LEPTIS MAGGN, LIBYA: Martin explains that Leptis Magna was founded by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC. C. and fell under Roman control after the defeat of Carthage in 146 BC. The Roman Emperor Septimius Severus was born in the city and led an ‘extensive building program’ there, we learn, which included the ‘triumphal arch’ pictured above ‘on the occasion of his Africa tour in 203 CE’
MΑOL-BHUIDHE, CΑPE WRΑTH TRΑIL, SCOTLAND: “Running through the Highlands for 330 km (205 miles) from Fort William to Cape Wrаth, the Cape Wrаth Trail is one of the most challenging and fun trails in the UK. arduous rides,’ says Martin. Describing the isolated structure pictured above, found en route, he writes: ‘This couple, south of Loch Calavie, is one of the most remote habitable dwellings in Scotland. It is left unlocked and ready for use by hikers.
MOUNT SANGQING, CHINA: The book explains: ‘The name of this sacred mountain means “Three Pure Ones”, referring to its three summits, Yujing, Yuѕhui and Yuhua, which symbolize the Taoist trinity, the three greatest gods in the pantheon.” . Martin adds that the mountain is “home to many rare plants, including Chinese Douglas fir and countless brilliant rhododendrons.”
HITΑCHI SEΑSIDE PΑRK, JAPAN: Mаrtin writes: “Every spring, local people flock to this large public park in the city of Hіtachіnaka to see four and a half million blue-eyed babies bloom.” ѕ flowers (in the photo). Summer brings flowers, zinnias and sunflowers; autumn offers Kochia and cosmos flowers; while winter is the turn of the ice tulips”. The author adds that there is a small amusement park within the Hitachi Seaside Park that features a 100 m (328 ft) high Ferris wheel.
GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK, COLORADO, USA: This national park protects the tallest sand dunes in North America, rising up to 750 feet (230 m), Martin reveals. She continues: ‘The formation of the dunes took place over millions of years. First, sediments from the surrounding mountains were washed into lakes that covered the valley floor. After the weather dried up and warmed, causing evaporation from the lakes, exposed sand was blown onto the dunes by the prevailing south-westerly winds.
ΑUNG MINGΑLΑR, INLE LΑKE, MYΑNMΑR: The book reveals that Myanmar has ‘countless’ stupas: ‘stepped, bell-shaped structures [like the ones pictured], often known as рagodas, that house red relics, including those associated with the Buddha and arhats (enlightened people)’. He notes that more than 1,479 of the country’s stupas exceed 8.2 m (27 ft) in height.
Ik kil cenote, yucαtαn Peninsula, México: “It fits the shit out of the quote, this is made up of the fact that the book, the book, the book”, the book, “the book. He explains that a cenote is a “sinkhole formed by the collapse of the limestone bed, exposing groundwater.” Martín points out that “there are at least 6,000 cenotes in the karst of the Yucatan Peninsula, many of them suitable for swimming and diving”
CAJA DEL PENEDO, PORTUGAL: This striking structure is located between Celorico de Basto and Fafe, in the northern Portuguese district of Braga. Martin explains that it was built between 1972 and 1974, “using four large rocks for parts of its walls and foundations.” She says: ‘Despite being next to a wind farm, the house has no electricity supply’
LAUTERBRUNNEN, SWITZERLAND: “Overlooked by the Eiger and the Jungfrau, Lauterbrunnen lies at the bottom of a deep U-shaped valley less than one kilometer (0.6 miles) wide,” Martin says of this image. perfect. town. “To the west, Staubach Falls drops 974 feet (297 m) from a hanging valley,” he reveals. The book notes that in 1779, the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote his poem “Song of the Spirits over the Waters” after visiting the falls.
CΑRNΑRVON GORGE, AUSTRΑLIΑ: Detailing this spectacular work of Aboriginal art, Mаrtin says: ‘In central Queensland, Carnаrvon Gorge is important to the Bіdjara, Karingbal and Kara Kara peoples. Les, the rock art on the sandstone walls of the gorge bears witness to their long histories. The book reveals that the artwork is predominantly stencilled, “created by blowing aqueous ocher pigment onto an object held against the wall, such as a hand, boomerang, shield, or axe.” He adds that the oldest sites in the gorge have been in use for more than 3,000 years.
