Sintra is a small beautiful town near Lisbon which is where this remarkable Pena Palace situated. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It is also used for state occasions by the President of the Portuguese Republic and other government officials.

Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, and the oldest city in Western Europe, predating other modern European capitals such as London, Paris and Rome by hundreds of years.

Dresden carries visitors away with a synthesis of the arts: fascinating buildings and art treasures, impressive museums, as well as orchestras and choirs of worldwide reputation. Dresden offers attractions in great variety and combines three aspects which complement one another: notable art treasure, architectural sights and a charming landscape.

It has been estimated that in the 10th century Córdoba was the most populous city in the world, and under the rule of Caliph Al Hakam II it had also become a center for education under its Islamic rulers. Al Hakam II opened many libraries on top of the many medical schools and Universities which existed at this time. Such Universities contributed towards developments in mathematics and astronomy. During these centuries Córdoba had became the intellectual center of Europe and was also noted for its predominantly Muslim society that was tolerant toward its Christian and Jewish minorities. Today it is a moderately-sized modern city; its population in 2011 was 330,033.

The Alhambra's Islamic palaces were built for the last Muslim Emirs in Spain and its court, of the Nasrid dynasty. After the Reconquista (reconquest) by the Reyes Católicos ("Catholic Monarchs") in 1492, some portions were used by the Christian rulers. The Palace of Charles V, built by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1527, was inserted in the Alhambra within the Nasrid fortifications. After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the Alhambra was "discovered" in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, with restorations commencing. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, exhibiting the country's most significant and well known Berber Islamic architecture, together with 16th-century and later Christian building and garden interventions. The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the inspiration for many songs and stories

Situated on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, Seville has a rich Moorish heritage, and used to be a prosperous port that carried out trade with the Americas.
The streets and squares in the historic quarter of the capital of Andalusia are lively and busy. They treasure many constructions that have the World Heritage designation.

UNESCO world heritage site, religious shrine, the amazing LED decorations. Part of Japan culture.

A one of a kind Disney theme park near Tokyo, Japan.

The Jigokudani Yaenkoen park opened in 1964 and since then many thousands of people from around the world have visited the park to observe the lifestyle of the Japanese Macaque. The Japanese Macaque (Macaca fuscata) is a monkey species native to northern Japan, and is the most northern-living non-human primate, surviving winter temperatures of below -15 ° C. They have brown-gray fur, a red face, hands and bottom, and a short tail - and often seem remarkably human like.

The sea ice on Hudson Bay, on the coast of which Churchill is situated, melts completely every summer, forcing the bay's polar bears ashore en masse. There, they wait out the warm months in cool, earthen dens, and then, come the fall, they head back to the shores of the bay, waiting for the water to freeze again. As they journey to the coast and as they anticipate freeze-up, some wander through or past Churchill, or onto nearby tundra, in plain view.

Barentsburg started as a Dutch mining town in the 1920s.[2] In 1932 the Dutch sold their concession to the Soviet Union.[3] Since 1932 the Russian state-owned Arktikugol Trust has been operating on Svalbard. The main economic activity is coal mining by the Arktikugol (Арктикуголь) company, although tourism is beginning to be developed. The distance from Longyearbyen to Barentsburg is about 55 km but there are no roads connecting the two settlements. Most contact between the two is by boat, or helicopter.

Longyearbyen is the largest populated area on the terrirory of Svalbard, located in the high Norwegian Arctic. (78degree North) The settlement is popular as the most easily accessed frontier in the Arctic.

Lofoten is a group of islands in the northern part of Norway. With its postcard looking small fishing villages nestled in fjords, dotting a very rugged coast with abrupt peaks rising directly from the ocean, the archipelago is often described as one of the most scenic parts of Norway.

Mount Bromo (Indonesian: Gunung Bromo), is an active volcano and part of the Tengger massif, in East Java, Indonesia. At 2,329 metres (7,641 ft) it is not the highest peak of the massif, but is the most well known. The massif area is one of the most visited tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. The volcano belongs to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. The name of Bromo derived from Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god.

Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument consists of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside a perforated stupa. the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Prambanan Temple, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia, and is one of the largest Hindu temples in Southeast Asia. It is characterized by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the towering 47-metre-high (154 ft) central building inside a large complex of individual temples.

Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. It is built around an inlet called Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin Z-shaped lake formed by glacial processes, and has spectacular views of nearby mountains such as The Remarkables, Cecil Peak, Walter Peak and just above the town; Ben Lomond and Queenstown Hill.

A paradise in every sense.

The Perito Moreno Glacier is a glacier located in the Los Glaciares National Park in the south west of Santa Cruz province, Argentina. The 250 km2 (97 sq mi) ice formation, and 30 km (19 mi) in length, is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes system shared with Chile. This icefield is the world's third largest reserve of fresh water.

The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that is growing. The reason remains debated by glaciologists. The terminus of the Perito Moreno Glacier is 5 kilometres (3 mi) wide, with an average height of 74 m (240 ft) above the surface of the water of Lake Argentino, in Argentina. It has a total ice depth of 170 metres (558 ft).

Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, Barcelona became one of the most important cities of the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination.

Casa Batlló is a key feature in the architecture of modernist Barcelona. It was built by Antoni Gaudí between 1904 and 1906 having been commissioned by the textile industrialist Josep Batlló.
It seems that the goal of the designer was to avoid straight lines completely. Much of the façade is decorated with a mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles (trencadís) that starts in shades of golden orange moving into greenish blues. The roof is arched and was likened to the back of a dragon or dinosaur. A common theory about the building is that the rounded feature to the left of centre, terminating at the top in a turret and cross, represents the lance of Saint George (patron saint of Catalonia, Gaudi's home), which has been plunged into the back of the dragon.

FCB-Sporting: Superior football (3-1)

Barça put in a gritty performance to see off an ultra defensive Sporting team despite playing most of the second half with ten men after Piqué was sent off

Late goals from Keita and Xavi sealed the win after Iniesta had opened the scoring in the first half

Sumo is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler (rikishi) attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring (dohyō) or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally. (wiki)

Caminito ("little walkway" or "little path" in Spanish) is a street museum and a traditional alley, located in La Boca, a neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The place acquired cultural significance because it inspired the music for the famous tango "Caminito" (1926), composed by Juan de Dios Filiberto.

These photos were taken in the Antarctica Peninsula and the outlying islands, namely, South Georgia Islands. The main faunas in the region consist mainly of penguins (prior album) and different variations of seals; predominantly the elephant seals. Then there are few species of sea birds that live their lives mainly in the ocean until the time for mating which they will find a cliffs on land. The reindeers are not native of Antarctica, someone (Norwegians?) brought them here a century ago and they did survive on the cold islands. Thanks for stopping by.

These photos were taken in Antarctica Peninsula, Deception Island, Elephant Islands, South Georgia Islands, Falkland Islands.

The last continent discovered by men, the sight of Antarctica cannot be described with ordinary words as it was often difficult to tell where the land ended and the sea began. Some used the term "Whitescape" to depict the white and shades of blue with so much reflection that there are no real dark shadows, and I tend to agree with that. It is not a lifeless land; however, as the predominant faunas are the much beloved penguins and the ever presence seals. Seabirds also found refuge along the coasts and the outlying islands. It is what this earth suppose to be.

Jutting out some 2800m above the Patagonian steppe, the Torres del Paine (Towers of Paine) are spectacular granite pillars that dominate the landscape of what may be South America's finest national park. These breathtaking spires are flanked by the summit of Paine Grande (3050m) and the sharp tusks of black sedimentary peaks known as Los Cuernos (The Horns; 2200m to 2600m). The National Park has been part of Unesco's Biosphere Reserve system since 1978.

With breathtaking Snow-capped mountain peaks, cascading rivers and waterfalls, glaciers and mirrored lakes, this 598,593 acres park is internationally recognized as one of the most beautiful, unique and uncontaminated places on the planet. Yes, these are the famous Patagonian mountains that you see on posters and book covers all over the world.

Edinburgh is one of Europe's most beautiful cities, draped across a series of rocky hills overlooking the sea. It's a town intimately entwined with its landscape, with buildings and monuments perched atop crags and overshadowed by cliffs - in the words of Robert Louis Stevenson, 'a dream in masonry and living rock'. From the Old Town's picturesque jumble of medieval tenements piled high along the Royal Mile, its turreted skyline strung between the black, bull-nosed Castle Rock and the russet palisade of Salisbury Crags, to the New Town's neat grid of neoclassical respectability, all columns and capitals, porticoes and pediments, the city offers a constantly changing perspective. And it's all small enough to explore easily on foot.

Photos were taken from 111st floor of ICC building across the harbour.

With its historical Old Town and unique location amidst the famous hedges and impressive scenery of the surrounding Venn region, Monschau is a health climate resort with plenty to offer. As a stroll through its winding alleys will soon reveal, the romantic half-timbered houses harbour a rich mosaic of art, culture and museums.

Belgium’s French-speaking southern half. Step across the linguistic divide to seemingly enter a different country. Gone are the flat fields and affluence of the north – here it’s forested hillsides, intimate villages and industrial decay. Then burrow down in the Ardennes, Wallonia’s southeastern corner, where ancient castles loom over tranquil hamlets.

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands with impressive architecture, lovely canals that criss cross the city, great shopping, and friendly people who nearly all speak English well. There is something for every traveller's taste here, whether you prefer culture and history, serious partying, or just the relaxing charm of an old European city. Amsterdam has over a million inhabitants in the urban area, and is in the Province of North-Holland. Amsterdam is not the seat of government (which is in The Hague), but it is the biggest city and the cultural and creative centre of the Netherlands.

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a constitutional monarchy, is an independent sovereign state, tucked between Belgium, France and Germany (cf Luxembourg in Europe map). The country is 84 km (51.7 miles) long and 52 km (32.5 miles) wide, encompassing an area of 2586 square kilometres (999 square miles) with a population of 502 066

The bulb growing area’s Flower parade on Saturday 16 April 2011, follows a forty kilometers route from Noordwijk to Haarlem and passes Keukenhof in the afternoon, over the ‘Keukenhof Corso Boulevard’ [Parade Boulevard]. This parade is called the ‘face of Spring’ for very good reason and is the most famous parade in the Netherlands. The procession consists of about twenty floats and more than thirty vehicles all covered with flowers and decorated lavishly. A festive promotional convoy precedes the procession. Musical groups lead the procession along the length of the ‘Keukenhof Corso Boulevard’.

Bruges (Brugge) was founded in the 9th century by Vikings who settled here at the end of the little river 'de Reie'. In the 14th century, Bruges was an economic powerhouse, a centre for the export of Flemish cloth which was an important product in medieval Europe. When its sea trade dried up in the 16th century, the city lost its leading trade position to Antwerp.
Bruges today is cosidered to be one of the most beautiful gothic cities in Europe, "The Venice of the North", and I couldn't disagree more.

The historic center of Bruges has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site in since 2000.

Please refer to the creators' website for details:

http://www.dinosaurlive.com/

Luberon region is the real Provence, full of character. A sweet dolce vita of a climate and pure clean air which just breathes the incredible contrasts between a rich, and variable natural environment : the blue strides of lavender, the subtle nuances of green in the forests. This is the living Luberon, where everything goes back to "man's " relationship with the basic element. The dry stone walls and bories, the imposing "bastides", villages perched on the sides of hills between church and château. It's one of those places where time is of no essence.

