Despite centuries of wear and even a fire, Europe's oldest wooden bridge continues to charm tourists in Lucerne, Switzerland. The Chapel Bridge, which cuts diagonally across the Reuss River, was built in the early 14th century. About 300 years later, the bridge was adorned with a series of triangular paintings depicting events in the city's history. In 1993, fire nearly destroyed the bridge. It was largely restored in 1994.
The Chapel Bridge rises beside an octagonal tower that predates it by about 30 years. The tower has been used as a dungeon, torture chamber and archive.
Much of the existing bridge dates back to the 1990s because a fire destroyed a large part of the original structure. Despite this, it remains one of the city's most popular attractions.
Tourists can still see some of the charred remains of the original bridge.
The bridge originally featured 158 paintings from artist Hans Heinrich Wägmann. Before the fire, 147 works survived. Remains from 47 images were collected after the fire, and 30 were restored.
Jeju Island lies about 50 miles south of the Korean peninsula. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the island comprises three noteworthy sites: Geomunoreum lava tubes, Seongsan Ilchulbong tuff cone and Mount Halla (pictured). UNESCO considers Geomunoreum the finest lava tube system in the world due to its multicolored and elaborate rock formations. The Seongsan Ilchulbong lava cone rises starkly from the ocean, making for an impressive sight. Mount Halla features waterfalls, rock formations and a lake-filled crater at its peak.
During a trip to Saudi Arabia, Chris Wright visited Madâin Sâlih archaeological site, about a four-hour drive northwest of Medina. He had been drawn by its Petra-like ruins.
Madâin Sâlih encompasses the largest preserved remains of the Nabateans, an ancient people who settled northern Arabia, south of Petra in Jordan. The site contains monumental tombs and wells carved into the sandstone dating from the 1st century BC. It owes its remarkable state of preservation to early abandonment, arid climate and lack of pillaging and reuse.
Volcanoes aren't unusual in Indonesia, one of the world's most geologically active countries. Mt. Kelimutu, however, manages to stand out with its three crater lakes, each a different color. Adding to its kaleidoscopic appeal, chemical reactions spurred by volcanic activity cause the lakes to change color. What color and when remains unpredictable. The lakes are each about a thousand feet in diameter and are found at the eastern summit of Kelimutu.Mt. Kelimutu is on the southern island of Flores. The volcano is a part of Mt. Kelimutu National Park, home to several endemic species.
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