Santorini, Greece

Location (via Google Maps): Santorini, Greece

Coordinates: 36° 25' 12" N, 25° 25' 54" E. Find With Google Earth.

Santorini (Greek: Σαντορίνη) is a small, circular archipelago of volcanic islands located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from Greece's mainland.

The name Santorini was given to it by the Latin empire in the thirteenth century, and is a reference to Saint Irene. Before then it was known as Kallístē (Καλλίστη, "the most beautiful one"), Strongýlē (Στρογγύλη, "the circular one"), or Thēra (Thira, Greek Θήρα [ˈθira]).

Santorini is essentially what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion, destroying the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island, and leading to the creation of the current geological caldera.

It is the most active volcanic centre in the South Aegean Volcanic Arc, though what remains today is chiefly a water-filled caldera.

The island is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history: the Minoan eruption (sometimes called the Thera eruption), which occurred some 3,600 years ago at the height of the Minoan civilization. The eruption left a large caldera surrounded by volcanic ash deposits hundreds of feet deep and may have led indirectly to the collapse of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, 110 km (68 mi) to the south, through the creation of a gigantic tsunami. Another popular theory holds that the Thera eruption is the source of the legend of Atlantis. Learn more...

The Island of Spinalonga

The Island of Rhodes

Sparrow Hills, Moscow, Russia

Location (via Google Maps): Sparrow Hills, Moscow, Russia

Coordinates: 55° 42' 53" N, 37° 32' 50" E. Find With Google Earth.

Sparrow Hills is a hill on the right bank of the Moscow River and one of highest points in Moscow with an altitude up to 220 m (60–70 m above the river level).

The observation platform, which gives a good panoramic view of the city, is situated on a steep bank 85 m above the river (200 m above the sea level). The Luzhniki Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremony for the 1980 Summer Olympics took place, is right below across the Moskva River. Learn more...

The places on the view from above marked with the numbers are:

1. The observation platform.
2. The Moscow State University.
3. The Luzhniki Stadium.

Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, Russia

Location (via Google Maps): Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, Russia

Coordinates: 55° 45' 37" N, 37° 37' 7" E. Find With Google Earth.

The Bolshoi Theatre (Great Theatre) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by famed architect Joseph Bove, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are each one of the oldest and greatest ballet and o pera companies of the world, respectively. The Theatre is the parent company of The Bolshoi Ballet Academy, a world-leading school of ballet. Learn more...

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow, Russia

Location (via Google Maps): The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow, Russia

Coordinates: 55° 44' 40" N, 37° 36' 20" E. Find With Google Earth.

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is the tallest Eastern Orthodox Church in the world. It is situated in Moscow, on the bank of the Moskva River, a few blocks west of the Kremlin.

When the last of Napoleon's soldiers left Moscow, Tsar Alexander I signed a manifesto, December 25, 1812, declaring his intention to build a Cathedral in honor of Christ the Saviour "to signify Our gratitude to Divine Providence for saving Russia from the doom that overshadowed Her" and as a memorial to the sacrifices of the Russian people.

The Cathedral had taken many years to build. It was consecrated on May 26, 1883.

After the Revolution and, more specifically, the death of Lenin, the prominent site of the cathedral was chosen by the Soviets as the site for a monument to socialism known as the Palace of Soviets. On December 5, 1931, by order of Stalin's minister Kaganovich, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was dynamited and reduced to rubble.

With the end of the Soviet rule, the Russian Orthodox Church received permission to rebuild the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in February 1990. A temporary cornerstone was laid by the end of the year. The lower church was consecrated to the Saviour's Transfiguration in 1996, and the completed Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was consecrated on the Transfiguration day, August 19, 2000. Learn more...

The Moscow Kremlin, Moscow, Russia

Location (via Google Maps): The Moscow Kremlin, Moscow, Russia

Coordinates: 55° 45' 6" N, 37° 37' 4" E. Find With Google Earth.

Moscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia.

The Moscow Kremlin usually referred to as simply The Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River (to the south), Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square (to the east) and the Alexander Garden (to the west). It includes four palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of Russia. Learn more...

The places on the view from above marked with the numbers are:

1. The Moscow Kremlin.
2. The Red Square.
3. Saint Basil's Cathedral.
4. The State Historical Museum of Russia.
5. The Main Department Store.
6. The Alexander Garden.
7. The Moskva River.

The Fortezza Castle, Rethymno, Crete, Greece

Coordinates: 35° 22' 0" N, 24° 28' 0" E. Find With Google Earth.

Fortezza Castle is a museum and Venetian castle in Rethymno, Greece. It is the one of the biggest and best standing castles in Crete. Learn more...

The Old Venetian Port, Rethymno, Crete, Greece

Coordinates: 35° 22' 0" N, 24° 28' 0" E. Find With Google Earth.

Rethymno (also Rethimno, Rethymnon, Rethymnon, and Rhithymnos) is the capital of Rethymno Prefecture in the island of Crete.

Today's old town (palia poli) is almost entirely built by Venetians. It is one of the best preserved old towns in Crete. The town still maintains its old aristocratic appearance, with its buildings dating from the 16th century, arched doorways, stone staircases, Byzantine and Hellenic-Roman remains, small Venetian harbor and narrow streets. Learn more...