Thingvellir National Park in Iceland, South Iceland region

 Iceland - South Iceland  Comments Off
Mar 242013
 

Introduction :
The Thingvellir National Park is located in Blaskogabyggo of the region of South Iceland in Iceland and is one of the most important historical, geological and cultural sites to the country. Also inscribed as the World Heritage Site in 2004, the Thingvellir National Park was declared a protected national shrine of all Iceland citizens and must never be sold or mortgaged. The national park is also one of the main attractions in the Golden Circle of tourist routes in Iceland.

Aerial view of the landscapes in the national park
Aerial view of the landscapes in the national park
Image attribution to arnigeirsson @ Flickr

Icy mountains in the park
Icy mountains in the park
Image attribution to rob young @ Flickr

Clear water between the rifts
Clear water between the rifts
Image attribution to rob young @ Flickr

The Oxararfoss Falls
The Oxararfoss Falls

History :
The first settler in the region was Norwegian chieftain Ingolfur Arnarson which was followed by people from the Norse and Celtic origins. The Althing was the first parliament to be established throughout the country in Thingvellir at the Logberg Rock in 930 AD and lasted till 1271 and was the place where rulings of the Parliament took place. The national park was established in 1930 as the first national park in Iceland for its importance as the center of Icelandic culture.

Place where the tectonic plates meet
Place where the tectonic plates meet
Image attribution to aschaf @ Flickr

Volcanic rocks at the park
Volcanic rocks at the park
Image attribution to alykat @ Flickr

Winter at the Thingvellir National Park
Winter at the Thingvellir National Park

Getting there :
The nearest airport to the Thingvellir National Park is the Keflavik International Airport (KEF) which is around 50 km away from the attraction.

Mogao Caves in China, Gansu

 China - Gansu  Comments Off
Mar 232013
 

Introduction :
The Mogao Caves are carved into the cliffs above the Dachuan River located 25 km from the center of Dunhuang county in the province of Gansu in China. It comprises of a system of 492 buddhist temple cells and sanctuaries containing some of the finest examples of Buddhist art that goes back to more than 1000 years ago. Due to its religious and cultural influences, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The Mogao caves are also known as the Dunhuang caves or the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas.

The cliff where the caves were carved on
The cliff where the caves were carved on
Image attribution to marthaenpiet @ Flickr

One of the giant Buddha statues outside the caves
One of the giant Buddha statues outside the caves
Image attribution to kzaral @ Flickr

Entrance to the Mogao Caves
Entrance to the Mogao Caves
Image attribution to kzaral @ Flickr

10th century cave painting of Shakyamuni
10th century cave painting of Shakyamuni

History :
The Mogao caves was constructed since 366 AD with a large number of them built during the Tang dynasty era. The caves were often viewed as a remarkable achievement of Buddhist art during the 4th to 14th century. The cave paintings served as aids to meditation as well as visual representations during the quest to englightenment for hermit monks residing in the caves. The discovery of the Library Cave in 1990 that brought along thousands of relics and manuscripts was regarded as the greatest ever discovery of ancient oriental culture and plays an important part in the history of ancient China and Central Asian.

Inside of one of the caves
Inside of one of the caves
Image attribution to intothegreen @ Flickr

Painting of the Wutai Monasteries in cave 61
Painting of the Wutai Monasteries in cave 61

Shading technique in the cave paintings
Shading technique in the cave paintings

Getting there :
The nearest airport to the Mogao Caves is the Dunhuang airport (DNH) served by flights from major Chinese international Airports at Beijing and xi-an. The Mogao Caves is 25 km away from the center of Dunhuang

Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, Alberta

 Canada - Alberta  Comments Off
Mar 222013
 

Introduction :
The Waterton Lakes National Park is located in the southwestern corner of Alberta province in Canada. Established in 1895, it is the fourth national park in Canada and measures an area of 505 square km. The Waterton Lakes National Park was also designated as a World Bioshpere reserves as well as World Heritage site in 1979 and 1995 respectively due to its outstanding scenery, rich variety of flora and mammal species as well as its alpine forest and glacial features. The park is famous for its various lake sceneries and also offers scenic trails with the most notable hike the Crypt Lake Trail which was once voted the best hike in Canada.

Scenic view of the national park
Scenic view of the national park

The Cameron Falls
The Cameron Falls
Image attribution to outdoorPDK @ Flickr

Crypt Valley scenery during the Crypt Lake Trail
Crypt Valley scenery during the Crypt Lake Trail
Image attribution to feffef @ Flickr

The Prince of Wales hotel was built in 1927
The Prince of Wales hotel was built in 1927
Image attribution to calamity hane @ Flickr

Summit Lake and Chapman Peak behind the lake
Summit Lake and Chapman Peak behind the lake
Image attribution to albertascrambler hane @ Flickr

History :
Human history in the Waterton Lakes National Park dates back to nearly 10,000 years ago and the first inhabitants were the ancestors of the later cultures who settled around the region known as the Upper Kutenai comprising of mainly hunters and fisherman and the Blackfoot who were nomadic people highly dependent on bisons. The first European visit to the Waterton Lakes was Lieutenant Thomas Blaskiston of the Palliser Expedition but he named the lake after Sir Charles Waterton to honor him for his scientific achivements.

White Angelica flora species
White Angelica flora species
Image attribution to Jason Sturner 72 @ Flickr

The Blaskiston Falls is named after the first European who set foot on the region
The Blaskiston Falls is named after the first European who set foot on the region
Image attribution to leeco @ Flickr

Moose taking a drink at the Cameron Lake
Moose taking a drink at the Cameron Lake

Unique formation of the Red Rock Canyon
Unique formation of the Red Rock Canyon

Getting there :
The Lethbridge County Airport (YQL) is the closest airport to the Waterton Lakes National Park and is 138 km away from the destination but only served by flights from Calgary and Edmonton. The nearest international airport is the Calgary International Airport (YYC) and is 274 km away from the national park.

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