Marilyn Monroe (3) - Bus Stop (1956)

"BUS STOP"

Sent by Brian from Wisconsin, USA.

Bus Stop is a 1956 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Joshua Logan for 20th Century Fox, starring Marilyn Monroe, Don Murray, Arthur O'Connell, Betty Field, Eileen Heckart, Robert Bray, and Hope Lange.

Unlike most of Monroe's films, Bus Stop is neither a full-fledged comedy nor a musical, but rather a dramatic piece; it was the first film she appeared in after studying at the Actors Studio in New York. Monroe does, however, sing one song: "That Old Black Magic" by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer.

Bus Stop is based on the 1955 play of the same name (which in turn was expanded from an earlier, one-act play titled People in the Wind) by William Inge. The inspiration for the play came from people Inge met in Tonganoxie, Kansas (read more).

Marilyn Monroe (2) - Let's Make Love (1960)

Marilyn Monroe with Gene Kelly and Yves Montand in Let's Make Love (1960). 

Sent by Lisa from San Jose in California, USA.

Let's Make Love is a 1960 American musical comedy film made by 20th Century Fox in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope. Directed by George Cukor and produced by Jerry Wald from a screenplay by Norman Krasna, Hal Kanter and Arthur Miller, the film stars Marilyn Monroe, Yves Montand and Tony Randall. It would be Monroe's last musical film performance. Not long before she died in 1962, Monroe commented that the role of Amanda was the worst in her career. In her opinion, there was "no role...that you had to wrack your brain...there was nothing there with the writing" and that it had "been part of an old contract." Arthur Miller was also critical of the film, stating that despite his efforts to improve the script it was "like putting plaster on a peg leg." During an interview with David Letterman in 1988, Montand acknowledged his difficulties with the script and his problem speaking English, but said it was an honor to work alongside Marilyn Monroe.

The plot revolves around billionaire Jean-Marc Clément who learns that he is to be satirized in an off-Broadway revue. After going to the theatre, he sees Amanda Dell rehearsing the Cole Porter song "My Heart Belongs to Daddy", and, by accident, the director thinks he is an actor suitable to play himself in the revue. Clément takes the part in order to see more of Amanda and plays along with the mistaken identity, going by the name Alexander Dumas (read more).

Slovenia - Gorenjska (Upper Carniola) - Bled

BLED

GORENJSKA

SLOVENIA

Various scenic locations of Bled in the Gorenjska region of Slovenia.

Sent by Mirjam from  Domžale in Gorenjska region, Slovenia.

Bled (pronounced [ˈbléːt]; German: Veldes, in older sources also Feldes) is a town on Lake Bled in the Upper Carniolan region of northwestern Slovenia. It is one of Slovenia's most visited tourist destinations. The town is the administrative seat of the Municipality of Bled.

The town was first attested in written sources as Ueldes in 1004 (and as Veldes in 1011). The etymology of the name is unknown and it is believed to be of pre-Slavic origin. The German name of the town, Veldes, was either borrowed from Old Slovene *Beldъ before AD 800 or is derived from the same pre-Slavic source as the Slovene name (read more).

USA - Hawaii - Maui

Using digital elevation models, a very accurate rendering of Maui has been created. Here is a view of the entire island as seen during the green winter months from an elevation high above the West Maui Mountains. Along the coastline in the foreground are Laihana, Kaanapali anad Kapalua.

Sent by Colleen from Honolulu in Hawaii, USA.

Maui is the second-largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km²). It is the 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of Maui County's four sizable islands, along with Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Kahoʻolawe.

In 2020, Maui had a population of 168,307, the third-highest of the Hawaiian Islands, behind Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island. Kahului is the largest census-designated place (CDP) on the island, with a 2020 population of 28,219. It is Maui's commercial and financial hub. Wailuku is the county seat and was the third-largest CDP as of 2010. Other significant populated areas include Kīhei (including Wailea and Makena in the Kihei Town CDP), Lāhainā (including Kāʻanapali and Kapalua in the Lāhainā Town CDP), and Upcountry Maui (including Makawao, Pukalani, Kula, and Ulupalakua), although Lāhainā was mostly destroyed by fire in 2023.

Once part of Maui Nui, Maui is dominated by two volcanic features: Haleakalā in the southeast, and the West Maui Mountains in the northwest. The two are connected by an isthmus about six miles wide that gives the island its nickname, the Valley Isle.

Maui has a significant tourism industry, with nearly three million visitors in 2022. A 2023 report based on 2017 data concluded that nearly 40% of Maui County's economy was tourism-related. Popular tourist destinations include the resorts in the Kāʻanapali, Kapalua, and Kihei/Wailea/Makena areas; Hāna and the Hana Highway; ʻĪao Valley; Haleakalā National Park; and its many beaches (read more).

Germany - Bavaria - Neuhaus an der Pegnitz

Various sights of Neuhaus an der Pegnitz, a town in Bavaria, Germany.

Sent by Layla from Potsdam, Germany.

