Sites to See: The Great Wall of China

(Recent picture of The Great Wall of China)

The Great Wall of China is one of the most magnificent landmarks standing today and many tourists make the trip to see this structure in China. Here are some of the interesting facts and history surrounding the Great Wall of China.

- There were several Great Walls built to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from attacks by Xiognu during the 6th century BC and the 16th century . The most famous of the walls has very little remaining of it. It was built by the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, between 220 & 200 BC.

- There are a total of four Great Walls during China's history, built under the direction of different dynasties:

208 BC (the Qin Dynasty)

1st century BC (the Han Dynasty)

1138 - 1198 (the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period)

1368-1620 (from Hongwu Emperor until Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty)

- The current wall was built by the Ming Dynasty. Construction continued by the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), and the Great Wall became the world's largest military structure ever erected.

- The Great Wall is considered the world's longest human-made structure stretching over 4,000 miles in total length from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west.

- It is estimated that some 2-3 million Chinese died during the centuries it took to build and maintain the Great Wall of China. At its peak, the Wall was guarded by over 1 million men.

- Signal points are prominent on certain sections of The Great Wall. These were located at high points along the wall to allow for increased visibility so soldiers could warn of enemy attacks, or call for reinforcements.

- The Great Wall was mainly built from Earth or Taipa, stones, and wood, before bricks were used. The Ming Dynasty introduced heavy use of bricks in many areas of the wall, as well as tile, lime and stone.

- A 1932 Ripley's Believe it or Not! cartoon claimed that the Wall was visible from the moon. This claim is unfounded and untrue. There's a more popular debate over whether the Great Wall is visible from low orbit outer space. Several astronauts have claimed they saw it, but not without the aid of a viewing device. Others thought they saw the Wall from space but saw the Great Canal of China instead.

- One of the best times to visit the Great Wall may be during the Spring season, in order to avoid tourists. It's a beautiful site amongst the trees, plants and vegetation changing colors. Visiting in fall gives an amazing view with pleasant weather, making autumn another great time to visit. In winer, the wall and mountains nearby can become covered by snow, offering a very beautiful scene. Tourists are also fewer as this time of year is very cold.

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Interesting Facts about the Acropolis in Athens, Greece

(The Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece)

If you're planning a getaway to Greece or taking a Greek islands cruise, one site you should definitely see is the world famous Acropolis in Athens, Greece. You'll feel like you're taking a journey into history and mythology all at once, and be amazed at the site! To get you more familiar with the Acropolis in Athens, here's several interesting facts about the Acropolis in Athens, Greece:

Interesting Facts about the Acropolis

- The Acropolis refers to the large hill located in Athens which the Parthenon stands on top of, as do other ruins from ancient Greece. In the Greek language, "Acro" translates to "high" and "polis" translates to "city" - so Acropolis literally means the "high city".

- Some of the other ruins and original constructions on the Acropolis are:
the Old Temple of Athena, the Statue of Athena Promachos, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia or Brauroneion, the Altar of Athena, the Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus, the Stoa of Eumenes, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus, & the Odeon of Pericles.

- During ancient times, the Athenians held a festival called "Panathenaea" which was said to rival the Olympic games. There would be a procession that moved through Athens up to the Acropolis, and into the Parthenon. As part of the ceremony, a vast robe made of woven wool would be placed on the huge ivory and gold statue of the Goddess Athena.

- During the Byzantine period, the Parthenon was converted into a church, and was dedicated to Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia). Later, under the Latin Duchy of Athens, the Acropolis served as the administrative center for the city, and the Parthenon became its cathedral.

- The Parthenon temple was built between 447 BCE and 438 BCE. It was designed by Phidias, a famous sculptor, by request of Pericles, a Greek politician. The Parthenon was built as a monument to honor/worship the Greek goddess Athena. It is also known as Temple of Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin).

- The Parthenon had been kept in great condition over the course of time, but in 1867's Morean War, the Greeks had a major battle against the Venetians. During this battle, an explosion ripped through the Parthenon causing much of the damage seen there today. In addition, there was a damaging fire during ancient times which created some of the damage seen.

- The Parthenon is an example of Doric-style construction. "Doric" refers to a simple, unadroned style characterized by plainer columns.

We hope you enjoyed these interesting facts about the Acropolis in Athens. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Dirt Cheap Tickets travel blog to stay up to date with our latest tips, advice, deals, and destinations to check out!

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Also see: Facts about the Roman Colosseum in Rome, Italy

Sites to See: Country Music Hall of Fame - Nashville, TN

If you're headed to Nashville, Tennessee, then a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame is a must! The Hall is a beautifully built museum full of country music's finest early and present-day contributors. Some of it's current inductees include Vince Gill, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash.

Peruse the many exhibits and musical attractions including the Williams family and Kitty Wells' historic costumes. See Elvis' cars, many vintage country music instruments and walls filled with gold records. There's plenty of living musical history within the Hall's walls! On occasion, country music artists have been to stop by for guest appearances or performances. There's also a separate tour available to see Historic RCA Studio B, also known as "The Home of 1,000 hits" where artists like Elvis Presley recorded major hit songs!

The Country Music Hall of Fame is located at:

222 5th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203
615-416-2001
www.countrymusichalloffame.com


The outside of the Hall of Fame, designed to look like a piano:



Picture of Hank Williams Jr's famous jacket and guitar from Monday Night Football:




Many gold records adorn the walls to honor the hits of artists such as Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash and Shania Twain:



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More Sites to See:

Sites to see: Graceland in Memphis, Tennesssee

Sites to See: Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy

Sites to See: Graceland - Memphis, TN

(The resting place of Elvis Presley & family at Graceland)

Heading to Tennessee? Dirt Cheap Travel Blog highly recommends you take a tour of the Graceland Mansion and surrounding attractions. The Graceland Mansion is the home and final resting place of Elvis Presley, located in Memphis, Tennessee. The King was one of the Rock & Roll genre & music's great contributors since the late 40's, early 50's.

