Preikestolen, Municipality of Strand in Rogaland County, Norway

Preikestolen or Prekestolen  is a tourist attraction in the municipality of Strand in Rogaland county, Norway. Preikestolen is a steep cliff which rises 604 metres (1,982 ft) above the Lysefjorden. Atop the cliff, there is an almost flat top of approximately 25 by 25 metres (82 ft × 82 ft). Preikestolen is located near the Western part of the fjord, and on its North side.

Tourism at the site has been increasing in the early 21st century, with between 150,000 and 200,000 visitors in 2012 making it one of the most visited natural tourist attractions in Norway. BASE jumpers often leap from the cliff. Due to its increased popularity, there is currently a project under way to improve the most used path to the site - a 3.8-kilometre (2.4 mi) long hike. 

he old local name of the site is Hyvlatonnå . The name Prekestolen (without the i) was coined around the year 1900 when the local tourist organisation, Stavanger Turistforening wanted to promote the site for trekking. The "i" was added later to concord with Nynorsk, the official local form of Norwegian, and the site is now known both locally and officially as "Preikestolen." 

 

Preikestolen is located in the southern part of the Ryfylke district in Rogaland county in Western Norway. The city of Stavanger, the fourth largest in Norway, with a number of direct flights between European cities, is located 25 kilometres (16 mi) from the site, and the parking facility for Preikestolen is located about one hour from Stavanger by ferry and car.  Access to Preikestolen from Stavanger is via the Norwegian National Road 13 (Rv13) and the ferry from Tau. From the south, access is by the Rv13 through Sandnes via the ferry from Lauvvika to Oanes. The road is usually open and the ferries running year-round. However, due to snow, it is not always possible to do the hike to the top in the winter.

The road to the site ends in the municipality of Strand, just south of the town of Jørpeland at a parking facility at the Preikestolen Fjellstue, with a trail extending from the parking facility to the site. A round-trip hike to Preikestolen from the closest car park takes about 3–4 hours for someone of average fitness.

The walk to Preikestolen is very steep in places. The path starts at the Preikestolhytta, at an elevation of approximately 270 metres (890 ft) above sea level, and climbs to 604 metres (1,982 ft). The walk takes 2–3 hours depending on traffic along the trail, experience, and fitness level. Even though the elevation differential is only 334 metres (1,096 ft) and the walk is not particularly long, about 3.8 kilometres (2.4 mi) each way, the total elevation gain and loss over the course of the hike is more than one might initially expect, as the path climbs and descends various ridges. The walk is more difficult in winter and spring when there is snow and ice.

 

Alternative access is available via a path from Bratteli - a stop for the tourist ferry from Lauvvik to Lysebotn that passes beneath the Pulpit Rock. This walk is more demanding, and takes 4–5 hours each An alternative is to sail through the Lysefjorden, with trips running year-round. Outside of summer, the weather may be wet and cold, and butts may obstruct views of the cliff. The ship stops at several small docks on the way in and out, including a layover at the end of the Lysefjorden at the village of Lysebotn In early April 2013, a project started to improve the path up to Preikestolen as the old one was so small that it often caused "delays", and at some points on the path it was sometimes impossible to get through. By August 2014, the path was completed. Access to the plateau was improved, and traffic on the way up and down is now much less delayed because of bottlenecks.The cliff overlooks the valleys of the Ryfylke region. The mountains surrounding the cliff reach heights of up to 843 metres (2,766 ft). Some of the hilltops have plains which are interspersed with lakes. Nearby, close to the end of the Lysefjord, is the 1,110-metre (3,640 ft) tall mountain Kjerag which is also a hiking destination. Some tourists elect to forego trips to Preikestolen and go to Kjerag instead.

