sightseeing
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Snæfellsnesvegur View Point: Views from a Mountain Pass (Iceland)
Route 54 – the main road around the Snæfellsnes peninsula – goes through the mountains that give the peninsula its name. Similar to places like Rest and Be Thankful, on this mountain pass are two pull off areas where you can look down the valley. This view captures not only the mountains and valley that…
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Búðakirkja: Black Church on a Gorgeous Mountainous Background (Iceland)
Búðakirkja – the Black Church – is located on Iceland’s Snæfellnes Peninsula and is the iconic black church on the island. While you can find the rainbow of colours of other churches, Búðakirkja is completely black. This is very much in stark contrast to the landscape consisting of multicoloured mountains, fluffy white and grey clouds,…
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Rainbow Road: Celebration of Diversity and Equality in Reykjavik (Iceland)
As you are walking around downtown Reykjavik, you will no doubt come across “Rainbow Road” or Skólavörðustígur, where a large rainbow covers the main part of the pedestrian street. The rainbow road has been painted several times, starting out initially as a temporary as a celebration of Reykjavik Pride. However it became a permanent feature…
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Hallgrímskirkja: Rekyjavik’s Basalt Column-inspired Cathedral (Iceland)
At the heart of Reykjavik sits Hallgrímskirkja, the island’s largest church (I want to call it a cathedral but it is not) and its second tallest building (74.5 metres/244 ft). Named after a famous Icelandic poet and clergyman, Hallgrímur Pétursson, construction on this Protestant Lutheran church began in 1945 and was completed in 1986. The church…
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Harpa Center: Reykjavik’s Answer to Modern Art and Architecture (Iceland)
Near downtown Reykjavik is the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre – or Harpa – which opened in 2011. Since then it has won several awards since then, including the 2013 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award, which is very prestigious. Harpa’s façade is primarily made of glass. The…
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Sun Voyager: Modern Art to Iceland’s Viking Past (Iceland)
Sitting on the water in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, is a modern alt sculpture that captures the history of the island. Created in 1990 by Jón Gunnar Árnason, the Sun Voyager is in the shape of a Viking longboat and, in the artists own words, embodies a sense of exploration, promise and freedom. The installation is…
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Setlún Geothermal Area/Krýsuvík: Steamy! (Iceland)
Sitting at the heart of the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland, the Setlún Geothermal Area/Krýsuvík is an area of high geothermal activity. Steam rising from both streams and pools of mud in this area where lava sits close to the surface. Located just north of Grindavik, which has seen repeated volcanic eruptions since 2021 and…
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Shiroi Koibito: Japan’s take on ‘European Cookies’
If you are in the city of Sapporo on Japan’s Hokkaido island and have a bit of a sweet tooth, you may be interested in visiting Shiroi Koibito Park. Known for their ‘European cookies’ of the same name, Shiroi Koibito are one of the typical gifts given for omiyage after visiting the city. What is…
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Jemez Scenic Byway: Discover Northern New Mexico by Car
The Jemez Scenic Byway is a 132-mile / 212-km road that stretches through parts of northern New Mexico, extending just north of Albuquerque towards the Four Corners region, where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah touch. It is known as New Mexico Route 550. The road runs next to the Jemez Moutain Range, a largely…
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Painted Desert: A Permanent Rainbow in the Desert
Painted Desert is located in Arizona in an area of the Badlands that makes up the Four Corners region (Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexican borders). Also part of Petrified Forest National Park, this area has some amazing geology that has settled into a striped pattern, creating a beautiful rainbow-like landscape. Geology This area has…
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Petrified Forest National Park: Trees Made of Stone
Petrified Forest National Park in the Arizona badlands is an awe-inspiringly beautiful landscape. Not only does it feature beautiful rock formations and stripey geography but also petrified wood. Lying on the ground all over the park, you can get up close and personal with trees of stone, many of which resemble rainbows. This article will…
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Mount Lemmon Highway: Views over the Sonoran Desert
Mount Lemmon, the tallest mountain in the Santa Catalinas just north of Tucson, Arizona, is an important location in terms of ecology, geology and astronomy. Hosting the Mount Lemmon observatory and its supporting town, people live on it year round. As a result, the Mount Lemmon Highway was built connecting the observatory and the city…
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Hakata Dontaku: One of Japan’s Largest Festivals
Every year on 3 and 4 May, Fukuoka City hosts one of Japan’s largest festivals – Hakata Dontaku. The festival can trace its origins back over 800 years and has been held nearly continuously since. In recent years, over 2 million people come to Fukuoka just to watch the parade, which features over 35,000 dancers,…
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Kanazawa Curry – What is it?
The Ishikawa Prefecture sits in central/western Honshu (depending on how you divide the island). It’s capital, Kanazawa, is known for its rich tradition of handcrafted items, particularly gold leaf, and its preserved Edo-era atmosphere. In fact you can wonder around areas reminiscent of Kyoto’s Gion district without the crowds. However, something else the city is…
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Suihou Ogura Onsen: Unique even in Beppu!
Located near the mountains, Beppu’s Suihou Ogura onsen is one of the many unique onsen in this town famous for its onsen. Beppu – A place of healing Beppu and its miraculous healing pools have been a spot to go since the 8th century AD. During during the Edo period, Beppu saw an explosion in…