Neuhaus an der Pegnitz is a municipality in the district of Nürnberger Land in Bavaria in Germany.

Poland - Králický Sněžník Mountains

Masyw Śnieżnika (Králický Sněžník Mountains)

Sent by Lumen from Wrocław, Poland.

The Králický Sněžník Mountains or Śnieżnik Mountains (Polish: Masyw Śnieżnika, Czech: Králický Sněžník, German: Glatzer Schneegebirge) is a massif and mountain range in the Eastern Sudetes on the border of the Czech Republic and Poland.

The Králický Sněžník Mountains is a mesoregion of the Eastern Sudetes within the Sudetes in the Bohemian Massif. All the highest mountains are located close to the Czech–Polish border or on the Czech side (read more).

Indonesia - Sumatra - Acheh's Tsunami

Significant catastrophic event of Acheh's tsunami in 2004.

Sent by Regina from Medan in Sumatra, Indonesia.

On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7), a M_w 9.2–9.3 earthquake struck with an epicenter off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known in the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, was caused by a rupture along the fault between the Burma plate and the Indian plate, and reached a Mercalli intensity of IX in some areas.

The earthquake caused a massive tsunami with waves up to 30 m (100 ft) high, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami after the Boxing Day holiday, or as the Asian Tsunami, which devastated communities along the surrounding coasts of the Indian Ocean, killing an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries, especially in Aceh (Indonesia), Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu (India), and Khao Lak (Thailand). The direct result was severe disruption to living conditions and commerce in coastal provinces of these and other surrounding countries. It is the deadliest tsunami in history, the deadliest natural disaster of the 21st century, and one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. It is also the worst natural disaster in the history of Indonesia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The earthquake itself is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Asia, the most powerful earthquake of the 21st century, and the second or third most powerful earthquake ever recorded worldwide since modern seismography began in 1900. It had the longest fault rupture ever observed, between 1,200 and 1,300 kilometres (746 and 808 mi), and had the longest duration of faulting ever observed, at least ten minutes. It caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 10 mm (0.4 in), and also remotely triggered earthquakes as far away as Alaska. Its epicentre was between Simeulue and mainland Sumatra. The plight of the affected people and countries prompted a worldwide humanitarian response, with donations totalling more than US$14 billion (equivalent to US$23 billion in 2024 currency) (read more).

Indonesia - Sumatra - Berastagi

Brastagi is a town on croassroads to the two active volcanoes Mount Sibayak and Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra, Indonesia. 

Sent by Regina from Medan in Sumatra, Indonesia.

Berastagi (Dutch: Brastagi), is a town and district of Karo Regency situated on a crossroads on the main route linking the Karo highlands of Northern Sumatra to the coastal city of Medan. Berastagi town is located around 66 km (41 mi) south of Medan and about 1,300 m (4,265 ft) above sea level. The village rose to significance when Dutch settlers in Sumatra opened a boarding school there in the 1920s.

Located in the Barisan Mountains area, the mean annual temperature of the district is 18 °C (64 °F). During the day the temperature rises over 25 °C (77 °F) but at night to early morning it could drop to as low as 12 to 16 °C (54 to 61 °F), it could also reach 9 °C (48 °F) during the rainy season. The weather can be fair and sunny during the day but may become foggy around dusk to night (read more).

Indonesia - Sulawesi - Tarsius spectrum (Spectral tarsier)

Tarsius spectrum on the branch.

Sent by Dr. Ari from Manado in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Spectral tarsier or Selayar tarsier (Tarsius tarsier, also called Tarsius spectrum) is a species of tarsier found on the island of Selayar in Indonesia. It is apparently less specialized than the Philippine tarsier or Horsfield's tarsier; for example, it lacks adhesive toes. It is the type species for the genus Tarsius. While its range used to also include the population on nearby southwestern Sulawesi, this population has been reclassified as a separate species, Tarsius fuscus. Some of the earlier research published on Tarsius spectrum refers to the taxon that was recently reclassified and elevated to a separate species, the Gursky's spectral tarsier (Tarsius spectrumgurskyae).

"Tarsiers were once thought to be of the Strepsirrhini suborder, grouped with Lemuroidea and Lorisidae because of their similar appearance and because they have a small stature and are also nocturnal. It has been decided that tarsiers are members of the suborder haplorrhine, which is a suborder of primates that hosts tarsiers and the simians (Archuleta, 2019)." According to Gursky et al. 2003, based on phylogenic research, tarsiers are more closely related to monkeys and apes than lemurs and lorises. Some scholarly articles suggest dividing the genus into 3 and some references reflect this attempted revised taxonomy. "This taxonomic discrepancy is strongly supported by data collection of physiological attributes such as coat colors, tail lengths, and size as well as molecular data (Gursky et al. 2003)." (read more)

Slovakia - Trenčín

Trenčín, SLOVAKIA

The cityscape - the City Tower (the Lower gate) - the Peace sq the with castle Our Lady's birth's a Parish Church - the castle - pedestrian zone with the synagogue fountain details - Roman inscription, 2nd c. - town streets with the Hangman's house.