 In popular culture

• A granitesculpture of the cliff was erected in the town Langeskov in Denmark to commemorate its twin town of Forsand.
• In the final scene of the final episode of the second season of Vikings the main character, Ragnar Lothbrok, is seen sitting atop Preikestolen.
• Compressed air from Lysefjorden/Preikestolen is being sold in cans, mostly to China.
• The final fight scene (from 2h:10m to 2h:15m) in Mission: Impossible - Fallout features Tom Cruise climbing the face of the cliff at Preikestolen, although in the movie, it's supposed to be in India in then Kashmir now Laddakh union territory.
• A song Amali Thumali from a movie KO Tamil movie (2011) was shot in Preikestolen. After this song, this place became popular among the South Indian people for tourism.
• A set was played on top of the cliff by Einmusik b2b Jonas Saalbach for Cercle.

BheemKund (The Mystery of Water Kund), Bajna Village, Madhya Pradesh, Indua

Bhimkund (also known as Neelkund) is a natural water tank and a holy place in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located near Bajna village in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh. It is 77 km away from Chhatarpur by road in the Bundelkhand region. Bhimkund is a natural water source and a holy place that purportedly dates from the era of the Mahabharata. The water of the kund (tank) is so clean and transparent that one can clearly see fish swimming in the water. The kund lies in a cave, about 3 meters from the mouth. To the left of the entrance is a small Shivalinga. The pool is a deep indigo blue which contrasts with the red stone walls.

A story from the Mahabharata links Bhimkund with the Pandavas. Weary under the scorching Surya, Draupadi fainted of thirst. Bhim, the strongest of the five brothers, hit the ground with his gada water surged out and the pool came into being. The kund lies in an underground cave and is about 30m from the mouth. To the left of the entrance is a small Shivalinga. But what’s truly astounding here is that the roof of the cave has a small opening just above the Kund as this is the spot Bhim is said to have hit with his Gada. Another legend has it that the Vedic sage Narada performed the Gandharva Gaanam (celestial song) in praise of Lord Vishnu. Pleased with his devotion, Vishnu emerged from the kund and the water turned blue because of Vishnu’s dark complexion. The pool is also known as Neel Kund (blue pool) and Narada Kund (Narada's Pool). 

 

One of the most amazing fact is associated along with this place that Bheemkund is also an indicator of upcoming natural calamities, as examined by the locals. The water level in the Bheemkund rises above upto 15 meters of measure, and this indicates there is a natural calamity about to occur. At the time of Tsunami in 2004, the water level here rose by 15 feet and same is the case at the time of Nepal or other earthquakes.

There is saying that depth of BheemKund is limitless/endless and till date no one is able to find the actual depth of BheemKund. And this has been proved literally. The archaeologists and the excavators have their best to measure the limits of this Kund but none have succeeded. Few years ago a team from “Discovery channel” visited BheemKund and tried to calculate the depth of Kund but unable to do so. Except for weird creatures and species under water. It was also found that the source of water connected to this Kund has been not found till date.

By Rail – There is no railway station near Bajna village in less than 10 kms. However Bina Junction is the major railway station at a distance of 137 kms connected to all major zones.
By Air – Khajuraho Airport is the nearest to Bheemkund at a distance of 92 kms.

By Road – Take a taxi from Khajuraho or Chattarpur town to reach Bheemkund, The distance from Khajuraho to Bheemkund via road is 92 kms. and from Chattarpur town is 77 kms. Taxis are easily available from these places.

The Koh-i-Noor (World Largest Diamond), London

The Koh-i-Noor also spelt Kohinoor and Koh-i-Nur, is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing 105.6 carats (21.12 g). It is part of the British Crown Jewels.

Probably mined in Kollur Mine, India, during the period of the Delhi Sultanate, there is no record of its original weight – but the earliest well-attested weight is 186 old carats (191 metric carats or 38.2 g). The diamond was part of the MughalPeacock Throne. It changed hands between various factions in south and west Asia, until being ceded to Queen Victoria after the British annexation of the Punjab in 1849.

Originally, the stone was of a similar cut to other Mughal-era diamonds, like the Darya-i-Noor, which are now in the Iranian Crown Jewels. In 1851, it went on display at the Great Exhibition in London, but the lacklustre cut failed to impress viewers. Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, ordered it to be re-cut as an oval brilliant by Coster Diamonds. By modern standards, the culet (point at the bottom of a gemstone) is unusually broad, giving the impression of a black hole when the stone is viewed head-on; it is nevertheless regarded by gemologists as "full of life".

