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  • Drums hang from the ceiling at Tsamkhang Monastery (which practices Tibetan Buddhist religion), in Khunde village (12,600 feet / 3840 meters), in Sagarmatha National Park, in the Himalaya of eastern Nepal. Sagarmatha National Park was created in 1976 and honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
    07NEP-4697_Tsamkhang-Monastery-Khund...jpg
  • Tsamkhang Monastery (Tibetan Buddhist religion), in Khunde village (12,600 feet / 3840 meters), in Sagarmatha National Park, in the Himalaya of eastern Nepal. Sagarmatha National Park was created in 1976 and honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
    07NEP-4698_Tsamkhang-Monastery-Khund...jpg
  • The Russian Orthodox Church in the town of Ninilchik was redesigned and constructed in 1901 in Alaska, USA. Notice that the Russian Orthodox Cross has two extra arms: the top arm represents the inscribed acronyms [ INRI in Latin,  in Greek, and a Hebrew version, meaning "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews" ], and the angled bottom arm is his footrest. Russian Orthodox religion was born in Kiev in the "land of the Rus" in 988 AD as a branch of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. After Russian discovery of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands in 1741, Russian fur traders taught Christianity to Alaskan Natives. The first eight Russian Orthodox missionaries came to Kodiak Island, Alaska (Russian America) in 1794. The religion spread amongst Alaskans, and the monks mission was made a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church a few years after the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. Ninilchik is on the Sterling Highway on the west side of the Kenai Peninsula on the coast of Cook Inlet, 186 miles by road from Anchorage and 38 miles from Homer. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act recognized Ninilchik as an Alaska Native village. Ninilchik hosts the annual Kenai Peninsula State Fair.
    06AK_1124_Russian-Orthodox-Church-Ni...jpg
  • The Russian Orthodox Church in the town of Ninilchik was redesigned and constructed in 1901 in Alaska, USA. In the graveyard, notice that the Russian Orthodox Cross has two extra arms: the top arm represents the inscribed acronyms [ INRI in Latin,  in Greek, and a Hebrew version, meaning "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews" ], and the angled bottom arm is his footrest. Russian Orthodox religion was born in Kiev in the "land of the Rus" in 988 AD as a branch of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. After Russian discovery of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands in 1741, Russian fur traders taught Christianity to Alaskan Natives. The first eight Russian Orthodox missionaries came to Kodiak Island, Alaska (Russian America) in 1794. The religion spread amongst Alaskans, and the monks mission was made a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church a few years after the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. Ninilchik is on the Sterling Highway on the west side of the Kenai Peninsula on the coast of Cook Inlet, 186 miles by road from Anchorage and 38 miles from Homer. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act recognized Ninilchik as an Alaska Native village. Ninilchik hosts the annual Kenai Peninsula State Fair.
    06AK_1119_Russian-Orthodox-Church-Ni...jpg
  • Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site preserves an important Hawaiian temple on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA. Built to fulfill a historic prophecy, Puukohola Heiau is one of the last sacred structures built in the Hawaiian Islands before Christian influence. Kamehameha the Great (born in North Kohala) was advised by his kahuna (priest) to build Puukohola Heiau and dedicate it to the war god Kukailimoku (Ku) to help in his efforts to unite the Hawaiian Islands. The fortress-like heiau (sacred temple of the Hawaiian religion) was built overlooking the Kohala coast between 1790 and 1791. With help from European trade ships, warships, cannon, and military experience, King Kamehameha ultimately united the warring Hawaiian Islands in 1810. At the same time that George Washington was serving as the United States' first president, Kamehameha was using Puukohola Heiau to secure his mana or spiritual power to help unify the Hawaiian people. The massive structure (224 by 100 feet surrounded by walls 16-20 feet high) was built without mortar, using water-worn lava rocks believed to have been passed hand-by-hand in a human chain all the way from Pololu Valley, some 25 miles away. These lonely rocks on a dry desert hill mark an important era in Hawaiian history, just 28 miles north of Kona International Airport. Before it was made a state of the USA in 1959, Hawaii was previously an 1810 kingdom, 1893 protectorate, 1894 republic, and 1898 territory. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping images.
    1701HAW-3651-52-Pano.jpg
  • The Moon rises over Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, which preserves an important Hawaiian temple on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA. Built to fulfill a historic prophecy, Puukohola Heiau is one of the last sacred structures built in the Hawaiian Islands before Christian influence. Kamehameha the Great (born in North Kohala) was advised by his kahuna (priest) to build Puukohola Heiau and dedicate it to the war god Kukailimoku (Ku) to help in his efforts to unite the Hawaiian Islands. The fortress-like heiau (sacred temple of the Hawaiian religion) was built overlooking the Kohala coast between 1790 and 1791. With help from European trade ships, warships, cannon, and military experience, King Kamehameha ultimately united the warring Hawaiian Islands in 1810. At the same time that George Washington was serving as the United States' first president, Kamehameha was using Puukohola Heiau to secure his mana or spiritual power to help unify the Hawaiian people. The massive structure (224 by 100 feet surrounded by walls 16-20 feet high) was built without mortar, using water-worn lava rocks believed to have been passed hand-by-hand in a human chain all the way from Pololu Valley, some 25 miles away. These lonely rocks on a dry desert hill mark an important era in Hawaiian history, just 28 miles north of Kona International Airport.
    1701HAW-3649.jpg
  • The Moon rises over Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, which preserves an important Hawaiian temple on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA. Built to fulfill a historic prophecy, Puukohola Heiau is one of the last sacred structures built in the Hawaiian Islands before Christian influence. Kamehameha the Great (born in North Kohala) was advised by his kahuna (priest) to build Puukohola Heiau and dedicate it to the war god Kukailimoku (Ku) to help in his efforts to unite the Hawaiian Islands. The fortress-like heiau (sacred temple of the Hawaiian religion) was built overlooking the Kohala coast between 1790 and 1791. With help from European trade ships, warships, cannon, and military experience, King Kamehameha ultimately united the warring Hawaiian Islands in 1810. At the same time that George Washington was serving as the United States' first president, Kamehameha was using Puukohola Heiau to secure his mana or spiritual power to help unify the Hawaiian people. The massive structure (224 by 100 feet surrounded by walls 16-20 feet high) was built without mortar, using water-worn lava rocks believed to have been passed hand-by-hand in a human chain all the way from Pololu Valley, some 25 miles away. These lonely rocks on a dry desert hill mark an important era in Hawaiian history, just 28 miles north of Kona International Airport. Before it was made a state of the USA in 1959, Hawaii was previously an 1810 kingdom, 1893 protectorate, 1894 republic, and 1898 territory.
    1701HAW-3648.jpg
  • Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site preserves an important Hawaiian temple on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA. Built to fulfill a historic prophecy, Puukohola Heiau is one of the last sacred structures built in the Hawaiian Islands before Christian influence. Kamehameha the Great (born in North Kohala) was advised by his kahuna (priest) to build Puukohola Heiau and dedicate it to the war god Kukailimoku (Ku) to help in his efforts to unite the Hawaiian Islands. The fortress-like heiau (sacred temple of the Hawaiian religion) was built overlooking the Kohala coast between 1790 and 1791. With help from European trade ships, warships, cannon, and military experience, King Kamehameha ultimately united the warring Hawaiian Islands in 1810. At the same time that George Washington was serving as the United States' first president, Kamehameha was using Puukohola Heiau to secure his mana or spiritual power to help unify the Hawaiian people. The massive structure (224 by 100 feet surrounded by walls 16-20 feet high) was built without mortar, using water-worn lava rocks believed to have been passed hand-by-hand in a human chain all the way from Pololu Valley, some 25 miles away. These lonely rocks on a dry desert hill mark an important era in Hawaiian history, just 28 miles north of Kona International Airport. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping images.