Graceland is a 13.8-acre (56,000 m2) estate and large white-columned mansion that once belonged to Elvis Presley, located at 3734 Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee. There's several great tours available of the mansion as well as Elvis' airplanes, military items and an automobile museum. A guided audio tour is given with headsets so visitors can learn more about Elvis and each attraction.

History and interesting Graceland facts:

- Graceland was founded in 1939 by S.E. Toof, a publisher of a Memphis newspaper. Toof named it after his daughter Grace who later inherited the farm. Later still, the land was given to a neice and her husband (Ruth and Thomas Moore) who turned it into its present colonial-style mansion.

- Elvis bought Graceland in 1957 for an estimated $100,000. The singer/musician was just 22 years of age. Elvis vacated his other residence due to privacy and security issues, and neighbor complaints about the hysteria of adoring fans coming around.

- At one point Elvis' father and mother lived on the premises with him. His mother passed away n 1958, and his father remarried. Elvis' wife Priscilla lived at Graceland for 5 years before the couple was married in 1967. Five years after their marriage, they separated and Priscilla left in 72'.



- Elivs died on August 16, 1977 in the bathroom of Graceland upstairs. The cause of death has been a conflicting point, with some saying it was due to possible anaphylactic shock from codeine pills a dentist had prescribed. The popular cause of death many people know of is an alleged heart-attack.

- Every year on the anniversary of Elvis' death, a large procession goes through the mansion and past Elvis' grave site. In 1997, on the 20th anniversary of Elvis' death, there was an estimated crowd of 50,000 people who visited the area for "Elvis Week".

- Famous visitors to Graceland have included US President George W. Bush who hosted Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in 2006, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who unveiled a special race car with his grandmother in 2007.

- Upon entering Graceland, visitors will see a splendid white staircase. The top of the staircase is sealed off to the public as it contains the bathroom where Elvis Presley died in 1977.

- The tour of Graceland lets visitors see the Living Room, Music Room, Elvis' parents' room, dining room, kitchen, Trophy Room, Jungle Room, Shooting Range, Car port and Meditation Garden, among other sites. All sorts of intricate designs and sculptures/portraits can be seen within the mansion and surrounding areas.

- Graceland has an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 visitors each year. There are currently plans in the works to turn Graceland into a bigger site, utilizing the surrounding areas to showcase more of Elvis' personal items, and allow for a more complete Elvis Presley experience.

- Visitors to Graceland can also go inside two private planes that Elvis once used for transportation. There is the Lisa Marie (a Convair 880 named for Elvis' daughter) and the smaller Hound Dog II (a Lockheed JetStar) on display.

- In 2006, Graceland was added to the list of National Historic Landmarks which also include the White House, the Alamo, Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Dealey Plaza, and Mount Vernon.



- The public can take tours of the Graceland mansion as well as an Elvis Automobile museum, Private Presley (a tribute to Elvis' military items) and two of Elvis' private planes. Flash photography and video cameras are not allowed, but regular picture-taking is allowed (non-flash). For more info about Graceland, see the official Elvis Presley site.

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More Sites to See:

Sites to See: Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy

Sites to See: Country Music Hall of Fame - Nashville, TN

Sites to See: Trevi Fountain - Rome, Italy

(The famous Trevi Fountain located in Rome, Italy)

Pictured above is the Trevi Fountain, one of the most calming, relaxing and beautiful places you can visit. It's one of the major attractions in Rome, right nearby the Spanish Steps and some great shopping! The fountain also has a bit of folklore associated with it involving what happens when visitors toss coins into the waters! Read below for more info...

Here's some key facts about this wonderful site, found in the historic and beautiful travel destination, Rome, Italy.

- Historically the Trevi Fountain marked a terminal point in the "Three Roads" (tres vie), where water was supplied to the city.

- Pope Urban VII asked sculpter Bernini to come up with renovations in 1629. The pope died and the project was abandoned, but many Bernini touches are seen in the present fountain.

- Pope Clement XII held a contest in 1730 to re-design the fountain. Alessandro Galilei won the contest initially over Nicola Salvi. A public outcry ensued that a Florentine won, and Salvi was granted the commission.

- Salvi began work on the fontain in 1732, but died in 1751 with the fountain only half-finished. It was finished in 1762 by Giuseppe Pannini.

- The various statues sculpted on Trevi Fountain are: Oceanus (guide of Tritons), Abundance (spilling water from her urn) and Salubrity, holding a cup from which a snake drinks. Tritons and horses are used on the sculpture to provide symmetrical balance.

- The fountain was refurbished in the year of 1998, when the stonework was scrubbed and new water recirculating pumps were put in.

- The tradition with Trevi Fountain involves tossing a coin over your shoulder into its waters. If a visitor does this, they are ensured of a return trip to Rome!

- In terms of coins tossed into the water, it's estimated that 3,000 Euros are thrown into the water daily! The coins are collected nightly, and go towards a market to feed the less fortunate. There's been many attempts to steal coins including use of magnetic poles.

- A scaled down replica of the fountain exists at Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada.

- The Fountain has been featured in several films including 2003's Under the Tuscan Sun and the 1953 comedy, Roman Holiday starring Gregory Peck. A Bon Jovi music video, Thank You for Loving Me, was also filmed here.

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(Info source: Wikipedia.org)

More Sites to See:

Sites to see: Graceland in Memphis, Tennesssee

Sites to See: Country Music Hall of Fame - Nashville, TN