anthonyquigley

[anthonyquigley]

King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia https://goo.gl/maps/ckHmNCAfpzK2 . http://bit.ly/1WCSb2p . King Khalid International Airport (Arabic: مطار الملك خالد الدولي Maṭār al-Malik Khālid al-Duwaliyy, IATA: RUH, ICAO: OERK) is located 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,[2] designed by the architectural firm HOK, and Arabian Bechtel Company Limited served as the construction manager on behalf of the Saudi government. . This airport consists of 5 passenger terminals (only three of which are in use), with eight aero-bridges each, a mosque, covered and uncovered car parking for 11,600 vehicles, an additional Royal Terminal (for the kingdom's guests, government heads, and Saudi royal family use), a central control tower (one of the world's tallest), and two parallel runways, which are each 4,260 metres (13,980 ft) long. The land area allocated for this airport is among the largest (third-largest, after King Fahd International Airport and Denver International Airport) in the world. . This airport was an alternative landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect KingKhalidInternationalAirport #Riyadh #SaudiArabia #RUH #airport http://bit.ly/2DR34JO

[anthonyquigley]

Toledo, Spain https://goo.gl/maps/Nwa9gzaLxkM2 . http://bit.ly/2vlYbnW . Toledo is an ancient city set on a hill above the plains of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. The capital of the region, it’s known for the medieval Arab, Jewish and Christian monuments in its walled old city. It was also the former home of Mannerist painter El Greco. The Moorish Bisagra Gate and the Sol Gate, in Mudéjar style, open into the old quarter, where the Plaza de Zocodover is a lively meeting place. . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #toledo #castle #spain #Mannerism #elgreco http://bit.ly/2RzQ8fk

[anthonyquigley]

Terminal de Autobuses de Pasajeros de Oriente, Mexico City, Mexico https://goo.gl/maps/GfwNPnShERJ2 . http://bit.ly/1WCSb2p . Terminal de Autobuses de Pasajeros de Oriente is better known by the acronym TAPO. It is located next to and conjoined with the Metro San Lázaro station, in the Venustiano Carranza borough in the eastern part of Mexico City. . If you're planning to travel in Mexico by bus, there are some things to be aware of, especially if you are starting in the country's capital. Being such a large metropolis, Mexico City has four main bus terminals located in different areas of the city. Each serves a different geographic region of Mexico (although there is some overlap), so you should check in advance which terminal has buses departing to your destination. . Before the system of four bus terminals was initiated in the 1970s by the government Secretary of Communication and Transportation, each bus company had its own terminal. It was decided to create these terminals corresponding to the cardinal directions to help ease traffic congestion within the city. . Ref: http://bit.ly/2pCagUV . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #tapo #mexicocity #mexico #bus #buses #busjourney http://bit.ly/2UxCoDK

[anthonyquigley]

Vienna, Austria https://goo.gl/maps/WcxFzZUsVf42 . http://bit.ly/2vlYbnW . Baroque streetscapes and imperial palaces set the stage for Vienna's artistic and musical masterpieces alongside its coffee-house culture and vibrant epicurean and design scenes. . Vienna's imperial grandeur is the legacy of the powerful Habsburg monarchy. Their home for more than six centuries, the Hofburg palace complex, incorporates the Burgkapelle (Imperial Chapel), where the Vienna Boys' Choir sings Sunday Mass, and the famed Spanish Riding School, where Lipizzaner stallions perform elegant equine ballet, along with a trove of museums, including in the chandeliered Kaiserappartements (Imperial Apartments). Other immense palaces include the baroque Schloss Belvedere and the Habsburgs' 1441-room summer residence, Schloss Schönbrunn, while 19th-century splendours such as the neo-Gothic Rathaus (City Hall) line the magnificent Ringstrasse encircling the Innere Stadt (inner city). Masterpiece-filled Museums . With a musical heritage that includes composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Josef Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss (father and son), Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler, among countless others, Vienna is known as the City of Music. Its cache of incredible venues where you can catch performances today include the acoustically renowned Musikverein, used by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the gold-and-crystal main opera house, the Staatsoper, and the multistage Konzerthaus, as well as the dedicated home of the Vienna Boys' Choir, MuTh. Music comes to life through interactive exhibits at the captivating Haus der Musik museum. . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #vienna #austria #music #Neulerchenfeld #Konzerthaus #Hofburg http://bit.ly/2MMuFPu

[anthonyquigley]

