Amazing Sand Sculpture

Unamazing photo of amazing road

by Brian Micklethwait

Lynn Sislo regularly links to bon mots here, and the latest link from her to here is to those crisps. In the same posting, she links to these amazing roads photos. Actually, I don’t like most of these snaps nearly as much as Lynn seems to. I don’t care for that garishly-Photoshop-enhanced look that many of them are presented in. I mean, you can make anything look garishly colourful these days, if Photoshopping is allowed. Which means that if nature itself is being garishly colourful, you start suspecting that it wasn’t being so colourful really, and it was done with Photoshop even when it wasn’t, which is not good at all.

For me, the rule with Photoshopping to make a nice looking photo (it’s different if you are trying to explain something or read some blurry-to-begin-with lettering or something) is that the result should look like it could easily have been a real, straight-from-the-camera, regular photo.

But, because it is not garishly-Photoshop-enhanced, and because unlike with many of the others, the photo is only average but the road itself is truly amazing, I do very much like this photo:

But, where on earth is this amazing road? I’m guessing it is very well know, to those to whom it is well known. But I can find no clues in the amazing roads photos posting itself.

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70 Amazing Houses from Around the World

Do you prefer the quiet calm of a house on the water or the daring adventure of a house hanging off of a cliff, a great greenhouse design or a uncanny underground home design? A giant space in which to sprawl or a tiny nook in which to seek solitude? Whether you aspire to something exotic and unique or comfortable and cozy there is sure to be a contemporary, ultramodern, portable or prefab house here for you. Sorted into eight types, here are seventy of the most amazing, unusual, offbeat and unique houses in the world.

Amazing Bridges from Around the World

Amazing

Amazing Trees - unusual trees from around the world

It was Buddha who said: "A tree is a wonderful living organism which gives shelter, food, warmth and protection to all living things. It even gives shade to those who wield an axe to cut it down."

Here we present some of the most amazing and unusual trees from around the world. They include the Basket Tree, Giant Sequoias of California, Circus Tree, Chapel-Oak. Tule Tree. Banyan Tree, and Baobab Trees - including one with a toilet built inside it.

8) Sundial Bridge in Redding, California is a pedestrian bridge, 213 m long and 7 m wide; it is stretched precisely from south to north, making the br

8) Sundial Bridge in Redding, California is a pedestrian bridge, 213 m long and 7 m wide; it is stretched precisely from south to north, making the bridge a functioning sundial

Image: Lyn and Jesse

Last but not least, moving yet further east around the globe, we reach a humble walking bridge in Redding, California. The stylish Sundial Bridge across the Sacramento River is a glass-bottom bridge that connects a network of walking and biking trails. The requirement before planning the bridge was that it could not cast too much shadow over the river as Turtle Bay happens to be one of the best salmon spawning places in California. Therefore, the design is light and airy. Opened in July 2004, the bridge’s construction cost €17.4 million.

For all those inspired by these beautiful bridges around the world, there is good news: most of the bridges portrayed have their own web sites (brochures are so 20th century) with lots more information and virtual tours.

7) The Akashi Bridge in Japan is the world’s longest suspension bridge with a total length of 3,911 m and contains a 6-lane highway

7) The Akashi Bridge in Japan is the world’s longest suspension bridge with a total length of 3,911 m and contains a 6-lane highway

Image: Kim Rötzel

Moving yet further east, we reach the Akashi Bridge (also Akashi-Kaikyo or Pearl Bridge) in Kobe, Japan. With a centre span of 1,991 m, it is the world’s longest suspension bridge and links Kobe with the mainland of Honshu. Since the bridge’s opening in 1998, crossing the Akashi Strait has become much safer as the bridge has been built to withstand strong winds, sea currents and earthquakes. Before then, passengers used to rely on ferries that were prone to accidents due to severe storms in the region.

6) The Sutong Bridge in China is a cable-stayed bridge with the world’s longest main span (1,088 m); its overall length is 8,206 m and the two bridge

6) The Sutong Bridge in China is a cable-stayed bridge with the world’s longest main span (1,088 m); its overall length is 8,206 m and the two bridge towers are the world’s second tallest at 306 m

Image: Unknown photographer

Moving further east, here’s the Sutong Bridge that spans the Yangtze River and connects Sutong (Suzhou) and Nantong in China. It shortens the commute from Shanghai to Nantong, making ferry service superfluous and heightening Nantong’s importance as part of the Yangtze River Delta economic zone. The opening of the bridge in May 2008 has brought foreign investments to the city and spurned the development of poorer northern Jiangsu regions. No wonder, with a status project that cost €1.3 billion.

5) The Jadukata Bridge, the longest span cantilever bridge in India with a central span of 140 m, stretches so naturally from one shore to the other t

5) The Jadukata Bridge, the longest span cantilever bridge in India with a central span of 140 m, stretches so naturally from one shore to the other that it seems to grow out of the rich vegetation itself

Image: Gammon India

Leaving Europe to move further east, we come to the Indian Jadukata Bridge in Ranikor in the West Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya, 130 km from its capital, Shillong. This bridge over the Jadukata river is close to the Indo-Bangladesh border and therefore a vital link on an important road in this border state. Even cost wise, compared to the other bridges featured here, it is a lightweight at €1.5 million.

4) The Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam is 808 m long, cost €75 million to construct and was opened in September 1996

4) The Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam is 808 m long, cost €75 million to construct and was opened in September 1996

Image: Unstudio

The Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam does not need to hide behind the Oresundbridge as it can boast a record of its own: its southern part is the largest and heaviest bascule bridge in Western Europe and has the largest panel of its type in the world, allowing tall ships to pass. The bridge is nicknamed “The Swan” because of its 139 m high asymmetrical pylon that overlooks the city like the graceful neck of a swan.

3) The Oresundbridge from Denmark to Sweden, with the Danish islands Saltholm on the left and Peberholm on the right; on the horizon is Malmö

3) The Oresundbridge from Denmark to Sweden, with the Danish islands Saltholm on the left and Peberholm on the right; on the horizon is Malmö

Image: Dpol

The Oresundbridge (official name: Øresundsförbindelsen) connecting Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden leaves one puzzled, as suddenly a 4-line highway and a 2-track railway seem to disappear into the sea. Is it a bridge? Is it a tunnel? It’s both, making it, what, maybe a brunnel or a tridge? In any case, it’s definitely the longest combined road-and-rail bridge in Europe. Plans for a bridge at this location had been in the works for the last hundred years but it was finally opened in July 2000, bringing Swedes and Danes closer together and increasing tourism. The bridge is 8 km long, plus there’s 4 km of tunnel and another 4 km of the man-made island Peberholm; altogether a stunning, 16-km-drive.

Here’s another stunning view of the Oresundbridge that makes it look like a ski ramp:

2. The Millau Viaduct in France: 2,460 m long, 32 m wide and 343 m high at the highest point

2. The Millau Viaduct in France: 2,460 m long, 32 m wide and 343 m high at the highest point

Image: Le Viaduc de Millau

The Millau Viaduct in France is the world’s tallest vehicular bridge. In 2004, after 17 years of planning and work, it was finally completed and formed the missing link in the A75, connecting Paris and Perpignan. Cost: Euro 400 million, but that should be recovered fast at a cost of €3.09 for bicycles, €5.50 for cars and €27.50 for trucks (off season). However, according to the web site, the route saves more than one hour when travelling from Paris and almost €50 in tolls. The state-of-the art construction required 85,000 m3 of concrete and used the latest techniques like laser, GPS, sliders, self-climbing formwork, specific surface coats and high performance concrete.