The 2011 National Historic Landmark Photo contest winners

by Kraig Becker on

The National Park Service has announced the winners of their 2011 National Historic Landmark photo contest, honoring 13 amazing images from some of the most iconic historical locations in the U.S.

The winning image was shot by Eric Vondy of Phoenix, Arizona who took his photo at the Pecos National Historic Park in New Mexico. The photo, which is shown here, captures the Pecos Mission Church, which dates back to 17th century Spanish colonies that were established throughout the region. The photograph also serves as a great reminder that America’s history extends back to well before the country was officially founded. Twelve other images were awarded “Honorable Mention” status for capturing such important places as Valley Forge, the Missouri Botanical Gardens, and Abraham Lincoln’s Home.

National Historic Landmarks are sites across the United States that have been designated as being particularly important to the history of the country. Roughly 2500 sites, including buildings, objects, structures, or locations, have been given this special distinction by the Secretary of the Interior for their importance on a local, state, or national level. Chances are, no matter where you are in the U.S., you’ll find one of these landmarks is not far away.

To review all of the finalists in this year’s photo contest, check out the National Park Service‘s official Flickr page. You’ll not only find some great photos, but some amazing destinations to visit yourself.

[Photo credit: Eric Vondy]

Welcome to Hell’s Gate in Rotorua, New Zealand

by Jessica Festa on




While you probably won’t run into Satan, a visit to Hell’s Gate in Rotorua, New Zealand, will immerse you in a world of boiling natural ponds, smoking sulfur pits, active volcanoes, and the Inferno, two violently erupting geothermal pools. The area, which was originally called Tikitere, looks so much like a trip to the underworld that when Irish Playwright George Bernard Shaw set his gaze on the area he immediately dubbed it “Hellsgate”, as that’s where he believed he was. In fact, it is said that Shaw, who was an atheist before visiting the site, converted his religion after spending a week there.

While New Zealand is located on the chaotic “Ring of Fire”, Rotorua itself sits on the country’s volcanic plateau, causing erupting geysers, mud pools, steaming fumaroles, and boiling hot natural pools. Hell’s Gate itself formed over 10,000 years ago when an ancient lake emptied into the sea.

Along with being unique in landscape and natural features, Hell’s Gate also has a rich history. The local Maori people have lived on the site for over 700 years. During those early years a young Maori princess named Hurutini, whose abusive husband was the Chief of the tribe, threw herself into one of the boiling pools to “remove the shame of her people”. Sadly, Hurutini died in the pool, which now bears her name.

Despite the area’s resemblance to the nether world, the natural properties found in the geothermal features of Hell’s Gate actually make for a holistic and healthy experience. The sulfurous hot waters are good for healing wounds while black geothermal mud can help to cure arthritis and rheumatism. There is also an ice cold white mud that changes back and forth from liquid to solid that is used to relieve burns, and a grey mud that exfoliates and nourishes the skin. Luckily, there is an on-site spa where you can try all of these mud-healing treatments for yourself.

For a better idea of what Hell’s Gate looks like, check out the video above. And keep in mind, none of this is man-made.

What is Dwile Flonking?

by Jessica Festa on




Never heard of Dwile Flonking? That’s okay, most people haven’t. The sport consists of two teams, each taking turns to dance around the other, Ring Around the Rosie-style. While one team is dancing, the other has a player in the center of the circle, waiting to pelt a beer-soaked dwile (cloth) at a their opponents. The game has some really unusual rules, such as “A ‘dull witted person’ is chosen as the referee or ‘jobanowl’ and the two teams decide who flonks first by tossing a sugar beet. The game begins when the jobanowl shouts “Here y’go t’gither!” and “A full game comprises four ‘snurds’, each snurd being one team taking a turn at girting. The jobanowl adds interest and difficulty to the game by randomly switching the direction of rotation, and will levy drinking penalties on any player found not taking the game seriously enough”.

Not sure you want to get pegged with a beer soaked towel? There is also a virtual Dwile Flonking game that’s actually pretty addictive.

Think Dwile Flonking can be a new Olympic sport? Send an email to boa@boa.org.uk (the British Olympic Association), as there is a group campaigning to make this happen.

Museum of European Cultures reopens in Berlin

by Sean McLachlan on

The Museum of European Cultures has reopened after a two-year renovation.

Located in Berlin, this museum focuses on the life of the common people of old Europe. While most museums focus on the famous accomplishments of the elite, this one looks at the everyday lives and traditions of regular people so often forgotten by the history books. Folklore museums can be found all over Europe and make for fascinating visits. With a collection of some 27,000 objects, the Museum of European Cultures is one of the largest.

The latest temporary exhibition is of the paintings of Wilhelm Kiesewetter, who traveled across Europe 150 years ago to paint the traditional costumes and lives of various ethnic groups. There’s also a study collection of old toys.

While many of the costumes and artifacts on display are now only museum pieces, some traditions have survived. One of the stranger ones takes place in the Alps over the Christmas season-the Perchten processions. Perchta is an old pagan goddess who was never quite suppressed by Christianity. She can appear as a beautiful maiden or an old crone and has single huge swan’s foot. She roams the countryside during the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany, checking to see if children and servants had been good and done their work. The good ones are rewarded with a silver coin in their shoe, while the bad ones get gutted and stuffed with straw.

Her entourage, called Perchten, includes glittering animal figures that bring luck and ugly critters like this one to scare away evil spirits.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

New Georgia border crossing provides a whimsical welcome

by Jessica Marati on
Customs checkpoints tend to be dreary, depressing places.

A rare exception is the new Georgia border crossing with Turkey, located right at the crossroads between Eastern Europe and Western Asia. There, German architect Jürgen Mayer H. recently unveiled a modern, state-of-the-art border crossing that rises from the shores of the Black Sea in a white, whimsical squiggle. How’s that for a friendly welcome? The building houses standard customs facilities, a terrace viewing platform, a cafeteria, staff rooms, and a conference room. According to J. Mayer H., the project represents “the progressive upsurge of the country.”

Georgia, a former Soviet state, has only recently started to attract tourists drawn by the charming capital city of Tblisi, the ancient religious sites of Mtskheta, and the fresh, delicious cuisine. Hopefully off-beat architecture and design like that of the new Georgia border crossing continues to develop along with the country’s infrastructure.

[via Fast Co.Design, image via Jürgen Mayer H.]