3457 UNITED KINGDOM (Cayman Islands) - George Town

With a population of 40,200, George Town, situated on Grand Cayman, is not only the capital of the Cayman Islands, but also the largest city (by population) of all the British Overseas Territories, and a popular port for Caribbean cruise ships. This quaint town is host to a variety of activities – including luxurious glass-bottom boat tours, fascinating rum distillery tours, beautiful art galleries, top-notch shopping that includes duty free shops, delicious eateries and an historical museum.

3455 GERMANY (Hamburg) - Rickmer Rickmers

Rickmer Rickmers is a three masted barque permanently moored as a museum ship in Hamburg, near the Cap San Diego steamer, also a museum ship. After almost 90 years of sailing the seven seas, the ship was turned into a museum in 1983. Today, visitors can roam the decks, exploring the crew's and officers' quarters, the galley and even the engine room (this windjammer was powered by wind and, if required,  by steam and diesel engines). The hull is 97 meters long, 12.20 meters wide, the depth was 6 meters.

3401 SLOVENIA (Slovene Littoral) - The repairing of the wooden boats in the škver of Seča

 

In Seča (former Sveti Jernej - the Slovene name of Saint Bartholomew), a settlement not far from Piran,  at the end of Jernej's channel, the wooden boats are still renovated in škver. A škver (from Italian squero) is a small craft workshop or shipyard for the production, renovation and maintenance of exclusively small wooden vessels (up to 25 meters), in the traditional, manual manner. Škver was also named the most important accessory in the construction of each new wooden boat, a strong, flat beam rigidly fixed to the floor, which served as the base for the keel on which the entire boat was then built.

3309 UNITED STATES (Hawaii) - Pearl Harbour

Located on the island of Oahu, west of Honolulu, near the center of the Pacific Ocean, roughly 2,000 miles from the U.S. mainland and about 4,000 miles from Japan, Pearl Harbor is well known as the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941, that finally propelled the United States into WWII. Just before 8 a.m. on that Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, where they managed to destroy or damage 21 American naval vessels, including 8 battleships, and over 300 airplanes. 2,390 Americans died in the attack, and another 1,178 were wounded.

3307 GERMANY (Saxony) - Brühl's Terrace in Dresden

Brühl's Terrace is a historic architectural ensemble in Dresden, which stretches high above the shore of the river Elbe. Located north of the recently rebuilt Neumarkt Square and the Frauenkirche, is one of the favourite inner-city places for walking, people watching, and having a coffee. Its name is a reference to Count Heinrich von Brühl, Minister of Elector Frederick Augustus II, who from 1737 had a city palace built on the location. In 1747 the whole terrace was given to him by the Saxon elector as a gift for the innovative introduction of a betterment tax.

3296 UNITED STATES (New York) - MV John F. Kennedy in New York Harbor

In 1805, an 11 year-old boy from Staten Island named Cornelius Vanderbilt quit school to work full-time on his father's ferry. At 16, he started his own ferry business and in 1838 he took sole control of the main ferry service between Staten Island and Manhattan. By the end of the Civil War, he was known as the Commodore, the wealthiest American who had ever lived, controlling 10% of the entire nation's wealth. The Staten Island Ferry was then sold to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1884, and the City of New York assumed control of the ferry in 1905.

1824, 3181, 3262 THAILAND (Bangkok) - Wat Arun in Bangkok

1824 Wat Arun (1)

Posted on 15.08.2015, 28.10.2017, 23.11.2019
Wat Arun (Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan, "Temple of Dawn") is a Buddhist temple in  Bangkok Yai district of Bangkok, on the Thonburi west bank of the Chao Phraya River. The temple derives its name from the Hindu god Aruna, often personified as the radiations of the rising sun. Although the temple had existed since at least the 17th century, its distinctive prang (spires) were built in the early 19th century during the reign of King Rama II.

3181 Wat Arun (2)

A Buddhist temple (Wat Makok) had existed on this site since the time of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, which was renamed Wat Chaeng by King Taksin when he established his new capital of Thonburi, near the temple. It enshrined the Emerald Buddha before it was transferred to Wat Phra Kaew in 1785. The temple was located in grounds of the royal palace during Taksin's reign, then it was abandoned until Rama II, who restored it and extended the pagoda to 70m.

3262 Wat Arun (2)

The main feature of Wat Arun is its central prang (Khmer-style tower) which is encrusted with colourful porcelain. The corners are surrounded by four smaller satellite prang, decorated by seashells and bits of porcelain which had previously been used as ballast by boats coming from China. Construction of the five prang was started by King Rama II during 1809-1824 and completed by King Rama III (1824-1851). The central prang is topped with a seven-pronged trident, referred to by many sources as the "Trident of Shiva". Around the base of the prang are various figures of ancient Chinese soldiers and animals. Over the second terrace are four statues of the Hindu god Indra riding on Erawan.

3252 POLAND (Podlaskie) - The Augustów Canal (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

The Augustów Canal (Kanał Augustowski) is a cross-border canal built in the 19th century in the present-day Podlaskie Voivodeship of northeastern Poland and the Grodno Region of north-western Belarus (then the Augustów Voivodeship of the Kingdom of Poland). From the time it was first built, the canal was described by experts as a technological marvel, with numerous sluices contributing to its aesthetic appeal. The completed part of the canal remained an inland waterway of local significance until rendered obsolete by the regional railway network.

0711, 3228 FRANCE (Grand Est) - Strasbourg, Grande-Île and Neustadt (UNESCO WHS)

0711 Strasbourg - Little France; The covered bridges; Boating on the Ill 

Posted on 30.06.2013, 30.12.2017
Located on the Ill River, close to the border with Germany, actually historically German-speaking, as the entire Alsace, Strasbourg was built on the site of an ancient Celtic settlement (Argentorate), where Romans established a military outpost (Argentoratum). The town was occupied successively by Alemanni, Huns and Franks, and in the 9th century it was already known as Strazburg (the town at the crossing of roads). As major commercial centre, it came under control of the Holy Roman Empire in 923, in 1262 became an Imperial Free City, in 1681 was annexed by France, in 1871 by the German Empire, and after WWI reverted back of France.

3228 Strasbourg - Little France

Strasbourg's historic city centre, the Grande Île (Grand Island), surrounded by two arms of the River Ill, was designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1988, the first time such an honour was placed on an entire city centre. The cathedral, the four ancient churches and the Palais Rohan - former residence of the prince-bishops - form a district that is characteristic of a medieval town and illustrates town's evolution between 15th and 18th centuries, being simultaneously the eastward vector of the Gothic art movement.

3192 UNITED KINGDOM (England) - Mary Rose

Launched in 1511, during the reign of King Henry VIII, the Mary Rose was named after the King's younger sister, Mary Tudor (1496-1533), who was later briefly Queen of France. The rose was the emblem of the Tudors. She was a carrack-type warship, with high "castles" in the bow and stern with a low waist of open decking in the middle. The shape of the hull has a so-called tumblehome form and reflected the use of the ship as a platform for heavy guns.

3163 TAIWAN - Dadaocheng Wharf in Taipei

3163 Dadaocheng Wharf in Taipei at sunset

Located in Twatutia, Datong district, on the banks of the Tamsui River, near the No. 5 Water Gate, Dadaocheng was originally settled by Pingpu people that migrated there after a fierce fight with settlers in Mengjia (current day Wanhua District) from Tongan in Fujian Province. Over the years, it developed with shops and homes rising up along the river. After Tamsui Port opened, Dadaocheng became the main entrepot in Taipei under the administration of Liu Ming-chuan.

3161 UNITED KINGDOM (England) - HMS Victory

3161 Starboard side of H.M.S. Victory

HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, and one of the most famous warships ever launched. Ordered in 1758, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765, she was placed in active service after France joined the American War of Independence in 1778. Over time she served as Keppel's flagship at Ushant, Howe's flagship at Cape Spartel, and Jervis's flagship at Cape St Vincent, but she is best known for her role as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

3160 SWEDEN (Skåne) - Kristianstad

Located in Scania, the southernmost province of Sweden, on the river Helgeå (lit. "The Holy river"), Kristianstad has gone during the last 15 years from a garrison town to a developed commercial city, which today attract visitors in the summertime. Sweden's lowest point, at 2.41m below sea level, is located in Kristianstad. Because of this, parts of the city have to be protected from flooding by a system of levees and water pumps, but on other hand, the wetlands around the city are starting to be regarded as an asset, not least thanks to the creation of Kristianstads Vattenrike Biosphere Reserve, a Unesco biosphere reserve.

3140 FRANCE (Saint Barthélemy) - St Barths Bucket Regatta

3140 The yacht Parsifal III during St Barths Bucket Regatta 

Gustavia, the main town and capital of the island of Saint Barthélemy, is known as a haven for yachting, with many events being held there each year. One of the most important is St Barths Bucket Regatta, which is taking place every year over three days, usually in the month of March. It is open to cruising yachts whose length is 30.5m (100ft) or greater. The first regatta in St Barths itself was held in 1995 with four yachts; ten years later, 26 boats competed in the race, and in 2017 no less then 38.

1485, 3114 THAILAND (Bangkok) - The Royal Barge Chanting Ceremony

1485 The Royal Barge Narai Song Suban Ratchakan Thi Kao

Posted on 14.03.2015, 28.07.2017
The Royal Barge Procession is a ceremony of both religious and royal significance which has been taking place for nearly 700 years. It takes place rarely, typically coinciding with only the most significant cultural and religious events. For example, during the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, spanning over 60 years, the Procession has only occurred 16 times. It most likely began during the Ayutthaya period in the 14th century.

3114 The Royal Barge Suphannahong

Western visitors witnessed and wrote about the "immense procession with 200 boats" upon their arrival in Thailand in the 18th century. During the processions, the oarsmen were kept in rhythm by the beating of drums, with accompanying music. This traditional boat song was written by Prince Dhamma Dibes of the late Ayutthaya period. In 1767, Burma invaded Thailand, and captured the capital, Ayuttaya. Amid the destruction, hundreds of the barges were burned. General Taksin rallied the Thais and established the new capital at Thonburi.

3078 GERMANY (North Rhine-Westphalia) - Schwanentor Bridge in Duisburg

Located in the western part of the Ruhr Area, at the confluence of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers, Duisburg has the world's biggest inland harbor. Actually it is officially regarded as a seaport, because seagoing river vessels go to ports in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Until around 1000 AD, Duisburg was located on the banks of the Rhine, but after that, the river shifted its course westwards, and the town remained connected to the river only through a "dead" arm for the following 400 years. As a result, this previously important trading town declined into a small agricultural settlement.

0109, 3049 VIETNAM (Mekong Delta) - Floating markets in Cần Thơ

3049 Cái Răng floating market

Posted on 27.01.2012, 12.05.2017

With an estimated population of 1,121,000 as of 2004, Cần Thơ is the biggest city in the Mekong Delta,  being regarded as Western capital of Vietnam. Located on the south bank of the Hậu River, the bigger branch of the Mekong River, it has a reputation for being a welcoming place, where everybody is smiling and welcoming. Cần Thơ is famous also for its floating markets, where people sell and buy things on the river, and can be quite freely visited on board smaller boats.

0109 A floating market in Cần Thơ

Farmers from the region bring their goods, fruits and vegetables mainly, to the markets and sell them to local dealers. These dealers sell the products to shops in the neighboring towns and to wholesale dealers from the big towns. All big boats have a pole. Each wholesaler hangs the goods he buys/sells on this pole. On the floating markets you don't find only people buying and selling goods, but also floating restaurants, floating bars, floating gas stations, and many other floating shops.

2983 ITALY (Veneto) - Venetian Arsenal - part of Venice and its Lagoon (UNESCO WHS)

2983 View of the Entrance to the Arsenal by Canaletto, 1732.

The Venetian Arsenal is a complex of former shipyards and armories clustered together in the city of Venice. Owned by the state, the Arsenal was responsible for the bulk of the Venetian republic's naval power during the middle part of the second millennium AD. It was "one of the earliest large-scale industrial enterprises in history". Its construction began around 1104, and became the largest industrial complex in Europe before the Industrial Revolution, spanning about fifteen percent of Venice. It is located in the Castello district of Venice, and it is now owned by the state.

2942 UNITED STATES (Alaska) - "Try Again" wreck boat in Homer

Located on the shore of Kachemak Bay on the southwest side of the Kenai Peninsula, and long known as The "Halibut Fishing Capital of the World", Homer is a little city with 2,235 households, where live 1,296 families (2010). In the picture is the wreck of the boat "Try Again", surprised in 1980's.

2823 UNITED KINGDOM (Scotland) - The map of Pabay Island

Pabay is an island in the Inner Sound of Skye, the largest and most northerly major island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It lies south of Longay and east of the larger Scalpay. The island is formed of fossil-containing limestone, and forms a flat plateau with cliffs on the North and East shores. The surrounding low reefs encroach on its shores and double the area at low water. Pabay was inhabited in the 19th century, but now it has a single house and is only accessible by boat or helicopter. It issues its own postage stamps.