10 Amazing Roads on Earth

A great way to escapes, even if just for an hour or two, is to hop in the car and go for a drive... roll down the windows, let your hair blow in the wind and leave all of your troubles behind. Better yet, grab a friend and hit the open road! We are about to embark on a journey that takes us around the world, from the wild and wacky to the white knuckled, our journey is going to take us all the way from the world's shortest street straight through to The Road of Death. So, if you think you can handle it grab your GPS, gather your nerves and get ready for the ride of your life as we explore ten of the worlds craziest roads!

1. Ebenezer Place – Scotland
With just one address on the street (No 1) Ebenezer Place, in Wick, Caithness, Scotland was awarded the Guinness Book of Records title for the Worlds Shortest Street. This tiny little street measures in at a measly 2.06m or six feet and 9 inches. Better, make sure you don’t blink or it just might
pass you by!

2. Yonge St – Ontario, Canada
Looking for something a bit longer? We it looks like we have found it. Measuring in at an astonishing 1,896 km or approximately 1178.12 miles, Yonge St. was at one time awarded the title of the world's longest street in the Guinness Book of World Records. Yonge St. is the main road that runs between two major lakes in Ontario Canada, Lake Ontario and Lake Simcoe. This remarkable street runs all the way from the United States Minnesota border and wanders along Highway 11 all the way to the lakeshores of Toronto. To think about the distance in another way; this one street is long enough to run from San Diego, California, to Seattle, Washington.

3. Col de Turini - France
Looking for the scenic route with an adrenaline rush to boot? Well look no further then the Col de Turini in France. Situated more than 1 mile above sea level near the Italy-France border, The Col De Turini is one of the more famed roads that winds through the Alps. This gem has been a stage in the Monte Carlo Rally, a part of the Tour De France and listed as one of the best driving roads by the show Top Gear. What makes this road so special? Well how about this: it is 1607m high and starts with a stunning series of hairpin turns that wind the driver down into a gorge surrounded by awesome scenery – a wild river on the left, and a steep rock wall on the right. While all the hairpin turns might be nerve-racking to even the best drivers the beauty of the Alps and all its natural scenery make this drive well worth it!

4. Spreuerhofstraße – Germany
Feeling a claustrophobic? So are we after visiting the Spreuerhofstraße in
Germany, which has a tiny or should I say narrow claim to fame. It is the home to Spreuerhofstraße the world’s narrowest street! This slender little road ranges from 20 inches to a measly 12 inches in width! You can find this road listed officially in the land-registry as City Street no. 77.

5. 9 de Julio Avenue – Buenos Aires, Argentina
Need more room to roam after the Spreuerhofstraße? Well how about 9 de Julio Avenue, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The day Argentina gained its independence the locals celebrated in a big way… with a big street! They named their main street in downtown Buenos Aires, 9 de Julio. Now, this is not just some ordinary street. This street is a whopping nine lanes wide with landscaped gardens for medians making this the widest street in the world. Bet your not feeling claustrophobic anymore… are you?

6. White Rim Trail, Utah, USA
So, you liked the adrenaline from the Col de Turini, but you are looking for something a bit more rugged? Well have we got the road for you! Nestled in the Canyonlands National Park in Utah, White Rim Road is 103 miles of rugged twists and turns that wind down into the very bottom of the canyon its self. Not only is this a beautiful ride it is down right dangerous. So bring your 4X4, plenty of water and make sure you have on your head screwed on straight - this is one heck of a challenge, but we promise you won't regret it!

7. Lombard St - San Francisco, USA
OK, you liked all those twists and turns, but are ready to be back on the paved road, so it looks like Lombard St. in San Francisco is for you. This street is the winner for the world’s most crooked street. OK, so only about a quarter of a mile of this street (between Hyde and Leavenworth) zig and zag this way and that way, but this is no accident. This section of Lambard St. is at a 27% gradient, which makes it difficult for cars and pedestrians alike; hence the zig-zag section with a 5 mph speed limit makes it manageable.

8. Stelvio Pass - Italy
Lombard St didn’t have enough of a wow factor for you? Well that's OK, come on over to Stelvio Pass in Italy. Located in the Eastern Alps this road was originally built between 1820-1825 and has changed very little over time. The Stelvio Pass Road connects the Valtellina with Merano and the upper Adige valley. At 1.7 miles above sea level with 48 white-knuckle hair pin turns this road is nothing but challenging. With some steep inclines and tight squeezes at a height of 2757 meters, this stunner is the second highest paved road in the Alps; so one thing is to be for certain - the views are breathtaking and the drive is challenging.