    1701HAW-3657-61-Pano.jpg
  • Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site preserves an important Hawaiian temple on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA. Built to fulfill a historic prophecy, Puukohola Heiau is one of the last sacred structures built in the Hawaiian Islands before Christian influence. Kamehameha the Great (born in North Kohala) was advised by his kahuna (priest) to build Puukohola Heiau and dedicate it to the war god Kukailimoku (Ku) to help in his efforts to unite the Hawaiian Islands. The fortress-like heiau (sacred temple of the Hawaiian religion) was built overlooking the Kohala coast between 1790 and 1791. With help from European trade ships, warships, cannon, and military experience, King Kamehameha ultimately united the warring Hawaiian Islands in 1810. At the same time that George Washington was serving as the United States' first president, Kamehameha was using Puukohola Heiau to secure his mana or spiritual power to help unify the Hawaiian people. The massive structure (224 by 100 feet surrounded by walls 16-20 feet high) was built without mortar, using water-worn lava rocks believed to have been passed hand-by-hand in a human chain all the way from Pololu Valley, some 25 miles away. These lonely rocks on a dry desert hill mark an important era in Hawaiian history, just 28 miles north of Kona International Airport. Before it was made a state of the USA in 1959, Hawaii was previously an 1810 kingdom, 1893 protectorate, 1894 republic, and 1898 territory.
    1701HAW-3662.jpg
  • Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site preserves an important Hawaiian temple on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA. Built to fulfill a historic prophecy, Puukohola Heiau is one of the last sacred structures built in the Hawaiian Islands before Christian influence. Kamehameha the Great (born in North Kohala) was advised by his kahuna (priest) to build Puukohola Heiau and dedicate it to the war god Kukailimoku (Ku) to help in his efforts to unite the Hawaiian Islands. The fortress-like heiau (sacred temple of the Hawaiian religion) was built overlooking the Kohala coast between 1790 and 1791. With help from European trade ships, warships, cannon, and military experience, King Kamehameha ultimately united the warring Hawaiian Islands in 1810. At the same time that George Washington was serving as the United States' first president, Kamehameha was using Puukohola Heiau to secure his mana or spiritual power to help unify the Hawaiian people. The massive structure (224 by 100 feet surrounded by walls 16-20 feet high) was built without mortar, using water-worn lava rocks believed to have been passed hand-by-hand in a human chain all the way from Pololu Valley, some 25 miles away. These lonely rocks on a dry desert hill mark an important era in Hawaiian history, just 28 miles north of Kona International Airport.
    1701HAW-3656.jpg
  • The Moon rises over Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, which preserves an important Hawaiian temple on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA. Built to fulfill a historic prophecy, Puukohola Heiau is one of the last sacred structures built in the Hawaiian Islands before Christian influence. Kamehameha the Great (born in North Kohala) was advised by his kahuna (priest) to build Puukohola Heiau and dedicate it to the war god Kukailimoku (Ku) to help in his efforts to unite the Hawaiian Islands. The fortress-like heiau (sacred temple of the Hawaiian religion) was built overlooking the Kohala coast between 1790 and 1791. With help from European trade ships, warships, cannon, and military experience, King Kamehameha ultimately united the warring Hawaiian Islands in 1810. At the same time that George Washington was serving as the United States' first president, Kamehameha was using Puukohola Heiau to secure his mana or spiritual power to help unify the Hawaiian people. The massive structure (224 by 100 feet surrounded by walls 16-20 feet high) was built without mortar, using water-worn lava rocks believed to have been passed hand-by-hand in a human chain all the way from Pololu Valley, some 25 miles away. These lonely rocks on a dry desert hill mark an important era in Hawaiian history, just 28 miles north of Kona International Airport. Before it was made a state of the USA in 1959, Hawaii was previously an 1810 kingdom, 1893 protectorate, 1894 republic, and 1898 territory. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping images.
    1701HAW-3643-45-Pano.jpg
  • Statue of the Roman goddess Diana at Allerton Garden, on the south shore of Kauai, Hawaii, USA. In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt, the moon, and nature (associated with wild animals, woodland, and talking to and controlling animals), and virgin goddess of childbirth and women. She was one of the three maiden goddesses, along with Minerva and Vesta, who swore never to marry. Although she was eventually conflated with the Greek goddess Artemis, she arose independentently in Italy. Deer and oak groves were especially sacred to her. According to mythology (in common with the Greek religion and their deity Artemis), Diana was born with her twin brother, Apollo, on the island of Delos, daughter of Jupiter and Latona. Nestled in a valley transected by the Lawai Stream ending in Lawai Bay, Allerton Garden is one of five gardens of the non-profit National Tropical Botanical Garden (ntbg.org). Address: 4425 Lawai Rd, Koloa, HI 96756.
    1701HAW-1970.jpg
  • Statue of the Roman goddess Diana at Allerton Garden, on the south shore of Kauai, Hawaii, USA. In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt, the moon, and nature (associated with wild animals, woodland, and talking to and controlling animals), and virgin goddess of childbirth and women. She was one of the three maiden goddesses, along with Minerva and Vesta, who swore never to marry. Although she was eventually conflated with the Greek goddess Artemis, she arose independentently in Italy. Deer and oak groves were especially sacred to her. According to mythology (in common with the Greek religion and their deity Artemis), Diana was born with her twin brother, Apollo, on the island of Delos, daughter of Jupiter and Latona. Nestled in a valley transected by the Lawai Stream ending in Lawai Bay, Allerton Garden is one of five gardens of the non-profit National Tropical Botanical Garden (ntbg.org). Address: 4425 Lawai Rd, Koloa, HI 96756.
    1701HAW-1968.jpg
  • Statue of the Roman goddess Diana at Allerton Garden, on the south shore of Kauai, Hawaii, USA. In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt, the moon, and nature (associated with wild animals, woodland, and talking to and controlling animals), and virgin goddess of childbirth and women. She was one of the three maiden goddesses, along with Minerva and Vesta, who swore never to marry. Although she was eventually conflated with the Greek goddess Artemis, she arose independentently in Italy. Deer and oak groves were especially sacred to her. According to mythology (in common with the Greek religion and their deity Artemis), Diana was born with her twin brother, Apollo, on the island of Delos, daughter of Jupiter and Latona. Nestled in a valley transected by the Lawai Stream ending in Lawai Bay, Allerton Garden is one of five gardens of the non-profit National Tropical Botanical Garden (ntbg.org). Address: 4425 Lawai Rd, Koloa, HI 96756.
    1701HAW-1965.jpg
  • National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece: a beautiful sculpture of Aphrodite, Eros, and Pan was found on Delos Island and dates from 100 BC. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of  love, beauty, pleasure, sexuality, and procreation. She was born of Uranus, or else from parents Zeus and Dione. Her Roman equivalent was Venus. Aphrodite is also known as Cytherea (Lady of Cythera) and Cypris (Lady of Cyprus) after the two cult-sites which claimed her birth. Myrtles, doves, sparrows, horses, and swans are sacred to Aphrodite. Eros was the Greek god of love, whose Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire"). Some myths make Eros a primordial god, while others say he is the son of Aphrodite. Pan, the companion of the nymphs, is the god of shepherds and flocks, nature, mountain wilds, hunting, rustic music, and theatrical criticism. Pan has the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat, like a faun or satyr. Pan's homeland of rustic Arcadia associates him with fields, groves, wooded glens, fertility, and the season of spring. In Roman religion and myth, Pan's counterpart was Faunus.
