Folium: The 100 Most Beautiful Places via YourAmazingPlaces

Folium100BeautifulAmazingPlaces

Folium: The 100 Most Beautiful Places via YourAmazingPlaces
Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project

The 100 Most Beautiful Places via YourAmazingPlaces

Wow! As I look through the 100 pictures of the most beautiful places in the world, I am just amazed at what a beautiful world we live in.  I love to travel and I am an adventurer.  I believe that if you are learning a language that you probably have that same passion.  I have traveled a bit in my lifetime and have only just seen one of these places — Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.  I was just a child when my parents took us but I still remember that trip like it was yesterday. We woke up every morning that week watching Old Faithful (the geyser) spewing its water into the air.  My parents took pictures of us standing next to wild buffalo and moose.  We saw paint pots for the first time and walked the boardwalks looking at hot springs.  As I look at these amazing places, I realize how I want to continue that feeling of awe and wonder.  There are a few places that I have added to my bucket list because I have to go see them.

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On the top of that list is Lake Hillier in Australia.  Did you ever know that a pink lake existed?  I did not and I am forty two years old.  Located on the western part of Australia, It looks like the color of bubble gum from the sky.  Scientists still have not really figured out what causes the pink color.  The lake was first discovered in 1802 by Matthew Flinders.  It is surrounded by woodland of paperbark and eucalyptus trees.  The lake measures 600 meters long and has been almost untouched.  There seems to be no danger to humans who swim in it’s water.  Scientists say the color is real and when vials of water are extracted from the lake, the water still remains pink.

If you are into the color red, birds and breathtaking views than China’s gorgeous red beach at Panjin is the place to go.  They have more than 236 varities of birds that visit there each year.  Now this beach is not always red.  The beach turns red due to a type of seaweed that thrives off of saltwater.  It is called seepweed.  It starts to grow in April but begins green.  However, when the seepweed matures it turns into a bright red color usually in September.  Most of the area is closed to the public except a small area they open up for tourists.  The best way to get there is by train.  If you leave from Beijing and take a fast train it should take you about three and half hours.  So sit back and enjoy the scenic route down to Red Beach.

Can you imagine a place that used to be called, “The Dump” by the locals and is now considered one of the most beautiful places to see?  Between 1906 and 1967 in Fort Bragg California residents used to take their garbage big or small and throw it over the cliffs.  Finally in 1967 the area was closed down.  Since that time waves from the water and the sea water have broken down the materials except glass and pottery.  The glass and pottery are now smooth and shiny stones that cover the beach.  The beach was privately owned for several years but in 1998, the owner decided that this beautiful landmark should belong to the public.  The owner worked for five years with local and state authorities to clean up and sell the property to the state.  Finally, in October 2002 it was incorporated into MacKerricher State Park and became open to the public.  However, it is not believed that Glass Beach will exist much longer.  Even though collecting glass is strictly prohibited, people still fill buckets and baggies up with the shiny glass depleting it’s supply.  Every year on Memorial Day weekend they hold an annual Glass Festival there.

Interested in staying at a hotel that looks like a volcano and has water erupting out of the top of it instead lava?  Well, head to South America in Southern Chile to stay at this magical lodge.  It is covered with moss and vines and it looks like you have stepped into some sci-fi movie.  It has thirteen rooms and is completely artificial.  The only way to get there is by foot. While there you can go hiking, play a wild course of mini-golf, or zip line through the forest and relax in a hot tub made from gigantic tree trunks.  Montana Magica Lodge is certainly a beauty to behold. Did I mention that you have enter the lodge by walking on a swinging rope bridge?

As I was going through the top 100 pictures, I saw posts from other people saying why did such and such a place not make the top 100 list for the most beautiful place in the world.  It made me realize that our world cannot be narrowed down to just 100 beautiful places because there are really 1000’s of beautiful places that we have discovered or still have not discovered yet.  As the cliche goes, it’s all in the eye of the beholder.  For example, I would not say that skywalking at Mt. Nimbus in Canada would be my cup of tea because I am afraid of heights while someone else would think it is the greatest experience of their life.  If you are not a world traveler and are like my husband that likes to stay in the old good U S of A then there were places like Jacobs Well North in Wimberly Texas where you can jump off the cliffs into a deep water hole.  Visit a real “tree house” that is a house built on top of a tree in Marin California.  Go to Antelope Canyon in Arizona where the sandstone due to flooding have caused the rocks to have a flowing shape to them.  Whatever your cup of tea, go somewhere, do something and be inspired!

LEAF Contributor
Kristine Schanzenbach

Resources:


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