< link rel="DCTERMS.replaces" href="http://trappedcivilservant.blogspot.com" > Aginoth's Retirement Ramblings: Thursday 13 - Places to go

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Thursday 13 - Places to go


Thirteen Things about Aginoth


It's Thursday again....

So what shall it be today

13 Places I'd like to go visit. One I've already been too, some I will definitely get too, one that is totally out of reach....I've spent an hour or so looking for good pictures and descriptions, I hope you enjoy them



1. Chitzen Itza, Mexico.
Been here (2002), fabulous place, climbed the El Castillo Pyramid in 42°C.



2. Petra, Jordan.
Petra (from "petra", rock in Greek; Arabic: البتراء, al-Bitrā) is an archaeological site in Jordan, lying in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Wadi Araba, the great valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is famous for having many stone structures carved into the rock.



3.Jarlshof, Shetland Islands, Scotland.
Jarlshof is the best known prehistoric archaeological site in Shetland, Scotland. It lies near the southern tip of the Shetland Mainland, close to the settlements of Sumburgh and Grutness.

Buildings on the site include remains of a Bronze Age smithy, an Iron Age broch and houses, Pictish houses, Viking longhouses and a mediaeval farmhouse. Also on the site is a seventeenth century manor house, which Walter Scott named Jarlshof in his novel The Pirate. The rest of the site was not rediscovered until the late nineteenth century.



4. Skara Brae, Orkney, Scotland
Skara Brae is a large stone-built Neolithic settlement, located in the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of mainland Orkney, Scotland. The level of preservation is such that it has gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status. It is one of four such Scottish sites, the others being the Old Town and New Town of Edinburgh; New Lanark in South Lanarkshire; and St Kilda in the Western Isles. It is Europe's most complete Neolithic village.


5. Uluru, Australia
Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in central Australia, in the Northern Territory. It is located in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, 440 km southwest of Alice Springs. Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area, and has many springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. It is listed as a World Heritage Area for both its cultural and natural values.


6. Antarctica
No real reason other than curiosity. I want to see a real wilderness, and it's about as alien a landscape as I will ever have the chance to visit as I doubt commercial space travel will become a reality anytime soon

7. Nile Cruise and the Antiquities of Egypt
Pyramids...Valley of the Kings...What's not to like...

8. Kenya
Come see the Lions.... eating the Zebras. I especially want to visit the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

9. Canada
I'd love to do a Coast to Coast Tour of Canada, and maybe stop in at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, Binge on Maple Syrup Candy?

10. Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Been to Edinburgh many many times, but I'd love to have a Month off there and do as many Fringe shows as possible. The Edinburgh Fringe (or just The Fringe) is the world’s largest arts festival. It takes place in Scotland's capital during three weeks every August.
For some years, the official name of the festival was the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; it now (2006) seems to have reverted to the original Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

11. Pompeii and Herculaneum
Pompeii and Herculaneum are ruined Roman cities near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the commune of Pompei. Destroyed during a catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The volcano buried the city under many feet of ash and lost for 1,600 years before its accidental rediscovery. Since then, excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Today, they are one of Italy's leading tourist attractions and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site
.


12. Machu Picchu, Peru
Machu Picchu (Quechua: Old Peak; sometimes called the "Lost City of the Incas") is a well-preserved pre-Columbian Inca ruin located on a high mountain ridge. Elevation measurements vary depending on whether the data refers to the ruin or the extremity of the mountain; Machu Picchu tourist information reports the elevation as 2,350 m (7,710 ft) [1]. Machu Picchu is located above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, about 70 km (44 mi) northwest of Cusco. Forgotten for centuries by the outside world, although not by locals, it was brought back to international attention by Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham who rediscovered it in 1911, and wrote a best-selling work about it. Peru is pursuing legal efforts to retrieve thousands of artifacts that Bingham removed from the site.

13. Olympus Mons, Mars
The Largest Volcano in the Solar System. The central edifice stands 25 kilometres (about 88,600 feet) high over its base (about three times the height of Mount Everest above sea level and 2.6 times the height of Mauna Kea above its base); it reaches 22 km (13 miles) above the mean surface level of Mars, since it stands in a 3 km (1.8 mile)-deep depression[1]. It is 550 km (342 miles) in width, flanked by steep cliffs, and has a caldera that is 85 km (53 miles) long, 60 km (37 miles) wide, and up to 3 km (1.8 miles) deep with six overlapping pit craters. Its outer edge is defined by an escarpment up to 6 km (4 miles) tall unique among the shield volcanoes of Mars.
The size of Olympus Mons is so great (roughly the size of the American state of Arizona) that a person standing on the surface of Mars would be unable to view the profile of the volcano even from a distance as the curvature of the planet would obscure such detail. The only way to view the mountain properly is from orbit. Similarly, if one were to stand on the highest point of its summit, the slope of the volcano would extend all the way to the horizon.
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19 Comments:

Blogger Raggedy said...

Wow! Wow!
Awesome list and beautiful pictures!
Thank you for sharing
Mine is up

Thursday, September 14, 2006 2:49:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

#1 - Oh, totally fabulous! I wanna go! I like to climb. [grin]

#2 - Wow! Simply amazing, eh. I would be walking through there is awe.

#3 & #4 - Stone-built structures (or pathways) have always fascinated me. I don't know why, but I enjoy the view of them. ...Even if it's just a cobblestone path.

Awesome pictures, Mr. A. Thanks for sharing them.