    01GRE-29-15_Aphrodite-Eros-Pan-sculp...jpg
  • The Moon rises over Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site, which preserves an important Hawaiian temple on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA. Built to fulfill a historic prophecy, Puukohola Heiau is one of the last sacred structures built in the Hawaiian Islands before Christian influence. Kamehameha the Great (born in North Kohala) was advised by his kahuna (priest) to build Puukohola Heiau and dedicate it to the war god Kukailimoku (Ku) to help in his efforts to unite the Hawaiian Islands. The fortress-like heiau (sacred temple of the Hawaiian religion) was built overlooking the Kohala coast between 1790 and 1791. With help from European trade ships, warships, cannon, and military experience, King Kamehameha ultimately united the warring Hawaiian Islands in 1810. At the same time that George Washington was serving as the United States' first president, Kamehameha was using Puukohola Heiau to secure his mana or spiritual power to help unify the Hawaiian people. The massive structure (224 by 100 feet surrounded by walls 16-20 feet high) was built without mortar, using water-worn lava rocks believed to have been passed hand-by-hand in a human chain all the way from Pololu Valley, some 25 miles away. These lonely rocks on a dry desert hill mark an important era in Hawaiian history, just 28 miles north of Kona International Airport.
    1701HAW-3632.jpg
  • A Hindu woman makes an offering to a golden rat in Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal. In Hindu mythology, the rat is the vehicle of Ganesh, the Hindu God of knowledge and the remover of obstacles (or Vighnahara, Ganapati, or Buddhividhata). Ganesh is usually depicted as an elephant head figure with a large pot belly, with four hands, one hand always extended to bless people. Ganesh is one the most important Gods in the Hindu religion so that all sacrifices and religious ceremonies, all serious compositions in writing, and all worldly affairs of importance are begun with an invocation to Lord Ganesh. Like most other Hindu gods, he has a ‘vehicle’, the rat, which is usually shown at the foot of Ganesh, but sometimes he is astride the rat. This unique combination of his elephant-like head and a quick moving rat vehicle represents tremendous wisdom, intellegence, and presence of mind.
    07NEP-1163-Rat-vehicle-offerings.jpg
  • Tibetan Buddhists believe that speaking, viewing, spinning or thinking the mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment or Buddha of compassion. In the lands influenced by Tibetan Buddhismh, this prayer is often carved into public stones and spinnable Mani wheels (or prayer wheels). Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    07NEP-5119_Buddhist-prayer.jpg
  • Red geraniums frame the main church and cemetery in the town of Scuol, Switzerland, Europe. Published in Ryder-Walker Alpine Adventures "Inn to Inn Alpine Hiking Adventures" Catalog 2007.
    05ALP_4203_Scuol-church-geraniums.jpg
  • National Shrine of St. Therese, 22 miles north of downtown Juneau, in Tongass National Forest, Alaska, USA. A stone causeway from shore reaches this natural-stone chapel nestled amid a tranquil wooded island. This ministry of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau is dedicated to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the patron saint of Alaska, missionaries, and the Diocese of Juneau. She wrote that what really mattered in life was not our great deeds, but our great love. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1906AKH-3892-p1-Pano.jpg
  • 1882 St. Paul's Anglican (Episcopal) Church, in Kitwanga or Gitwangak (or Gitwangax, "people of the place of rabbits" in the Gitxsan language), in British Columbia, Canada. Kitwanga is at the southern end of the scenic Stewart–Cassiar Highway (Highway 37, aka Dease Lake Highway or Stikine Highway, the northwesternmost highway in BC), just 4 km north of the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy 16). A long-standing village before contact, Kitwanga is within Gitwangak Indian Reserve No. 1.
    1906AKH-0764.jpg
  • Wood dragon sculpture. Kiyomizu-dera ("Pure Water Temple") is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto, Japan. Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site. Kiyomizu-dera was founded on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the early Heian period, in 780 by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro. Ordered by Tokugawa Iemitsu, its present buildings were built entirely without nails in 1633.
    1810JPN-8428.jpg
  • Fall foliage colors reflect in Hojo Pond at Eikando (formally known as Zenrinji Temple), in Kyoto, Japan. Eikando belongs to the Jodo sect of Japanese Buddhism. It is found just north of the large temple complex of Nanzenji. A court noble of the Heian Period (710-1185) donated his villa to a priest, who converted it into a temple named Zenrinji ("temple in a calm grove"). At its founding, Zenrinji was part of the Shingon sect. In the 11th century, Zenrinji had a popular head priest named Eikan, after whom the temple is popularly named Eikando ("Eikan Hall").
    1810JPN-8374.jpg
  • Fall foliage colors at Ginkaku-ji ("Temple of the Silver Pavilion"), officially named Jisho-ji ("Temple of Shining Mercy"). Ginkaku-ji is a Zen temple along Kyoto's eastern mountains (Higashiyama), in Japan. Despite its name, Silver Pavilion was never covered in silver, though silvery moon light reflecting off its former black lacquer may explain its name. In 1482, shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa built his retirement villa on the grounds of today's temple, modeling it after Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), his grandfather's retirement villa at the base of Kyoto's northern mountains (Kitayama). The villa was converted into a Zen temple after Yoshimasa's death in 1490.
    1810JPN-8276.jpg
  • Kondo (Main Hall) at Horyuji Temple, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Horyu-ji Temple was founded in 607 by Prince Shotoku, an early promoter of Buddhism in Japan. The Kondo (Main Hall) was rebuilt in 1954 after a 1949 fire destroyed 80-85% of its wood. Horyuji Temple was founded in 607 by Prince Shotoku, an early promoter of Buddhism in Japan. Horyuji is one of the country's oldest temples and contains the world's oldest surviving wooden structures. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
    1810JPN-7313.jpg
  • Horyuji Temple's five-story pagoda (32 meters or 122 feet high) is the oldest wooden building existing in the world. The wood used in the center pillar of the pagoda is estimated through a dendrochronological analysis to have been felled in 594. Horyuji Temple was founded in 607 by Prince Shotoku, an early promoter of Buddhism in Japan. Horyuji is one of the country's oldest temples and contains the world's oldest surviving wooden structures. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. Horyu-ji is in Nara Prefecture, Japan.
    1810JPN-7245.jpg
  • Red Japanese lanterns line steps up to Kurama-dera. Kurama-dera is a peaceful Buddhist temple along the steep wooded mountainside above the rural town of Kurama, in the northern mountains of Kyoto City (Kyoto-fu), Japan. A cablecar takes you halfway up the mountain.  In September 2018, a typhoon snapped trees and extensively damaged the grounds of Kurama Temple. During our visit in November, the cablecar was required to reach walking trails to the main hall; and the steep 1-hour hiking trail between Kurama and Kibune was closed until further notice.
    1810JPN-6921.jpg
  • Stone steps & walls. Nijo Castle (Nijo-jo) was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Period (1603-1867). His grandson Iemitsu completed the castle's palace buildings 23 years later and further expanded the castle by adding a five-story castle keep. After the Tokugawa Shogunate fell in 1867, Nijo Castle was used as an imperial palace for a while before being donated to the city and opened to the public as a historic site. Its palace buildings are some of the best surviving examples of castle palace architecture of Japan's feudal era, and the castle was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994.
