At this time Samarkand followed the Zoroastrian religion of Persia, but the city fell to Islam when Qutaiba ibn Muslim invaded it in 712. This was the start of the first great period of Islamic development, which was curtailed at the beginning of the 13th century when the city was sacked by the Mongols of Genghis Khan, who slaughtered much of the population.

By the time another great traveller, Marco Polo, arrived at the end of the 13th century the city had been rebuilt, and he sang its praises. The Uzbek national hero, Tamerlane, chose it as the capital of the relatively small region of Transoxiana in 1370 and then proceeded to expand his empire until it reached as far as India and Syria. He was responsible for several great buildings, most notably the Bibi Khanum Mosque. His grandson. Uleg Beg. ruled the city until it fell to nomadic Uzbeks. Uleg Beg's great-grandson, Babur, retook the city in 1512 but was later driven out to India where he founded the Mogul Empire. This was the end of a golden era. Ravaged by earthquakes, looting and changing trade routes, Samarkand eventually succumbed to the Bolsheviks and became part of the Soviet Union in 1924. The ancient centre of Samarkand is the Registan. This square, one of the finest in Asia. is surrounded on three sides by madrasas, or Islamic colleges. Uleg Beg constructed the square and the first madrasa in the 15th century. The fronts of the madrasas are towering façades that lead into ornate courtyards ringed with two storeys of small cells where the religious students lived and studied.

Ironically, for all their anti-religious sentiment and public denigration of Islam, it was the Soviets who restored much of the Registan, straightening precarious minarets and reconstructing the characteristic turquoise-tiled domes. These still shine with an iridescence that perhaps suggests the cool water that is often lacking in this dry land. Islam forbids the representation of living things, so each of the madrasas is covered with ornate patterns (none symmetrical, as this too is forbidden) intricate Kufic quotations from the Koran and inscriptions extolling the magnificence of the buildings. Bizarrely, though, the Shir Dor Madrasa on the eastern side of the square has two representations of lions in front of suns with shining human faces. This apparent heresy is attributed in part to the ego of the governor who built the madrasa and also to the continued influence of the Persian Zoroastrians who revered the power of the sun. The Uleg Beg and Shir Oar madrasas are flanked by minarets, used more for decoration than for calling the faithful to prayer as the buildings were primarily colleges rather than mosques. In Tamerlane's day, however, they were also used for public executions: a favourite way of dealing with criminals was to throw them from the top in a sack.

For a couple of dollars, one of the uniformed guards might let you climb the crumbling steps to the top of the north minaret at Ulug Beg Madrasa for one of the most impressive views across the city to the Bibi Khanum Mosque. Tamerlane constructed this vast mosque from the finest materials after sacking the city of Delhi in 1398. In the adjacent bazaar life and trade continue much as they did when the Silk Road brought spices, gold and fabrics to be traded here. You can still buy the round hats worn by many of Uzbekistan's Muslims, decorated flat breads and exotic spices that hark back to the days when peppercorns and saffron were more valuable than gold.

INFO

Samarkand is easily reached by bus or air from the capital Tashkent.

Bookmark this place in your "delicious"... or share it with your friends!

BELÉM TOWER, LISBON - PORTUGAL

 During the 16th century, Lisbon played a prominent role in international trade. Because of the established sea routes it became a natural port of call, and King João II devised a plan to protect the city by building three fortresses on the Tagus to form a triangular defence. The king died in 1495, and the building of the tower in the Belém district was left to his successor, Manuel II. Dedicated to the patron saint of the city, St. Vincent, the tower was designed by the architect Francisco de Arruda, recently returned from North Africa, and work was completed in 1520.

Francisco de Arruda's Moorish leanings can be seen in the tower's decorative features. In honour of the king, the tower also includes Manueline motifs - carved rope; armillary spheres; and crosses of the Military Order of Christ. The structure comprises the bastion, and the four-storey tower. The bastion housed the cannons and was the first Portuguese fortification to include a two-level gun emplacement. Gaps in the 3.5m (11.5ft) thick walls accommodated 17 large-calibre cannons, while a platform was used to site light-calibre guns.
The tower, 35m (115ft) high, included storage for gunpowder at the lowest level, with the commander's accommodation above. The second storey is flanked by balconies on all sides, while moving upwards there are first a chapel, and then an oratory at the top.
With the passage of time and the construction of more modern fortifications along the Tagus, the Belem Tower lost its prime function of defence and took on roles as a prison, customs post, telegraph office and lighthouse.

