Setenil de las Bodegas (Living Under a Rock), Spain

Setenil de las Bodegas is a town (pueblo) and municipality in the province of Cádiz, Spain, famous for its dwellings built into rock overhangs above the Río Guadalporcún. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 3,016 inhabitants.

This small town is located 157 kilometers (98 miles) northeast of Cádiz and 20,000km directly through the Earth from Auckland, New Zealand (its antipode) . It has a distinctive setting along a narrow river gorge. The town extends along the course of the Rio Trejo with some houses being built into the rock walls of the gorge itself, created by enlarging natural caves or overhangs and adding an external wall. Setenil has a reputation for its meat products, particularly chorizo sausage and cerdo (pork) from pigs bred in the surrounding hills. As well as meat, it has a reputation for producing fine pasteles (pastries), and its bars and restaurants are among the best in the region. Its outlying farms also provide Ronda and other local towns with much of their fruit and vegetables.

Believe it or not, people chose to settle here for practical reasons. The natural caves of Setenil turned out to be ideal living quarters because rather than needing to build entire houses to keep out the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter, all they needed to build was a facade. It is believed people have been living here since pre-historic times.

The town’s name ‘Setenil de las bodegas’ reflects its rich history; setenil, from the latin words septem nihil  “seven times no”, refers to the seven times the Catholic rulers tried to take back the territory from the Moors, the medieval arabian inhabitants who ruled much of Spain for several centuries. Only on the seventh attempt to conquer Setenil were the Catholics able to win the territory one of the last Muslim strongholds in Iberia. ‘Solid as a rock’ Setenil (unavoidable pun) later began using the cool areas under the rock to store all kinds of local produce in large storerooms, which is how the town earned the second part of the name, “bodegas“, meaning ‘warehouse’ in Spanish.

Most amazingly, one large overhang covers an entire block of white houses, providing shade and natural cooling during warm summers in southern Spain. Even more remarkable are homes built on top of the overhang, giving the town layers of houses separated by natural rock formation. On a walk through the town, the cliffs and homes work together so naturally, it is difficult to see whether the town formed around the boulders, and vice versa.

The Grotta Palazzese, Polignano a Mare BA, Italy

The Grotta Palazzese is a magical and enchanted place, a restaurant with a terrace created inside a natural cave. The Grotta Palazzese restaurant takes its name from the homonymous cave and from the place that was once also called "Grotta di Palazzo". It is an exclusive and atmospheric place, used for parties and banquets since 1700, as evidenced by a watercolor of 1783 by Jean Louis Desprez. The blue of the sea and the sky contrasts with the mysterious atmospheres of the natural cavities. The colors of the day make the beauty of the coastal landscape shine, while those of the evening, at sunset, create unforgettable nuances, in the charm and elegance of the restaurant lights.

Grotta Palazzese has always been an unmissable destination for those who love discovering enchanting places and looking for refined cuisine. Since 1700, travelers coming from Europe to Southern Italy stopped at this fascinating place whose beauty was reported in their chronicles. Since then, the charm has remained the same, with a touch of modernity that has made the Grotta Palazzese restaurant even more welcoming and exclusive. The Grotta Palazzese Restaurant is not only known for the beauty and the uniqueness of the rock in which it is set. In fact, the kitchen is perfect for all those who are looking for exclusivity and refinement. The dishes are always taken care of in every aspect, with the maximum attention to the quality of the ingredients and the harmony of the 'Visual Food'. They are based largely on foods belonging to the Apulian culinary tradition, with addition of aromas, spices and fragrances for a greater refinement of the dishes.

official website  - Grotta Palazzese

The Avenue of the Baobabs, Madagascar

The Avenue of the Baobabs or Alley of the Baobabs, is a prominent group of Grandidier's baobabs lining the dirt road between Morondava and Belon'i Tsiribihina in the Menabe region of western Madagascar. Its striking landscape draws travelers from around the world, making it one of the most visited locations in the region. It has been a center of local conservation efforts, and was granted temporary protected status in July 2007 by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests a step toward making it Madagascar's first natural monument. 

Along a 260 m (850 ft) stretch of the road is a grove of 20–25 Adansonia grandidieri baobabs. An additional 25 or so trees of this species are found growing over nearby rice paddies and meadows within 9.9 acres (4 ha) of land. The trees, which are endemic to Madagascar, are about 30 m (98 ft) in height. The baobab trees, known locally as renala, are up to 2,800 years old. They are a legacy of the dense tropical forests that once thrived on Madagascar. The trees did not originally tower in isolation over the sere landscape of scrub, but stood in dense forest. Over the years, as the country's population grew, the forests were cleared for agriculture, leaving only the baobab trees, which the locals preserved as much for their own sake as for their value as a food source and building material. 

