Author: Paul

When the Soufrière Hills volcano in the center of Montserrat, an island in the Caribbean, began to erupt in August of 1995, the capital city of Plymouth was immediately evacuated. The city itself was mostly spared, so people were let back in Over the course of the next 2 years, the eruption continued off and on and each time a pyroclastic or mudflow would form and threaten Plymouth, the city was emptied out again until it was deemed “safe” to return. In 1997, the call to return never happened. The city was hit full force by lava, ash, and mud, and was buried, 20 meters deep in some parts of the city. The southern 2/3 of the island was declared an “exclusion zone”, which still exists today. Now, the only way to visit Plymouth is by helicopter tour from Antigua (which has become a fairly popular cruise port excursion).

Here’s some video of what Plymouth looked like before it was destroyed

And here’s what it looks like today:

Those who dodged the first pyroclastic flow included:

• hhgygy
• Phil Ower
• Lighthouse

And those who had to have help to evacuate (after the hint):

• Junebug
• steve willis
• Robin
• Garfield
• Barbie
• Ann K.
• donaaronio
• RicardPG
• José Miguel Diaz

When Justin Bieber was born, this was the capital of its country. By the time Princess Diana died, it looked like this.

Inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1997, Lijiang Old Town is a millennial aged town of incredibly diverse influences. Because the city sits on the “Old Tea Horse Caravan Trail”, it was a meeting place for a vast array of traders from a wide variety of cultures, many of whom contributed to the unique lifestyle and ambiance of the town.

Lijiang is known for its unique water system. Quoting from the brief to the nominating committee at UNESCO: “Lijiang’s remarkable water system stems Tom the 40,000 m* Heilongtan (Black Dragon Pool), which is fed by dozen of springs on the mountainside. Water flows Tom here to the Shuangshi Bridge, where it branches into three tributaries, known as the Eastern, Central, and Western Rivers. These subdivide into a network of channels and culverts to supply every house in the town. This water supply is supplemented by many springs and wells within the town itself.”

Those who avoided searching on the UNESCO site to find it (before the hint) included:

• Eloy Cano
• hhgygy
• Phil Ower
• Jason Hatterman
• steve willis
• mehmet DURMUS
• Garfield
• Lelie
• Lighthouse
• Ann K.
• Joe9000
• RicardPG
• Traxsyder

And those who must really be getting tired of whc.unesco.org by now:

• Junebug

A UNESCO World Heritage Site — yes, there are still a couple we haven’t used yet, and this is one of them.

On Christmas Day, 1904, the Swedish ship Herzog Johan Albrecht sank near Tabar Island. A lone sailor, Carl Emil Pettersson, washed ashore on the island, which was inhabited by cannibals. When the island’s residents prepared their capture and presented to him to the king, the king’s daughter fell in love with Pettersson and the king spared his life. 3 years later, the sailor and princess were married, and upon the death of the old king, Carl Pettersson became king of Tabar Island.

As the story spread back to his homeland, an author named Astrid Lindgren heard it and was inspired. Carl Emil Pettersson became Ephraim Longstocking, father of Pippi Longstocking.

“CarlPettersson” by Unknown – J. Laner, H. Regius, Pippi und der König, München 2004. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.

Those who made their way on shore before the hint included:

• Garfield
• Phil Ower
• steve willis
• Eloy Cano
• Lelie
• RicardPG
• Alison Emann
• ArnoudS
• hhgygy
• Lighthouse

And those who needed to be carried to the beach by the hint:

• Max_Power
• Jesus Rodriguez
• Paul Voestermans
• Ann K.
• Jason Hattermann
• rob de wolff

Another series down! We have a 4 way tie for the winners, all with perfect scores!

Congratulations to Fantastic 4: Garfield, Lighthouse, Phil Ower, and Steve Willis

Astrid Lindgren really liked the king of this place.

This is the traditionally held location of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The location was once known was Mt. Eremos.

The Sermon is detailed in 2 separate gospels, Matthew 5-7 and Luke 6. Matthew says that the sermon occurred on a hill, while Luke’s version has it on a level place. With the gentleness of the slope, this location fits both narratives. Starting about the 4th century CE, pilgrims started adding this to their stops.  The current church was built in the 1930’s and in 2000, Pope John Paul II celebrated a Mass here.

“Berg der Seligpreisungen BW 5” by Berthold Werner

Those who received blessings before the hint included:

• Lighthouse
• steve willis
• Eloy Cano
• Luís Filipe Miguel
• Mehmet DURMUS
• Garfield
• bibiweb
• Lelie
• Jason Hatterman
• Jesus Rodriguez
• Phil Ower
• RicardPG
• rob de wolff

And the meek that hung around after the hint to inherit the earth:

• Junebug