The Yungang Grottoes lie in the northern part of Shanxi province about ten miles west of the industrial city of Datong. The approximately fifty caves carved in the sandstone cliffs of the Wuzhou mountain range stretch for about a kilometer along the Wuzhou River. The construction of the caves was started under the auspices of the noted monk Tan Yao in 453 and took 50 years to complete. The 53 grottoes in Yungang Grottos include some 1,000 niches with about 51,000 statues – a treasure-trove of cave art that combines traditional Chinese art forms with foreign influence, particularly Greek and Indian. Sculptures here are noted for their vigorous features and rich variety that range from the smallest, only 2 centimeters high, to the tallest – a Buddha 17-meters high.

credit: tak.wing

Litomyšl was established around the trade route that connected Bohemia and Moravia at the end of the 10th and beginning of the 11th centuries. The dominant feature of Litomysl is the monumental Renaissance castle dating from the years 1568 – 1581. The buildings of the castle precincts are not only exceptional for their architectural refinement, but have also inscribed themselves in history as the birthplace of the Czech national composer, Bedrich Smetana. The Litomysl Castle was damaged by fire in 1775 and repaired during the 1790s.

credit: korom

The site of the Dolomites comprises a mountain range in the northern Italian Alps, numbering 18 peaks which rise to above 3,000 metres and cover 141,903 ha. It features some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes anywhere, with vertical walls, sheer cliffs and a high density of narrow, deep and long valleys. They were named Dolomites after the geologist Déodat de Dolomieu and in 2009 their unique beauty was recognised by UNESCO which designated them a World Heritage property.

Odle di Funes

Passo Brogles

Cimon della Pala

Lago Sorapiss

Mt Pelmo from Lago delle Baste

Mt Pelmo from Lago delle Baste

Val Venegia

Montagna Totemica

A Pond in Fanes

Fanes

Cimone and Ice

Lago Sorapiss

Odle & Yellow Flowers

Lago Sorapiss

Odle and Clouds

Steps

credit: rachel_thecat