Oldest Living Thing!

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is located in the White Mountains of Inyo National Forest in eastern California.  The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus Longaeva) tree grows between 9,800 and 11,000 feet above sea level. The trees are estimated to be about 4000 years old.  These trees are only found in the US and are the oldest known living things in the world.

 

 

 

 

Battleship Island

Hashima Island is one of Japans many uninhabited islands.  It is often referred to as Gunkanjima meaning Battleship Island.   The island is about 16 acres and at it's peak, the population was 5,259.
The island was once populated between the years of 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining town, extracting coal from undersea mines.  The mine closed in 1974 leaving the island uninhabited with it's large buildings crumbling.  However, in 2009 a small portion of the island re-opened for photography and other types of usage.  Unfortunately, the island is not maintained and some buildings have already collapsed.  Other buildings have been somewhat reinforced.   It would make a great tourist attraction, but it great deal of money would be required to make the island safe. 

 

 

 

Tiny Beach

Papafragas beach is located on the island of Milos in Greece. It's a tiny beach magically sheltered from the outside world.  It's waters are crystal clear and it's the jewel of Milos, Greece.   Not only does it have a beautiful tiny beach, one will also find many sea caves.  The beach is at the end of a beautiful Fjord.  It is believed that the fjord was once a cave but eventually it's roof collapsed either by erosion or earthquake.   It is also believed that the beach was once a wonderful hiding place for pirates. 

 

 

 

Water OVER the bridge!

The Magdeburg Water Bridge in Germany is the longest and most impressive water bridge in the world.   It was opened in 2003 crossing over the Elbe River.   It is approximately 918 meters long.

The Elbe-Havel and Mittelland canals are on either sides of the Elbe River, however the river is significantly lower in elevation then the two canals.  Prior to the bridge, ships would have to make a long detour to move from one canal to another that involved use of a lock.  Today,  the bridge connects Berlin's inland harbor network with the ports along the Rhine river.