Jabel-Al Tariq or Rock of Gibraltar

The Rock of Gibraltar is a monolithic limestone promontory located in a strategic position at the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, off the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It is 1,398 ft high and most of the Rock’s upper area is beautifully covered by a nature reserve, which is home to around 250 Barbary macaques. These macaques, as well as a labyrinthine network of tunnels, entice a large number of tourists every year.

The Rock of Gibraltar is the only landmark of the region. At its foot is the densely populated city area, home to nearly 30,000 Gibraltarians and other nationalities i.e., British, Moroccans, Indians and Spanish. Gibraltar is Famous Worldwide for its dramatic rock, because it overlooks the Straits of Gibraltar and is linked to Spain by a narrow isthmus. It is more interesting that Gibraltar is imposing but small and measures less than 6 square kilometres in total. There is also a colony of the famous apes, the only ones in Europe to run free in a semi-wild state.

Gibraltar is a British self-governing oversees territory (colony) that is responsible for Gibraltar's foreign affairs, defense and the political stability of the colony. Though, the Rock has its own Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, plus a House of Parliament and a government, which oversees the day-to-day affairs of the Rock. The adjacent cliffs, along the eastern side of the Rock, drop down to a series of wind-blown sand slopes that date to the Glaciations, when sea levels were lower than they’re today. As the mineral that makes up limestone dissolves gradually in rainwater, but with the passage of time this process can form caves and consequently the Rock contains over one hundred caves, created during the history of Gibraltar.

St Michael’s Cave is located halfway up the western slope and is the most protuberant and widespread cave. Britain has 300 years of sovereignty over the Rock and almost all of its populations want to remain with Britain nationality. It has rock'n'roll history that collides with monkeys. In ancient times Gibraltar was one of the Pillars of Hercules, and it was recognized to the Greeks as Mons Calpe, the other pillar being Mons Abyla on the Moroccan side of the Strait. An exclusive feature of the Rock is its system of underground passages, known as the Galleries or the Great Siege Tunnels.

Mount Fuji Surrounded in Glorious Colors by Hidenobu Suzuki

Japanese photographer Hidenobu Suzuki submitted below images of Mount Fuji calls Sleeping Giant. He has taken these images after a heavy rainstorm. These pictures show Mount Fuji looming over Fujinomiya, a city located in the Shizuoka Prefecture of Japan. He said; I’m really impressed the beautiful colors of these images, and when I took the photographs in a breathless silence, I had a strong feeling that the Earth was alive and had a soul. The best landscapes were often sweeping, with dramatic light, weather, or terrain. I looked for landscapes that felt untamed, portraying Mother Nature as the wild, awesome force that dwarfs and awes us with her power and beauty.

Moreover; Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan at 12,389 feet tall. Mount Fuji is famous for its exceptional beauty and symmetrical cone shape. The mountain is famous for symbol of Japan and it is an active volcano, which had last erupted about three hundred years ago. These photographs were appeared in National Geographic's Your Shot assignment called “Embrace the Untamed”. Out of 18,000 submitted, it was chosen as one of 32.

Champagne Pool New Zealand

Champagne Pool is New Zealand's most colorful geothermal attraction just a short drive from either Rotorua or Taupo. This is an area in which the landscape has been sculptured by geothermal activity and where exclusive volcanic features can be viewed from well-defined tracks. Champagne Pool is actually a hot spring and its name Champagne Pool is derived from the constant efflux of carbon dioxide gas, similar to a glass of bubbling champagne. 

The pool vivacious colors come from a rich deposition of minerals and silicate. The silicate structures around the edge of the pool are teeming with microbial life. The Champagne pool is the stunning place to spend your holidays, because the surrounding environment is really magnificent. The dazzling beauty is definitely an eye catching feature which is well-liked by everyone who comes here. The sparkling environment and the wonderful natural beauty is ought to take your heart away. The experience is surely the one that has not been experienced before.

