Rice grows on a terraced field in the Sapa resort town, Lao Cai province, Vietnam, on March 17, 2013.
Photograph by Grzontan on Wikimedia Commons
Voidokilia Beach is a popular beach in Messinia, in Southern Greece. The beach is in the shape of the Greek letter omega (Ω) and its sand forms a semicircular strip of dunes. The land facing side of the strip of dunes is the Gialova Lagoon (or Yalova Lagoon), an important bird habitat; and the whole area is part of a Natura 2000 protected area (Natura 2000 is an ecologice network of preotected areas in the territory of the European Union. [Source]
Parking for the beach is reached by sand tracks either from the Gialova Lagoon parking area (also used by bird-watchers) or by following the Northside route from Petrochori.
If you’d like to see this exact location on Google Maps, click here or enter the following coordinates: 36° 57′ 48.75″ N, 21° 39′ 49.20″ E
Picture of the Day: The Omega Shaped Beach in Greece «TwistedSifter.
The Infinity Bridge, a pedestrian bridge in Stockton-on-Tees in the UK, is suspended from a pair of beautiful asymmetrical bowstring arches that, when reflected in the water, look like the flowing double loop of the infinity symbol, hence the name. Designed by Expedition Engineering and Spence Associates, not only are the shape and reflection striking and interesting, but the lighting design by Speirs & Major makes the bridge an interactive kinetic experience. The deck of the footbridge is cloaked in a blue glow that shifts to a white light that moves along with you as you cross, much like a protective spotlight.
Photographer Thamer Al-Tassan‘s passion is to travel the world and taking beautiful photos from unique angles of places captures his attention. The ever majestic Taj Mahal was one of them.
In this series, Thamer brought together the Taj Mahal and its charmed visitors in one frame.
via Dramatic Fine Art Photographs of the Taj Mahal – Wave Avenue.
Photograph by Patrick Giraud
The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France, is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because of its distinct French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures.
The building, which was never completed, was constructed from 1519-1547 by King François I in part to be near to his mistress the Comtesse de Thoury, Claude Rohan, wife of Julien de Clermont, a member of a very important family of France, whose domaine, the château de Muides, was adjacent. Her arms figure in the carved decor of the château.
Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley; it was built to serve as a hunting lodge for François I, who maintained his royal residences at Château de Blois and Château d’Amboise. The original design of the Château de Chambord is attributed, though with several doubts, to Domenico da Cortona. Some authors claim that the French Renaissance architect Philibert Delorme had a considerable role in the château’s design, and others have suggested that Leonardo da Vinci may have designed it.
During the Second World War, artworks from the collections of the Louvre and Compiègne were moved to Château de Chambord. The château is now open to the public for visitation. [Source: Wikipedia]
Photograph by Trey Ratcliff @ StuckinCustoms.com
The Palais Garnier is a 1,979-seat opera house built between 1861 and 1875 for the Paris Opera. Originally called the Salle des Capucines because of its location on the Boulevard des Capucines, it soon became known as the Palais Garnier in recognition of its opulence and its architect, Charles Garnier. It was the primary home of the Paris Opera and its associated Paris Opera Ballet until 1989, when a new 2,700-seat house, the Opéra Bastille, with elaborate facilities for set and production changes, opened. The Paris Opera now mainly uses the Palais Garnier for ballet.
One of the most famous buildings in Paris and one of the most famous opera houses in the world, it was also the setting for Gaston Leroux’s 1911 novel, The Phantom of the Opera. [Source]
Photo by Jean Paul Ferrero/Ardea/Caters News (via Exposing the Truth)
Lake Hillier is a pink-coloured lake on Middle Island in Western Australia. Middle island is the largest of the islands and islets that make up the Recherche Archipelago, a group of about 105 islands and over 1,200 ‘obstacles to shipping’.
The tiny lake only spans about 600 meters wide but its rose pink colour in unmistakable. However, the reason why it’s pink remains a mystery.
via Lake Hillier: The Pink Lake in Australia «TwistedSifter.