#5 - Sounds intriguing. It just looks like a big 'ol lump from the outside, but inside is filled with goodies. [grin] How cool.

#6 - I used to live in Idaho and Idaho Winters have shown me enough snow that I have no desire to travel to Antarctica. Nope. This one is not for me.

#7 - Yes, definitely. I would love to visit Egyptian pyramids, too.

#8 - This one is sort of a flirting with danger thing to me. I would love to go and see the wildlife up close, as well as the beauty of nature there, but... I don't want to be dinner for some hungry predator.

#9 - In Idaho, I lived 15 miles from the Canadian border (near BC/Alberta). It is the most beautiful place I have ever lived and I truly miss it. I would love to visit the Quebec area some day.

#10 - Sounds like fun.

#11 - I am too much of an Empath to visit this locale. I can understand the attraction of why it is a leading tourist attraction, but I'd rather just visit Pompeii through the Discovery channel.

#12 - Wow! This place looks amazing! ...And look at all the stonework! I would love to visit Machu Picchu.

#13 - Good golly that is huge! I'll pass, thanks. [grin]

I've had a delightful time viewing your T13 today. Thanks for the fun, Mr. A. Hope you're having a terrific Thursday!

Thursday, September 14, 2006 4:05:00 pm  
Blogger Frances D said...

Great pics and descriptions.
RE: #1 - That must have been a great trip.
I probably would have taken about a trillion pictures.
Thanks for sharing,
Frances

Thursday, September 14, 2006 4:19:00 pm  
Blogger Amanda said...

Antarctica? Brrrr!
Mars?! Wow ! now that would be a trip!
Great list! Maybe I will be able to travel when the kids are grown up...

Thursday, September 14, 2006 4:41:00 pm  
Blogger Candy Minx said...

You really did do a lot of work finding all the pictures and links. I felt like I just had a little holiday. I think I would love to go to all the places you spoke about here. I love seeing how ancinet cultures lived and worked, I find it so fascinating!

Nice!
Candy
my TT is up...

http://gnosticminx.blogspot.com/2006/09/thirteen-things-i-can-do-to-save-world_14.html

Thursday, September 14, 2006 4:47:00 pm  
Blogger abrowncow said...

heh, you had me up until Mars. you've chosen some amazing places!

Thursday, September 14, 2006 6:10:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great list. :) I've climbed the pyramid at Chitzen Itza, and we plan visiting Egypt this winter, with a Nile tour and visits to the Pyramids and Sphinx. Being from Canada, I've visited most of the country, but I've never been to Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, or PEI. Been in the other Provinces and Territories though. :)

Super list of places to visit. :) Thanks for sharing.

Thursday, September 14, 2006 6:24:00 pm  
Blogger Twisted Cinderella said...

Great list. I love all the historical places you mentioned. I LOVE everything historical!

Thursday, September 14, 2006 6:28:00 pm  
Blogger Carmen said...

i can personally recommend egypt and uluru (though it rained for the first time in 16 years when I was there. ha.)

Thursday, September 14, 2006 9:21:00 pm  
Blogger Faerylandmom said...

Wow. I've never visited before, but you must be a very interesting person...I must say I am eager to visit Petra myself.

My T13 is up too, if you care to mosey on over.

Thursday, September 14, 2006 10:08:00 pm  
Blogger rashbre said...

You have picked some excellent choices. I would also like to visit every where on your list. I've visited Pompeii, Herculaneum, The Fringe, Nile and the Pyramids and whilst not visiting Jarlshof have visited some similar locations across in Nordic parts.

And mt TT is up!

rashbre

Thursday, September 14, 2006 11:46:00 pm  
Blogger BlondeBrony said...

wouldn't it be great to just get away and travel the world?
My TT is up!

Friday, September 15, 2006 6:37:00 am  
Blogger WendyWings said...

I am reading 1000 places to see before you die right now, this TT was right along those lines :)
Great list I hope you can cross some off one day :)

Saturday, September 16, 2006 6:12:00 am  
Blogger craziequeen said...

I just wanna go to Cornwall.....

[sheepish grin]

cq

Saturday, September 16, 2006 10:27:00 am  
Blogger carmilevy said...

As a native Montrealer, I can speak to the magic that is the Just for Laughs festival. Just walking on the street during the festival is enough to convince you that this city has a soul and an energy all its own.

You've made me want to start booking flights: any one of these places would be an amazing travel destination.

Sunday, September 17, 2006 4:50:00 am  
Blogger CyberKitten said...

Well... 12 out of 13 achievable visits ain't bad... at least in this lifetime.

You'll have to be reincarnated a few times to visit Olypmus Mons I think!

Sunday, September 17, 2006 12:23:00 pm  
Blogger K said...

A great list! I have been to a Mexican pyramind, not sure if it's the same one or not... I've been to the pyramids of the Sun and Moon. I've also been to Peru, but never to Macchu Picchu, I would really like to go there! And I'd like to go to every other place on your list, expect I have zero desire to visit Mars! :)

Sunday, September 17, 2006 9:50:00 pm  
Blogger David said...

Olympus Mons fasinates me. I tried to save the photo but I already have it.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006 11:49:00 pm  
Blogger pissoff said...

I've been to some pyramids in Mexico but I can't remember their names - near Cancun.

Been to Canada (obviously, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Pompeii.

I'd love to go to St. Kilda and those other Scottish sites.... they look amazing.

I'll add them all to my list.

Friday, September 22, 2006 2:56:00 am  

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