Oberammergau, Germany

Oberammergau, Germany

Oberammergau, Germany is famous for its production of a Passion Play, which was first performed in 1634, and its woodcarvers.  The Oberammergau Passion Play is the result of a vow made by the inhabitants of the village when God spared them from the effects of the bubonic plague. The village is also known as the home of a long tradition of woodcarving; the Bavarian State Woodcarving School is located there.  The streets of central Oberammergau are home to dozens of woodcarver shops, with pieces ranging from religious subjects, to toys, to humorous portraits.

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Bannack State Park: a Ghost Town in Southwest Montana, USA

Bannack State Park:  a Ghost Town in Southwest Montana, USA

Most of the buildings remaining in Bannack State Park, a ghost town in southwest Montana, are still in decent shape and open for perusal.  Wallpaper and linoleum are pealing back to reveal years and transitions.  The mind wanders as you study what used to be.  There are a few really noteworthy specimens of old Bannack buildings that you will naturally be drawn to.  Such as the hotel, with its beautiful, sweeping staircase that takes you from the lobby to the second floor. The state park offers more than just walking through musty corridors and looking out rolled glass panes.  It has a variety of events and activities throughout the year.

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Go to North Caucasus Mountains in Russia to See the Mysterious Dolmens

Go to North Caucasus Mountains in Russia to See the Mysterious Dolmens

The Caucasian Dolmens represent a unique type of prehistoric architecture. Similar to Stonehenge, Dolmens were built with stone blocks of catastrophic size. They are thought to date between 3,000 and 2,000 B.C., although little is known about these sites. Today approximately 3,000 of these megalithics have been discovered in the Caucasus Mountains.  More are being found and also destroyed. 

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