Because its history involves a great deal of fighting between men, the Koh-i-Noor acquired a reputation within the British royal family for bringing bad luck to any man who wears it. Since arriving in the UK, it has only been worn by female members of the family. Victoria wore the stone in a brooch and a circlet. After she died in 1901, it was set in the Crown of Queen Alexandra, wife of Edward VII. It was transferred to the Crown of Queen Mary in 1911, and finally to the Crown of Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother) in 1937 for her coronation as Queen consort.

Today, the diamond is on public display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London, where it is seen by millions of visitors each year. The governments of India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan have all claimed rightful ownership of the Koh-i-Noor and demanded its return ever since India gained independence from the UK in 1947. The British government insists the gem was obtained legally under the terms of the Last Treaty of Lahore and has rejected the claims. 

The diamond may have been mined from Kollur Mine, a series of 4-metre (13 ft) deep gravel-clay pits on the banks of Krishna River in the Golconda (present-day Andhra Pradesh), India. It is impossible to know exactly when or where it was found, and many unverifiable theories exist as to its original owner.

The Koh-i-Noor made its first appearance in popular culture in The Moonstone (1868), a 19th-century British epistolary novel by Wilkie Collins, generally considered to be the first full length detective novel in the English language. In his preface to the first edition of the book, Collins says that he based his eponymous "Moonstone" on the histories of two stones: the Orlov, a 189.62-carat (37.9 g) diamond in the Russian Imperial Sceptre, and the Koh-i-Noor. In the 1966 Penguin Books edition of The Moonstone, J. I. M. Stewart states that Collins used G. C. King's The Natural History, Ancient and Modern, of Precious Stones … (1865) to research the history of the Koh-i-Noor.

The Koh-i-Noor also features in Agatha Christie's 1925 novel The Secret of Chimneys where it is hidden somewhere inside a large country house and is discovered at the end of the novel. The diamond had been stolen from the Tower of London by a Parisian gang leader who replaced it with a replica stone.

For More Information- Koh-i-Noor

Pinner Qing Dynasty Vase, Most Expensive Vases in the World!

Pinner Qing Dynasty Vase is an elegant Chinese vase featuring gold banding and a fish motif, the Pinner vase bears the imperial seal and thus is thought to have originated from the imperial kilns of the Qing dynasty, made for the Chinese emperor Qianlong between 1736 and 1795. The vase dated from the period of the emperor Qianlong, who reigned from 1735 to 1796, at the height of the Qing dynasty. 

A golden vase featuring fish and flower motifs, the Pinner Qing Dynasty Vase is widely praised for its purity and beauty. Pinner Qing Dynasty Vase has conquered our list of the most expensive antiques in the world. Painted sky blue and imperial yellow and adorned with medallions depicting leaping goldfish, the 16-inch vase dates from the Qing dynasty, a time when Chinese porcelain-making was at its pinnacle. Made for the personal collection of Emperor Qianlong and bearing the imperial seal, experts said it was an exceptional piece. This exquisite Qing Dynasty vase was strangely discovered in Pinner, London, England and is a mystery how it got there all the way from China.

 

 

It was just an old Chinese vase that had been tucked away unnoticed for years when the woman found it while clearing out her late sister’s modest suburban London home. When the intricately painted 18th-century piece went on the block at Bainbridges, a small suburban auction house, it sold for a record $83 million. 

Sun City (The Luxury Resort and Casino), North West Province, South Afric

Sun City or Lost City is a luxury resort and casino, situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It is located between the Elands River and the Pilanesberg, about 140 km northwest of Johannesburg, near the city of Rustenburg. The complex borders the Pilanesberg Game Reserve.

 

Sun City was developed by the hotel magnate Sol Kerzner as part of his Sun International group of properties. It was officially opened on 7 December 1979, then located in the Bantustan of Bophuthatswana. As Bophuthatswana had been declared an independent state by South Africa's apartheid government (although unrecognised as such by any other country), it could provide entertainment such as gambling and topless revue shows, which were banned in South Africa. Those factors, as well as its relatively-close location to the large metropolitan areas of Pretoria and Johannesburg, ensured that Sun City soon became a popular holiday and weekend destination.

