World Places and Forwarded Mails: July 2013

The Copacabana Beach when the Pope Arrives

Copacabana Beach - one of the most famous areas of Rio de Janeiro. Here he is pictured below. The other day there arrived Francis Pope to participate in the commemoration of World Youth Day. On the beach to collect two million Catholics! See photos inside the post.

The Poisonous Blue Lagoon of Harpur Hill — Buxton

From a distance, an abandoned quarry at Harpur Hill in the English town of Buxton looks like a true paradise. The water is a brilliant turquoise blue that looks like something from the Mediterranean. Locals call it the “Blue Lagoon”. But looks can be deceiving. In reality, the water in the pool is blue due to chemical pollution – toxic leftovers from its industrial days. There are signs close to the shoreline that warn people of the pool’s dangerous contents that include abandoned cars, dead animals and human waste, and the ‘beach’ is limestone chippings. Despite the warnings, the flooded quarry had become a bizarre holiday destination as young people and even families turn up to camp out, swim and hold all-night drinking parties there because the web pictures show an idyllic stretch of water with a ‘beach.’

The attractive coloring of the water is caused by the surrounding limestone rocks which leach calcite crystals into the water, turning it turquoise. The calcium oxide in the water turns it alkaline with a pH level of 11.3, only slightly lower than bleach (ph 12.6) and ammonia (pH 11.5) - toxic enough to cause skin and eye irritations, stomach problems and fungal infections.

In June 2013, the council poured black dye into the water to lessen its appeal, and so far the plans has worked. Tourists have stopped swimming in it. Local business owner Rachel Thomas told to BBC, “They don't think they're on holiday in the Bahamas any more, they know they're in Harpur Hill.”

Jayda Thompson, 14, right, and Remece Sabe, 13, left, paddle in the waters after being taken to the 'attraction' with their relative Sam Ahmed. She said it was alright for them to go in the 'amazing' water, as long as they were no deeper in than their neck.

Ignoring warnings: Mrs Ahmed smiles as she watches relatives Jayda, Remece, Tristan Thompson, aged six, left, and Malachi Croft, aged five, paddle in the perilous waters which are littered with rubbish

Photos — Link

Amazing Plant Sculptures at the Montreal Mosaiculture Exhibition 2013

Even if you’re not into gardening yourself, the plant sculptures in the international Montreal Mosaiculture Exhibition will blow your mind. As defined in the official website of the event, mosaiculture “is a refined horticultural art that involves creating and mounting living artworks made primarily from plants with colourful foliage (generally annuals, and occasionally perennials).” It is also a highly complex form of art, requiring different sets of skills from all the participating artists: not only do they have to plan and build the framework of the sculpture and match the colors, it is also important to understand the maintenance of each plant they use.

Photo — Link

This year over 200 horticultural artists from all around the world present 40 living plant sculptures, created from more than 22 000 different plant species – over 3 million flowers overall! The sculptures will be showcased in 10 exhibition greenhouses and 30 themed gardens at the Montréal Botanical Garden until 29 September. The competition also touches on ecology, challenging artists to work around the “Land of Hope” theme and interpret it in their sculptures from the ecological point of view.

The Mosaïcultures Internationale competition was founded back in 2000 by Lise Cormier after her visit to China: this is where Lisa saw an enchanting 40-feet-high sculpture of 3 doves and was instantly inspired to bring the idea back home. Don’t miss your chance to visit the event!

Link - 1 2 3

Switzerland

As beautiful and polished as Swiss ski resorts go, but lurking in the shadow of the mighty mega-resorts, is the much quieter Villars - a village in the Vaudoise Alps, only 15 miles from Lake Geneva. From December to March Villars turns into a photogenic winter wonderland filled with icicle-laden wooden chalets, frozen forests and snowy mountain peaks.