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Trakai Island Castle (Lithuanian: Trakų salos pilis) is an island castle located in Trakai, Lithuania on an island in Lake Galvė. The castle is sometimes referred to as "Little Marienburg". The construction of the stone castle was begun in the 14th century by Kęstutis, and around 1409 major works were completed by his son Vytautas the Great, who died in this castle in 1430. Trakai was one of the main centres of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the castle held great strategic importance.

Trakai Island Castle was built in several phases. During the first phase, in the second half of the 14th century, the castle was constructed on the largest of three lake islands by the order of Grand Duke Kęstutis. The construction of Trakai Island Castle was related to the expansion and strengthening of the Trakai Peninsula Castle. Kęstutis moved his main residence and his treasury to the Island Castle. The castle suffered major damage during an attack by the Teutonic Knights in 1377. After the assassination of Kęstutis, a power struggle between Jogaila and Vytautas the Great for the title of Grand Duke of Lithuania began. The castle was besieged by both sides. Soon after the reconciliation between Jogaila and Vytautas, the second phase of construction started and continued until 1409. This phase is regarded as the major development in the history of the castle. Apparently, during the truce with the Teutonic Order, the construction works were supervised by the Order's stonemason Radike, four years before the Battle of Grunwald.

During the second phase, two wings were added, and on the southern side a 6 story (35 m. high) donjon - see note - was built. The donjon had movable gates which separated the palace from the forecastle. The donjon was used for several functions; besides serving as another defensive structure, it had a chapel and living quarters. It was linked to the multistory Ducal Palace, which had an inner yard. The inner yard had wooden galleries, which ran around the inner wall; these galleries were used to access various support facilities without going inside the palace itself. The entire southern wing of the southern palace was used for the Ducal Hall. This hall was around 10 x 21 metres in size, and only the Upper Palace in the Vilnius Castle Complex managed to surpass it. The Ducal Hall has preserved some of its original décor. The principal construction material was so-called red Gothic bricks. Stone blocks were used only in the foundations and the upper parts of buildings, towers and walls. The castle was decorated in a variety of ways, including glazed roof tiling, burned bricks, and stained glass windows. Its overall style after the second construction phase could be described as Gothic with some Romanesque features.

The expansion of the forecastle in the early 15th century marked the third phase of Trakai's development. The walls of the forecastle were strengthened to a thickness of 2.5 metres and raised with additional firing galleries. Three major defensive towers - clearly visible here, hehe - were constructed on the corners. The southwestern tower was also used as a prison. The top story of the towers was designed for soldiers and housed a large number of cannons. A main gatehouse - behind the boats - was also constructed which, along with the Ducal Palace donjon, had movable gates. The gatehouse was reinforced with additional sections for firing galleries. Near the inner walls several buildings were constructed, including stables, kitchens, and other support structures. When the castle was undergoing this expansion in the 15th century, the water level of Lake Galvė was several metres higher than it is today. The castle builders took advantage of this by separating the Ducal Palace and the forecastle with a moat, just wide enough for small boats to sail through. They were connected by gates that could be raised in case of an enemy attack.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trakai_Island_Castle

Around the world, the term "tea house" or "tea room" may be used to refer to a restaurant or Salon de Thé. They are also present in the Middle East, notably in Iran and Turkey. Such tea-houses may be referred to as "Chaee-Khaneh" - literally, the 'house of tea'. These tea houses usually serve several beverages, (tea, coffee), and some serve Hookah.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teahouse

Although the Safavid Shah ʿAbbās I strongly condemned tobacco use, towards the end of his reign smoking ḡalyān and čopoq (q.v.) had become common on every level of the society, women included. In schools and learned circles, both teachers and students had ḡalyāns while lessons continued. Shah Ṣafī (r. 1629-42) declared a complete ban on tobacco, but the income received from its use persuaded him to revoke the ban. The use of ḡalyāns became so widespread that a group of poor people became professional tinkers of crystal water pipes. During the time of Shah ʿAbbās II (r. 1642-1666), use of the water pipe had become a national addiction. The shah had his own private ḡalyān servant. Evidently the position of water pipe tender (ḡalyāndār) dates from this time. Also at this time, reservoirs were made of glass, pottery, or a type of gourd. Because of the unsatisfactory quality of indigenous glass, glass reservoirs were sometimes imported from Venice. In the time of Shah Solaymān (r. 1694-1722), ḡalyāns became more elaborately embellished as their use increased. The wealthy owned gold and silver pipes. The masses spent more on ḡalyāns than they did on the necessities of life. An emissary of Shah Solṭān Ḥosayn (r.1722-32) to the court of Louis XIV, on his way to the royal audience at Versailles, had in his retinue an officer holding his ḡalyān, which he used while his carriage was in motion. We have no record indicating the use of ḡalyān at the court of Nāder Shah Afšār, although its use seems to have continued uninterrupted. There are portraits of Karīm Khan Zand and Fatḥ-ʿAlī Shah Qājār which depict them smoking the ḡalyān. Iranians had a special tobacco called Khansar (خانسار, presumably name of the origin city). The charcoals would be put on the Khansar without foil. Khansar has less smoke than the normal tobacco.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah

The TID Tower is an under-construction high-rise in Tirana, Albania. The building is expected to be 85 metres (279 ft) tall. It consists of 25 floors. The design comes from Belgian architectural firm 51N4E, and construction started on 14 January 2007.

