BURJ AL ARAB, DUBAI

LOCATION : Burj Al Arab  is a luxury hotel  located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is 'The world's only 7 star Hotel' since 1999. At 321 m (1,053 ft), it is the forth tallest hotel in the world however, 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space. Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) from Jumeirah beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to mimic the sail of a ship.

 

DESCRIPTION :  The beachfront area where Burj Al Arab and  Jumeirah Beach Hotel are located was previously called Chicago Beach . The hotel is located on an island of reclaimed land 280 meters offshore of the beach of the former Chicago Beach Hotel.The locale's name had its origins in the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company which at one time welded giant floating oil storage on the site.

 

 

  
Al Mahara ("Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater  aquarium, holding roughly 990,000 L (260,000 US gal) of water. The wall of the tank, made of acrylic glass  in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 cm (7.1 in) thick.

The hotel is managed by the Jumeirah Group . Despite its size, Burj Al Arab holds only 28 double-story floors which accommodate 202 bedroom suites. The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 m² (1,820 sq ft), the largest covers 780 m² (8,400 sq ft).

Suites feature design details that juxtapose east and west. White columns show great influence. Bathrooms are accented by mosaic tile patterns.The Royal Suite, billed at US$ 18,716 per night, is listed at number 12 on World's 15 most expensive hotel suites compiled by CNN Go in 2012.

 

Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 m (920 ft) offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 forty-meter-long (130 ft) concrete piles  into the sand.

 

Engineers created a ground/surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete honeycomb  pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, while it took fewer than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 m³ (92,000 cu yd) of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.

 
The Burj is best viewed from the Madinat Jumeirah hotels and is spectacular at night. The facade changes colour and glows pink throughout the month of October in support of breast cancer awareness month. We went there and took some pics to show you what the inside looks like.
 

BANFF NATIONAL PARK, CANADA

 

LOCATION : Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 km (68–112 mi) west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses 6,641 km² (2,564 sq mi) of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes.

 

DESCRIPTION : Banff National Park is the most visited Alberta tourist destination and one of the most visited national parks in North America, with 3,927,557 visitors in 2004/2005. During summer, 42% of park visitors are from Canada (23% from Alberta), while 35% are from the United States, and 20% from Europe. Tourism in Banff contributes an estimated C$6 billion annually to the economy^.

 

  

The park has 56 mammal species that have been recorded. Grizzly and black bears inhabit the forested regions. Cougar, lynx, wolverine, weasels, northern river otter and wolves are the primary predatory mammals.Elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer are common in the valleys of the park, including around (and sometimes in) the Banff townsite, while moose tend to be more elusive, sticking primarily to wetland areas and near streams. Other mammals such as beavers, porcupines, squirrels, chipmunks and Columbia ground squirrels  are the more commonly observed smaller mammals. In 2005, a total of five caribou were counted, making this species one of the rarest mammals found in the park.

 

 

Attractions in Banff include Upper Hot Springs and a 27-hole golf course at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel  and three ski resorts including Sunshine Village, Lake Louise Mountain Resort, and Mount Norquay ski resort. The Banff Lodging Co is a hospitality company in the park. Other activities include alpine and Nordic skiing, and  horseback riding.

 

he town of Banff is the park’s primary settlement, offering the most variety of lodging, shopping and dining. There are a number of pubs and restaurants here specializing in local game and produce. Accessed by the Icefields Parkway, Lake Louise offers luxurious accommodation in a gorgeous setting of turquoise lakes and majestic mountains. Lake Minnewanka and Sunshine Meadows are other smaller villages. - See more at: http://www.touropia.com/explore/canada/banff-national-park/#sthash.D0wO9656.dpuf

Banff National Parks large concentration of wildlife includes mammals like black bears, grizzly bears, bison, moose, bighorn sheep, wolves and cougars in addition to 280 species of birds like bald eagles, Canada geese, red-tail hawks and osprey. - See more at: http://www.touropia.com/explore/canada/banff-national-park/#sthash.D0wO9656.dpuf

NIAGARA FALLS, CANADA

LOCATION : Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario , with a population of 82,997 at the 2011 census. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903. Across the Niagara River is Niagara Falls, New York.

DESCRIPTION : The city is dominated by the Niagara Falls, a world-famous set of three large waterfalls on the Niagara River. Both the American and Horseshoe  falls can be best seen from the Canadian side of the river, so the city has one of the major tourist attractions of the world. The natural spectacle attracts millions of tourists yearly.

This area, which stretches along the Niagara Parkway and tourist promenade, is particularly concentrated at the brink of the falls. Apart from the natural attractions along the river, it includes observation towers, high-rise hotels, souvenir shops, casinos and theatres, mostly with colourful neon billboards and advertisements, and sufficient parking to accommodate visitors.