White Sands National Monument, Otero County, New Mexico, USA⠀ https://buff.ly/2WraESS⠀ .⠀ https://buff.ly/2RroOzu⠀ .⠀ White Sands National Monument is in the northern Chihuahuan Desert in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It's known for its dramatic landscape of rare white gypsum sand dunes. Trails through the dunes include the raised Interdune Boardwalk and the Dune Life Nature Trail, dotted with interpretive exhibits on wildlife and other features. Dunes Drive is a looped road from the White Sands Visitor Center to the dune field.⠀ .⠀ The White Sands National Monument is located about 25 km southwest of Alamogordo in western Otero County and northeastern Dona Ana County in the state of New Mexico, at an elevation of 4235 feet . The area is in the mountain-ringed Tularosa Basin valley area and comprises the southern part of a 710-km² field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. The first exploration was led by a party of US Army officers in 1849.The Mescalero Apache were already living in the area at the time. The idea of creating a national park here goes back at least to 1898, when a group in El Paso proposed a Mescalero. Their idea was for a game hunting preserve, which conflicted with the idea of preservation held by the Department of the Interior, and their plan was not successful.⠀ .⠀ The image is of a road passing through the area.⠀ .⠀ #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #whitesands #newmexico #OteroCounty http://bit.ly/2S8kg5R

[anthonyquigley]

Guadalajara, Mexico https://goo.gl/maps/srspM8e126H2 . http://bit.ly/1WCSb2p . Mexico’s second largest metropolis is actually a confederation of three separate cities – Zapopan, Tlaquepaque and Guadalajara proper – each with its own airs and idiosyncrasies. Together they form a culturally compelling whole, a blended cocktail not unlike one of the locally concocted margaritas – sharp, potent and remarkably well-balanced. . If you’re intimidated by the size and intensity of Mexico City, Guadalajara delivers a less frenetic alternative. Many of the clichéd images recognized as Mexican have roots here: mariachi music, wide-brimmed sombreros, the Mexican hat dance and charreadas (rodeos). But, Guadalajara is as much a vanguard of the new Mexico as it is a guardian of the old. Chapultepec hipsters drive the cultural life forward, fusion chefs have sharpened the edges of an already legendary culinary scene (famed for its tender stews and ‘drowned’ sandwiches), while foresighted local planners are doing their damnedest to tackle the traffic and congestion (a bike-sharing scheme is the latest wild card). . With over four million inhabitants in its broader metro area, Guadalajara can’t match the intimacy and architectural homogeneity of smaller colonial cities, though its historic core is handsome enough, anchored by the twin wonders of the cathedral and the Instituto Cultural de Cabañas, the latter a Unesco World Heritage site. Modern and spread-out, the Chapultepec neighborhood is sprinkled with fashionable restaurants, coffeehouses and nightclubs. Mellow suburbs Tlaquepaque (upscale) and Tonalá (grassroots) are a folk-art shopper’s dream destinations. Zapopan has some interesting colonial sites and is known somewhat euphemistically as Guadalajara’s Beverly Hills. . Read more: http://bit.ly/93Sswb . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #mexico #Zapopan #Tlaquepaque #Guadalajara #Zapopan #Chapultepec #mexicocity http://bit.ly/2CUxCZL

[anthonyquigley]

Istanbul, Turkey. https://goo.gl/maps/G4F2ZtyvPt32 . http://bit.ly/2vlYbnW . This magical meeting place of East and West has more top-drawer attractions than it has minarets (and that's a lot). . İstanbul's strategic location has attracted many marauding armies over the centuries. The Greeks, Romans and Venetians took turns ruling before the Ottomans stormed into town and decided to stay – physical reminders of their various tenures are found across the city. The fact that the city straddles two continents wasn't its only drawcard – it was the final stage on the legendary Silk Road linking Asia with Europe, and many merchants who came here liked it so much that they, too, decided to stay. In so doing, they gave the city a cultural diversity that it retains to this day. . The conquering armies of ancient times tended to ransack the city rather than endow it with artistic treasures, but all that changed with the Byzantines, who adorned their churches and palaces with mosaics and frescoes. Miraculously, many of these remain. Their successors, the Ottomans, were quick to launch an ambitious building program and the magnificently decorated imperial mosques that resulted are architectural triumphs that together form one of the world's great skylines. In recent years, local banks and business dynasties have reprised the Ottomans' grand ambitions and endowed an impressive array of galleries, museums and festivals for all to enjoy. . Some ancient cities are the sum of their monuments, but İstanbul factors a lot more into the equation. Chief among its manifold attractions are the locals, who have an infectious love of life and generosity of spirit. This vibrant, inclusive and expanding community is full of people who work and party hard, treasure family and friendships, and have no problem melding tradition and modernity in their everyday lives. Joining them in their favourite haunts – çay bahçesis (tea gardens), kahvehans (coffeehouses), meyhanes (Turkish taverns) and kebapçıs (kebap restaurants) – will be a highlight of your visit. . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #turke http://bit.ly/2Rr6RkO

