A brooding statue!

A picture that would haunt you – The Appennine Colossus by Giambologna.

The Appennine Colossus by Giambologna.

Measuring about 35 feet tall, this is arguably the most spectacular feature of the gardens of Villa Medici at Pratolino, located about 12 km north of Florence, Italy. A personification of the Apennine mountain ranges, this statue was carved by  legendary Italian sculptor Giambologna (1529 – 1608), who is responsible for well-known works such as various versions of Mercury, plus Samson Slaying a Philistine (1562), Rape of the Sabine Women (1574-82) and Hercules beating the Centaur Nessus (1599). The statue is in actual a building with a network of grottoes, their walls studded with shells, corals, pearls and crystals, and painted with frescoes of muscled men mining precious ores. Inside the statues head is a chamber which once housed an ochestra and two working fountains, one of which portrayed the Greek Goddess of Water – Thetis (also the mother of the Trojan war hero Achilles).

Nature’s gift – Frying Pan Lake.

In 1886, a volcano named Mount Tarawer situated near the town of Rotorua on New Zealand’s North Island erupted. It was the country’s largest volcanic eruption that claimed over a hundred lives. It left behind a massive crater. To make up for the disaster created, less than 130 years after that, nature gifted New Zealand with the largest hot spring in the world – The Frying Pan Lake.

The Frying Pan Lake, Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley, New Zealand

The Frying Pan Lake, situated in Waimangu Volcanic Valley covers an area of 38,000 sq mtrs and is fed by an uncounted number of acid springs. Although the average temperature of the lake is around 50°C the hottest areas are almost boiling. As a result steam and various noxious gases are constantly released from Frying Pan Lake.

Another unfortunate vessel forming an intriguing picture…

Twenty feet underwater – but still visible from the surface in Tobermory, Ontario – are the remains of the Sweepstakes, a 119-foot Canadian schooner that was used to transport coal. Built in 1867, after 18 years of service she was damaged near Cove Island. Towed by tugboat, Sweepstakes was brought to Big Tub Harbor in Fathom Five National Marine Park. The damage occurred in August 1885 but was not repaired quickly enough, so the ship sank in the harbor in September of the same year. Today the ship is one of the many shipwrecks of the Marine Park and a popular spot with tour boat passengers, divers, and snorkelers.

The Sweepstakes as seen from a distance

A closer look at the former coal ship

The shipwreck that attracts thousands of tourists and snorkelers

The sleeping giant

A Wall That Plays Music When It Rains…

The musical funnel wall

The Funnel Wall at the Kunsthof-Passage in Neustadt, Germany. It’s a Rube Goldberg inspired wall that creates music when it rains, due to the mousetrap drain and gutter system with various sized metal cones!

A snap and the world would come to an end!

The mystical Shiva Linga in the Kedareshwar Cave, Harishchandragad

The captivating picture is of Kedareshwar Cave near Harishchandragad hill fort in Ahmednagar region of Maharashtra, India. Right in the middle of this huge cave lies a Shiva Linga surrounded by 5-feet deep fresh water. The Shiva Linga definitely plays ‘difficult to reach’ since this water is ice-cold and almost impossible to be crossed. In fact in the monsoons, a small stream from the hill further adds to the difficulty. However, the most interesting part is the associated local legend. It says that when the fourth pillar near the Shiva Linga breaks, the world will come to an end. No info is available about the other three pillars!

For the season of love…

First up are these beautiful twin hearts…

For the conjoined hearts…

Located on the north side of Cimei island of Penghu archipelago, Taiwan, these twin hearts are actually a traditional fishing trap. Originally, the twin hearts stone weir was built of basalt and coral reefs, however, as the catches decreased gradually, fishing has almost ceased at the place. But, the twin hearts stone weir continues to attract tourists from across the world contributing to the economy of Penghu.