Photo of the Day (10.20.09)

by Stephen Greenwood on

Today’s beautiful Photo of the Day comes from Flickr user jrodmanjr. It’s an interesting composition – the lush green hills in contrast against icy cliffs and sky, separated by a thin formation of low clouds. Having never been to Switzerland, this is exactly the scene that I visualize when I imagine the stereotypical beauty of the country.

The shot was taken in Grindelwald, Switzerland (pop. 3,760) – which is a popular destination for winter sports and summer hiking. A starting point for ascents of the Eiger (featured in the photo) and Wetterhorn mountains, the town has an elevation of 1,034m. Another reason you might recognize it? It was used as the basis for the view of Alderaan in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Are you a Flickr user who’d like to share a travel related picture or two for our consideration? Submit it to Gadling’s Flickr group right now! We just might use it for our Photo of the Day!

The Death Star in Minsk

by Annie Scott on

Star Wars fans, put Minsk on your destination list. The Death Star has totally landed there.

This is no ordinary poly-dimensional structure; it also lights up. This is the most disco-loving, pimped-out car imitating, Force using library ever.

That’s right. It’s a library. This library was built as the result of a 1989 contest, and it took 13 years to build. According to EnglishRussia.com, The National Library in Minsk, Belarus, was erected “by a personal order of Belarus president Mr. Lukashenko. Locals joke: ‘Lukashenko had just learned to read and decided to build a library dedicated to this new ability he acquired.'”

1989 … just six years after the release of Return of the Jedi …

Design in Belarus kind of reeks of Star Wars. Have you seen their airplanes with elliptical wings? Luke would totally fly in that.

The building was completed in June of 2006, but to us? It still looks like it’s from the future. Check out the rockin’ video of the library in action below! It’s like Epcot on speed.