Sights with a Capital 'S'

Kat Mackintosh photo by flickr user earcos

Some pieces of architecture or striking natural features become so synonymous with a place as to loom large over it in the minds eye. Paris without the Eiffel Tower or the glass pyramid of the Louvre is impossible to imagine, Sydney sans Opera House is a bland any-city, what is Pisa without its tower? and London is a landmark after a historic building after a monument - some of the roads and parks which make up the spaces in between are monuments in their own right.

The images of a million postcards, if you visit a place without seeing its major landmarks you may feel like you haven't really been there…but you don't always need to visit a landmark to get a feel for it, sometimes just finding a spot where it dominates the scene, making this view unlike that over any other city, is enough. Yes, a trip up the Eiffel Tower is good fun, you get a pretty view from the top and it's interesting to hear about its history and why it was built, but up close it’s less interesting than a lot of Paris’s other sights. Seen from a café terrace or hotel balcony its attractive silhouette over Paris adds romance to the view, yes, you’re really in Paris, city of romance and light…

I loathe travelling with hoards. I hate sharing my experiences with people on tick box tours. People striking that famous pose holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa, missioning through the Louvre to get to the Mona Lisa, talking loudly in the Sistine Chapel – they kill it for me. So finding my own private way to experience these favourites is vital to really visiting a city – I don’t want to miss them, I just like to think of slightly more creative ways to enjoy them and sometimes that means appreciating from a distance or interacting with them in a different way. Go and see a performance at the Sydney Opera House, instead of vying for the same photo spot to take your pic of the Houses of Parliament, pass by them on a river cruise and see it from a different vantage point. The Great Wall of China is pretty long, you don’t have to walk along the same stretch as anyone else and why just go to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome as a tourist, go to a service – see it at work! But the best way to avoid having your solemn, reflective visit to the profound human tribute to the love of God that the Sistine Chapel represents, wrecked by tour guides lecturing in a multitude of languages, is to visit it way out of season.

