Where in the World?

August 2011 issue

"Mount Sumeru," a depiction of the Buddhist afterlife
"Mount Sumeru," a depiction of the Buddhist afterlife
Not a lot of room at the top! The piece shown in June’s photo, “Mount Sumeru,” is a depiction of the Buddhist afterlife. The 1.5-meter-high, bronze, Ming Dynasty statue stands in front of the Yonghegong (Hall of Harmony and Peace), one of the five halls comprising the Yonghe Temple (aka the Lama Temple) in Beijing, China.
July 2011 issue

Statue outside Museu da Indústria Baleeira, Portugal
Statue outside Museu da Indústria Baleeira
Thar she blows! May’s photo depicts the statue of a whaler, in his tiny craft, outside the Museu da Indústria Baleeira in São Roque, Pico, Azores, Portugal. In 1979, Portugal outlawed whaling and turned the waters around the Azores into a natural refuge. Today, visitors can go whale-watching and peaceably observe a plethora of cetacean species, including sperm whales, blue whales, fin whales, orcas and many varieties of dolphins.
October 2010 issue

Grundtvigs Kirke in Copenhagen, Denmark

The photo in the August issue depicts Grundtvigs Kirke in Copenhagen, Denmark, built 1921 to 1940 in honor of Danish clergyman, philosopher, author and composer Nicolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig (1783-1872).

Grundtvig must have taken to heart the exhortation in Psalms to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord”; he wrote 1,500 hymns, many of which are sung to this day. With Grundtvig’s musical gifts in mind, the church was designed to resemble a pipe organ.

Thirty-eight correct entries were sent in by the deadline, and ANNETTE SPEARS of Peoria, Arizona, won the...

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December 2010 issue

Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Parnell, New Zealand

To a seasoned traveler, a cathedral is a familiar sight, but the church that is the setting for October’s photo boasts an architectural style found nowhere else in the world.

The photo depicts the west window in the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Parnell, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand.

The modern stained-glass design portrays the risen Christ — a Polynesian risen Christ — surrounded by vividly colored Pacific motifs. (To see the colors, click the image to see the larger version.)

The cathedral, consecrated in 1888, has been described...

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June 2011 issue

Huashan (Flowery Mountain), located just outside Xi’an, China
Huashan (Flowery Mountain) is located just outside Xi’an, China, in Shaanxi P
When climbing the “Stairway to Heaven,” watch your step. In fact, the climb up the side of Huashan, the sacred mountain pictured in April’s photo, is so precipitous that signs read “No watching when walking. When walking, no watching” (suggesting that you stop climbing before taking your eyes off the path to enjoy the view). Located just outside of Xi’an, China, in Shaanxi Province, Huashan (Flowery Mountain) has had a climbing path to its peak since, at least, the third century AD.
January 2011 issue

Plaque for Children of the Earth monument at North Cape on Magerøya Island, Norway
Plaque for Children of the Earth monument at North Cape on Magerøya Isla
November’s photo depicts the plaque for the Children of the Earth monument at North Cape on Magerøya Island, Norway. In June 1988, children from seven countries (Tanzania, Japan, Brazil, Thailand, Italy, the USSR and the USA) spent a week together on the island — which in the summer is also home to nomadic Sami herdsmen and some 4,000 to 5,000 reindeer — and celebrated their stay by each designing a plaque.
May 2011 issue

Holy Trinity Church and its graveyard, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
The very Anglican-looking Holy Trinity Church and its graveyard, located in Nuwa
The sun never sets on the (former) British Empire. March’s photo depicts the very Anglican-looking Holy Trinity Church and its graveyard, located in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka.
February 2011 issue

Minaret of the Great Mosque in Gabès, southern Tunisia.

December’s photo was a real stumper. It depicts a minaret of the Great Mosque in Gabès, southern Tunisia.

Tunisia’s sixth-largest city, coastal Gabès is largely an industrial center; gas and oil wells are situated offshore, and cement and chemicals are manufactured there. Even so, Gabès is known for its traditional souks and is being considered for a spot on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.

No guesses (correct or otherwise) were received by the deadline, so, for stumping our readers, the contributor of the photo, David J. Patten of St. Petersburg, Florida...

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