    1810JPN-6686.jpg
  • Kitano Tenmangu Shrine is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, a scholar and politician who was unfairly exiled by his political rivals. A number of disasters were attributed to Michizane's vengeful spirit after his death in exile, and these shrines were built to appease him. Kyoto, Japan.
    1810JPN-6376.jpg
  • Ancient trees on a Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route. Kumano Nachi Taisha shrine was built in homage to Nachi-no-Taki waterfall's kami (spirit god). Don't miss the iconic view of thundering Nachi-no-Taki waterfall (133m, Japan's tallest) paired with Seigantoji pagoda, in Nachikatsuura, Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. Kumano Nachi Taisha shrine fuses Buddhist and Shinto influences along the 1000+ year pilgrimage routes of Kumano Kodo. The "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range" form an impressive entry on UNESCO's List of World Heritage Sites. Access: by bus from Nachi Station (20 min) or Kii-Katsuura Station (30 min). Ask driver to stop at base of the Daimonzaka trail ("Daimonzaka" stop); or at the entrance to Nachi Waterfall ("Taki-mae"); or at the bus terminus 10 minutes climb below Nachi Shrine ("Nachi-san"). Cars can park at Seigantoji Temple. I recommend this remarkably scenic, short walk (3.5 km with 265 meters gain): starting from Daimon-zaka bus stop, ascend a stone-paved path, humbled by massive evergreens, up to the gates of Nachi Taisha shrine; then descend to the falls, at Taki-mae bus stop.
    1810JPN-5645.jpg
  • Chureito Pagoda, Fujiyoshida city, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. This five storied pagoda overlooks Fujiyoshida City. In clear weather it offers iconic views combined with Mount Fuji in the distance. The pagoda is part of the Arakura Sengen Shrine and was built as a peace memorial in 1963, nearly 400 steps up the mountain from the shrine's main buildings.
    1810JPN-4483.jpg
  • The Sleeping Cat Carving (Nemurineko) protects the entrance gate to the grave of Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu. Toshogu Shrine is the final resting place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan for over 250 years until 1868. Ieyasu is enshrined at Toshogu as the deity Tosho Daigongen, "Great Deity of the East Shining Light". Initially a relatively simple mausoleum, Toshogu was enlarged into the spectacular complex seen today by Ieyasu's grandson Iemitsu during the first half of the 1600s. The lavishly decorated shrine complex consists of more than a dozen buildings set in a beautiful forest. Countless wood carvings and large amounts of gold leaf were used to decorate the buildings in a way not seen elsewhere in Japan. Toshogu contains both Shinto and Buddhist elements, as was common until the Meiji Period when Shinto was deliberately separated from Buddhism. Toshogu is part of Shrines and Temples of Nikko UNESCO World Heritage site.
    1810JPN-3569.jpg
  • Ornate peacock carved in wood. Toshogu Shrine is the final resting place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan for over 250 years until 1868. Ieyasu is enshrined at Toshogu as the deity Tosho Daigongen, "Great Deity of the East Shining Light". Initially a relatively simple mausoleum, Toshogu was enlarged into the spectacular complex seen today by Ieyasu's grandson Iemitsu during the first half of the 1600s. The lavishly decorated shrine complex consists of more than a dozen buildings set in a beautiful forest. Countless wood carvings and large amounts of gold leaf were used to decorate the buildings in a way not seen elsewhere in Japan. Toshogu contains both Shinto and Buddhist elements, as was common until the Meiji Period when Shinto was deliberately separated from Buddhism. Toshogu is part of Shrines and Temples of Nikko UNESCO World Heritage site.
    1810JPN-3524.jpg
  • Rock pattern in Callanish Standing Stones. Erected 4600 years ago, the Callanish Standing Stones are one of the most spectacular megalithic monuments in Scotland. The main site known as "Callanish I" forms a cross with a central stone circle erected circa 2900-2600 BC. More lines of stones were added by 2000 BC (the close of the Neolithic era), and it become a focus for rituals during the Bronze Age. From 1500-1000 BC, farmers emptied the burials and ploughed the area. After from 800 BC, peat accumulated 1.5 meters deep and buried the stones until removed in 1857. Visit this spectacular ancient site near the village of Callanish (Gaelic: Calanais), on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides (Western Isles), Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe.
    17SC4-098_Scotland.jpg
  • Erected 4600 years ago, the Callanish Standing Stones are one of the most spectacular megalithic monuments in Scotland. The main site known as "Callanish I" forms a cross with a central stone circle erected circa 2900-2600 BC. More lines of stones were added by 2000 BC (the close of the Neolithic era), and it become a focus for rituals during the Bronze Age. From 1500-1000 BC, farmers emptied the burials and ploughed the area. After from 800 BC, peat accumulated 1.5 meters deep and buried the stones until removed in 1857. Visit this spectacular ancient site near the village of Callanish (Gaelic: Calanais), on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides (Western Isles), Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe. This image was stitched from several overlapping photos.
    17SC2-332-34-Pano_Scotland.jpg
  • In a large painting in St Giles' Cathedral, a Scottish unicorn paired with an English lion defines the coat of arms of James VI, as the first king of Great Britain and Ireland. What's with the unicorn? Unicorns were first depicted in 2600 BC in ancient seals of the Indus Valley Civilization and were mentioned by the ancient Greeks. In Celtic mythology the unicorn symbolized purity, innocence, masculinity and power. The proud, haughty unicorn was chosen as Scotland's national animal because it would rather die than be captured, just as Scots would fight to remain sovereign and unconquered. The unicorn was first used on the Scottish royal coat of arms by William I in the 1100s, and two unicorns supported the shield until 1603. When James VI became James I of England and Ireland in 1603, he replaced one unicorn with the national animal of England, the lion, to demonstrate unity. Believed to be the strongest of all animals, wild and untamed, the mythical unicorn could only be humbled by a virgin maiden. However, Scotland's unicorn in the coat of arms is always bounded by a golden chain, often shown around its neck and body, symbolizing the power of the Scottish kings, strong enough to tame a unicorn. Today, the version of the royal coat of arms used in Scotland emphasizes Scottish elements, placing the unicorn on the left and giving it a crown, whereas the version used in England and elsewhere places the unicorn on the right and gives English elements more prominence. The Scottish version uses the motto "Nemo me impune lacessit," meaning "No one wounds (touches) me with impunity." The English version says "Dieu et mon droit," meaning "God and my right," the motto of the Monarch of the United Kingdom. St Giles' Cathedral (High Kirk of Edinburgh) is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh.
    17SC1-4401_Scotland.jpg
  • In a large painting in St Giles' Cathedral, a Scottish unicorn paired with an English lion defines the coat of arms of James VI, as the first king of Great Britain and Ireland. What's with the unicorn? Unicorns were first depicted in 2600 BC in ancient seals of the Indus Valley Civilization and were mentioned by the ancient Greeks. In Celtic mythology the unicorn symbolized purity, innocence, masculinity and power. The proud, haughty unicorn was chosen as Scotland's national animal because it would rather die than be captured, just as Scots would fight to remain sovereign and unconquered. The unicorn was first used on the Scottish royal coat of arms by William I in the 1100s, and two unicorns supported the shield until 1603. When James VI became James I of England and Ireland in 1603, he replaced one unicorn with the national animal of England, the lion, to demonstrate unity. Believed to be the strongest of all animals, wild and untamed, the mythical unicorn could only be humbled by a virgin maiden. However, Scotland's unicorn in the coat of arms is always bounded by a golden chain, often shown around its neck and body, symbolizing the power of the Scottish kings, strong enough to tame a unicorn. Today, the version of the royal coat of arms used in Scotland emphasizes Scottish elements, placing the unicorn on the left and giving it a crown, whereas the version used in England and elsewhere places the unicorn on the right and gives English elements more prominence. The Scottish version uses the motto "Nemo me impune lacessit," meaning "No one wounds (touches) me with impunity." The English version says "Dieu et mon droit," meaning "God and my right," the motto of the Monarch of the United Kingdom. St Giles' Cathedral (High Kirk of Edinburgh) is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh.