Constructed as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon, and as part of a defence system at the entrance of the Tagus river, the 35m (715ft) high tower stands behind the bastion, with its vaulted casemate (gun emplacement), facing the river it was to protect, and providing a beacon for vessels at night.
The façade is highly ornate, displaying Manueline motifs, including shields bearing the Cross of the Order of Christ on the crenetlations of the walls, and on the covered balconies of each wall on the second storey.
The corners of the bastion, and the topmost story of the tower, have delicate guerites (turrets) topped by Moorish cupoloas. The base of the turrets have images of beasts. A loggia on the first story overlooks the bastion, while a terrace surrounding the third storey provides stunning views of the landscape.

The tower was built in the early 16th century, during the Age of Discovery, as part of a three-fortress plan to protect the city of Lisbon and its harbour. Constructed in the Portuguese late
Gothic style, the Manueline, it originally stood on an island in the River · Tagus - although the river has since changed course. · Often used as a symbol of Lisbon and of Portugal’s past glories, the tower is now classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Bookmark this place in your "delicious"... or share it with your friends!

Jaisalmer Fort, India the most Beautiful Place

 

 Jaisalmer Fort sits in the Thar Desert in the westernmost part of Rajasthan. Located on a former trade route used to transport spices and silks between Arabia and India, Jaisalmer, more than anywhere else in India, appears to have stepped out of the Tales of the Arabian Nights - a collection of ancient folk tales. This is partly due to its location in a remote and inhospitable desert. and partly because of its appearance. Made rich from trade, its merchants built havelis, or merchants houses, with finely detailed windows and balconies that owe more to Arab style than Indian.

There are bigger and more impressive forts in Rajasthan - such as that at Jodhpur - but few have such an isolated and atmospheric location. Jaisalmer is also reputed to be the only inhabited fort in the world. The maze of tiny streets still rings with daily life, and visitors will often have to push past sacred cows which, unsurprisingly after generations of veneration, act as if they own the place.
The fort, built when the city was founded in 1156, is made up of 99 bastions (projections) linked by battlements that are two walls thick in places. It has seen action a number of times in its history and stone missiles - intended to be hurled down on besieging armies - still sit on top of the battlements. Various city states seemed always to be at war, but the fort was first sacked by Muslim invaders in 1294.
Rajput warriors would never surrender, preferring to ride out to their inevitable death in battle - an act of mass suicide known as johar - while their women and children threw themselves on to fires to preserve their honour. Although the main attraction of Jaisalmer is the fort itself, there are several things you should aim to see before leaving. Taking up two sides of the main square of the fort, the Rajmahal (city palace) of the former maharaja is seven storeys high and from the top you can look out over the town below and far out into the desert.
There is also a group of exquisitely carved Jain temples, some dating back to the 12th century when the fort was built. Within those it is possible to enter there is a subtle play of light and shade on the carvings, making them even more impressive than those on the outside. Built almost 100 years ago, the Gadi Sagar tank used to be the sole source of water for the town. Now often completely dry, it sometimes fills during the monsoon season (around September), and you might be rewarded with the rare sight of the fort seemingly perched above a vast lake.
Although it has endured for nearly 900 years Jaisalmer Fort is currently in danger of collapse. The city authorities blame this on soil shrinkage arising from the excessive use of water by the guest houses in the fort. Hoteliers deny this claim and blame the city authorities for using drainage pipes that are too small for the job. Whatever the cause, there are moves afoot to ban all business from the fort, which will mean that tourists must stay in the town outside and pay to visit the fort for sightseeing. vyhether or not you agree with this strategy, it will certainly change t,he atmosphere of the place for ever.
Although the, camel trains have long gone Jaisalmer remains a trading town, and people come to its market from the villages nearby. Camels, however, still contribute to the town's prosperity as a number of tourist operators offer camel safaris into the surrounding desert.
On the outskirts of the town are the Barra Bagh chatris (royal cenotaphs). These have commanding views over to the fort and offer good vantage points from which to watch the sun set, its last rays turning the town and the fort from the uniform yellow of daytime to a glowing golden hue.
During the peak tourist season (November to January) you can fly to Jaisalmer direct from New Delhi. Outside of these times the airport is closed and you will have to take a night train or a bus from Jodhpur. (There are at least three flights a day from Delhi to Jodhpur.) There are two Heritage hotels in Jaisalmer, the Jawahar Niwas and the Naryan Niwas Palace. The latter has phenomenal views of the fort from its roof.