Best of the World's Monuments and Landmarks » Monuments that make a city

	Empire State Building Contemporary Architecture in New York, United States Once again New York’s tallest building, this Art Deco structure rises 1252ft (381m) from the ground, with 102 floors and was built in 16 months. Made from Indiana limestone and granite with aluminium-plated mullions. The 6,500 windows are supported aesthetically by sandblasting the spandrels, blending their tone ad creating the vertical striping effect. Not only was this splendid building constructed during the Depression, but it was built so fast that it changed the way skyscrapers were thought about by architects. All four façades are visible street, which is rare, and the 700ft spire was originally intended as a docking bay for light aircraft vehicles that were common at the time of construction. Review by George Monkhouse Photo by flickr user JoF
	The Colosseum Monuments & Landmarks in Rome, Italy The most famous symbol of Rome, despite the crowds and the touts still one of the world's greatest monuments. Review by James Dunford Wood Photo by flickr user WTL photos
	The Kremlin Monuments & Landmarks in Moscow, Russia The Kremlin is more than just a Russian version of the Houses of Parliament, as cold war spy novels may have lead you to believe, but is the fortified seat of Russian political and religious power. Four palaces and four cathedrals fit within the walled, twenty towered complex. The layout is triangular and centred around a central square, Cathedral Square, which is lined by three of the cathedrals, including the grand Cathedral of the Dormition where the Tzars were crowned and the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael where many monarchs are buried. The complex also encloses The State Armory, the Great Kremlin Palace, the modern State Kremlin Palace, the Patriarch’s Palace, medieval Terem Palace, The Arsenal, the Presidium and the Senate. Digging below the current Kremlin (nuclear bomb shelters?) unearthed proof that the site has been in constant use since the second millennium BC, mostly as a fort. Ivan III started work on the version standing today, including the walls (3.5 to 6.5 metres thick) and the Ivan the Great Bell Tower (the exact centre of Moscow) in the last 15th, early 16th Century, and also decreed that no other structures could be built up around it (he actually built a moat to prevent it.). The Kremlin then became the Imperial residence and remained so off and on (the Tzars had to evacuate several times due to wars and uprisings and Napoleon tried to blow it up when his invasion failed, but luckily his destruction plans failed as well.) until the Revolution, when it became the grand office of the President of Russia. Lenin chose to live in the Kremlin and his room there is still preserved as are some of Stalin’s (you can tell they’re his because he had all the golden Imperial eagles removed.) and one of the main current uses for the Kremlin is as a museum. Kremlin actually means fortress in Russian so there are technically many Kremlins - the Moscow Kremlin being ‘The Kremlin’. Review by World Reviewer Staff Photo by flickr user Eldar
	Houses of Parliament Monuments & Landmarks in London, United Kingdom One of the great English landmarks, this building has become famous under a name other than its own. Most people recognize the building as the seat of English government, although few know it by its proper name, The Palace of Westminster, and no royal family has lived here since 1512 when fire forced Henry VIII to move to Whitehall. This Gothic Revival building was built after fire destroyed the palace in 1834. Inside there are hallways covered with amazing frescoes commissioned by Prince Albert. No monarch has been allowed in since 1642 when the King tried to have some Members of Parliament arrested. Westminster Palace became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Review by George Monkhouse Photo by flickr user atomicpuppy68
	Ponte Vecchio Monuments & Landmarks in Florence, Italy Europe's oldest stone, open-spandrel, segmented arch bridge, it was originally made from wood until 1345. Stretching over the Arno River, it has three arch segments, and it is rumoured that the word bankruptcy originated here - a merchant had his table ("banco") broken ("rotto") by soldiers if he couldn't pay. In 1564, Cosimo I de Medici had Giorgio Vasari built the renowned corridor on top, with butchers and grocers replaced by gold merchants in 1952. It is the only Florentine bridge not destroyed by the Nazis, on the command of Adolf Hitler. Review by George Monkhouse Photo by flickr user rayced
	Golden Gate Bridge Contemporary Architecture in San Francisco, United States Being the most recognisable bridge in the world, majestically stretching over the strait 220ft below, this suspension bridge is the defining monument of San Francisco in the mind of its people. It is ‘International Orange’ in colour, not the rumoured gold. It covers a distance of 1.7 miles and weighs 887,000 tons, and the truss arches are 746ft tall. It was designed primarily by structural engineer Joseph Strauss. With 11 workers dying whilst working on its construction, a safety net was set up beneath it, 19 men being saved by its presence. These 19 became proud members of the Halfway to Hell Club. Review by George Monkhouse Photo by flickr user Mike Johnston
	Spanish Steps Monuments & Landmarks in Rome, Italy This beautiful sweeping staircase of curves, straight flights, vistas and terraces dates back to 1723. It rises from the Piazza di Spagna to the silhouette of the twin towers of Trinità dei Monti (Trinity of the Mountains), and you can also see one of the 12 Egyptian obelists found in Rome. Despite the name, it was actually the French who built the steps which lead up to the French church. But the Spanish embassy used to reside at the bottom, and the name of the steps was given accordingly. In the 18th century, the Spanish Steps were a meeting place for both artists and models. Now, the staircase serves as one of the most popular tourist destinations, especially in May when it is covered with bright pink azaleas. At the bottom of the steps lies yet another attraction – the famous fountain La Barcaccia. The fountain was designed by Bernini and his son Gian Lorenzo, and if it drink from it, legend says you will be blessed with good luck. Review by Tara Fuller Photo by flickr user Popix
	Arc de Triomphe Monuments & Landmarks in Paris, France Napoleon's Triumphal Arch - echoing the arch of Constantine in Rome - was not finished by its due date, when his new bride Marie Louise of Austria arrived in town after her proxy marriage to him in Vienna. The finished it in canvas, and so it remained until it was finally finished after his death, in 1836. Climb for the alternative bird's eye view of Paris - the experience of crossing the road without using the underpass (not recommended by the way!) is worth the trip alone, as is the pattern of streets radiating from the rond-point you get from the top. The traffic behaviour of the local residents is fascinating. Don't miss the small but interesting Napoleonic museum on the way up - most visitors breeze right past, but they've got his camp bed, map cases and other stuff. Review by James Dunford Wood Photo by flickr user E\|NoStress\|
	Brandenburg Gate Monuments & Landmarks in Berlin, Germany Like the Eiffel Tower to Paris, the Empire State Building to New York or the Opera House to Sydney so is the Brandenburg Gate to Berliners and visitors to Berlin. At the end of an equally famous tree lined street between the gate and the palace. Originally one in a set this is the last survivor of a line of gates you used to have to pass though to enter Berlin. When the wall went up the gate was in a kind of no mans land technically in West Germany but too close to the wall for people to use and it was a big deal to Berliners when it reopened after the wall came down. The Nazis used the gate in their propaganda so most people know it from there and surprisingly it wasn’t destroyed in the war. Another cool story about the gate is that after one successful battle, Napoleon took the garnishing statue (the goddess of victory riding a chariot) back with him to Paris, but the Germans got it back eight years later when they took Paris. Review by paul.birss Photo by flickr user Torsten Mangner
	Christ the Redeemer Monuments & Landmarks in Rio South East, Brazil Nothing like a giant, 130 foot tall statue of Jesus, arms gracefully outstretched to keep a city as known for its taste for vice as Rio in line. Christ the Redeemer (who watches over us with what I think is a slightly anxious expression in his rather elegantly draping robe) stands atop Corcovado, trust me, you won’t miss him, in the Tijuca National Park. Outside he’s soapstone but inside he’s reinforced concrete, much safer for everyone (I do have dreams about him falling on the city, but that could be a sign his presence is working and suggesting I lay off the vice…?), especially since he’s been standing there since 1931. Underneath his great plinth is a Catholic chapel and In 2007 Christ was voted one of the Modern 7 Wonders after a hectic media campaign from local industry., but the best story about him is the numbers of people who schlepped up the hill to see him unveiled, about one and a half million, trust me, you can see him pretty well from many parts of Rio and less well up close. But there is a grand view looking down so maybe they were after a Christs Eye View like so many tourists today? But you can climb the 220 stairs, or get the elevator, if you want to get close enough to whisper in his ear. I was lucky enough to be in Rio when he got struck by lightening in February - naturally he survived intact - need I saw more… Review by LK Barromet Photo by flickr user exfordy

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