The Madeira Aquarium opened in 2005 in Porto Moniz, next to the harbour. It is housed in the São João Baptista Fort, which was built to protect Porto Moniz from raiding Moors. In 1998, the Porto Moniz Municipal Council bought its ruins, which were restored, keeping its original design but adapting its interior to be used as an aquarium. With about 90 different species of sea animals distributed in 12 tanks (the largest of which contains approximately 500,000 liters of salt water), this tourist attraction will give you a pretty good idea of the various habitats of the island’s marine world. Even if you do not go into the aquarium the outside grounds are beautiful with the facade of the old fort surrounded by the rocky shoreline.
Bern is the de facto capital of Switzerland, referred to by the Swiss as their “federal city”. With a population of about 144,000, Bern is the fifth-most populous city in Switzerland. The pedestrian walkway in the medieval center called “old town” is lined with shops, cafes, restaurants and interesting architectural elements.
Erected at the end of the 12th century as Bern’s western city gate, this tower in the Old Town has become an icon for an extraordinary clock that was installed in 1530. Get to Marktgasse on the stroke of the hour for a little show when some of the earliest examples of automata come alive beside the astrolabe.
The Bärengraben, or Bear Pit, is a tourist attraction on the edge of old town. It is a bear pit, or enclosure housing bears, situated at the eastern edge of the old city of Bern. Although still in use, the Bärengraben has been supplemented since 2009 by the adjacent BärenPark, a larger and more natural enclosure alongside the River Aar.
Trafalgar Square is a public square in the city of London, built around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars over France and Spain that took place on 21 October 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar. A number of commemorative statues and sculptures occupy the square. The square has been used for community gatherings and political demonstrations, including Bloody Sunday in 1887. The square is a centre of annual celebrations on New Year’s Eve. It was well known for its feral pigeons until their removal in the early 21st century.
The George Washington Birthplace National Monument is a national monument in Westmoreland County, Virginia. This site was developed in the mid-17th century as a colonial tobacco plantation by Englishman John Washington. A member of the assembly, he was a great-grandfather of George Washington, general and the first United States president. George Washington was born in a house on this site on February 22, 1732. He lived here until age three, returning later to live here as a teenager. Before the 20th century, the original house was lost, archeological digs established the site of the original house and the foundations are marked. A reconstructed colonial era planters house has been built near the original location. There is a working farm on the site.
Thirty-two graves of Washington family members have been found at the Bridges Creek cemetery plot, including George’s half-brother, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
