We spend our travel lives hunting down the world's most famous sights like the Eiffel Tower and Machu Picchu. But did you ever consider the amazing sights right in your own backyard? That's the idea behind Obscura Day, an international event taking place in 80 cities ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
History
Get weird at Obscura Day this weekend
We spend our travel lives hunting down the world's most famous sights like the Eiffel Tower and Machu Picchu. But did you ever consider the amazing sights right in your own backyard? That's the idea behind Obscura Day, an international event taking place in 80 cities ...A photo tour of Russia's aging wooden churches
Ever seen an unknown sight on a postcard and had a sudden urge to visit? Professional photographer Richard Davies knows the feeling well. Davies, who specializes in architectural photography, discovered a postcard series of unique fairy-tale style wooden churches located in ...Mr. President goes to Yellowstone
As America's first national park, Yellowstone has always held a special place in the public's imagination. Not only is it home to an array of wildlife, such as bison, elk, and grizzly bears, it also happens to hold the most famous geyser in the world, Old Faithful. Spread ...National Geographic announces Adventurers of the Year
Way back in November we told you how you could help National Geographic Adventure select their Adventurer of the Year for 2009. The list of contenders featured ten of the most amazing athletes, explorers, and scientists from around the globe, each doing exciting and unusual ...Carnival in Rio: Joining the throng in the grand finale
One of the world's biggest and best-known celebrations wrapped up this week in Rio with record temperatures (soaring to 106 Fahrenheit on Tuesday!) as the mayhem of Carnival slowly came to an end. Over 700,000 visitors came to the city (including a few celebrities like ...The world's best hikes
With so much challenging terrain, magnificent vistas, and unique cultural opportunities on the planet, shining a spotlight on the world's best hikes is a difficult task. After all, there are various styles of hiking fitting different skill levels: some people enjoy long ...Snow in all 50 U.S. states
It is being called a very rare occurrence by meteorologists, but by late Friday afternoon, snow was recorded on the ground in all 50 of the United States. The last holdout was Florida, but light snowfall in the panhandle yesterday afternoon added the state to the list of of ...Train to Machu Picchu set to reopen ahead of schedule
According to Peru's transportation minister, the famous train to Machu Picchu will go back into service ahead of schedule, although it will still be three weeks before service is restored to the popular tourist attraction. Early estimates had the railway out of commission ...Hiking England's oldest road
England is an old land where you can drink in the same pubs as the Crusaders did and watch a play in a Roman theater, so it's a rare treat to touch or experience anything that can legitimately boast of being the "oldest."
The Ridgeway Trail in Buckinghamshire and ...Iranian and British national museums face off over artifact
Iran's national museum has cut off ties with the British Museum because of a controversy over a 2,500 year-old cuneiform tablet called the Cyrus cylinder. One of the most important artifacts from Persian civilization, the cylinder was supposed to be loaned to Iran but the ...Yukon Quest sled dog race begins today
Often called "the world's toughest race", the 2010 Yukon Quest international sled dog race begins today in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the top mushers, along with their teams of 14 dogs, setting out on a two week adventure through some of the most remote and wild backcountry ...100 year-old whiskey dug up from Antarctic ice
Back in November we reported a plan by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust to retrieve crates of whiskey left by Sir Ernest Shackleton and his team after on unsuccessful attempt to make it to the South Pole in 1907-1909. The Nimrod Expedition made it to within 100 miles ...World's oldest Christian monastery gets a remodel
Egypt´s top archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass announced the completion of a major remodel for one of Egypt´s most important archaeological treasures.
The Monastery of St. Anthony is believed to be the oldest surviving Christian monastery in the world, having been ...Somaliland: the other Somalia
There are some places you just can't consider for a vacation. While even Iraq has recently opened up to carefully handled tours, Somalia remains out of bounds. What with an Islamist movement proudly proclaiming its ties to Al-Qaeda, and a decades-long civil war between rival ...Lon-done? Try Windsor and Eton
If London has whet your appetite for all things English, hop on a train and visit Windsor. Less than an hour from central London, this historic city is one of the easiest and most popular day trips for foreign visitors. You can also enjoy a nice stroll to nearby Eton and ...Follow a Museum Day on Twitter becomes Internet phenomenon
Today's prize for obscure made-up celebrations goes to Jim Richardson, organizer of "Follow a Museum Day on Twitter", which was celebrated Feb. 1 all over the Internet. According to the folks over at Culture24 it was the hottest topic that day, shoving aside a scandal ...New Hampshire's Mt. Washington sees windspeed record broken
New Hampshire's Mt. Washington has long been hailed as having the "worst weather on the planet". The summit is regularly pounded with high levels of precipitation and snow storms are a routine occurrence every month of the year, with annual snow fall averaging over 21 feet ...Roman "Swiss Army knife" goes on display
The Romans were an inventive bunch. They had running water, flush toilets, and mass media two thousand years ago. They also had their own version of the Swiss Army knife.
digg_url = ...National Archives to ban photography
Tourists at the National Archives will no longer be able to document their visit, once a ban on photography inside the building goes into effect.
About a million people visit the National Archives each year and though flash photography is already banned inside because ...Remote Places: the Nanda Devi Sancturary, India
Travelers have always been drawn to remote places. There is an undeniable lure to visit distant lands seldom seen by others. To trek through beautiful, untouched landscapes that allow us to escape the distractions of modern life, and get in tune with nature. One such remote ...
