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Mr. Brightside
April 25th, 2010, 11:20 PM
One of the most exiting developments of the internet is the ability to explore the world whilst enjoying a drink and a sandwich in the comfort of our own homes.

How about a thread where we explore the world together using google earth, google maps or any of the other mapping software available.

Pick a place or a landmark in the worldand we can explore it together, give our opinions, say weather we like it and would like to visit it, what you find special or unique about it or give us a brief on its history and culture.

Google Earth has a huge community that shares .kmz files created by people that load up various places of interests (such as religious places, sports arenas, ancient ruins even UFO sites and the moon. You can even go and see what places looked like in a bygone age.

Google street view is amazing, You can walk up and down streets you would never visit in your lifetime and once they finish mapping the world it will be even better. I am just learning about the software and various places you can go and see, and the more I learn the more I will share.

So what do you think, Do you want to don your backpack and go on a tour round the world with me :)

Were shall we start.......

Mr. Brightside
April 26th, 2010, 12:13 AM
Stonehenge (http://www.stonehenge.co.uk/index.php)

http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Business/images-3/stonehenge-cloudy.jpg

(just type - 51.179222,-1.826713 - into google maps, you can go to street view and wander around the ancient stones)

Age estimated at 3100 BC
Location Wiltshire, UK
OS Reference SU 122 422
Type of stone Bluestone, Sarson, Welsh Sandstone
Worship Lunar, Solar

Stonehenge was constructed in three phases.
It has been estimated that the three phases of the construction required more than thirty million hours of labour.
Speculation on the reason it was built range from human sacrifice to astronomy.

I visited this place a few years ago, It does make you wonder what it was built for and how they managed to move the stones here (from seemingly miles away) and set them up into position.

Stonehenge on Wikpedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge)

Kiran
April 27th, 2010, 03:48 PM
http://www.slanetourism.com/images/IRL-Newgrange.jpg
This is a 5,000 year old passage tomb making it older than Stonehenge and the great pyramid at Giza! On the winter solstice the sun shines right into the back of the passage and there is a waiting list of about three to five years to be present on the solstice!! It is located in County Meath here in Ireland in an area known as the Boyne Valley. I have visited it a couple of times and would love to go back again whenever I get the chance.

http://www.deadlyphoto.com/pictures/galleries/countries/ireland/meath/newgrange/dw_s0859_newgrange_door1.jpg
This is the carved entrance stone...there is a circle of standing stones all around the mound too. Very powerful special place!!

Mr. Brightside
April 27th, 2010, 07:03 PM
An excellent choice Lorri, There are places in the world that are so full of history they just instantly transport you into another place and time, It would be amazing to visit it on the Solstice.

gZzpDgatOa0

There is a place on the east
Mysterious ring, a magical ring of stones
The druids have lived there once they said,
Forgotten is the race that no-one knows.
Chorus:
Rum de rum rud a derimo
Rum de rum rud a derimo
The circled tomb of a different age
Secret lines carved on ancient stone.
Heroic kings laid down to rest
Forgotten is the race that no-one knows.
Wait for the sun on a winters day
And a beam of light shines across the floor

Mr. Brightside
April 27th, 2010, 07:44 PM
The Potala Palace

Starting with the 5th Dalai Lama and until the 14th Dalai Lama's flight into exile during 1959, the Dalai Lamas spent the winter at the Potala Palace and the summer at the Norbulingka palace and park. Both are in Lhasa and approximately 3 km apart.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Potala.jpg/800px-Potala.jpg

The Potala Palace is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was named after Mount Potala, the abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara. Today the Potala Palace has been converted into a museum by the Chinese.

http://www.theodora.com/wfb/photos/china/potala_palace_lhasa_tibet_china_photo_gov_4.jpg

Take a tour of the inside of The Potala Palace (http://www.100gogo.com/tibet/pa1.htm)

View in Google maps (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Potala+Palace+lhasa+&sll=51.245567,5.827532&sspn=0.01045,0.01929&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Pal%C3%A1c+Pot%C3%A1la&ll=29.658018,91.119018&spn=0.007254,0.009645&t=h&z=17)

Kiran
April 27th, 2010, 09:11 PM
An excellent choice Lorri, There are places in the world that are so full of history they just instantly transport you into another place and time, It would be amazing to visit it on the Solstice.

gZzpDgatOa0

There is a place on the east
Mysterious ring, a magical ring of stones
The druids have lived there once they said,
Forgotten is the race that no-one knows.
Chorus:
Rum de rum rud a derimo
Rum de rum rud a derimo
The circled tomb of a different age
Secret lines carved on ancient stone.
Heroic kings laid down to rest
Forgotten is the race that no-one knows.
Wait for the sun on a winters day
And a beam of light shines across the floor

I love that Clannad song!! And yes, it conjours up so much in the midst of my memory......

BlueStar
April 28th, 2010, 06:42 PM
Oh WOW - I didn't realise google maps could show you Lhasa in Tibet...I guess I'd assume China's renowned censorship of the internet would have mitigated things like that. Will have to check this out.

Last night I revisited my old homes and the homes of my grandparents. Was quite humbling...brought back memories and also was rather sad. With both of the houses my grandparents had lived in, they have now lost their heart and become run down, shabby and unloved-looking. Places that were once so special to me lost to time and better left in memory.

One thing I thought would be cool in this thread is to invite people round to our houses hehe...

Mr. Brightside
April 29th, 2010, 10:11 AM
Yeah I doubt we would ever get street view though, Can you imagine the Chinese Goverment letting a van with a camera record the whole of China :skeptical.2:

Street View is pretty amazing as it allows you to see how a place is before you visit it or how it has changed down the years. But I see what you mean if certain places hold a special place in your heart and are old and run down, Sometimes they are better left in memory.

I am going up to bonnie Scotland next week I might actually take you up on that offer, lol

Anyway heres one for you Rory and any other LOST fans, go to street view near the YMCA and look around :wink.1:

LOST Locations (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=69+Farrington+Hwy,+Mokuleia,+HI,+United+States&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=20.278713,39.506836&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=69+Farrington+Hwy,+Mokuleia,+Honolulu,+Hawaii+96792,+United+Stat es&ll=21.578308,-158.224304&spn=0.003881,0.006866&t=h&z=18)