A much criticized exhibition by Takashi Murakami in the Château de Versailles.
Murakami, who was born in Tokyo in 1962, displaying his sculptures and paintings in 15 rooms in the palace's Hall of Mirrors and the apartments of the King and the Queen during 14 Sept to 12 Dec, 2010.

The capital of Spain since 1561, is located on the geographic center of the Iberian Peninsula. Because of its central location and high altitude, the climate of Madrid is characterized by warm dry summers and cool winters. Madrid is a city of great monuments. Among its highlights are the medieval center dating back to the Habsburg Empire and the Prado Museum.
But Madrid is not just a cultural destination. It is also a lively metropolis with many pubs, cafes, discotheques and nightclubs open late into the night. Don't be surprised if you get stuck in a traffic jam at four in the morning, and the people you meet are not necessarily going off to work..

Lanzarote is of volcanic origin. The island was created about 35 million years ago by the Canary hotspot. Alfred Wegener arrived in 1912 and studied the island and showed how it fitted in with his theory of continental drift. The island along with others was created after the breakup of the African and the American continental plates. The greatest recorded eruptions occurred between 1730 and 1736.

La Gomera is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. In area, it is the second-smallest of the seven main islands of this group.

Tenerife, a Spanish island, is the largest of the seven Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. Tenerife has an area of 2034.38 square kilometers, and 899,833 inhabitants. It is the most populated island of the Canary Islands and Spain. About 43% of the population of the Canary Islands is on this island. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, which is also one of the busiest Spanish resorts and the first of Canary Islands.

Gran Canaria (in English, "Grand (or Great) Canary") is an island of the Canary Islands. Located in the Atlantic Ocean about 150 kilometers (~93 miles) off the northwestern coast of Africa and about 1350 km (~838 miles) from Europe.[1] Gran Canaria is the second most populous island of the Canary Islands after Tenerife.

Fuerteventura is the oldest island in the Canary Islands dating back 20 million years to a volcanic eruption from the Canary hotspot. The majority of the island was created about 5 million years ago and since then has been eroded by wind and weather. The climate on Fuerteventura is pleasant throughout the year. The island is also often referred to as the island of eternal spring. The sea adjusts the temperature making the hot Sahara winds blow away from the island. The island's name in English translates as 'strong fortune' or 'strong wind', the Spanish word for wind being 'viento'.

Bathed in an ever-changing display of brilliant light, this is Sydney Opera House as you've never been seen it before. The iconic building - famed throughout the world for its graceful white 'sails' - has been transformed into a canvas for a kaleidoscopic array of images. Called 77 Million Paintings, the installation is the work of artist and music producer Brian Eno and features 300 of his drawings.

It is reported that Chinese scientists have successfully cultivated a kind rapeseed whose oleaginousness goes as high as 54.72% which is 2% higher than the oleaginousness of cabbage which had been considered the highest in the world. Rapeseed also has excellent characteristic of short grow period and disease-resistance. More important is that the rapeseed is not transgenic production and it could grow in high areas.

These fields of rapeseed were taken near the city of Luoping, China.

One of the most scenic water falls in Southern China.

For more than 1,300 years, the ethnic people of Hani in the Southern China's province of Yunan have been terracing the sides of mountains planting rice, the backbone of their diet. In Yuanyang, the area of terraced fields amount to more than 11,000 hectares, with more than 3,000 steps of fields stretching from the foot of a hill to the top. During the magic hours of sunrise and sunset, the scenes become amazing calaidosopes of reflection that these photos cannot really do their justice.

Þingvellir (Thingvellir) is the National Park where the Althing – an open-air assembly, which represented the whole of Iceland – was established in 930 and continued to meet until 1798. Over two weeks a year, the assembly set laws – seen as a covenant between free men – and settled disputes.

Stockholm is built across 14 islands and is often called the Venice of the North. With more foreign visitors than any other city in Scandinavia it is also considered to be the Capital of Scandinavia. Stockholm is situated at the point where the vast Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic Sea and was built on this strategic spot in the mid 13th century, enabling the founder to tax merchant vessels going in and out of the lake.

