Churches In Armenia

Armenia is a very ancient country with a history of thousands of years.
This magnificent country is like an open-air museum of a great number of churches and monuments. There are plenty of churches, as Armenia is the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD.
If you happen to be there, don’t miss your chance to visit the most interesting churches of Armenia:
Tatev (meaning “give wings”) Monastery, surrounded with the perfect mountainous landscape of Southern Armenia, was built in the 9th century. Once it used to be a cultural center for Armenian philosophers, writers, painters, musicians and thinkers. It was also an important manuscript producing

One of the must-see things in Tatev is the “Gavazan” (“wand” in Armenian). This monument consists of a 26-foot-high octahedral pillar and a cross on top of it.

This extraordinary pillar used to swing whenever an enemy army was close and warned the people in the complex against danger.
Some historians and scientists tried to understand the techniques that the architects used in construction of the “Gavazan” and demolished the column. But when they put it back together, the column lost its “super-power…”

 This beautiful monastery is one of the most popular trip destinations not only for tourists, but also for natives. Geghard Monastery dates back to the 10-13th centuries and was once called Ayrivank (meaning “the monastery of the cave” in Armenian).

 This monastery is very unique for two reasons. It’s name, “Geghard” (meaning “spear” in Armenian), comes from the spear that was used by one of the Roman soldiers during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Geghard is partly built right out of solid rock. There are even passages and corridors leading inside the rock. In one of them, you’ll find a small pond, where you should throw a coin and make a wish.
Outside the monastery, you can see a lot of trees with ribbons tied to branches. Whenever people go there for “matagh” (sacrifice) they tie a ribbon to one of the trees so their wishes come true.
Although this is a pagan tradition, it is still popular in Armenia.

The Stone Forest: Straight And Sharp

The weather is getting warmer and warmer. As the sunshine rays soak into your skin cells, heating every inch of you, vacation ideas and tourist destinations flow into your head immediately.
If you’re thinking to go camping, I’ve got a unique travel destination for you.
The Stone Forest in Madagascar will probably be one of those scenes your eyes will never forget

The Stone Forest is located in Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1990. The word “Tsingy” means “where one cannot walk barefoot” in Malagasy. Why did people choose such a name? The forest consists of thousands of rocks with razor sharp tops. There are, of course, bridges that connect some of the rocks, but if you decide on this travel destination make sure you’re in a good physical condition to climb and fall.
You can find vegetation at the bottom of this forest, green trees, exotic plants and, most importantly, a big variety of local animals. There is also Manambolo river flowing through the island. You can also find a lot of lakes and a collection of savannas.
It’s amazing how the stone trees ride up high and form extremely straight lies, as if they have been placed there by a careful hand. The best part of this camping trip is the end of the day, when the sun goes down and lights the razor tops with orange-red light.

 However, don’t turn the camping trip into a disaster and always follow safe traveling tips. When you go camping, getting lost is a very easy task. The rocks look similar and signs that would help you to get around are not too many. It’s almost a labyrinth, very dangerous and complicated, make sure to take an experienced travel guide with you.
It’s hard to resist the temptation and not visit this magnificent travel destination. Seems like nature made a little experiment and left it for us to awe at her imagination.

Tourist Destination Like The Grand Canyon

If you are considering tours to the grand canyon, be sure not to include the grand canyon with other tourist destinations, as part of a longer trip. The grand canyon is a place you should be visiting on its own. This destination should take a whole trip as it will demand a serious amount of time and effort if you want to experience the fullness of what it offers and enjoy the best of it. It takes some time just to travel along the full rim of this place. This is not to say that you will not feel rewarded on a short trip to the grand canyon, providing you know how to make the most of your time.

 By entering this tourist destinations park from the east, you will have the opportunity to stop and view the Little Colarado River Gorge and explore Grandview Point and Desert view which are situated on the east rim. Tours to the grand canyon must include a view from the South Rim where you will view the spectacular sweeping panoramas. The best way to experience the canyon is to take a hike down the canyon and view it on a different scale. You will find many interesting details when observing the landscape angles and growth, when taking photos.

 There are many short trails set to view the grand canyon, which will include the most important views and features of one of the worlds most awesome tourist destinations. You might even consider a mule trip which although it may be rough and rather smelly, could turn out to be one of the greatest experiences. It is wise to consider the season when looking at tours to the grand canyon as you may want to avoid the crowds. Many of the trails have to be walked and it is better when they are not overcrowded. Certain camp sites are also usually fairly deserted. Viewing the sunsets from vantage points will give you an other worldly perspective and certainly influence you to return time and again.

The Most Unusual British Museums

The British Museum, the Tower, Madame Tussaud’s museum, the Tate Gallery are among top tourist destinations in Britain. What about visiting the most quirky museums that will make your tour more interesting and memorable?
Let’s start our adventure vacation with a visit to Dog Collar Museum in Leeds Castle, Maidstone. A tradition to decorate four-legged pets has a long history, and exhibits of Leeds Castle Museum are obvious testimony to that. More than 100 collars and related accessories illustrate the history of canine decoration from the Middle Ages to Victorian epoch.

 If you happen to have an inexplicable fascination for mysticism, don’t miss an opportunity of visiting Witchcraft museum, one of the most weird museums in the UK. It is situated in a tiny village of Boscastle, Cornwall. There you can find the largest collection of artifacts related to witchcraft.

Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum at Picadilly Circus should by all means be included in the top tourist destinations in London. More than 800 unique and unbelievable exhibits collected from all over the world are spread over its 5 floor. Many of them were brought by the founder of the museum Robert Ripley. There you can find world-famous Mini-Cooper encrusted with Swarovski crystals, The Tower Bridge made from nearly 300.000 matchsticks, animated Tirannozaurus Rex, astonishing Mirror Maze, 75 million year old dinosaur eggs and a large number of other items.

 As you know the Teddy Bear is very popular in Great Britain. That’s why it’s not strange that this famous toy has its own museum. Situated in Polka Theater it houses a charming collection. There you’ll see toys which belonged to outstanding persons and celebrities.

The next stop of our adventure vacation is the Cumberland Pencil Museum in Keswick, Cumbria. In 17-19 centuries it was the only place in England where graphite was mined. The famous Seathwaite mine was recreated to show all the stages required to make pencils. In this museum you can also see the longest color pencil in the world. Its length is 26 feet.

 Pram Museum with its collection of vintage baby carriages, Lock Museum, Museum of Mental Health, Colman’s Mustard Shop and Museum, Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising are also included in the list of the unusual British museums.