Christ the Redeemer

Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world. It is 39.6 meters (130 ft) tall, including its 9.5 meters (31 ft) pedestal, and 30 meters (98 ft) wide. It weighs 635 tones (625 long,

700 short tons), and is located at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city. A symbol of Brazilian Christianity, the statue has become a picture for Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, and was constructed between 1922 and 1931

Angkor Wat

This is very old city in Cambodia was the center of the Khmer empire that once ruled most of Southeast Asia. This empire went extinct, but not before building amazing temples and buildings that were regimented by the jungle for hundreds of years. Though Angkor Wat is packed with tourists, it’s still breathtaking to see. And the temple regions to the north and south see far fewer tourists than the main temple group. Though admittedly, some of them are simply piles of stone rubble now.

The best time to visit is early in the morning before the tour groups arrive and stay late. The most popular temples are Angkor Wat, Bayon, Ta Phrom, and Angkor Thom and they always have crowds. In order to really know-how the temples, you’ll need to purchase the three- or five-day pass.

I didn’t make it to Angkor Wat this trip but I was there in 2008. I had hoped to go back – not because the ruins are different, or because I wanted to deal with the larger crowds. No, I just wanted to take pictures with a better camera. But since I didn’t get do that, I still wanted to show you the wonders and beauty that is Angkor Wat. Fortunately, photos of it are timeless, even if the lenses that take them change. The ruins don’t change. Even though these photos won’t win any awards, they’ll give you a sense at how incredible and breathtaking the place is. Enjoy!

Acropolis

Acropolis means “elevated city” in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel. For purposes of defense, early people naturally choose eminent ground to build a new settlement, normally a hill with precipitous sides.

In many parts of the world, these early citadels became the nuclei of big cities, which grew up on the surrounding lower ground, such as modern Rome.The word acropolis, although Greek in origin and associated mainly with the Greek cities Athens, Argos, Thebes, and Corinth (with its Acrocorinth), may be applied generally to all such citadels, including Rome, Jerusalem, Celtic Bratislava, many in Asia Minor, or even Castle Rock in Edinburgh. An example in Ireland is the Rock of Castle.