Real Locations that should be fantasy

[L. Marcus]

Mont Saint-Michel -- I was right about the earlier appearance. Edsel posted a link in #52 of this thread.

[L. Marcus]

Not St Michael's Mount - similar, but the central building is wrong

Different angle, probably.

[Drhoz]

The Land Of Chocolate ... or rather, the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, in the Philippines.



Another curious geological formation, just as striking as the tepuis I posted about some months back. Only 50 sq.km of these tho.

Like the tepuis, these are erosional remnants, but in this case the limestone mounds are covered in grass that turns brown in the dry season. I was pointed to these by the Planetary Society Blog, because the rover Opportunity is currently exploring the Chocolate Hills on Mars. Wikipedia has a good page on this more local version.

[Escafarc]

Not St Michael's Mount - similar, but the central building is wrong

Actually it is. Here's a shot from a different angle


http://www.wayfaring.info/2007/03/05...e-and-tourism/

[Escafarc]

Just google "Monastery" and check images

I still playing posting roulette when it comes to posting picture or links

[L. Marcus]

Saint Michael's Mount off Cornwall -- apparently daughter priory of Mont Saint-Michel.

Edit: I tried posting a pic, but dayum -- it was huge! Check link above instead ...

[Markdoc]

Different angle, probably.

No, though the confusion is understandable - St. Michael's Mount is a place in Cornwall, that looks a bit similar to Mont St Michel form some angles (though it's firmly on the mainland, not sitting out in the middle of the tidal flats!). I guess that's why it got a similar name.

cheers, Mark

Edit: Scooped!

[L. Marcus]

Impatient, aren't we? ^^

[Lord Liaden]

I'm glad this thread has been revived. It's one of the great ones on these forums, and I never tire of revisiting it. OTOH I now feel pressure to contribute more to it, sooo....

For those of you who might have naively thought the most recent Mummy movie contained anything original , check out the real Terracotta Army of the first emperor of China.

The city/temple complex of Angkor in Cambodia is perhaps the grandest and most famous "lost city" in the world. The "Angkorian Sites" links at the bottom of the page lead to many remarkable images, but I think this aerial view of the great temple complex of Angkor Wat may be the most spectacular: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:An...e-air.JPG#file

[Lord Liaden]

Here's a favorite site from my old home town: Notre-Dame Basilica in Old Montreal, one of the most magnificent Gothic Revival churches in the world:

[DusterBoy]

So, I looked for "monastery" on Google Images and found these, first crack out of the box:

The Tiger's Nest Monastery in Paro Valley, Bhutan:

Tiger's Next Mona&.jpg

Tiger's Nest Mona&.jpg

[L. Marcus]

No place for sleepwalkers. ^^

[Odraude]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ararat_anomaly

This area would be interesting for a ruins adventure. The anomaly is said to have been the remains of Noah's Ark.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transantarctic_Mountains



Upon the southern continent lies... the mountains of madness

And there is Mt Erebus, an active volcano in the Antarctic. Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. Why not both? Also he has a sister mountain called Mount Terror

[Drhoz]

Erebus was the one that tourist plane flew straight into under white-out conditions

[Vondy]

Looking over your full list at Pencil-Pushers, Eosin, I notice you're more interested in large-scale architecture than I realized at first. In that case, let me direct you to the ancient Middle Eastern city of Petra, an artificial "oasis" amidst a rocky desert, holding a vast collection of temples, tombs, and other monuments literally carved out of the cliffs surrounding the city.

This "virtual tour" of Petra displays more of the ancient monuments: http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery.../Jordan/Petra/

One of our show hosts makes a living as a tour guide and does frequent trips to Petra. I want to go on one.