    17SC1-4398_Scotland.jpg
  • Vaulted blue ceiling of St Giles' Cathedral (High Kirk of Edinburgh), the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. Its distinctive crown steeple is a prominent feature of the city skyline, at about a third of the way down the Royal Mile. The church has been one of Edinburgh's religious focal points for approximately 900 years. The present church dates from the late 1300s, though it was extensively restored in the 1800s. Today it is sometimes regarded as the "Mother Church of Presbyterianism." The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Giles, who is the patron saint of Edinburgh, as well as of cripples and lepers, and was a very popular saint in the Middle Ages. Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, in Lothian on the Firth of Forth's southern shore, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe. This image was stitched from several overlapping photos.
    17SC1-4358-60-Pano_Scotland.jpg
  • The Culloden Battlefield visitor center is run by the National Trust for Scotland, near Inverness, United Kingdom, Europe. The Battle of Culloden on 16 April 1746 was part of a religious civil war in Britain and was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. It was the last pitched battle on British soil, and in less than an hour about 1500 men were slain – more than 1000 of them Jacobites. After an unsuccessful Highland charge against the government lines, the Jacobites were routed and driven from the field. Today, strong feelings are still aroused by the battle and the brutal aftermath of weakening Gaelic culture and undermining the Scottish clan system. Three miles south of Culloden village is Drumossie Moor, often called Culloden Moor, site of the battle. Culloden is in Scotland 5 miles east of Inverness, off the A9/B9006, directed by brown signs.
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  • Visit spectacular Whitby Abbey which dates from 657-1538 AD, in the fishing port of Whitby, in North Yorkshire county, England, United Kingdom, Europe. This Christian monastery later became a Benedictine abbey, which was confiscated by the crown during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII in 1537-8. The abbey church overlooks the North Sea on East Cliff above Whitby. Whitby Abbey became famous in fiction by Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, as Dracula came ashore as a creature resembling a large dog who climbed the dramatic 199 steps leading to the ruins above the Esk River. England Coast to Coast hike day 13 of 14. [This image, commissioned by Wilderness Travel, is not available to any other agency providing group travel in the UK, but may otherwise be licensable from Tom Dempsey – please inquire at PhotoSeek.com.]
    17UK-6743_England.jpg
  • Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. Visit it near Ripon and Aldfield, in North Yorkshire, England, UK, Europe. The adjacent Studley Royal Park features striking 1700s landscaping, gardens and canal. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for 407 years becoming one of the wealthiest monasteries in England until its dissolution in 1539 under the order of Henry VIII. Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains Abbey is honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The abbey is a Grade I listed building owned by the National Trust. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    17UK2-5632-42Pano.jpg
  • Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. Visit it near Ripon and Aldfield, in North Yorkshire, England, UK, Europe. The adjacent Studley Royal Park features striking 1700s landscaping, gardens and canal. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for 407 years becoming one of the wealthiest monasteries in England until its dissolution in 1539 under the order of Henry VIII. Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains Abbey is honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The abbey is a Grade I listed building owned by the National Trust.
    17UK2-5504.jpg
  • Statue of St Cuthbert ("Cuthbert of Farne" 2001) by Fenwick Lawson. Holy Island of Lindisfarne, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom, Europe. Holy Island history dates from the 500s AD as an important center of Celtic Christianity under Saints Aidan of Lindisfarne, Cuthbert, Eadfrith of Lindisfarne, and Eadberht of Lindisfarne. After Viking invasions and the Norman conquest of England, a priory was reestablished. A small castle was built on Holy Island in 1550.
    17UK2-5078.jpg
  • York Minster, built over 250 years 1220-1472 AD, is one of the finest medieval buildings in Europe. Also known as St Peter's, its full name is "Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St Peter in York," located in England, United Kingdom, Europe. York Minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England. "Minster" refers to churches established in the Anglo-Saxon period as missionary teaching churches, and now serves as an honorific title. York was founded by the Romans as Eboracum in 71 AD. As the center of the Church in the North, York Minster has played an important role in great national affairs, such as during the Reformation and Civil War.
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  • Peaceful Byodo-In Temple is in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, at 47-200 Kahekili Highway, Kaneohe, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, USA. The Byodo-In Temple ("Temple of Equality") was built in 1968 to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. This Hawaii State Landmark is a non-practicing Buddhist temple which welcomes people of all faiths. One statue from a pair of "Chinese phoenix," called Hou-ou (or Hoo-oo) in Japanese, raises its wings on the rooftop of the Amida Hall (Amida-do), also known as the Phoenix Hall (Hoo-do). The legend of the Chinese phoenix, a male and female pairing called Fenghuang, arose 7000+ years ago (whereas the later Greek myth of the Western world's phoenix derived independently from ancient Egypt and Arabia). Byodo-In Temple in O'ahu is a half-scale replica of the original Byodo-in Temple built in 1053 in Uji, Japan (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
    1701HAW-0337.jpg
  • The peaceful Byodo-In Temple reflects in a pond in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, at 47-200 Kahekili Highway, Kaneohe, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, USA. The Byodo-In Temple ("Temple of Equality") was built in 1968 to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. This Hawaii State Landmark is a non-practicing Buddhist temple which welcomes people of all faiths. The beautiful grounds at the foot of the Ko'olau Mountains include a large reflecting pond stocked with Japanese koi carp, meditation niches, and small waterfalls. Byodo-In Temple in O'ahu is a half-scale replica of the original Byodo-in Temple built in 1053 in Uji, Japan (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
    1701HAW-0290.jpg
  • Stone spiral. Eagle Cap Wilderness, Wallowa–Whitman National Forest, Wallowa Mountains, Columbia Plateau, northeastern Oregon, USA. Hike 7.3 miles from Two Pan Trailhead (5600 ft) up East Lostine River to camp at popular Mirror Lake (7606 ft). Day hike to Glacier Lake via Glacier Pass (6 miles round trip, 1200 ft gain). Backpack out 8.7 miles via Carper Pass, Minam Lake and West Fork Lostine. From September 11-13, 2016 Carol and I walked 22 miles in 3 days.
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  • The town of Pontresina is in Upper Engadine, in Graubünden (Grisons) canton, Switzerland, the Alps, Europe. The Swiss valley of Engadine translates as the "garden of the En (or Inn) River" (Engadin in German, Engiadina in Romansh, Engadina in Italian).
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  • Fiesch is a municipality in the district of Goms in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. The Alps, Europe.
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  • Meiringen, Switzerland, the Alps, Europe.
