Times Square in New York

Times Square in New York, USA 

One of the most iconic attractions in the world, Times Square has become a symbol of the bustling city and thriving culture of New York. Named for the newspaper The New York Timesafter it moved its headquarters to the square in 1904, Times Square is now a major entertainment center, home to television studios, businesses, and hundreds of bright flashing billboards.

Times Square is the most visited tourist attraction in the world, with about 40 million annual visitors. Every year since 1907, hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Times Square on New Years Eve to watch the crystal ball drop at the strike of midnight, ushering in the new year. Today, millions of people flock to the square, and many more watch the celebrations on the annual New Year’s Eve television special.

Museum Island at Berlin, Germany

The Bode Museum in Museum Island at Berlin, Germany

The concept of the Museum Island is based on plans from the German architect, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, and established during the Age of Enlightenment. The 5 major museums are part of Berlin State Museums, and include:

Altes Museum

Neues Museum

Alte Nationalgalerie

Bode Museum

Pergamon Museum

Altes Museum, meaning Old Museum, was built from 1824 to 1828 and is the oldest museum on the island. Altes Museum houses Greek and Roman art, and the top floor holds exhibitions. Neues Museum, meaning New Museum, was built from 1843 to 1847, but was destroyed in WWII, rebuilt and reopened in 2009. Neues Museum houses archaeological artifacts, and Egyptian and Etruscan sculptures – notably a bust of Queen Nefertiti. Alte Nationalgalerie, meaning Old National Gallery, was built beginning in 1866 and houses art from the 19th century. Construction on the Bode Museum began in 1897. It opened in 1904, and had been called Kaiser-Friedrich Museum. Bode Museum exhibits sculptures and late Antique and Byzantine art, with paintings dating up to 1800. The Pergamon Museum is a museum of ancient architecture. It was constructed from 1909 to 1930 and includes reconstructions of the Pergamon Altar (Greek altar) and the Ishtar Gate of Babylon. The museums have varying designs, each one’s architecture is designed to reflect the works it houses.

The Excelsior Geyser

Excelsior Geyser – The Largest Geyser in the World

Located in Yellowstone’s Midway Geyser Basin, Excelsior Geyser is the largest geyser in the world. The geyser is largely dormant these days. The last major eruptions of the geyser were in the 1880s, when the water would reach a height of up to 300 feet. The stunning display of natural splendor gave Excelsior Geyser its fame. According to geologists, the ferocity of the eruptions in the 19th century may have damaged the ground formations resulting in gas leaks,and resulting causing the geyser to die out. The Excelsior Geyser erupted again 1985 for about two days, but the foamy spurts managed to reach a height of only about 20 and 80 feet. The hot spring remains and is reputed to be rich in natural minerals and have healing properties.

The spring currently discharges over 4050 gallons of water in each minute. The serene blue expanse of the spring now remains one of the best-loved attractions of the Yellowstone National Park. The water discharged by the Excelsior Geyser flows directly into the Firehole River. It is believed that when the geyser was active the waters in the Firehole River would be scalding and horses would refuse to cross the river. The Midway Geyser Basin is a collection of huge springs. It forms part of the Lower Geyser Basin. Rudyard Kipling, who visited Yellowstone in 1889, referred to the basin as “Hell’s Half Acre”.  The basin is still referred to by that name. The Yellowstone National Park spans over 2,219,791 acres and recorded a footfall of over 3,394,326 visitors in 2012. It is one of the top attractions of the west American state of Wyoming.