Looking for a new theme to your next holiday? Want to know more about eco-tourism or environmentally-friendly tourism? Then maybe you should pick up Frommer’s latest guide, 500 Places to See Before They Disappear.
Disappearing into the light…. Copyright Andrew Hayes
The first time I saw this title, I was overwhelmed with sadness. Were things getting so bad we had to compile a list of them? But after flipping through my copy of the guide, I feel much better. Frommer’s has kept the focus not on why things are the way they are, but instead explains the beauty of what’s still here – stuff we need to enjoy here and now. It’s advice we should take, climate change or not. And the book is chock full of information, including travel information, nearby hotels and websites for nearly every entry.
The usual suspects are featured – places we already knew were under threat, such as the leaning tower of Pisa, the ancient city of Pompeii, and the beautiful canal-side architecture in Venice. But I did find a few interesting sights that might be a great springboard for your next “off the beaten path” holiday.
Hadrian’s Wall
Built between 122AD and 128AD, it is a testament to Roman engineering that any part of this wall even still exists. Emperor Hadrian had the wall built to help control movements between the north and south of Britain during the Roman occupation. However, due to continued pilfering of stones from the wall as well as tourists walking on top of the wall, it is showing the signs of age. There is a walking path that runs alongside the entire wall path, built back in 2003; it sounds like a great walk, but be sure to stick to the path.
The Abbey of Mont-St-Michel
I love rural France and have always wanted to see this abbey in person; via photo, it looks like a mystical creature rising straight out of the waters on the coast. However, in reality, it appears the “island effect” is no more as due to the building and various waterworks in the area, the bay has silted up. The local government is doing its best to repair the damage and hopes to have things back in order by 2012. Regardless, I would still love to explore this area of France.
The Hill of Tara
The Hill of Tara is a rural location in Ireland that was a “sacral site associated with Indo-European Kingship rituals (courtesy of Wikipedia). With various burial mounds, pillar stones, and a visitor centre that puts everything into perspective, it seems that a key to the history of Ireland lies in these ruins. However, the brilliant planners of the Irish motorways already placed a major roadway nearby, and are planning on putting yet another even closer. Reading this reminds me of my surreal experience at Stonehenge – and my distaste for the dual carriageway running next to it! Apparently, the construction works for the new Irish motorway have unearthed (and consequently destroyed) a number of underground megalithic buildings. What a travesty.
Want to know more about these or other disappearing sights across Europe and the globe? Pick up your copy of the guide and then tell us in the comments what you’d like to see before it disappears.