TAJ MAHAL, AGRA, INDIA

The most evocative views of the Taj Mahal are across the Yamuna River, and getting to the Taj is part of the magic. Although it is quicker to take a boat across, taking a cycle-rickshaw through the village of Katchpura is more atmospheric. In the cool of a pre-dawn morning, you will pass villagers sleeping on low charpoy beds outside their small dwellings, often passing so close that they could reach out and touch you.

On arriving at the fiver you mIght have to share the view with a fisherman or a small herd of water buffalo, but these merely add to the feeling of timelessness. From across the river the Taj MahaL is best seen at sunrise, when the light turns from cold misty blue to any variation of pink, pale gold or orange. The Taj mirrors these colours, eventually reaching a soft creamy white, changing, in turn, to a blinding white in the glare of the midday sun. Those who visit at that time of day often come away disappointed. It is worth visiting at different times over several days to appreciate both the might and grace of the structure as it changes with the light. You'll have to pay to enter the Taj MahaL and grounds, but it currently costs nothing to view it from across the river.

The Taj sits on a marble platform with a marble minaret at each corner, and these minarets actually lean out slightly so that they won't fall on the main structure in the event of an earthquake, Each face of the Taj has a giant arch and is decorated with exquisite calligraphy from the Koran and ornate carvings of flowers inlaid with pietra-dura mosaics of semi-precious stones.

The Taj Mahal is set in a relaxed but formal garden complex, with pools of water leading to it from the main gate - a special view that has inspired a generation of photographers, The distance from the gate to the Taj is deceptive and the building seems to grow in both size and stature as you approach.

The Taj Mahal was built in 1632 by Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favourite wife, Mumtaz. Legend has it that he intended to build a duplicate Taj in black marble on the opposite side of the river as his own tomb. In recent years the ruins of foundations and gardens have been discovered there, which seems to support this theory, but the truth will probably never be known. Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son and spent his last days locked up in Agra Fort, just down the river from the Taj.

INFO

Agra can be reached by plane or fast train from New Delhi, although the latter has a reputation for pickpockets. The bustling streets of Taj Ganj, just outside the main gate. were once the home of the craftsmen who constructed the Taj. It is now a backpacker's ghetto with very cheap accommodation. Other attractions include the fort in Agra. which has good views down the Yamuna River to the Taj, and also the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri a few hours away.

ALHAMBRA, GRANADA, SPAIN

Overlooking Granada, the Alhambra presents a hard and unyielding face to the world, its square towers displaying martial symmetry. This severity is softened when you approach from the back, as terraces of ornate gardens, interspersed with pools of running water, seek to emulate the shady, cool gardens of the Koranic heaven.

After the heat and dryness of North Africa the Moors must have thought they had reached heaven when they conquered Granada. The Sierra Nevada. snow-capped for much of the year, provided the conquerors with water for the fountains and pools that helped to make this corner of Spain paradise on Earth.

The Alhambra is a product of the wars between Christianity and Islam. The Moors of North Africa conquered Spain in 711, but by the beginning of the 13th century their influence had weakened and their 'kingdom' - just a few independent Muslim states in what is now Andalusia - was under pressure from Christian reconquistas. Prince Ibn al-Ahmar, who was driven south from Saragossa, decided to create a new capital at Granada, and began building the fortifications that would keep it safe. For over 200 years the kingdom prospered, and subsequent rulers added to and refined the Alhambra. It was a period of peace that came at a price, however. During this time the Christian kings of Spain were in the ascendancy, and Granada was left in peace only because the Moors paid tributes and sometimes sent troops to fight on the side of the Christians against other, more troublesome, Muslim city states.

At the end of the 15th century the battlements of the Alhambra were called into use when the army of Catholic rulers Ferdinand and Isabella laid siege to Granada. Seven months later this last Muslim stronghold in Spain gave way, and it has remained in Spanish hands ever since.

Typical of Moorish architecture, the palace has a façade that is both commanding and utilitarian, yet hidden within its defensive walls is decoration of enduring beauty. The Alhambra consists of three main parts: the Alcazaba, or fortress; the Generalife, which was the summer palace and actually lies outside the main defensive walls; and the Casa Real, or Royal Palace. The last of these is without doubt the most beautiful part of the Alhambra, many of its rooms decorated with colourful tiles or richly carved stonework, the patterns based on stylized quotes from the Koran.