[anthonyquigley]

Chicago, Illinois, USA https://goo.gl/maps/91caojnp9rp . http://bit.ly/2vlYbnW . Chicago, on Lake Michigan in Illinois, is among the largest cities in the U.S. Famed for its bold architecture, it has a skyline punctuated by skyscrapers such as the iconic John Hancock Center, 1,451-ft. Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) and the neo-Gothic Tribune Tower. The city is also renowned for its museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago with its noted Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #chicago #illinois #windycity http://bit.ly/2CZB05J

[anthonyquigley]

Nicosia, Cyprus https://goo.gl/maps/G5uxevTqfTU2 . Nicosia, Cyprus . Nicosia is the capital of the Republic of Cyprus is also its cultural heartbeat. Overlooked by most visitors, reduced to a day-tour jaunt from beach resorts, Nicosia (or Lefkosia, as it’s officially known) is a curious and fascinating mix of vibrant street life, confronting division and rich history. . Nearly everything of interest lies within the snowflake-shaped Venetian walls. Inside the Old City, the lively, contemporary cafe and bar scene punches well above its weight for a city so small, while a bundle of museums and a series of looping lanes lined with colonial-era buildings, churches and mosques reveal an evocative history. Meanwhile, if you brush up against the sandbag and oil-barrel barriers of the Green Line (the UN Buffer Zone) you’ll get a sense of the surreal and sad present-day state of limbo for the world’s last divided capital. . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #nicosia #cyprus #unitednations ##history #venetianwalls #Lefkosia #greenline http://bit.ly/2B6ggJ7

[anthonyquigley]

Laguna de Santa Barbara, Los Troncos del Talar, Buenos Aires, Argentina https://goo.gl/maps/uEsEbk7cqny . http://bit.ly/2vlYbnW . Just a few km north of Buenos Aires is the Laguna de Santa Barbara, which appears to be where the richer folks live. . While reading about the city, it would appear that the average income is about US$7,000 which about 8 times less that the average salary in Texas. . Strange world. . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #buenosaires #argentina #salary #texas http://bit.ly/2G5EDu1

[anthonyquigley]

Lisbon, Portugal https://goo.gl/maps/s96KJq4S8sM2 . http://bit.ly/2vlYbnW . Set over sprawling hills and close to beautiful sandy beaches, Lisbon is Western Europe’s oldest city, and is the largest city in Portugal. A thriving centre for culture and commerce, Lisbon is often flaunted as one of the world’s most liveable cities, and a fantastic place for a city break. Lisbon is the oldest city in Western Europe, even predating capitals such as Rome, Paris and London . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #lisbon #portugal #rome #paris #london #citybreak #beach http://bit.ly/2RMVw3J

[anthonyquigley]

Viareggio, Lucca, Italy https://goo.gl/maps/uQ1nt7HjpBU2 . The town of Viareggio is the second largest within the province of Lucca and is a popular, up-market seaside resort. It is a major part of the Tuscan Riviera, known as Versilia, which has a sandy beach stretching for more than 20km. The other side of the road is lined with Viareggio hotels facing the sea. Viareggio is one of the most traditional and famous seaside resorts in Tuscany. It has, for a long time, been a popular holiday destination for both Italians and foreign visitors. A holiday here offers you the best of everything, from a perfect beach holiday to a hectic round of shopping and night clubs to a nature lovers paradise. Not many places can beat Viareggio if you want a week or two relaxing on the beach. . Reference: http://bit.ly/1s9DVRR . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #tuscany #viareggio #italy #florence #pisa #Versilia #lucca http://bit.ly/2S3Hvhm

[anthonyquigley]

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA https://goo.gl/maps/YLy8LGBpcZ82 . http://bit.ly/2vlYbnW . Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. Its modern skyline is dominated by the 451m-tall Petronas Twin Towers, a pair of glass-and-steel-clad skyscrapers with Islamic motifs. The towers also offer a public skybridge and observation deck. The city is also home to British colonial-era landmarks such as the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #kualalumpur #malaysia http://bit.ly/2Htze1V

[anthonyquigley]