The United Nations had imposed a cultural boycott on South Africa in condemnation of apartheid. To overcome this, Kerzner offered substantial financial incentives to performing artists to use Sun City as a venue. Several acts disregarded the boycott and performed at the venue, such as the Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Cher, Millie Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra (1981), Paul Anka, Status Quo, Rod Stewart (July 1983), and Elton John (October 1983).

British rock band Queen's series of performances at the venue in October 1984 in transgression of the boycott caused considerable controversy, prompting criticism in the British music press, a fine from the Musicians' Union, and Queen's inclusion on the United Nations' blacklisted artists. Following the criticism, Queen defended their decision, citing the fact that they had insisted they played only to desegregated audiences. They also donated to a school for the deaf and blind.

On 25 October 1980, Sun City's "Superbowl" hosted a racially mixed world heavyweight boxing championship fight between champion American Mike Weaver and challenger South African Gerrie Coetzee. It was won by Weaver by thirteenth-round knockout. The fight was for Weaver's World Boxing Association world heavyweight title.

In 1985, E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt made the venue the focus of his music-industry activist group Artists United Against Apartheid. Forty-nine top recording artists collaborated on a song called "Sun City", in which they pledged they would not perform at the resort because of their opposition to apartheid. Additionally, Simple Minds included the song as part of a live medley on their Live in the City of Light double album in 1987. 

 

Sun City has continued since Bophutatswana was re-incorporated in the new South Africa in 1994.

The resort has four hotels:

• Soho Hotel (Formerly known as Sun City Hotel or The Main Hotel)
• Cascades Hotel
• The Cabanas;
• The Palace of the Lost City.

Sun City has the Vacation Club which is a hotel but also sold in a timeshare scheme. Sun City also has two international-standard 18-hole golf courses, the Gary Player Country Club and the Lost City Golf Course, both designed by Gary Player. The Gary Player Country Club is home to the Nedbank Golf Challenge (formerly the Nedbank Million Dollar Golf Challenge) that is held annually.

The Sun City resort has hosted various concerts and events, including the Miss South Africa and Miss South Africa Teen Pageant. These pageants take place annually in Sun City's Super Bowl Arena and the Valley of Waves. It also hosted Miss World pageant five times, from 1992–1995 and 2001. The resort was also the site of the Sun City Agreement.

In 2001, Sun City was the site of the 2nd IIFA Awards. Held at the Superbowl Arena, it honoured both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood, for that year. Also on that year on 19 May, Irish vocal pop band Westlife held a concert for their Where Dreams Come True Tour supporting their album Coast to Coast.

In 2014, the movie Blended, with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, premiered on the premises after being filmed mostly at the resort. 

 

Today the resort lies in a tranquil basin of an extinct volcano in the Pilanesberg adjacent to South Africa's rich platinum belt. It boasts four hotels, an award-winning golf course and many other attractions for tourists of every ilk.

 

Main Attraction:

• The Gary Player Golf Course and the Lost City Golf Course, both designed by South African golfing legend Gary Player, are both internationally acclaimed courses. The Gary Player Golf Course is renowned for hosting the annual Million Dollar Nedbank Golf Challenge, whilst the scenic Lost City Golf Course is better known for the almost 40 crocodiles that frequent the 13th hole.

• The Sun City Resort is at the height of gaming entertainment in South Africa, offering an impressive range of slots and more than forty table games. It also caters for those who don’t prefer gambling, with various bars and restaurants. The children can also visit the gaming arcade or go for a movie while you play.

• A man-made beach, complete with a 6500 m² wave pool with a 2m wave every ninety seconds, will give you the impression that you are actually on holiday on the sunny coastline of South Africa, not in the remote North West. It is only one of the great attractions available for both children and adults set in the Valley of the Waves, which also includes slides, rides and a food court. 

Their are many other attraction to explore in Sun City.

 For More Information  - Sun City