Within some of these rooms you can still see the fountains or pools of water so prized by the Moors. Numerous small windows overlook shady gardens or the small white houses of the Albaicin district, the old Moorish quarter, parts of which are as old as the Alhambra itself. Spring is a beautiful time to visit, with clear warm days and cool nights. The trees are newly green, the gardens are in flower and the Sierra Nevada, still snow-capped, stands watch over the city. Even better, the Casa Real is not crowded and you can generally get in without queueing or waiting for a slot, as you must in the height of summer, when all the timed entrance tickets are often allocated within an hour of the ticket office opening.

You might also be able to get a room at the Parador de San Francisco, a luxury, state-run hotel in a converted monastery within the gardens of the Alhambra - a tranquil retreat in the evenings when the crowds have gone.

There are many vantage points around the city from which you can get a different perspective on the Alhambra. From the Mirador San Cristobel you will see the Alcazaba against the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada. Walk through the rambling, cobbled streets of Albaicin to the Mirador de San Nicolas and you will see wonderful sunsets that bathe the Alhambra in gLowing red light. From the top of the Sacromonte (the old gypsy quarter, where some gypsies still live in caves carved into the hillside) you will see how the Alhambra towers over the town from its perfect defensive position. And from the hill above the Generalife you can appreciate how much the gardens and water terraces contribute to the Alhambra. Also visible is the massive Palacio de Carlos V, built in the 16th century, after the Christian conquest, on the site of many lesser Moorish buildings. The grounds of this palace are so large that bullfights were once held in the courtyard.

Granada is easily reached by road from Seville or Malaga, two international airports that are well served by some airlines from most parts of Europe. While the Alhambra is seen to advantage from many viewpoints around the city, you can enjoy it at close quarters by staying in its gardens at the luxurious Parador de San Francisco. However, you should book well in advance for the privilege, even in the low season.

GRAVENSTEEN, GHENT - BELGIUM

After the death of Philip of Alsace at the Siege of Acre, during his return visit to the Holy Land, The Gravensteen became the permanent seat of the counts of Flanders until the 14th century. After their departure, the castle was used first as the royal mint, then as a courthouse, then as a prison, and finally as a textile factory, before it was abandoned altogether and fell into decay.

Private houses were attached to the castle and a substantial amount of its stonework was removed for use in the construction of other buildings. By the end of the 19th century the castle was a forlorn ruin, and plans to demolish it were announced.

The prospect of losing the historic building, however, galvanised the citizens of Ghent into action. In 1885, the civic authority purchased The Gravensteen and set about an ambitious project that involved the demolition of all the abutting residences and the complete restoration of the keep.

Today The Gravensteen has recaptured much of its former glory and, although some Belgians question whether enough of the original castle remains for it to merit its claim to be almost a thousand years old, it has become one of Ghent's prime tourist attractions.

From the top of the keep there is a magnificent view over the city, and inside it there is a memorable, if sometimes ghoulish, exhibition of medieval weaponry and instruments of torture.

After it was reduced to a pile of stones in 1890, The Gravensteen was reconstructed according to ancient drawings, which were not always historically correct – hence the castle is a curious mix of architectural styles. Central to the building is the rectangular keep, with its battlements, and corbeled watchtowers on each , corner. The castle is still partially surrounded at the rear by a medieval moat.

The curtain wall, features several round corbeled, crenellated turrets, the largest with a conical spired roof, and wooden shutters covering window openings. Arrow slits are also incorported in the turrets. The smaller turrets are open at the back, while the larger one is square in section, containing a staircase for access to the different levels.

Passing through the huge gatehouse at the front elevation the visitor is presented with the impressive stone keep, which dominates the castle.

The Gravensteen (Count's Castle in Dutch) was built by Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders (ruled 1168-91).

It was modelled on the fortifications he had seen when he took part in the Second Crusade (1145-49).

Archaeological excavations have revealed at least one earlier fort, and possibly as many as three previous wooden stockades on this site.

Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City and HD Photos

Saint Peter´s Basilica is simbol of the force and the platform which, when the time again became ripe, would explode as the glorious centre of a rejuvenated Rome. By the third century, the Roman Empire had grown too big for its own good. Emperor Diocletian, aiming to make his cumbersome and restless dominions more manageable, divided the Empire into Eastern and Westem parts. The East was governed from Constantinople and the West from Ravenna, and then Milan. No longer the political focus of the Mediterranean and the conquered European world, the splendid city of Rome went into decline. However, before the Western Empire fell apart, two developments ensured that through its dark years, Rome's light would diminish but not extinguish. One was the establishment of the papacy. The second was the Basilica erected by Emperor Constantine, that great saviour of the Christians, over St Peter's grave.

In front of Saint Peter's Basillica you´ll find the statues of Saint Peter...

and Saint Paul, with Jesus on the topPeter, considered first amongst Christ's twelve apostles, was crucified and buried in Rome in 61 CE. He was the founder of Christianity in Rome. The Pope is recognized as his successor, as well as the Vicar of Christ and the worldwide spiritual head of the Roman Catholic Church. As Rome struggled through its difficult years, the papacy floundered but held itself together. By the eighth century, the legacy of the Western Roman Empire had been appropriated by a federation of central European states going by the nomenclature of the Holy Roman Empire. 

Unified by Latin Christianity, the Empire beheld the Pope as its spiritual head. Nevertheless, despite being protected by the Holy Roman Emperors, the papacy remained insecure. By the fifteenth century, however, it had recharged and consolidated its resources. The Church was now plump with wealth, and its custodians, the popes, were itching to reassert their religion's and their own domimince. The Renaissance had begun in Italy. Rome's time had come again.

More than 1100 years into its first incarnation by now, St Peter's Basilica was not in the best of shape. Pope Nicholas V decided to something about it. From the time he began the demolition of the old building in 1452 to the consecration of the new building in 1626, eighteen popes blessed and witnessed the project. More importantly, virtually the who's who of the Renaissance's Creative line-up, as well as many Mannerist and Baroque virtuosos, contributed to it. The result was awesome.

The first impression of the Basilica - since 1929, a part of the independent Vatican state, within Rome - is of the enormity of its scale. The arrow straight road from the teeming city breaks into a massive piazza enclosed with semi - circular Doric colonnades designed by the Baroque architect Giovanni Bernini.

From the centre of the enormous space rises an Egyptian obelisk, first brought to Rome by Emperor Caligula in the first century, and raised here in the sixteenth century in complete silence, as a symbol of Christianity's victory over pagan faiths. The cross at its pinnacle is said to contain the relics of Christ's True Cross. The fifty-metre-high palatial façade of the Basilica is propped up by Corinthian columns. Again in Baroque style, Carlo Maderno's design is perfect for the Pope to stand at the balcony and bless the thronging crowds below. Past the main entrance into the Basilica is the Porta Santa, or the Holy Door, which is traditionally kept walled up and opened personally by the Pope for the course of a designated Holy Year. A window in the apse lights up an image of the Holy Spirit as a dove. 

Dominating the nave is Bernini's ornamental baldacchino of gilded bronze. It covers the main altar at which only the Pope can celebrate Mass. Underneath it is St Peter's subterranean crypt, from which two-and-a-half hectares of magnificence radiates.Some way off from the Basilica, on Janiculum hillside, is the site of St. Peter's crucifixion. In the early sixteenth century, Donato Bramante designed the Tempietto San Pietro here. Displaying all the elements of classical antiquity, the Tempietto is considered Rome's first true Renaissance building. Its drum, dome and Dark columns served as the prototypal essence of the Basilica's central plan, for which Bramantc was commissioned by Pope Julius II. He was succeeded by another Renaissance giant, Raphael, much of whose handiwork was later altered. However, the creative instinct behind the Basilica's masterpiece, its dome, was Michelangelo's.At the age of seventy - one, Michelangelo was persuaded to take over as chief architect of St Peter's. His conditions: he would work "for the love of the Saint", without payment, without interference and without accounting responsibilities. He probably got the deal he wanted, though his hemispherical design was changed to an ovoid shape due to structural concerns.

Almost 140 metres high, the dome gets its skeletal strength from sixteen externally visible radial ribs. One can climb up to the base of the lantern for a sweeping view of the symmetrical piazza.

The inner shell looms over the baldacchino. Embellished with scores of frescoes, its curvature soars up to a bright climax. Medallions of saints are ranged around the base. Around it, in letters two metres high, are words from the Gospel of Matthew. They recall of the true reason for the sumptuous art and grandeur all around: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church... I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven..." The Keys are below, carved on the base of the altar canopy, as part of Pope Urban VIII's coat of arms.