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  • At Meglisalp, Altmann peak (2435m) rises dramatically above a 1904 mountain chapel (Kapelle Maria zum Schnee, "Holy Mother Mary of the Snow"). Berggasthaus Meglisalp can only be reached on foot in the heart of the Alpstein mountain chain in the Appenzell Alps, Switzerland, Europe. This authentic mountain hostelry, owned by the same family for five generations, dates from 1897. Meglisalp is a working family dairy farm.
    16SWI-1671.jpg
  • At Meglisalp is a 1904 mountain chapel (Kapelle Maria zum Schnee, "Holy Mother Mary of the Snow"). Berggasthaus Meglisalp can only be reached on foot in the heart of the Alpstein mountain chain in the Appenzell Alps, Switzerland, Europe. This authentic mountain hostelry, owned by the same family for five generations, dates from 1897. Meglisalp is a working family dairy farm.
    16SWI-1654.jpg
  • Appenzell's Roman Catholic St. Maurice (or Mauritius) parish church was built 1560–84. Adlerplatz is the heart of Appenzell village, in Switzerland, Europe. Most of the notable buildings in Appenzell were built in the 1500s. Appenzell Innerrhoden is Switzerland's most traditional and smallest-population canton (second smallest by area).
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  • Adlerplatz is the heart of Appenzell village, in Switzerland, Europe. Appenzell's Roman Catholic St. Maurice (or Mauritius) parish church was built 1560–84. Metzibrücke bridge crosses Sitter river. Yellow shutters mark Hotel Cafe Adler. Most of the notable buildings in Appenzell were built in the 1500s. Appenzell Innerrhoden is Switzerland's most traditional and smallest-population canton (second smallest by area). This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    16SWI-0710-720pan.jpg
  • Allerheiligen Monastery's peaceful cloister surrounds an herb garden tended since the Middle Ages. Kloster Allerheiligen (All Saints Abbey) is a former Benedictine monastery in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Europe. Completed in Romanesque style in 1103 (the oldest building in Schaffhausen), Münster Allerheiligen cathedral includes the Museum zu Allerheiligen.
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  • Picture medallions (1508-1516) decorate the net-like pattern of the original wood ceiling in the Abbot's Lower Chambers in the David Building. The medallions refer to the Physiologus, an early Christian (100-300s AD) book that described plants, stones and animals and allegories of salvation through Christ. St. George's Abbey (Kloster Sankt Georgen) was founded around 1007 as a Benedictine monastery in Stein am Rhein village, on the banks of the Rhine at the western end of Lake Constance. The fascinating Klostermuseum is one of Switzerland's most important historic buildings from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, built in the 1300s to 1500s.
    16SWI-0354.jpg
  • Picture medallions (1508-1516) decorate the net-like pattern of the original wood ceiling in the Abbot's Lower Chambers in the David Building. The medallions refer to the Physiologus, an early Christian (100-300s AD) book that described plants, stones and animals and allegories of salvation through Christ. St. George's Abbey (Kloster Sankt Georgen) was founded around 1007 as a Benedictine monastery in Stein am Rhein village, on the banks of the Rhine at the western end of Lake Constance. The fascinating Klostermuseum is one of Switzerland's most important historic buildings from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, built in the 1300s to 1500s.
    16SWI-0353.jpg
  • Shadowy door. St. George's Abbey (Kloster Sankt Georgen) was founded around 1007 as a Benedictine monastery in Stein am Rhein village, on the banks of the Rhine at the western end of Lake Constance. The fascinating Klostermuseum is one of Switzerland's most important historic buildings from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, built in the 1300s to 1500s.
    16SWI-0320.jpg
  • Sundial. St. George's Abbey (Kloster Sankt Georgen) was founded around 1007 as a Benedictine monastery in Stein am Rhein village, on the banks of the Rhine at the western end of Lake Constance. The fascinating Klostermuseum is one of Switzerland's most important historic buildings from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, built in the 1300s to 1500s.
    16SWI-0313.jpg
  • Sundial. St. George's Abbey (Kloster Sankt Georgen) was founded around 1007 as a Benedictine monastery in Stein am Rhein village, on the banks of the Rhine at the western end of Lake Constance. The fascinating Klostermuseum is one of Switzerland's most important historic buildings from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, built in the 1300s to 1500s.
    16SWI-0311.jpg
  • St. George's Abbey (Kloster Sankt Georgen) was founded around 1007 as a Benedictine monastery in Stein am Rhein village, on the banks of the Rhine at the western end of Lake Constance. The fascinating Klostermuseum is one of Switzerland's most important historic buildings from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, built in the 1300s to 1500s.
    16SWI-0304.jpg
  • Cloister. St. George's Abbey (Kloster Sankt Georgen) was founded around 1007 as a Benedictine monastery in Stein am Rhein village, on the banks of the Rhine at the western end of Lake Constance. The fascinating Klostermuseum is one of Switzerland's most important historic buildings from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, built in the 1300s to 1500s.
    16SWI-0287.jpg
  • Cloister. St. George's Abbey (Kloster Sankt Georgen) was founded around 1007 as a Benedictine monastery in Stein am Rhein village, on the banks of the Rhine at the western end of Lake Constance. The fascinating Klostermuseum is one of Switzerland's most important historic buildings from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, built in the 1300s to 1500s.
    16SWI-0283.jpg
  • Peruvian doll nativity scene for sale in Stein am Rhein, Switzerland, Europe.
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  • Heddal stave church (stavkirke) is Norway's largest stave church. This triple nave stave church (which some call "a Gothic cathedral in wood") was built in the early 1200s and restored in 1849-1851 and the 1950s. Heddal stavkirke is in Notodden municipality, Telemark County, Norway. This image is a panorama stitched from 6 overlapping photos.
    11NOR-1687-88pan_Heddal-Stave-Church.jpg
  • The Salmon Wheel (1996) was the signature carved piece of artist Roger Purdue (1938 - 2014), a registered member of the Tsimshian tribe. The wood design features the five salmon species native to the Pacific Coast arranged on a spindle whorl in the artistic style of Pacific Northwest Native Americans. Purdue's mother Huldah was half Coastal Native, a member of the Tsimshian Tribe, from the Ketchikan area, Alaska. Photographed at a 2015 exhibit in Island County Historical Museum, 908 NW Alexander St, Coupeville, Whidbey Island, Washingotn, USA.
    1505WHI-185_Salmon-Wheel_Purdue.jpg
  • Petroglyphs in Shay Canyon on public BLM land, near Monticello, Utah, USA.
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  • Petroglyphs in Shay Canyon on public BLM land, near Monticello, Utah, USA.
    1503SW-1305_Shay-Canyon-petroglyphs.jpg
  • Prehistoric pictograph,<br />
Cave Spring Trail, Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA.
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  • Saint Joseph's Church was dedicated in 1871 on East Commerce Street, in San Antonio, Texas, USA. The San Antonio River Walk (Paseo del Río) is a network of pedestrian walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath the streets of Downtown San Antonio, Texas, USA. The River Walk connects from the Alamo to Rivercenter Mall.
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  • Rays of setting sun backlight the Parish Church of St. Nicholas (Nikolauskirche; dedicated to San Nicolò; consecrated in 1507), in Winnebach (Prato Drava) village, Sesto Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy, Europe. For cheaper lodging in Val Pusteria (Pustertal), try Winnebach (Prato alla Drava) village near the Austrian border, beneath the Sexten/Sesto Dolomites (Italian: Dolomiti di Sesto; German: Sextener Dolomiten), in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol), Italy. Winnebach (Prato Drava) is in the comune (municipality) of Innichen/San Candido. The Dolomites are part of the Southern Limestone Alps, in Europe. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009.