 

 

 

The only way to reach the Avenue of the Baobabs from Morondova is by hiring a taxi in case if you’re not traveling a pre-arranged tour like most (all) of the tourists that will show up for sunset,But if you arrive there around 3 pm, you will have the entire place for yourself for a few hours.

The Avenue of the Baobabs has become such a popular tourist hotspot that the locals are now charging a small parking fee for your taxi (2000 Ariary) to be allowed to park there. You will also have to pay the parking fee at Baobab Amoureux. Another 7km and 30min on an even bumpier road further to the north-west are where the other famous Baobab site is located the famous Baobab Amoureux also called the Baobabs of love, the two Baobabs that are twisted together, is located. A taxi between Morondova and The Avenue of the Baobabs will cost you 50,000 Ariary for a return trip, with the driver waiting for you after the sunset. If you also want to visit the Baobab Amoureux, it will cost you an additional 20,000 Ariary. The 2,000 Ariary parking fee at both the sites are extra

The surface of the road is gravel and sand. The best time to visit Baobab Avenue is at sunset and sunrise when the colours of the trunks change and the long shadows of the trees are most pronounced. The avenue is considered to be one of the world’s most exciting roads. Some road sections may require a high clearance 4WD vehicle, driven by a driver experienced in 4WD drive techniques and being familiar with back country conditions. Ave of the Baobabs is photographer’s paradise and especially beautiful at sunset.

Sørvágsvatn Lake (Optical Illusion Lake), Kingdom of Denmark

Sørvágsvatn is the largest lake in the Faroe Islands. It is situated on the island of Vágar between the municipalities of Sørvágur and Vágar. Its area is 3.4 km2, more than three times the size of Fjallavatn, the second largest lake, also located on Vágar. 

 

 

The lake is located very close to the ocean, but its surface is about 40 meters above the level of sea. It is surrounded by a higher cliff which prevents it from emptying fully into the ocean, the waterfall Bøsdalafossur being the outlet. The greater height of the cliffs on either side of Bøsdalafossur can give the illusion from certain perspectives that the lake is higher above sea level than it is.

When viewed from afar, its seems that the lake is tilted towards the ocean, but only spills over in one small waterfall. This optical illusion also creates the impression that the reservoir is located hundreds of feet above sea level. In actuality, the elevation difference between the lake and the ocean is only about 40 meters, however, steep and significant elevation changes in the surrounding hills give the lake its seemingly impossible look. The lake is situated in a deep depression, and its towering headland on the 252 and 376 meters on the left and right sides.

There is also some controversy regarding the lake’s name since the people of Sørvágsvatn village take pride in naming the body of water after their home, while the citizens of some of the other nearby towns would rather call the lake, “Leitisvatn” since some of its waters intersect with their towns as well. Yet regardless of what the waters are called, the illusion they create is nothing less than nature pulling a big prank on all of us.

Kiragg Mountain, Sandnes Municipality in Rogaland County, Norway

Kjerag or Kiragg is a mountain in Sandnes municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The 1,110-metre (3,640 ft) tall mountain sits on the southern shore of Lysefjorden, just southwest of the village of Lysebotn. Its northern side is a massive cliff, plunging 984 meters (3,228 ft) almost straight down to fjord, a sight which attracts many visitors each year. Another tourist attraction, the Kjeragbolten, a 5-cubic-metre (180 cu ft) stone wedged between two rocks is located on the mountain. The Kjeragfossen waterfall plunges off the mountain down to the fjord. It is one of the tallest waterfalls in the world.

Kjerag is a popular hiking destination. Some go there because Preikestolen has become too crowded, some to jump onto Kjeragbolten and some BASE jumpers from all over the world go there to jump off the high cliffs. Kjerag is also a popular climbing destination, with many difficult routes going up its steep faces. 

The easiest ascent starts from the visitors center Øygardsstølen, with a 2.5-3-hour walk each way. From Stavanger, it is roughly a 2-hour drive (closed in winter season). One can also take the tourist ferry from Lauvvik to Lysebotn in summer. The best season for walking is considered late June to September depending on snow conditions. 

Kjerag has become a popular BASE jumping destination. Since 1994, when Stein Edvartsen made the first officially registered jump, until 2016, a total number of 48,668 jumps have been registered. During this time period there has been registered 131 accidents, of which 44 required the use of rescue helicopter and 10 cases where jumpers were rescued by other professional rescue climbers.