The Niagara Falls, Ontario tourist district is mainly centred around the waterfalls. Much of the land adjoining the river is parkland under the jurisdiction of the Niagara Parks Commission.Many attractions based on the local natural environment have been created. The city of Niagara Falls has a number of additional attractions in close proximity but not related to the natural features, including casinos and entertainment complexes.

Although it is often called the “Honeymoon Capital of the World,” Niagara Falls in recent years has also developed as a popular destination for family and adventure vacations. The magnificent beauty and enormous volume of Niagara Falls attracts millions every year from all over the world.

There are several ways to experience Niagara Falls. One of the most popular is the Maid of the Mist boat tour that brings visitors close enough to feel the spray from the plunging cascades. Visitors can also walk along a boardwalk beside the rapids or enjoy a cable car ride overhead. For the adventurous, there are also jet boat and helicopter tours available.

While visiting Niagara Falls, there are plenty of other attractions such as theme parks, wax museums, haunted houses, water parks, botanical gardens and wineries.

BLUE MOSQUE, TURKEY

LOCATION : The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is a historic mosque and located in Istanbul. The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. It was built from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Its Külliye contains a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is still popularly used as a mosque.

 

DESCRIPTION : The Sultan Ahmed Mosque has one main dome, six minarets, and eight secondary domes. The design is the culmination of two centuries of both Ottoman mosque development. It incorporates some Byzantine elements of the neighboring Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period.

At its lower levels and at every pier, the interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles, made at Iznik (the ancient Nicaea) in more than fifty different tulip designs. The tiles at lower levels are traditional in design, while at gallery level their design becomes flamboyant with representations of flowers, fruit and cypresses. More than 20,000 tiles were made under the supervision of the Iznik master potter Kasap Haci and Baris Efendi from Avanos (Cappadocia). The price to be paid for each tile was fixed by the sultan's decree, while tile prices in general increased over time.

The upper levels of the interior are dominated by blue paint. More than 200 stained glass windows with intricate designs admit natural light, today assisted by chandeliers. On the chandeliers, ostrich eggs are found that were meant to avoid cobwebs inside the mosque by repelling spiders. The decorations include verses from the Qur'an, many of them made by Seyyid Kasim Gubari, regarded as the greatest calligrapher of his time. The floors are covered with carpets, which are donated by the faithful and are regularly replaced as they wear out.

The most important element in the interior of the mosque is the mihrab, which is made of finely carved and sculptured marble, with a stalactite niche and a double inscriptive panel above it. It is surrounded by many windows.To the right of the mihrab is the richly decorated minber, or pulpit, where the imam stands when he is delivering his sermon at the time of noon prayer on Fridays or on holy days. The mosque has been designed so that even when it is at its most crowded, everyone in the mosque can see and hear the imam.

The many lamps inside the mosque were once covered with gold and gems. Among the glass bowls one could find ostrich eggs and crystal balls. All these decorations have been removed or pillaged for museums.The great tablets on the walls are inscribed with the names of the caliphs and verses from the Quran. 

PAMUKKALE, TURKEY

LOCATION : Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey. The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. It is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.

DESCRIPTION : The terraces are made of travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by water with a very high mineral content from the hot springs. People have bathed in its pools for thousands of years. The ancient Greek city of Hierapolis was built on top of the hot springs by the kings of Pergamon. The ruins of the baths, temples and other Greek monuments can be seen at the site

In this area, there are 17 hot water springs in which the temperature ranges from 35 °C (95 °F) to 100 °C (212 °F). The water that emerges from the spring is transported 320 metres (1,050 ft) to the head of the travertine terraces and deposits calcium carbonate on a section 60 to 70 metres (200 to 230 ft) long covering an expanse of 24 metres (79 ft) to 30 metres (98 ft).

When the water, supersaturated with calcium carbonate, reaches the surface, carbon dioxide de-gasses from it, and calcium carbonate is deposited. The depositing continues until the carbon dioxide in the water balances the carbon dioxide in the air. Calcium carbonate is deposited by the water as a sof jelly, but this eventually hardens into travertine.

Pamukkale is a tourist attraction. It is recognized as a World Heritage Site together with Hierapolis. Hierapolis-Pamukkale was made a World Heritage Site in 1988.The underground volcanic activity which causes the hot springs also forced carbon dioxide into a cave, which was called the Plutonium meaning place of the god, Pluto. This cave was used for religious purposes by priests of Cybele, who found ways to appear immune to the suffocating gas.Tadpoles can be found in the pools