    13ITA-30313_Winnebach_Prato-Drava_Pu...jpg
  • Crowds of people near Saint Mark's Square, across from Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. Venice (Venezia) is the capital of Italy’s Veneto region, named for the ancient Veneti people from the 900s BC. The romantic "City of Canals" stretches across 100+ small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy, between the mouths of the Po and Piave Rivers. The Republic of Venice was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, a staging area for the Crusades, and a major center of art and commerce (silk, grain and spice trade) from the 1200s to 1600s. The wealthy legacy of Venice stands today in a rich architecture combining Gothic, Byzantine, and Arab styles.
    13ITA-10334_Venice-Italy.jpg
  • This panorama of Campo Santa Maria Formosa in Venice was stitched from 7 overlapping photos. The Church of Santa Maria Formosa, built in 1492, is Renaissance architect Mauro Codussi's architectural masterpiece. The square known as Campo Santa Maria Formosa is in Castello sestiere, in Venice, Italy, Europe. Two façades were commissioned: in 1542, the Renaissance-style side facing the channel and in 1604, the Baroque side facing the square. Venice (Venezia) is the capital of Italy’s Veneto region, named for the ancient Veneti people from the 900s BC. The romantic "City of Canals" stretches across 100+ small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy, between the mouths of the Po (south) and Piave (north) Rivers. The Republic of Venice was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, a staging area for the Crusades, and a major center of art and commerce (silk, grain and spice trade) from the 1200s to 1600s. The wealthy legacy of Venice stands today in a rich architecture combining Gothic, Byzantine, and Arab styles. This panorama was stitched from 7 overlapping photos.
    13ITA-10254-60pan_Venice-Italy.jpg
  • Madonna dell'Orto church was erected by the now-defunct Humiliati religious order in the mid 1300s in the sestiere of Cannaregio, Venice, in Italy, Europe. The brickwork bell tower was finished in 1503 with an onion dome in Eastern style, topped by a white marble statue of the Redeemer. The photo is taken from a hotel room in Antica Raffineria (www.anticaraffineria.it). Venice (Venezia) is the capital of Italy's Veneto region, named for the ancient Veneti people from the 900s BC. The romantic "City of Canals" stretches across 100+ small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. The Republic of Venice was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, a staging area for the Crusades, and a major center of art and commerce (silk, grain and spice trade) from the 1200s to 1600s. The wealthy legacy of Venice stands today in a rich architecture combining Gothic, Byzantine, and Arab styles.
    13ITA-10077_Venice-Italy.jpg
  • The medieval Bled Castle (Slovene: Blejski grad, German: Burg Veldes) was built a little before 1011 AD on a cliff above Lake Bled, above the city of Bled, in what is now Slovenia, Europe. Bled Castle’s chapel was built in the 1500s and renovated around 1700 with illusionist frescoes. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    13SLO-1310-12pan_Bled-Castle-Sloveni...jpg
  • In Nepal, Buddhist prayers have been inscribed in the rocks of Sagarmatha National park, a World Heritage Site. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    07NEP-3344_Buddhist-prayers.jpg
  • Machu Picchu is a magnificent Inca archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. A long stairway climbs along Inca walls. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River ( Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.  Panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos. Published in 2009 on Swedish trekking company site www.adventurelovers.se.
    03PER-19-pan08-12-14_Machu-Picchu.jpg
  • Machu Picchu is a magnificent Inca archeological site in the Cordillera Vilcabamba, Andes mountains, Peru, South America. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (14381472). Spaniards passed in the river valley below but never discovered Machu Picchu during their conquest of the Incas 1532-1572. The outside world was unaware of the "Lost City of the Incas" until revealed by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911. Machu Picchu perches at 2430 meters elevation (7970 feet) on a well defended ridge 450 meters (1480 ft) above a loop of the Urubamba/Vilcanota River (Sacred Valley of the Incas). UNESCO honored the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu on the World Heritage List in 1983.
    03PER-15-04_Machu-Picchu.jpg
  • Church of La Compania is built on Inca stone foundations in Plaza de Armas, the central square of Cuzco (Cusco or Qosqo), in Peru, South America. Cuzco was the site of the historic capital of the Inca Empire from the 1200s to 1532 and was honored on the World Heritage List in 1983 by UNESCO. Francisco Pizarro officially founded Spanish Cuzco in 1534. Cuzco is the longest continuously occupied city in the Americas and is built upon the foundations of the Incas at 3400 meters or 11,200 feet elevation.
    03PER-04-06-Cuzco-Church-of-La-Compa...jpg
  • The town of Bled and glacially formed Lake Bled (Slovene: Blejsko jezero) are popular tourist sites in the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia. A medieval castle stands above the lake on the north shore, the former seat of the Austrian Bishops of Brixen. The lake surrounds Bled Island (Blejski otok, the only natural island in Slovenia), upon which stands the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary (Slovenian: Cerkev Marijinega vnebovzetja), built in the 15th century and now popular for romantic weddings. Lake Bled hosted the World Rowing Championships in 1966, 1979, 1989, and 2011.The lake is 35 kilometers from Ljubljana International Airport. Panorama stitched from 5 overlapping photos.
    11SLO-9200-9204pan_Lake-Bled_Sloveni...jpg
  • Art pattern carved in wood. Heddal stave church is Norway's largest stave church. This triple nave stave church, which some call "a Gothic cathedral in wood," was built in the early 13th century and restored in 1849-1851 and the 1950s. Heddal stavkirke is in Notodden municipality, Telemark County, Norway.
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  • Urnes stavkirke (or stavkyrkje), the oldest Stave Church in Norway, stands at Ornes farm on Lustrafjord in Luster municipality, Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The church was built around 1135 AD and links Christian architecture with animal-ornamentation of the Viking Age. In 1979, Urnes Stave Church was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Fortidsminneforeningen (Society for the Preservation of Norwegian Ancient Monuments) has owned it since 1881. Panorama stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    11NOR-3637-39pan_Urnes-Stave-Churcht.jpg
  • Built in 1170, Lom Stave Church (stavkirke or stavkyrkje) was rebuilt into a cruciform, triple-nave church in 1663 and restored in 1933 and 1973. Visit this wooden Norman-style church in the town of Lom, in Gudbrandsdal traditional district, Oppland county, Norway. "Staves" are upright logs that support the central room framework.
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  • Keyhole and wood carving. Heddal stave church is Norway's largest stave church. This triple nave stave church, which some call "a Gothic cathedral in wood," was built in the early 13th century and restored in 1849-1851 and the 1950s. Heddal stavkirke is in Notodden municipality, Telemark County, Norway.
    11NOR-1651.jpg
  • A wood pavillion marks the entry to Heddal stave church, Norway's largest stave church. This triple nave stave church, which some call "a Gothic cathedral in wood," was built in the early 13th century and restored in 1849-1851 and the 1950s. Heddal stavkirke is in Notodden municipality, Telemark County, Norway.
    11NOR-1589.jpg
  • Sailboat silhouette. July 11, 1991 partial solar eclipse over Puget Sound, seen from Sunset Hill Viewpoint Park, Seattle, Washington, USA. Captured on Kodachrome 64 film. Published on the cover of "The Mountaineer" September 1996 (monthly magazine of The Mountaineers club). Winner of Best Scenic in their 1996 cover photo contest. Published in "Light Travel: Photography on the Go" book by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.
