Panama Canal

Did you know that the French tried to dig a canal through Panama in the 1880s? They did, but after thousands (21,900) of deaths from malaria and yellow fever, they gave it up. The U.S. then went in and, chalking up only 5,600 deaths ("only"), opened the canal in 1914.You can drive or walk across bridges that span the canal.The locks move ships up and then down as they pass over the isthmus.It isn't free: they charge a toll. The most expensive, according to Wikipedia, was $331,200 in 2008 to the "Disney Magic." The least expensive toll was 36 cents, charged to Richard Halliburton who swam the canal in 1928 (also according to Wikipedia).
It takes between 8 and 10 hours to sail from one end of the canal to the other - a distance of about 50 miles. Still, it beats swinging down around the Horn if you're trying to get from the Atlantic to the Pacific.The scenery is lush and tropical. Anyone up for a boat ride?

Cliffs of Moher

On the Western Edge of the Burren area near Doolin in County Clare you will find the Cliffs of Moher. You may remember them from "The Princess Bride" where they were called "the cliffs of insanity."O'Brien's Tower rises about the midpoint of the cliffs.The view is spectacular.Just be careful when you go.That first step's a doozey!

Patos Lagoon

Lagoa dos Patos, or "Lagoon of the Ducks," is the largest lagoon in Brazil: 174 miles long and 44 miles wide.It is separated from the ocean by a sand bar and has several islands trapped within its boundaries. It got its name from Jesuit settlers who, in the 16th century, bred waterfowl there.It is a valuabe fishing spot with its varaible salinity and shalow (relatively speaking) depth, and in recent years rice has been grown in it.Mostly I just liked the name.

Pisa

Bienvenuto!
On the Western Edge of the Tuscan Region, where the Arno flows into the Ligurian Sea, you will find Pisa.Pisa has been well known since it first started as a seaport village. It has been home to the powerful Medici clan. It is where Galileo Galilei was born and conducted experiments in gravity. More recently, Andrea Bocelli was born there.

Of course, it's most famous icon is a crooked building.The tower (not the most crooked in the world, by the way) is open to the public. I knew it had been closed because they wanted to stabilize it, but I didn't realize they'd succeeded. Congratulations to the engineers who accoplished that over decades of work!The 20th century repairs to get this belltower to stop tipping over have continued into the 21st. In fact, in May of 2008, the engineers (who had removed 70 metric tons of dirt from under it to stabilize it and try to bring it at least a little more into shim) said that it had finally stopped moving for the first time in its history. Anyone want to climb up and ring the bell?

Yalta

On the North Coast of the Black Sea is the Crimea. Livadia Palace (above) was a vacation spot of Tsar Nicholas II, but it is probably most famous for being the location of the Big 3 Conference at the end of World War II.A stroll along the Tsar's Path provides you with a stunning view of this Ukranian metropolis. What I find most amazing, however, is the Swallow's Nest: