Christmas Tree at Syntagma Square, Athens

Public Domain Photo: Syntagma Square in central Athens at night with a huge illuminated Christmas Tree, 21 December 2005.

Syntagma Square, located in central Athens, Greece, is named after the Constitution that King Otto was forced to grant the people after a popular and military uprising on September 3, 1843.

Syntagma Square, a site of political demonstrations, is quite near Syntagma station of the Athens Metro, with the Greek Parliament across Amalias Avenue. It is a hub for many forms of public transportation with a stop for the Athens Tram and buses or trolley-buses plying to several locations in Athens. Travel between Syntagma Square and the Eleftherios Venizelos Airport is available via special airport buses and metro lines. Free wireless Internet access at high speeds is offered by the Municipality of Athens at the Square.

Syntagma Square is also located near many of Athens' most famous neighborhoods and tourist attractions such as Plaka, Monastiraki, Psiri, Kolonaki, and sites of ancient Athens including the Acropolis, the Theater of Dionysus, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Philopappos Monument on the Hill of the Nymphs, the Areopagus, the Ancient Agora of Athens, the Tower of the Winds in the Roman Agora, the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, the Arch of Hadrian, the Pnyx, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Lycabettus Hill, and historic churches dating from the Middle Ages.

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Al-Masjid al-Ḥaram, The Sacred Mosque in Mecca

Public Domain Photo: Modern buildings rise over Al-Masjid al-Ḥaram, photo by Meshal Obeidallah, Al Qassim Province, Saudi Arabia, taken on May 23, 2006, photo dimension: 1600x1200 pixels, size 366 KB.

Al-Masjid al-Ḥaram (The Sacred Mosque), located in the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, is Islam's holiest place and the largest mosque in the world. The mosque surrounds the Kaaba, the place which Muslims worldwide turn towards while offering their daily prayers. Also known as the Grand Mosque, it can accommodate up to four million Muslim worshipers during the Hajj period, one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world.

Valentino Castle (Castello del Valentino), Turin, Italy

Public Domain Photo: Castle of Valentino (Castello del Valentino), in the Valentino Park, Turin, Italy

The Castle of Valentino (Castello del Valentino), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Valentino Park in the north-west Italian city of Turin, is the seat of the Architecture Faculty of the Polytechnic University of Turin.

The Valentino Castle is believed to derive its name from Saint Valentine whose relics were venerated in a church nearby. The castle has a horseshoe shape with four round towers at each angle, and a wide inner court with a marble pavement.

Piazza Carlo Alberto (Carl Albert Square), Turin, Italy

Public Domain Photo: Piazza Carlo Alberto (Carl Albert Square) is in Turin (Torino), a major city which is a business and cultural centre in northern Italy, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River surrounded by the Alpine arch. Before 1842 Piazza Carlo Alberto was the garden of the Palazzo Carignano, and in 1842 a park was opened here for the general public. The monument dedicated to Carlo Alberto stands at the center of the square. Piazza Carlo Alberto also houses the famous National University Library.

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Torre del Oro (The Gold Tower), Spain

Public Domain Photos: Torre del Oro (The Gold Tower), Spain

Torre del Oro (The Gold Tower), a dodecagonal watchtower in Seville, southern Spain, was built in the 13th century by the Berbers during the rule of Almohad dynasty to control access to Seville via the Guadalquivir River. The tower has three levels, and the third and uppermost level is circular and constructed in 1760.

The Torre del Oro served as a prison during the Middle Ages and as a secure storage tower for precious goods such as gold, silver, gems, pearls, spices, sugar, tobacco, silk, and other exotic goods brought from Spanish colonies to Spain by the Spanish treasure fleets (West Indies Fleet from Spanish Flota de Indias).

Currently the tower is a naval museum for engravings, letters, instruments and historic documents, and the museum outlines the naval history of Seville and the importance of Guadalquivir River.

Trosky Castle (Panna Tower), Czech Republic

Photo: Trosky Castle (Czech: Hrad Trosky), a castle ruin located about 10 km south of Semily in Liberec Region of Czech Republic, was built in the late 14th century AD.

Quimper, the French town of ancient Roman vintage

Photo: The Odet River in the centre of Quimper, France

Quimper (Kemper) is a commune and the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department in Brittany in northwest France. The name Quimper is derived from the Breton word 'kemper' meaning ‘confluence’ because the city was built on the confluence of the Steir, Odet and Jet rivers. It is 486 km (302 miles) west-southwest of Paris.

Quimper is the ancient capital of La Cornouaille, Brittany’s most traditional region and the town was originally settled during Roman times. The town has a rustic look with footbridges spanning the rivers that flow through it.

Near the Episcopal palace, which now holds the Musée départemental Breton, there are the ruins of the town's 15th century walls. Also nearby is the Musée des Beaux-Arts that houses a sizeable collection of 14th to 21st century paintings.