    91ECL-Partial-solar-eclipse_Puget-So...jpg
  • Sunset light backlights a flower at the National Shrine of St. Therese, 22 miles north of downtown Juneau, in Tongass National Forest, Alaska, USA. A stone causeway from shore reaches this natural-stone chapel nestled amid a tranquil wooded island. This ministry of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau is dedicated to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the patron saint of Alaska, missionaries, and the Diocese of Juneau. She wrote that what really mattered in life was not our great deeds, but our great love. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1906AKH-3907-14-Pano-Edit.jpg
  • National Shrine of St. Therese, 22 miles north of downtown Juneau, in Tongass National Forest, Alaska, USA. A stone causeway from shore reaches this natural-stone chapel nestled amid a tranquil wooded island. This ministry of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau is dedicated to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the patron saint of Alaska, missionaries, and the Diocese of Juneau. She wrote that what really mattered in life was not our great deeds, but our great love.
    1906AKH-3867.jpg
  • Old wood roof shingles. St Andrews Church, 1901, Dawson City, Klondike Highway, Yukon, Canada. Dawson City was the center of the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–99), after which population rapidly declined, in Yukon, Canada. Dawson City shrank further during World War II after the Alaska Highway bypassed it 300 miles (480 km) to the south using Whitehorse as a hub. In 1953, Whitehorse replaced Dawson City as Yukon Territory's capital. Dawson City's population dropped to 600–900 through the 1960s-1970s, but later increased as high gold prices made modern placer mining operations profitable and tourism was promoted. In Yukon, the Klondike Highway is marked as Yukon Highway 2 to Dawson City.
    1906AKH-1208.jpg
  • St Andrews Church, 1901, Dawson City, Klondike Highway, Yukon, Canada. Dawson City was the center of the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–99), after which population rapidly declined, in Yukon, Canada. Dawson City shrank further during World War II after the Alaska Highway bypassed it 300 miles (480 km) to the south using Whitehorse as a hub. In 1953, Whitehorse replaced Dawson City as Yukon Territory's capital. Dawson City's population dropped to 600–900 through the 1960s-1970s, but later increased as high gold prices made modern placer mining operations profitable and tourism was promoted. In Yukon, the Klondike Highway is marked as Yukon Highway 2 to Dawson City.
    1906AKH-1196.jpg
  • 1882 St. Paul's Anglican (Episcopal) Church, in Kitwanga or Gitwangak (or Gitwangax, "people of the place of rabbits" in the Gitxsan language), in British Columbia, Canada. Kitwanga is at the southern end of the scenic Stewart–Cassiar Highway (Highway 37, aka Dease Lake Highway or Stikine Highway, the northwesternmost highway in BC), just 4 km north of the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy 16). A long-standing village before contact, Kitwanga is within Gitwangak Indian Reserve No. 1.
    1906AKH-0772.jpg
  • 1882 St. Paul's Anglican (Episcopal) Church, in Kitwanga or Gitwangak (or Gitwangax, "people of the place of rabbits" in the Gitxsan language), in British Columbia, Canada. Kitwanga is at the southern end of the scenic Stewart–Cassiar Highway (Highway 37, aka Dease Lake Highway or Stikine Highway, the northwesternmost highway in BC), just 4 km north of the Yellowhead Highway (Hwy 16). A long-standing village before contact, Kitwanga is within Gitwangak Indian Reserve No. 1.
    1906AKH-0762.jpg
  • The Church of St Saviour is an Anglican Church of Canada erected in 1869 and preserved in Barkerville Historic Town & Park, British Columbia, Canada. Historically the main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush, Barkerville is now the largest living-history museum in Western North America. The town was named after Billy Barker from Cambridgeshire, England, who struck gold here in 1861, and his claim became the richest and the most famous. This National Historic Site nestles in the Cariboo Mountains at elevation 1200m (4000ft), at the end of BC Highway 26, 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of Quesnel. Gold here was first discovered at Hills Bar in 1858, followed by other strikes in 1859 and 1860. Wide publication of these discoveries in 1861 began the Cariboo Gold Rush, which reached full swing by 1865 following strikes along Williams Creek. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1906AKH-0571-p1-Pano.jpg
  • An overview of Barkerville Historic Town & Park, British Columbia, Canada. The Church of St Saviour is an Anglican Church of Canada erected in 1869. Historically the main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush, Barkerville is now the largest living-history museum in Western North America. The town was named after Billy Barker from Cambridgeshire, England, who struck gold here in 1861, and his claim became the richest and the most famous. This National Historic Site nestles in the Cariboo Mountains at elevation 1200m (4000ft), at the end of BC Highway 26, 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of Quesnel. Gold here was first discovered at Hills Bar in 1858, followed by other strikes in 1859 and 1860. Wide publication of these discoveries in 1861 began the Cariboo Gold Rush, which reached full swing by 1865 following strikes along Williams Creek. This image was stitched from multiple overlapping photos.
    1906AKH-0268-p1-Pano.jpg
  • Russell lupin flowers bloom at the Church of the Good Shepherd, which was built in 1935 at Lake Tekapo, in the Canterbury region, South Island, New Zealand. These nonnative Russell lupin flowers were blooming in early January 2019. The plant's widespread diaspora began with David Douglas bringing the herbaceous lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) from North America to Britain in the 1820s. In the early 1900s, George Russell, a horticulturist from York, UK, spent two decades breeding the Russell hybrids (Lupinus X russellii hort). First naturalized to New Zealand by local farmers wanting to beautify their landscape in the 1950s, Russell lupins have invaded large areas of roadsides, pastures, and riverbeds. This alien plant most threatens indigenous species in the braided river beds of Canterbury region. Russell lupin is classed as an invasive species in New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Argentina, the Czech Republic, Finland, Lithuania, and Ukraine.
    1901NZ1-0309.jpg
  • Two women in kimonos consult smartphones under the three-storied Koyasu Pagoda which is lit at night. Kiyomizu-dera ("Pure Water Temple") is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto, Japan. Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site. Kiyomizu-dera was founded on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the early Heian period, in 780 by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro. Ordered by Tokugawa Iemitsu, its present buildings were built entirely without nails in 1633.
    1810JPN-8589.jpg
  • Three-storied Koyasu Pagoda lit at night. Kiyomizu-dera ("Pure Water Temple") is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto, Japan. Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site. Kiyomizu-dera was founded on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the early Heian period, in 780 by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro. Ordered by Tokugawa Iemitsu, its present buildings were built entirely without nails in 1633.
    1810JPN-8570.jpg
  • Three-storied Koyasu Pagoda. Kiyomizu-dera ("Pure Water Temple") is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto, Japan. Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site. Kiyomizu-dera was founded on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the early Heian period, in 780 by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro. Ordered by Tokugawa Iemitsu, its present buildings were built entirely without nails in 1633.
    1810JPN-8529.jpg
  • Three-storied Koyasu Pagoda lit at night. Kiyomizu-dera ("Pure Water Temple") is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto, Japan. Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site. Kiyomizu-dera was founded on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the early Heian period, in 780 by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro. Ordered by Tokugawa Iemitsu, its present buildings were built entirely without nails in 1633.
    1810JP2-272.jpg
  • Three-storied Koyasu Pagoda. Kiyomizu-dera ("Pure Water Temple") is an independent Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto, Japan. Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) UNESCO World Heritage site. Kiyomizu-dera was founded on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the early Heian period, in 780 by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro. Ordered by Tokugawa Iemitsu, its present buildings were built entirely without nails in 1633.
    1810JPN-8518.jpg
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