Gullfoss is actually two separate waterfalls, the upper one has a drop of 11 metres and the lower one 21 metres. The rock of the river bed was formed during an interglacial period.

Water flows over Gullfoss at an average rate of 109 cubic metres per second. The heaviest floods have recorded a flow of 2000 cubic metres per second.

The Phuket King's Cup Regatta is Asia's biggest and most popular regatta. Inaugurated in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand, the event has been held every year since during the first week of December.

Spectacular landscape of Iceland taken from a small airplane.

Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon is one of Icelands most spectacular sights, located about 60 km east of Skaftafell National Park and almost 400 km from Reykjavik. Jokulsarlon borders south and east part Iceland, at the roots of Europe's largest glacier Vatnajokull.

A small town in the southeast part of Iceland, the landscapes are just breathtaking.

The Geiranger fjord (Geirangerfjorden) is a fjord in the Sunnmøre region, located in the southernmost part of the county Møre og Romsdal in Norway. It is a 15 km long branch of the Storfjord (Great Fjord). At the head in the fjord lies the small village of Geiranger.
The fjord is one of Norway's most visited tourist sites and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, jointly with Nærøyfjord, since 2005. (wiki)

Artur Hazelius, who had previously founded the Nordic Museum on the island of Djurgården near the centre of Stockholm, was inspired by the open-air museum founded by King Oscar II in Kristiania in 1881 when he created his open-air museum on the hill that dominates the island. Skansen became the model for other early open-air museums in Scandinavia and later ones elsewhere. The name "Skansen" has also been used as a noun to refer to other open-air museums and collections of historic structures, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, but also in the United States, e.g. Old World Wisconsin and Fairplay, Colorado. (wiki)

Stockholm is situated at the point where the vast Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic Sea and was built on this strategic spot in the mid 13th century, enabling the founder to tax merchant vessels going in and out of the lake.

Some basic facts: 1,3 million people live in the greater Stockholm area. The average temperature in Stockholm is around -2 C (28 F) in January and about 18 C (64 F) in July.

Alesund, Norway is found on the northwest coast of Norway midway between Bergen and Trondheim.
Alesund has a wonderful look and feel--most of the buildings are a mixture of Art Nouveau and traditional styles. This look is the result of the rebuilding of Alesund after a devastating fire in 1904 destroyed over 850 structures. The views of the city, surrounding mountains, and fjords from the summit of Mount Askla are not to be missed.

A small town but not so small on the scenery a few kms from the famous town of Flam in Norway.

A very picturesque town in the western part of Norway that can be reached by driving over a snowy mountain or through the longest tunnel in the world (23kms).

Photos of the town of Flam, Sognefjord in the western part of Norway.

The train journey provides some of Norway's wildest and most magnificent scenery. On the 20-kilometre long train ride you can see rivers that cut through deep ravines, waterfalls cascade down the side of steep, snow-capped mountains and mountain farms that cling dizzily to sheer slopes.

The five fishing villages in northern Italy, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Phuket King's Cup Regatta is Asia's biggest and most popular regatta. With the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King, the Regatta is organised by the Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organizing Committee under the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy and the Province of Phuket. (A personal thanks to my good friend, Santi who arranged for my attachment to this race)

Vienna (Wien) is the capital of the Federal Republic of Austria. It is by far the largest city in Austria (pop.~ 1.7m), as well as its cultural, economic, and political center. As the former home of the Hapsburg court and its various empires, the city still has the trappings of the imperial capital it once was, and the historic city centre is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Salzburg means “salt castle”, referring to its massive fortress and the white gold from the mountains in the South. The city's magnificent baroque town centre is rated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site and can easily be explored by strolling along the charming alleys. The city's most famous son Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart created the area's fame and popularity with music enthusiasts all over the world.