The hot Champagne Pool spring was shaped approximately 900 years ago by a hydrothermal eruption, resulting in a crater 65 m in diameter and 62 m deep. The lively colored waters percolate up from underground full of carbon dioxide which forms bubbles near the surface where the water temperature is 74°C. Therefore; at the edges of the pools the silica is lined with lively orange from antimony rich deposits that solidify out of the cooler water. Mercury, thallium, gold and silver are also deposited in the rocks. Moreover; surplus water flow out of Champagne pool to feed another geothermal pool called Artist's Palette, which colored are yellow because of sulphur deposits where the water flows over silica mud flats to Primrose Sinister Terrace and down Primrose Terrace forming good-looking and delicate silica deposits. 

The visitors can choose one or all of three walks which take between 30 and 75 minutes due to its unique features include naturally colored springs, bubbling mud, steaming ground, expansive vistas, huge volcanic craters and sinter terrace formations. To location is 20 minutes’ drive south of Rotorua - 40 minutes’ drive north of Taupo on State Highway 5.

Champagne Pool is one of the natural wonders offering amazing views that one cannot forget the experience. A huge number of tourists come here from different parts of the world to see this nature’s wonderful attraction. It is highly regarded that no other place could be more colorful and vibrant than the Champagne pool. Because of the biological features many researchers want to bring out the facts related to this pool. It is rocking attraction to make your trip pleasant and surely will remains in your mind.

Argentina’s Train to The Clouds

Tren a las Nubes or Trains to Clouds is located 4,000 meters above the sea level in the Andes. Its name “Train to The Clouds” derives from the several clouds that are often seen under bridges and around slopes. It’s starts its journey from the City of Salta in Argentina, at an altitude of 1187 meters, passes through the Valle de Lerma, which enters the Quebrada del Toro and finally finish his journey at the La Polvorilla viaduct ( Almost 4,200 meters). Its official name is Ferrocarril Belgrano and it is reached at highest peak at the final stage of La Polvorilla Viaduct bridge that is 70 m over a river bank, a little after the stop at the charming town of San Antonio de los Cobres, where time seems to have stopped. Train to clouds is one of the highest railways in the world. The journey is calculated approximately 16 hour’s trip, and train travels 217 Kilometers and climbs a staggering 3,000 meters. The beautiful journey of train crosses 29 bridges, 12 viaducts, 21 tunnels, swoops round two massive loops and two switchbacks. In its way, it crosses a road that takes to the clouds, with plenty of time to relish very different and changing an unforgettable cultural and landscaping experience.  

American engineer Richard Fontaine Maury laid down the route, who was actually leading the project. He designed a singular system well supported by bridges, viaducts, tunnels, spirals and zigzags. The gorgeous zigzags permit the train to climb the mountain by driving back and forth parallel to the slope of the mountain. Richard didn’t use funiculars or cogwheels that are usually used on steep slopes, in its place relying on switchbacks to gain height. The purpose behind the construction of “Train to the Clouds” was originally to serve the borax mines of the area, mainly transporting goods from the coast of Chile through the Andes Mountains to northwestern Argentina. 

Trains to Clouds get noticing by tourist in 1970’s. The train usually leaves early in the morning from Salta city, passes Lerma Valley, then Toro Ravine and, to end with the big territory of the Puna. The train normally takes only two stops, almost at the end of the trip. The first one is at San Antonio de los Cobres, an old town with low-built houses and a tiny market. At this place tourist can take picturesque stalls giving handicrafts, items of clothing and souvenirs to take home from the train trip. However the 2^nd stop is much spectacular (The End of the Route) is the La Polvorilla viaduct. The curved viaduct is 224 meters long and 70 meters high from the valley. 

The train beautifully glides across the viaduct and stops before reversing back, poised for the return journey. Upon the final destination, travelers can get off the train, feel the pure and cold air on their faces, and walk slowly in order to get their bodies used to the altitude and take memorable pictures. The trip back to Salta is completed in the dark and reaches Salta just before midnight. The journey takes a whole day. The train has a dinning-car, medical services, audio, video and bilingual guides. There is also the possibility of returning by bus, in which case it is possible to spend more time at San Antonio de los Cobres and pay a visit to the little village of Santa Rosa de Tastil. The whole roundtrip covers 269 miles, at an average speed of 21 miles per hour.