In the late 1800s, King Leopold II of Belgium decided to build a state-of-the-art greenhouse on the grounds of the Royal Palace of Laeken in Brussels. King Leopold II was a brutish man who left a legacy of violence and appalling human rights abuses in his wake. The only hint of softness that King Leopold…
For nearly 5,000 years, the Sierra Morena mountains in Andalusia, Spain, have been a hotbed of ore mining. Thousands of years of iron, copper, silver, and gold excavation have taken a major toll on the ecosystem. The waters of a highly acidic river known as the Rio Tinto are rusty red due to centuries of…
For centuries, a long, skinny dragon—known as the Ly Dynasty dragon—has served as a symbol of prosperity and good fortune in Vietnamese culture. City officials in the bustling Vietnamese city of Da Nang decided that the best way to honor the Liberation of Da Nang—which was an important turning point in the Vietnam War—was to…
The Netherlands has long been considered a forward-thinking country where imaginative ideas flourish. Many people consider Rotterdam to be the creative capital of the Netherlands. Rotterdam’s Cube Houses are a shining example of the city’s enthusiasm for all things avant-garde. In the late 1970s, city officials in Rotterdam were contemplating how to build a housing…
Italy is home to countless stunning beaches, but locals will enthusiastically tell you that Torre Sant’Andrea—which is located in Puglia—ranks very high among Italy’s most breathtaking stretches of sand and sea. Situated in the turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea on the “heel” of Italy’s “boot,” Torre Sant’Andrea features snow-white sea stacks that visitors can…
If you’re a fan of breathtaking mountain scenery but you’re not keen on hiking, the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in China should be at the top of your travel list because it is home to a roomy glass elevator—known as the Bailong Elevator—that zooms to the top of a towering quartz sandstone cliff and offers…
In the late 1800s, the proprietor of the Mountain House Hotel in what is now known as Yosemite National Park decided to fling red-hot embers off a cliff to create a spectacle for a group of tourists. Onlookers were so taken with the glowing cascade that the “Firefall” became a regular occurrence. The Firefall ceased…
In recent years, a 15th century Hindu Temple known as Pura Tanah Lot that is dedicated to the sea god Bhatara Segara has become one of Bali’s most popular destinations. At low tide, visitors can wade through the waters of the Indian Ocean to stand at the entrance of a small temple that is said…