San Francisco, California, USA https://goo.gl/maps/MEKYmZ8ubNo . http://bit.ly/2vlYbnW . Consider permission permanently granted to be outlandish: other towns may surprise you, but in San Francisco you will surprise yourself. Good times and social revolutions tend to start here, from manic gold rushes to blissful hippie be-ins. If there's a skateboard move yet to be busted, a technology still unimagined, a poem left unspoken or a green scheme untested, chances are it's about to happen here. Yes, right now. This town has lost almost everything in earthquakes and dot-com gambles, but never its nerve. . Every available Bay Area–invented technology is needed to make dinner decisions in this city, with the most restaurants and farmers markets per capita in North America, supplied by pioneering local organic farms. San Francisco set the gold standard for Wild West saloons, but drinking was driven underground in the 1920s with Prohibition. Today, San Francisco celebrates its speakeasies and vintage saloons – and with Wine Country and local distillers providing a steady supply of America's finest hooch, the West remains wild. . California is one grand, sweeping gesture – a long arm hugging the Pacific – and the 7-by-7-mile peninsula of San Francisco is a thumb pointed optimistically upwards. Take this as a hint to look up: you'll notice San Francisco's crooked Victorian rooflines, wind-sculpted treetops and fog tumbling over the Golden Gate Bridge.Heads are perpetually in the clouds atop San Francisco's 43 hills. Cable cars provide easy access to Russian and Nob Hills, and splendid panoramas reward the slog up to Coit Tower – but the most exhilarating highs are earned on Telegraph Hill's garden-lined stairway walks and windswept hikes around Land's End. . Image: DigitalGlobe Words: LonelyPlanet . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #sf #sanfrancisco #california #goldengate http://bit.ly/2FQwDgb

[anthonyquigley]

Brawley, Imperial County, California, USA https://goo.gl/maps/yunA5fFWeZQ2 . http://bit.ly/2vlYbnW . Brawley is a city in the Imperial Valley and within Imperial County, southern California, United States. The population was 24,953 at the 2010 census, up from 22,052 in 2000. The town has a significant cattle and feed industry, and hosts the annual Cattle Call Rodeo. . Imported water and a long growing season allow two crop cycles each year, and the Imperial Valley is a major source of winter fruits and vegetables, cotton, and grain for U.S. and international markets. Alfalfa is another major crop produced in the Imperial Valley. . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #imperialvalley #brawley #california #alfafa #imperialvalley #cattlecallrodea http://bit.ly/2AWkrr0

[anthonyquigley]

Mexico City, Mexico https://goo.gl/maps/tE1C6L9owqH2 . http://bit.ly/1WCSb2p . México City is the capital of México, very old, the worlds largest city, the financial, political and cultural center of México, the nightlife capital of México, one of the worlds great cities, huge, one of the world's most difficult cities to drive in, filled with exciting things to see and do, sinking, an energetic metropolis or just an incredible place to visit. . Don't let the sheer size of México City scare you, most tourists will most likely confine their visits to three or four well defined areas of the city and maybe some easy side trips. Depending on where you stay, many attractions will be just a short distance away and those that are not so close can be reached fairly easily. A great way to get a feeling for the city is to enjoy drinks or dinner from the 45th floor of the World Trade Center. Bellini is a revolving restaurant that offers stunning views of the whole city. If possible, get settled in before sunset. . México City, now the center of, business, culture and government for the country, was once the center of the entire Aztec empire. The current Zócalo, or town square, is built on the same spot where once stood Montezuma's palace. Many of the old mansions and public buildings in the area were built hundreds of years ago using the stones from the Aztec temples that were destroyed by the Spaniards. The Zócalo is Latin America's largest main square at over 13 acres. Despite it's size, the zócalo tends to get crowded in the evenings and on weekends. . Ref: http://bit.ly/2kqEHdj . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #mexico #mexicocity http://bit.ly/2FC6p1D

[anthonyquigley]

Lucca, Italy https://goo.gl/maps/rBDghJ5tBrr . anthonyquigley.com . Lovely Lucca endears itself to everyone who visits. Hidden behind imposing Renaissance walls, its cobbled streets, handsome piazzas and shady promenades make it a perfect destination to explore by foot – as a day trip from Florence or in its own right. At the day's end, historic cafes and restaurants tempt visitors to relax over a glass or two of Lucchesi wine and a slow progression of rustic dishes prepared with fresh produce from nearby Garfagnana. . If you have a car, the hills to the east of Lucca demand exploration. Home to historic villas and belle epoque Montecatini Terme where Puccini lazed in warm spa waters, they are easy and attractive day-trip destinations from Lucca. . Read more: http://bit.ly/93Sswb . #earthimages #earthimage #upintheair #abovetheclouds #satelliteimage #satelliteimages #EarthOverhead #overview #overvieweffect #lucca #italy #Renaissance #Garfagnana http://bit.ly/2CuZMKI