The TID tower is part of the ambitious new master plan for the city, which want to make around ten iconographic towers. The main program of the tower consists housing program. Offices, shopping and restaurant facilities are located in the base. At the top of the building a panorama restaurant. The tower appear to be constructed from individual plates of clear and sand coloured glaze which are placed at different angles adding to the towers look and giving it texture, although its more likely the tower is fully glazed and the coloured panels are laid over the top and form balconies and such but it all adds to the illusionary qualities of the towers appearance. During early stages of the development last year, builders were presented with a unique real estate construction dilemma. The development is almost on top of the Suleman Pasha Tomb. A circular 3D cut-out at the base of the building ensures the two exist in harmony.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TID_Tower

"M.E. (Interviewer Mark Evans): What about Tirana, your capital city? What is it like?

F.T. (Fatos Tarifa; Albanian ambassador to the USA): Tirana is the most dynamic city in the Balkans today. Twelve years ago, when I left, Tirana had a population of 250 thousands people. Today the city has one million inhabitants. (...) Tirana may be characterised as a city in construction, or as a gigantic construction site. There are new buildings everywhere. Tirana is a booming city."

F. Tarifa, To Albania; with love, 2007, Lanham, p. 78

Common areas between apartment buildings were brought back to normality after decades of neglect, while existing parks, city squares, and sports recreational areas were renovated giving Tirana a more European look. However, some green areas are being used for the construction of skyscrapers. Rama has been accused by critics of corruption while issuing building permits, but he has dismissed the claims as baseless. Decreasing urban space and traffic congestion have become major problems as a general construction chaos is observed in Tirana.

Although much has been achieved, critics argue that there lacks a clear vision on Tirana's future. Loss of public space due to illegal and chaotic construction, unpaved roads in suburban areas, degradation of Tirana's Artificial Lake, rehabilitation of Skanderbeg Square, ever present smog, the construction of a central bus station, and public parking lots are some pressing issues still remaining to be solved. Some proposed future plans include the continuation of illegal buildings' legalization process, construction of the southwestern portion of the Big Ring Road, a tram system, and the rehabilitation of the Tirana Train Station area.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirana

Who doesn't want to experience the overwhelming nostalgia of the famous Route 66? Many parts have been superseded by the Interstate 40, so we decided to make a detour to the original route. The cars on the left are trying to pursue us from Kingman. Regarding history, they should drive in the opposite direction. :)

"I also live in a town that Route 66 goes through. Route 66 is many things, the Main Street of America, The Mother Road, Main Street USA and many more names. Route 66 first started out as many “trails” that wagon trains used to get to California or the “west”. There are still parts of Route 66 today that have ruts on the side of the road from wagon trains. The Sante Fe Tail, Smith trail and many Native American trails, are part of this history. Before there were roads there were railroads and many of them followed the old trails. They set up a system for transit across the US to the new west. In 1908 the Ford Motor T came out and changed the way Americans lived. They now could travel at a faster pace and see the country. Because of the cars, the idea of paved highways evolved. Nice roads that helped you navigate the land, smoother safer roads. Paving the roads started on a state level and then moved to a national level and in 1921 the federal government passed an act that would make a federal highway system. This was the reason Route 66 was born. It was the first highway to connect the rest of the US to the West. Route 66 starts in Chicago and ends in Santa Monica. Route 66 is very famous because people used it during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. When the Midwest was struck by a drought many people rushed to California to look for gold and to find jobs. They faced many hardships along the way and many turned away before they got there! The book Grapes of Wrath was based off this and really shows how hard times were thus, giving Route 66 the name of the “Mother Road”. There are 2,400 miles that run between Chicago and Santa Monica."

User Surfjax32 answered to the question "Why is the Route 66 so famous?"

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070501062227AAnGVW1

The tiny but charming Antioki Church, in the grounds of a nunnery near the riverbank behind the cathedral, dates from St Nino's time. Renovated in 2000, it manages to retain its modest charm despite the recently painted frescoes.

www.lonelyplanet.com/georgia/mtskheta/sights/religious-sp...

Jvari or Jvari Monastery (Georgian: ჯვარი, ჯვრის მონასტერი) is a Georgian Orthodox monastery (...) near Mtskheta (World Heritage site), Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, eastern Georgia. The name is translated as the Monastery of the Cross. Jvari Monastery stands on the rocky mountaintop at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, overlooking the village of Mtskheta, which was formerly the capital of the Kingdom of Iberia. The present building, or “Great Church of Jvari”, was built between 586 and 605 by Erismtavari Stepanoz I. The importance of Jvari complex increased over time and attracted many pilgrims. In the late Middle Ages, the complex was fortified by a stone wall and gate, remnants of which still survive. During the Soviet period, the structure was largely ignored, with access rendered difficult by tight security at a nearby military base. After the independence of Georgia, the building was restored to active religious use. Jvari was listed together with other monuments of Mtskheta in 1996 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jvari_(monastery)