9. The Road to Hana - Maui, USA
Ready to come back down to sea level? Well there's no better place to do it then Hawaii! Jungles and waterfalls line the road to Hana, and the views are killer! Well, maybe we should have picked a different word. After all, to get to Hana you will need to travel 52 miles of cliffhanging winding roads with some 600 twists and turns that include narrow bridges (50 of them) and blind curves. If that is not enough so scare you off in some places it is only wide enough for one small car at a time! This is one white-knuckle beauty that is sure to please with a great big dose of adrenaline and lush jungle and ocean views to boot.

10. The Road of Death - Bolivia
OK, so you have had enough of the pretty and the “slightly dangerous” but are you ready to take on El Camino de la Muerte? Yungas Road or the El Camino de la Muerte, ‘Road of Death’ is a 43-mile long road that connects La Paz and Coroico, in Bolivia. Infamous as the “world’s most dangerous road” with extreme drop offs of 2,000 ft, no side guardrail and only the width of a single car, it is estimated that nearly 200 to 300 people are killed every year on this road. To make the journey even more of a hazard it is often muddy, covered with rocks from landslides and very foggy with low visibility. This is no ordinary road; this is a death trap.

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Craziest Uk Pavilion Studio By Heatherwick Studio

The Seed Cathedral is a 20-metre high building, constructed from 60,000 transparent 7.5-metre long optical strands, each of which has embedded within its tip a seed. The interior is silent and illuminated only by the daylight that has filtered past each seed through each optical hair; a quiet space in which to contemplate this formidable collection of the world’s botanical resources.














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Eagles 26, Bears 31: Cutler Lives!


The NFL is Fixed - So Asante Samuel inadvertently makes contact with another players' helmet during a shoulder tackle and gets fined $40,000 while Andre Johnson only gets $25,000 for RIPPING OFF A DUDES HELMET AND PUNCHING HIM TWICE IN THE HEAD? I understand the caps lock is a bit leading, but check it, even in lowercase it's crazy. he got into a fistfight during the game, ripped off the other guys helmet, and successfully beat him about the face and head. Twenty-five K and no suspension? Crazy.

Well, maybe not that crazy. The NFL has a nationally-televised only-game-in-town to sell on its network this Thursday. And they couldn't have the lowly Texans going into this game without their best player, could they? I mean, who knows how quickly the game could be over without him? They needed to keep this whole "rage-fueled fistfight" incident low-key and under-penalized because, hey, the Texans need all the help they can get to make a date with the Eagles in Philly an attractive national matchup. And the NFL needs as many eyeballs on the screen to secure those fat ad revenue checks. Keep dancin' for that money, ho!

I've said it before: the NFL is fucking rigged. Gosh danget do I love the First Amendment.

What else did we learn? TacklingQuentin Mikell is in Michael Lewis TerritoryBears Stretched Us OutGive Cutler CreditCome Back AsanteMoose Your Suit Looks RidiculousFix Yo Field, and Blame the O-Line.


Tackling - The Birds defense played like butt(er scrapple). While it fits to point the finger at the secondary for Exhibits A and B, the majority of the problems on defense were with tackling. Devin Hester bubble screens for 39? Matt Forte up the gut for 61? You're poopin me, right?

Listen, I know Andy Reid. Big Red and I are like Britt Reid and Oxycontin (only I'm not smuggled in his asshole). Andy Reid chewed out the kids because they showed a lack of effort. Team awareness was, like, a 65. Solution? TACKLESCHOOL! When a good team loses like this one did on Sunday, it's time to get back to basics.

Quentin Mikell is in Michael Lewis Territory - Remember Michael Lewis? Neither do I. Quentin Mikell is well on his way to being sent to the barren wasteland of Candlestick park along with other zombie Eagles like Westbrook and Lewis. Missed tackles, poor coverage, slow pursuit of runaway runningbacks -- it doesn't look good for the lone veteran of an otherwise young team. The blame last year was placed squarely on the shoulders of then-rookie now-Redskin Macho Harris, but even then there were visible cracks in Mikell's armor. This year -- now playing alongside a much more capable Nate Allen -- it looks like we may need to draft another Safety early next year. Allen hasn't been perfect, but you can't point the finger at the rookie again this season.

Bears Stretched Us Out - I HATE the stretch play. HATE IT. Why? Because the Eagles are TURRIBLE as defending the thing. With the middle of the defense having exponentially improved through addition by subtraction (MINUS Bunkley PLUS Dixon), the Bears were smart to exploit the edges. While the Eagles certainly don't lack team speed, their featherweight coverage-only corners can't tackle. Kudos to Chicago for reaching into the Patriots 2004 beat-the-Eagles playbook.

Give Cutler Credit - As Eagles fans it's easy for us to say our defense didn't do this or our defense didn't do that, but what Cutler did speaks for itself. 247 yards, 4 touchdowns, and ZERO picks for a 146.2 rating. Yes, yes, our defense failed to do this/that, but Jay took advantage, and won them the game while putting up some gaudy numbers.

Come Back Asante -


Moose Your Suit Looks Ridiculous -


For real though, a tie...AND an ascot...AND a pocket square. All inside of a suit that looks like he plays for the Business Yankees. You win, Daryl "Silky" Johnston.

Fix Yo Field - Yada, yada, yada, here is a picture of 1 and a half hot Asian girls in mud! Let's hope we don't have a game in Chicago come playoff time.

Blame the O-Line - I think a large part of this loss has to be blamed on the offensive line. They were downright offensive!

...I'm sorry.

Anyway, when a unit receives as much praise as this group has over the past several weeks, it's important not to overlook them when it comes to passing blame. Sure, maybe Vick held the ball too long. Sure, maybe it was the receivers' fault for not getting open in time. Whatever it is one can say to defend our overachieving O-line, all you have to do is look at the tape to see how badly the Birds were losing the battle at the line of scrimmage. I'm guessing they felt overconfident coming off a great performance against the vaunted Giants line and underestimated a under-appreciated Bears group. They've got more than Peppers, apparently.

Next up is Houston on Thursday at home. Can't lose, won't lose (Harlem shake).

Go Birds!

Stuart Membery Blog


Well, we can all now keep up with my friend Stuart Membery as he has just started a blog! How exciting. Oh and our latest container of Stuart's furniture is now in store at Black & Spiro....just in time for Christmas. There are some lovely new pieces so make sure you pop in for a visit before it is all gone again!!



xx

Anna

Machu Picchu - Peru, Beautiful Photo Collection...



Machu Picchu (Quechua: Machu Picchu, "Old mountain") is a pre-Columbian Inca site located 2,400 meters (7,875 ft) above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 km (50 mi) northwest of Cusco. Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", Machu Picchu is probably the most familiar symbol of the Inca Empire.





The Incas started building the estate around AD 1400 but it was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction.







Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Since it was not plundered by the Spanish when they conquered the Incas, it is especially important as a cultural site and is considered a sacred place.





Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. These are located in what is known by archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu. In September 2007, Peru and Yale University reached an agreement regarding the return of artifacts which Hiram Bingham had removed from Machu Picchu in the early twentieth century.













Fight Good For Eagles, Bad For Fantasy Owners, Awesome For Everyone Else


My favorite part of this is Andre Johnson's attempted uppercut killshot at the end. Football fights are NEVER this good.

If only my fantasy league gave us bonus points for haymakers, I might've won this week. For those of you who have AJ in leagues, you may be out of luck next week. From the looks of it, there's a good chance he may be suspended - especially considering these two got in a fight during a Week 2 contest in 2009. Which is good, because after the way the secondary played this week, I'm pretty sure Johnson would go for 210 yards and 4 TDs.

[GIF via KSK / twoeightnine]

Leslie Nielsen 1926-2010


New American Zen Cover


(Photoshopping courtesy of my sister Alicia Morgan of Last Left Turn B4 Hooterville.)

This is the visual I'm going with for the new cover of the American Zen Kindle edition (I wish it was a Fender Stratocaster, which is Mike's guitar, instead of a Gibson, but you take what you can get). I think it just about sums up the most important abstracts of the book. Alicia's looking for a better, more Zen-like font than the Presidential one I've been using. Then when she inserts the title into the .jpeg, I'll upload it. It'll make for a more professional-looking cover. After all, there are approximately 650,000 titles on Kindle alone, so one must make their work stand out in some way.

I also just reduced the price from $9.99 to $4.99 and sales are already picking up. So please give it a try. Once again, you can download a free 50 page sample to help you make up your mind as to whether or not to purchase it. I've also posted a review of it that's actually an expanded synopsis to further give you an idea of what it's about.

Parties Flowers & Installations


I think that summer wind may have swept me away last week. I just realised that I haven't posted since last Monday. It is amazing how time flies. This week has seen the installation of a few gorgeous pre-Christmas jobs, Harry's school Christmas pageant, a friends surprise 40th Birthday party and a summer garden dinner party which Brad and I hosted at our home last night with a few of my lovely clients and friends.


I filled the house with fresh flowers including my first Peonies for the season.

The garden looked so lovely and green. I'm so glad the drought is over here for now.


I also filled the house and verandahs with lots of candles. I must thank my friend Stuart Membery for organsing a rush delivery of the oval rattan placemats from Indonesia and also to Brad's dad for painting them for me in that pretty green which I chose to go with the napkins and cushions on the chairs. We had such a lovely night. I think it was the beginning of the festive/party season as Brad and I have a few more exciting parties to attend this week...Christmas really is such a wonderful time of year!!

PS. I promise I won't let that summer wind sweep me away this week!!
xx
Anna
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