Quimper is well-known for Quimper faïence pottery, made here since 1690. The town’s eating establishments have some of the best crêpes and cider in Brittany. The town has also been famous for copper and bronze work, food items, galvanized ironware, hosiery, leather, paper and woolen goods.

Generally French festivals are held in summer, but Quimper has a Winter Festival, ‘Les Hivernautes’. In summer, you can also find concerts on street corners, with pipers and accordion players.

The main tourist attractions include the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint-Corentin, the Church of Locmaria, several other historical churches, the old town centre with mediaeval fortifications and houses, the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Cornouaille Festival featuring traditional dance in the last week of July, Faience museum, and the Statue of Gradlon.

Public transport in Quimper is provided by QUB. Quimper is the terminus of the TGV high-speed train line from Paris, which passes through Le Mans, Rennes and Vannes, and the regional train network is served by the TER Bretagne. Quimper-Cornouaille Airport has flights to Paris.

The Stadium at Olympia, Greece

The Olympia Stadium with the surface made of grass and stones with a capacity of 20,000 spectators, tenanted by 2004 Olympic Athletics.

Olympic Race Track in modern Olympia, Greece

The 'Exedra', the stone platform on which the judges sat, located on the south embankment of the stadium.

The stadium is located at the ancient archaeological site of Olympia, to the east of the sanctuary of Zeus in Greece. It was the location of the sporting events at the Ancient Olympic Games. It is considered a holy place for the ancient Greeks, because here sports and games dedicated to Zeus were held. The original location was within the temenos, and spectators could view the sports events from the slopes of Mt. Kronos. But, gradually, it was relocated east until it reached its present location in the early 5th century BCE.

Cape of Good Hope

Photo: Cape of Good Hope, view from the coastal cliffs above Cape Point (16 April 2008)

The Cape of Good Hope (Kaap de Goede Hoop / Cabo da Boa Esperança) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of South Africa. There is a misconception that Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean. In fact, the southernmost point is Cape Agulhas, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) to the east-southeast. The Atlantic and Indian oceans meet at a point between Cape Agulhas and Cape Point, about one kilometer east of Cape of Good Hope.

Cape Town City Centre, view from Lion’s Head

City centre of Cape Town, view from the nearby mountain Lion’s Head, in South Africa (15 January 2009)

Cape Town, the second most populous city in South Africa, is the provincial capital and the legislative capital of South Africa. Cape Town is famous for its harbour as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such well known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Cape Town is Africa's most popular destination for tourism.

Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town was developed by the Dutch East India Company as a supply station for Dutch ships sailing to Eastern Africa, India and the Far East. Jan van Riebeeck's, the first European settler, arrived on 6 April 1652 and established the first permanent European settlement in South Africa. Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony. It is one of the best multicultural cities in the world and a major destination for immigrants and expatriates to South Africa.

Machu Picchu: The Lost City of the Incas

On July 24, 1911, Machu Picchu was brought to the attention of the world by American historian Hiram Bingham, a lecturer at Yale University. He undertook archaeological studies and completed a survey of the area and coined the name ‘The Lost City of the Incas’, which was the title of his first book.

Bingham was searching for the city of Vilcapampa, the last Inca refuge and spot of resistance during the Spanish conquest of Peru. After years of explorations around the zone, he was led to the citadel by Quechuas, the people who were living in Machu Picchu in the original Inca infrastructure. Bingham made several more trips and conducted excavations on the site through 1915.

Machu Picchu was declared a ‘Historical Sanctuary’ of Peru in 1971. It was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1983, describing it as "an absolute masterpiece of architecture and a unique testimony to the Inca civilization".

On July 7, 2007, Machu Picchu was voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The World Monuments Fund placed Machu Picchu on its 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world because of environmental degradation.

In January 2010 heavy rain caused flooding which damaged roads and railways leading to Machu Picchu trapping over 2,000 tourists and 2,000 locals. So Machu Picchu was temporarily closed.

On April 1, 2010 Machu Picchu has formally reopened. It is estimated that Peru had lost some $200m in revenue because of the closure, according to Peru's tourism minister. About 90% of Peru's tourist revenue comes from the Cuzco region, where Machu Picchu is situated.

Mulberry Street in Little Italy in 1900s

Photo: Mulberry Street in Little Italy in 1900s. Little Italy, a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, New York City, was once known for its large population of Italians. Now much of it has been engulfed by Chinatown as a large number of immigrants from China moved to Little Italy. Currently the section of Mulberry Street, between Broome and Canal Streets, is all that is left of the old Italian neighborhood. The street is lined with about two dozen Italian restaurants, which are popular with tourists. In 2010, Little Italy and Chinatown were listed together as a single historic district on the National Register of Historic Places, the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation.