2491 FRANCE (Île-de-France) - Conciergerie and Pont au Change - part of Paris, Banks of the Seine (UNESCO WHS)

The Conciergerie is a former prison, located on the west of the Île de la Cité (Island of the City) presently mostly used for law courts. It was part of the Palais de la Cité, originally the site of a Merovingian palace, which was the seat of the Kings of France from the 10th to the 14th centuries. Charles V abandoned the palace in 1358, moving across the river to the Louvre. The palace continued to serve an administrative function and still included the chancellery and French Parliament.

2489 ANDORRA - The map of the country

The buffer zones situated between two great powers are constantly exposed to invasions and excesses of all kinds. Principality of Andorra, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France, is a rare and happy exception, its borders remaining unchanged since 1278, when the conflict between Count of Foix and the Bishop of La Seu d'Urgell was resolved by the signing of a pareage (pariatges), which provided that its sovereignty be shared between these two. And so it remained until today, with some brief interludes, the role of monarch being exercised jointly by the President of France and the Catholic Bishop of the Catalan city La Seu d'Urgell.

0428, 2488 GERMANY (Berlin) - Images of Berlin

2488 Berlin: 1. Siegessäule (Victory Column); 2. Art Deco stairs;
3. A view with new buildings; 4. Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate);
5. River Spree; 8. Reichstagsgebäude (Reichstag Building);

Posted on 24.12.2012, 25.04.2016
First documented in the 13th century, Berlin was the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1417-1701), the Kingdom of Prussia (1701-1918), the German Empire (1871-1918), the Weimar Republic (1919-1933) and the Third Reich (1933-1945). After WWII was divided into East Berlin (the capital of East Germany) and West Berlin (a West German exclave), and following the German reunification in 1990 it regained the status as the capital of Germany. In the 1920s it was the third largest municipality in the world, and now, with a population of 3.5 million people, is the second most populous city in the  European Union, after London.

0428 Berlin: 1. Konzerthaus Berlin; 2. Unter den Linden;
3. Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall); 4. Schloss Bellevue (Bellevue Palace);
5 Reichstagsgebäude (Reichstag Building); 6. A view with new buildings;
7. Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral); 8. Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate).

Because is situated in an area of low-lying marshy woodlands with a mainly flat topography, on both sides of the River Spree, which empties into the River Havel in its westernmost borough, around one third of the Berlin's area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes. Of course that the history has left the city with a highly eclectic array of architecture and buildings, its appearance today being predominantly shaped by the key role it played in Germany's history in the 20th century.

2487 ITALY (Veneto) - Venice and its Lagoon (UNESCO WHS)

2487 Venice: A bridge Over A Small Canal; Rialto Bridge;
Bridge of Sighs; St Mark's Square; St Mark's Basilica

Spread over 118 small islands, separated by canals and linked by bridges, in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline, between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers, Venice was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as a very important center of commerce (especially silk, grain, and spice) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century. This made Venice a wealthy city throughout most of its history.

2485 GERMANY / SWITZERLAND / AUSTRIA - The map of Lake Constance

Lake Constance (German: Bodensee) is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, in  Germany, Switzerland and Austria, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee (Upper Lake), the Untersee (Lower Lake), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine (Seerhein). The Rhine flows into it from the south, with its original course forming the Austro-Swiss frontier. Located at an altitude of 395m, it is 63km long, and at its widest point, nearly 14km.  The greatest depth is 252m.

1558, 2484 NETHERLANDS (Aruba) - Cunucu traditional houses

1558 A Cunuc traditional house in Aruba (1)

In Papiamento (the language derived from African and Portuguese languages, with some other influences, which is the most widely spoken language on ABC islands), Cunucu means "countryside" or "small plantation". In earlier days, the walls of the houses in Aruba were built from stone, without the use of mortar, the coral rocks being placed to a perfect fit. Often was used caliche, a crusty calcium substance found in the southeast hills of the island.

2484 A Cunuc traditional house in Aruba (2)

Slanting roofs allowed the heat to rise, while windows were kept small to keep in the cool. Although in nowadays concrete have replaced the older materials, the design has retained many basic elements found in the traditional houses, while adding other features such as windows which became longer though still narrow and comprised wooden louvers, introduction of patios and brightly tiled roofs as well as elaborate ornamentation for roofs , balconies and entrances.

1683, 2482, 2483 ROMANIA (Bihor) - Oradea

1683 Oradea in 2010's: 1. Holy Cross Monastery 2. The City Hall
3. The Theatre 4. Black Eagle Palace 5. Astoria.

Posted on 20.06.2015, 23.04.2016
Located in an area of transition from relief hills to the Pannonian plain, Oradea, the capital city of Crişana region, is one of the important centers of economic, social and cultural development in the western part of Romania, retaining these characteristics throughout history. Lying on the banks of Crişul Repede River, that divides the city into almost equal halves, it is the gateway to Central and Western Europe. While modern Oradea is first mentioned in 1113, under the Latin name Varadinum, the region was inhabited by Dacians and Celts long before.

2482 Oradea in 1980's: 1. The City Hall 2. View on Crişul Repede River
3. The bridge aver Crişul Repede River 4. Republica Square

After the conquest of Dacia, the Romans established a presence in the area. The city flourished both economically and culturally during the 13th century, when was built the Citadel of Oradea, destroyed and rebuilt several times over the course of following centuries. In 1474 the city was captured by the Turks after a protracted siege. Their mostly tolerant policies ensured that the city would become an ethnic mosaic of Romanians, Hungarians, Austrians, Slovaks, Hebrews, Ruthenians and Turks, causing Oradea to grow as an urban area starting with the 16th century.

2483 Oradea: The Theater

After the Ottoman invasion of Hungary, the city became a constant point of contention between the Principality of Transylvania, the Ottoman Empire, and the Habsburg Monarchy. Under the Habsburgs the city entered its golden age. The Viennese engineer Franz Anton Hillebrandt given the task of planning the city in the Baroque style and, starting with 1752, many of the city's current landmarks were constructed. At the end of WWI, Oradea became a part of the Kingdom of Romania. Ethnic tensions sometimes ran high in the area in the past but the different ethnic groups now live together in harmony.

2481 UNITED STATES (Colorado) - Georgetown Loop Railroad's steam locomotive No. 40 in Colorado Railroad Museum

The Colorado Railroad Museum is located at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado. It was established in 1959 to preserve a record of Colorado's flamboyant railroad era, particularly the state's pioneering narrow gauge mountain railroads. It has a large collection of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge rolling stock, and provides train rides on "Steam Up days". The museum building is a replica of an 1880s-style railroad depot.

2480 UNITED STATES (California) - Redondo Beach

Located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area, Redondo Beach is one of the three  Beach Cities which lie on the south end of the Santa Monica Bay west and south of downtown Los Angeles, north of the Palos Verdes Peninsula on the Pacific Ocean. The city's territory has an unusual shape including an area along the beach (South Redondo Beach) and another strip inland from Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach (North Redondo Beach).

2479 FRANCE (Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) - The church Sainte-Croix-Notre-Dame in La Charité-sur-Loire - part of Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France (UNESCO WHS)

In 1059, the powerful order of Cluny decided to build a priory in Seyr, an island in the Loire. The priory became the heart around which the town  La Charité-sur-Loire developed. The place was an easy crossing for the river Loire, with the wooden bridge the monks built and it soon became a major stop on the road to Santiago de Compostella, and an important part of the Clunisian network.

2478 ANGOLA - Flowers

2313, 2477 FRANCE (Brittany) - The Breton coast

2313 The Breton coast

Posted on 20.02.2016, 20.04.2016
Brittany is the largest French peninsula, bordered to the north by the English Channel, to the south by the Bay of Biscay and the waters located between the western coast and Ushant island form the Iroise Sea. It has over 2,860km of coastline, which represents a third of the total French coastline. The Breton coast is very indented, with many cliffs, rias and capes. The Gulf of Morbihan is a vast natural harbour with some forty islands that is almost a closed sea.

24tt Brittany

The variety of the rocky north Breton coast is reflected in the names of sections of this coast; the Jade Coast, the Emerald Coast, the Pink Granite coast, and the Wild Coast. But along with the rocks and cliffs, this coastline, like that of North Cornwall, offers a wealth of sandy coves and beaches. The south Breton coast is warmer and less rugged than the north, and in the department of Morbihan, the coast is characterised by fine sandy beaches.

2476 UNITED STATES (California) - Pirate Cove in Shoreline Village, Long Beach

Located in Long Beach, within walking distance of the Aquarium of the Pacific, across the harbor from the Queen Mary, Shoreline Village is a waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment center that overlooks Rainbow Harbor. Styled after a quaint Cape Cod fishing village, it is a family friendly destination by day that develops a sense of romance when night falls. It features an antique carousel, bike rentals to explore the coastline, watercraft rentals, harbor cruises, and unique shops. One of these is Pirates Cove, which offer a large selection of Pirate clothing, Pirate gifts, and souvenirs.

1690, 1793, 2475 ROMANIA (Constanţa) - Eforie

1690 Eforie Sud beach

Posted on 24.06.2015, 30.07.2015, 20.04.2016
Eforie is a town and a holiday resort on the Black Sea shore, located at about 14km south of  Constanţa. It was founded by the aristocrat Ion Movilă in 1899, when he erected a hotel named Băile Movilă (Movilă Spa). In 1928, the spa was renamed Carmen-Sylva, after the pen name of Queen Elisabeth of Romania. In 1950, after the establishment of the Communist regime, the name of the city was changed again to Vasile Roaită to honor a railway worker shot dead during the Griviţa Strike of 1933. In 1962, the city was renamed yet again to Eforie Sud.

1793 Eforie Sud

In 1966, the city of Eforie was created by merging Eforie Sud with the northern resort Eforie Nord. Formally, the city is composed of Eforie Sud, the administrative centre, and Eforie Nord, a dependent village. Many other hotels were built here over the years, most of them during the communist regime. In the south-west is Techirghiol Lake , known for the healing properties of the mud, so that the recreational tourism combines with the spa tourism. It is a quiet town with wide streets, with many villas and houses that provide tourists good comfort at reasonable prices.

2475 Eforie Nord beach in 1980s

Narrow beach is stretched over a length of 2km, at the feet of the seafront, that reaches the greatest height of all the romanian resorts (30m). All along the beach the entry into the sea is made smoothly, and the sand has a bigger granulation that that of Mamaia resort. The resort is a pleasant destination for both relaxation and treatment. Eforie Nord, the second size seacoast resort from Romania, is well-known for its treatments with natural factors existing here, which are available all year round. The wooded areas, that surround the resort, bring freshness and relaxation in Eforie Nord.

2474 SENEGAL - Saly Portudal

Located on the Petite Côte of Senegal, south of Dakar, on a sandy beach lined with coconut palm trees, Saly Portudal is in nowadays the top tourist destination in all of West Africa. It was originally a Portuguese trading post known as Porto de Ale, which became Portudal, and later Sali Portudal. The resort was created in 1984 on a previously unoccupied tract of land near the former trading post. Saly's economy relies almost entirely on tourism.

2473 SINGAPORE - Vanda 'Miss Joaquim', Singapore's national flower

Vanda 'Miss Joaquim', also known as the Singapore Orchid and the Princess Aloha Orchid, is Singapore's national flower. For its resilence and year round blooming quality, it was chosen on 15 April 1981 to represent Singapore's uniqueness and hybrid culture. Ashkhen Hovakimian (Agnes Joaquim) (1854-1899), a Singaporean woman of Armenian descent, bred this orchid, the world's first cultivated orchid hybrid.

2472 ITALY (Sicily) - The feast of Santa Rosalia in Palermo

Saint Rosalia (1130-1166), also called La Santuzza (The Little Saint), and in local dialect as Rusalia, is the patron saint of Palermo, and hers celebration, called the festino, is still held each year on July 15, and is a major social and religious event in the city. According to the legend, four centuries after her death, in 1624, Saint Rosalia appeared to a hunter during a great plague in order to make honor to her remains. Miraculously such relics, passing through the streets of Palermo, healed the people from the disease who followed in procession.

2471 UNITED STATES (New York) - The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt

The Springwood estate in Hyde Park was the birthplace, lifelong home, and burial place of  Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States. The estate was originally part of a land grant which covered the area between the Hudson River in the west and the border of Connecticut in the East, which was given to a group of nine businessmen from New York City by the English Crown in 1697.