Giethoorn Village (Village With No Roads), Province Of Overijssel, Netherlands

Giethoornis a town in the province of Overijssel, Netherlands with a population of 2,620. As a popular Dutch tourist destination both within Netherlands and abroad, Giethoorn is often referred to as "Dutch Venice" or the "Venice of the Netherlands". Giethoorn used to be a pedestrian precinct, but nowadays exceptions are made. It became locally famous, especially after 1958, when the Dutch film maker Bert Haanstra made his famous comedy Fanfare there. In the old part of the village, there were no roads, and all transport was done by water over one of the many canals. The lakes in Giethoorn were formed by peat unearthing. Giethoorn was a separate municipality until 1973, when it became part of Brederwiede, which lost its municipality status in 2001 to merge with Steenwijk.

The village’s name harkens back to the 13th century. The story goes that its original farmer-settlers discovered a collection of horns belonging to wild goats thought to have died in the Flood of 1170. “Goat horn,” or “Geytenhoren,” was shortened to Giethoorn, and the name stuck. Centuries post-flood, water continues to define the village's living history and landscape.

Giethoorn is a tiny Dutch village of Giethoorn, the tranquility is almost dreamlike. That is, until you remember why it's so quiet there are no cars. In fact, there’s no way for cars to get around, because there are no roads. Locals and visitors to Giethoorn navigate in whisper-quiet ways: by bike, boat, or foot. In this hamlet a collection of small peat islands connected by bridges there's not much to do except slip into solitude among thatched-roof farmhouses and footbridges crossing the maze of canals.

Tourism has an influence on the old traditional town. The village, still only fully accessible by boat, is one of several places commonly known as the Venice of the North or Venice of the Netherlands. Giethoorn has over 150 bridges. Giethoorn is a very popular attraction among Chinese tourists. In nearby De Weerribben-Wieden National Park, wildlife enthusiasts hike wetlands and reed beds home to otters, black terns, great cormorants, and egrets. You can traverse by waterway on rowboats and canoes, of course, or by the many hiking paths. Without motor noise pollution, the sounds of nature bring the scenery to life for all the senses.

You can get to Giethoorn by a combination of train and bus. To avoid crowds, opt for the months of April, May, June, or September, and keep in mind that weekday visits may be best. Though this “Dutch Venice” feels quite removed from capital city of Amsterdam, it's only about 75 miles away. And a two-hour journey is well worth the feeling of traveling back in time

Hidimba Devi Temple, Manāli, Himachal Pradesh,India

Hidimba Devi Temple, locally known as Dhungari Temple, also known variously as the Hadimba Temple, is located in Manāli, a hill station in the State of Himāchal Pradesh in north India. It is an ancient cave temple dedicated to Hidimbi Devi, wife of Bhima, a figure in the Indian epic Mahābhārata. The temple is surrounded by a cedar forest called Dhungiri Van Vihar at the foot of the Himālayas. The sanctuary is built over a huge rock jutting out of the ground which was worshiped as an image of the deity. The structure was built in 1553 by Maharaja Bahadur Singh.
 

The Hidimba Devi temple was built in 1553 AD by Maharaja Bahadur Singh. The temple is built around a cave where Devi Hidimba performed meditation. Hidimbi was supposed to have lived there with her brother Hidimb, and not much is known about their parents. Born into a Rakshasa family, Hidimba vowed to marry one who would defeat her brother Hidimb, who was supposed to be very brave and fearless. During the Pandava's exile, when they visited Manali; Bhima, one of the five Pandavas, killed Hidimb. Thereafter, Hidimba married Bhima and gave birth to their son Ghatotkacha.

 

People in Manali worship Hidimba Devi as a deity. During Navaratri all Hindus across the nation worship goddess Durga, but people in Manali worship Hidimba Devi. Queues of people can be seen outside the temple, but the crowd increases during Navaratri.

The Hidimba Devi Temple has intricately carved wooden doors and a 24 meters tall wooden "shikhar" or tower above the sanctuary. The tower consists of three square roofs covered with timber tiles and a fourth brass cone-shaped roof at the top. The earth goddess Durga forms the theme of the main door carvings. Also depicted are animals, foliate designs, dancers, scenes from Lord Krishna’s life and Navagrahas. The temple base is made out of whitewashed, mud-covered stonework. An enormous rock occupies the inside of the temple, only a 7.5 cm (3 inch) tall brass image representing goddess Hidimba Devi. A rope hangs down in front of the rock, and according to a legend, in bygone days religious zealots would tie the hands of "sinners" by the rope and then swing them against the rock. About seventy metres away from the temple, there is a shrine dedicated to Goddess Hidimba's son, Ghatotkacha, who was born after she married Bhima. The most surprising feature of the temple or what believers could call the most reassuring feature of the temple is the fact that inside the temple the imprint of the feet of the Goddess carved on a block of stone is worshipped.

The Indian epic Mahabharata narrates that the Pāndavas stayed in Himachal during their exile. In Manali, the strongest person there, named Hidimb and brother of Hidimba, attacked them, and in fight Bhima, strongest amongst the Pandavas, killed him. Bhima and Hidimb's sister, Hidimbi, then got married and had a son, Ghatotkacha,. When Bhima and his brothers returned from exile, Hidimbi did not accompany him, but stayed back and did tapasyā (a combination of meditation, prayer, and penance) so as to eventually attain the status of a goddess.

Golden Bridge (The Hand Of God), Danang City, Vietnam

The Golden Bridge is a 150-metre-long (490 ft) pedestrian bridge in the Bà Nà Hills resort, near Da Nang, Vietnam. It is designed to connect the cable car station with the gardens and to provide a scenic overlook and tourist attraction. The bridge loops nearly back around to itself, and has two giant stone hands designed to appear to support the structure. The client for the project was the Sun Group. The bridge was designed by TA Landscape Architecture based in Ho Chi Minh City. The company's founder, Vu Viet Anh, was the project's principal designer, with Tran Quang Hung as the bridge designer and Nguyen Quang Huu Tuan as the bridge's design manager. Construction began in July 2017 and was completed in April 2018. The bridge opened in June 2018.

 

The Golden Bridge Danang has been built at over 1400 meters above sea level and divided into eight spans, of which the longest span was 21.2 meters. As a walking bridge, the Danang Golden Bridge possesses a 3-meter spherical surface with a spherical timber material of 5 cm thick that allows you to play and dance. The special name of the bridge has been derived from its guardrails painted in shimmering gold. Golden Bridge Danang is a footbridge that seems to be lifted by two huge hands of god. It is firmly made from two giant mossy stones which have been shaped as hands. This abstract design makes the bridge match the theme of the scenery around. Furthermore, thanks to its great height, Danang Golden Bridge is like a silk crossing the sky to help to touch the flying clouds. Located amid the picturesque backdrop of Sunworld Ba Na Hills Danang, the Golden Hand Bridge Danang evokes a sense of walking down the mesmerizing way of paradise. No matter how people imagine about this bridge, it is undeniable that Golden Bridge is one of the most spectacula rand magnificent sites to visit in Vietnam.

Golden Bridge was first used as a special runway for London’s prestigious fashion show to introduce a new collection of A Sai Ta, a Vietnamese-Chinese designer, who was chosen as top 100 people having a big impact on Indochinese culture.