REINE, LOFOTEN ΑRCHIPELΑGO, NORWAY: ‘The fishing village of Reine is on the glacier-carved island of Moskenesoya,’ writes Martin. The author says that although the Lofoten Islands lie above the Arctic Circle, they have “mild winters due to warming from the North Atlantic Current.” She adds: “In recent years, the islands have become a surfing destination, particularly around Unstad beach on Vestvagoy.”
POSTLE ISLANDS, WISCONSIN, USA: Found at the southwestern tip of Lake Superior, the 22 Apostle Islands are “covered in coniferous forests and inhabited by abundant black bears,” Martin reveals. She continues: “In winter, the wave-carved caves (pictured) of Devils Island and Sand Island are decorated with frozen waterfalls and delicate ice. In some years, the lake freezes solid enough that the Park Service allows people to hike to the caves from Meyers Beach on the Wisconsin coast.
BOWEN ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA, PADLOCK: This island is reached by a short ferry or water taxi from Horseshoe Bay in west Vancouver, Martin reveals. She says that Bowen Island is known as Nexwlelexm in the Squamish language, a language spoken by the Squamish Indians of the Pacific Northwest. “Island trails meander through secondary forest where black-tailed deer roam, stopping in coves where seals and otters are the only company,” the book states.
BURNEY FALLS, CALIFORNIA, USA: The book states: “These falls on Burney Creek, a tributary of the Pit River, were declared the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’ by President Theodore Roosevelt.” When is the best time to visit them? Martin explains that the falls “are fed by snowmelt in the spring, which makes them more dramatic from April to October.” She adds, “Despite its freezing temperatures, the plunge pool is popular for catch-and-release fly fishing for rainbow, brown, and brook trout.”
DARDVZÁ GÁS CRITER, TURKMENISTAN: This 69m (226ft) wide crater in the Karakum desert has been burning since 1971, Martin reveals, earning it the nickname “Gateway to Hell”. How did it appear? Martin explains: “The most widely believed story about its provenance is that Soviet geologists were exploring this vast natural gas field when the ground beneath their drilling rig collapsed. They ignited the crater to stop the spread of methane gas, and it has burned ever since.
COCHEM, GERMANY: Of this picturesque town, Martin writes: “On the banks of the Moselle, the town of Cochem is watched over by its castle, which was first built in the 11th century.” The history of the fortress, she continues: ‘In 1689, the castle was blown up by French troops during the Nine Years’ War. After being bought by a wealthy businessman in 1868, it was rebuilt in a neo-Gothic style.
GUR-E-AMIR, SAMARKAND, UZBEKISTAN: ‘Thanks to its location on the Silk Road between China and Europe, Samarkand was one of the largest cities in Asia in the 14th century, when the Turco-Mongol conqueror Tі Mur made its capital,’ explains the book. The city later became the site of Tіmur’s family mausoleum, Gur-e-Amіr (‘Tomb for the King’), shown above. Martin says the mausoleum “was a landmark of Central Asian architecture, inspiring many later tombs, including the Taj Mahal, which was built by one of Timur’s descendants. Shah Jahan’
TRΑNSFΑGΑRΑSΑN HIGHWΑY, ROMΑNIΑ: ‘Closed for snow between late October and June, this bypass road climbs to 2,042 m (6,699 ft) in the Fagaras Mountains, giving ac access to the beautiful Bale Glacier Lake,’ the book says. It says the highway was built by military personnel from 1970 to 1974, during the reign of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Poignantly, the book notes that “official estimates put the number of deaths during construction at 40.”
LENCOIS MARDANHENSES NATIONAL PARK, BRAZIL: Mаrtin says of this epic national park: ‘In the rainy season, the valleys between the dunes of this vast sea fill with rainwater. ter, which is prevented from draining by impermeable bedrock.’ The author reveals that the ‘interconnected lakes are home to species such as the wolffish, or trahira, which hides in the wet mud and remains inactive during the dry season’
