100 Places to Visit in Your Lifetime, Part III

A continuation of Part I and Part II – 20 more places I hope to visit in my lifetime, which is a spin-off from my Swashbucket List:

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the most densely populated. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. It houses the United Nations Headquarters, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty. It is also the most linguistically diverse city in the world – over 800 languages are spoken here. It is located on one of the world’s largest natural harbors.

Mother Nature was very generous with the Republic of Seychelles. There are 115 islands spanning the Indian Ocean that make up the Republic. Undeniably, the beaches are the big attraction: exquisite ribbons of white sand lapped by topaz waters and backed by lush hills and big glacis boulders.

Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has been called the “Venice of the North” for its more than one hundred kilometres of canals, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings. In addition to its historical aspects, the famous post-impressionist painter, Van Gogh, resided here for a short time and the city houses a museum dedicated to him. Considering he is one of my favorite artists, I would love to visit such a place.

While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is claimed to be the largest. This claim is based on a width of 5,604 ft. and height of 354 ft., forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world. A famous feature is a naturally formed pool known as the Devil’s Pool, near the edge of the falls, accessed via Livingstone Island in Zambia. When the river flow is at a certain level, usually during the months of September to December, a rock barrier forms a pool with little current where you can swim.

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and attains a depth of over a mile. Nearly two billion years of the Earth’s geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted.

Paris has many nicknames, but its most famous is “La Ville-Lumière” or “The City of Light”. The city has many sites worth visiting – the Eiffel Tower, a structure that remained the world’s tallest building until 1930, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, Place de la Concorde, and Arc de Triomphe, to name a few.

Along the coast of northern California lies Redwood National Park, which protects 45% of all remaining coast redwood – Sequoia Sempervirens. These trees are an evergreen, monoecious tree capable of living 1200–1800 years or more. They are also the tallest and one of the most massive tree species on Earth – up to 379 feet in height (without the roots) and up to 26 feet in diameter at breast height. Might I suggest you visit the Avenue of the Giants – a truly spectacular drive.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks. It is at the centre of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.
Archaeologists believe the iconic stone monument was constructed anywhere from 3000 B.C. to 2000 B.C.

Since New Zealand is not considered part of any continent, it would be interesting enough to be standing on no continent on Earth. Aside from that, Auckland has Rangitoto Island, which houses the world’s largest pohutukawa forest, Maungakiekie, the site of a Māori fortified village, Pakiri Beach, 9 miles of white sand and blue ocean and more.

Within Pisa is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower. Construction of the tower began in 1173, occurring in three stages across 177 years, and it began to sink five years later due to a mere three-metre foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil – a design that was flawed from the beginning.

In the heart of the city Agra lies the Taj Mahal – a mausoleum built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is also the mausoleum of Shah Jahan.

Located in the northwest of the country, Istanbul lies on the Bosphorus strait and encompasses the natural harbour known as the Golden Horn. Extending both on the European (Thrace) and Asian (Anatolia) sides of the strait, Istanbul is the only metropolis in the world situated on two continents. You could stand in two places at once! It is also home to Hagia Sophia (pictured above) – a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum – which is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have “changed the history of architecture.

Yosemite – located in the Sierra Nevada of California – is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams and Giant Sequoia groves. Notable sights to see are Yosemite Falls, El Capitan – a vertical rock formation, Half Dome and more.

Rio, for short, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and is nicknamed the Cidade Maravilhosa or “Marvelous City.” It is the most visited city in the southern hemisphere and is known for its natural settings, carnival celebrations, samba, Bossa Nova, balneario beaches – such as Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon – and the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado mountain. The 2016 Summer Olympics will take place here – I plan to be there.

Yellowstone, widely held to be the first national park in the world, is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features – Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone Lake, Snake River, Grand Prismatic Spring, etc.

San Francisco, which survived after 75% of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire, is renowned for its chilly summer fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of architecture, and its famous landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, and Chinatown. Sometimes, upon viewing all the great places I want to go, I forget that I live in such an amazing place to begin with.

The Congo. Almost enough said just by stating the name… The congo has the highest frequency of thunderstorms in the world. The annual rainfall can total upwards of 80 inches and sustains the Congo River and the Congo Rainforest, the second largest rain forest in the world. This part of the world set the stage for Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”.

The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River – draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario – is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls, along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world and has a vertical drop of more than 165 feet.

The second largest city in Spain, following Madrid, Barcelona has numerous spots of interets (it’s hard to list only a few): Palau de la Música Catalana, Casa Batlló, Park Güell, Facade of the Nativity and crypt of the Sagrada Familia… I can’t wait to see these.

Well known by name, but most know nothing about it – except that Brad Pitt did a movie here for seven years or something, right? Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. Its palace, the Potala Palace, was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India, during the 1959 Tibetan uprising. There are thirteen stories of buildings – containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues.

To view Part I.
To view Part II.
To View Part IV.
To View Part V.