Sent by Lubo from Trenčín, Slovakia.

Trenčín (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈtrentʂiːn], also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech border, around 95 km (59 mi) from Bratislava. It has a population of more than 55,000, which makes it the eighth largest municipality of the country and is the seat of the Trenčín Region and the Trenčín District. It has a medieval castle, Trenčín Castle, on a rock above the city.

Trenčín is chosen as the European Capital of Culture in 2026.

Trenčín was first mentioned under the Greek name Leukaristos (Λευκάριστος), depicted on the Ptolemy world map around 150 AD . During the course of the Marcomannic Wars between the Roman Empire and Germanic Quadi, the Romans carved an inscription on the rock under the present-day castle in 179 AD, and the place was mentioned as Laugaricio. For a long time, it was considered the northernmost known presence of the Romans in Central Europe.

The first written mentions in the Middle Ages are from 1111 (as Treinchen) and 1113 (adjective Trenciniensis). The name is probably derived from a personal name Trnka/Trenka (Slovak/Slavic - Blackthorn) with a possessive suffix -ín. The German, Hungarian, and Polish forms are Trentschin, Trencsén, and Trenczyn, respectively (read more).

Belarus - Vitebsk

Summary of the information about Vitebsk in Belarus.

Sent by Darya from Chechersk of Gomel region in Belarus.

Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest city. It is served by Vitebsk Vostochny Airport and Vitebsk Air Base.

Vitebsk developed from a river harbor where the Vitba River [ru] (from which it derives its name) flows into the larger Western Dvina, which is spanned in the city by the Kirov Bridge. The name of the river is said to be derived from vit (lit. 'swamp' or 'wet place').

Archaeological research indicates that Baltic tribes had settlements at the mouth of Vitba. In the 9th century, Slavic settlements of the tribal union of the Krivichs replaced them. According to the Chronicle of Michael Brigandine (1760), Princess Olga of Kiev founded Vitebsk (also recorded as Dbesk, Vidbesk, Videbsk, Vitepesk, or Vicibesk) in 974. Other versions give 947 or 914. Academician Boris Rybakov and historian Leonid Alekseyev have come to the conclusion, based on the chronicles, that Princess Olga of Kiev could have established Vitebsk in 947. Leonid Alekseyev suggested that the chroniclers, when transferring the date from the account of the Byzantine era (since the creation of the world) to a new era, obtained the year 947, later mistakenly written in copying manuscripts as 974. It was an important place on the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. By the end of the 12th century, Vitebsk became a center of trade and commerce, and the center of an independent principality, following the Polotsk, and at times, the Smolensk and Kiev princes (read more).

Finland - Uusimaa - Espoo

Espoo Suvisaaristo.

Sent by Maria from Espoo, Finland.

Espoo (/ˈɛspoʊ/, Finnish: [ˈespoː]; Swedish: Esbo) is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately 324,000. It is the 2nd most populous municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, which has approximately 1.6 million inhabitants. Espoo is on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland and borders Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi. The city includes the enclave of Kauniainen. Espoo covers an area of 528 square kilometres (204 sq mi). Espoo is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of 69% Finnish speakers, 6% Swedish speakers, and 25% speakers of other languages, well above the national average.

Espoo was settled in the Prehistoric Era, with evidence of human settlements dating back 8,000 years. However, the population disappeared during the early Iron Age. During the Early Middle Ages, the region was populated by Tavastians and Southwestern Finns. Following the Northern Crusades, Swedish settlers began to emigrate to the coastal regions of modern-day Finland. Espoo was founded as an autonomous Catholic parish in the 15th century. Following the conclusion of the Finnish War, the decision to make Helsinki the new capital of the Russian-controlled Grand Duchy of Finland in 1812 had a significant positive impact on the municipality's growth and development. Nevertheless, the territory continued to be mainly agrarian until the 20th century. After World War II, Espoo underwent swift urbanization and significant demographic shifts, with Finnish becoming the majority language around 1950, replacing Swedish. The municipality attained market town status in 1963 and was granted city status in 1972 (read more).

Germany - Hamburg - Elbphilharmonie (Concert Hall)

Greetings from the Free and Hanseatic City.

Elbphilharmonie (Concert Hall) Hamburg.

Sent by Britta from Hamburg, Germany.

The Elbphilharmonie (German pronunciation: [ˈɛlpfɪlhaʁmoˌniː]; "Elbe Philharmonic Hall"), popularly nicknamed Elphi, is a concert hall in the HafenCity quarter of Hamburg, Germany, on the Grasbrook peninsula of the Elbe River.

The new construction resembles a hoisted sail, water wave, iceberg or quartz crystal resting on top of an old brick warehouse (Kaispeicher A , built in 1963) near the historical Speicherstadt. The project is the result of a private initiative by the architect and real estate developer Alexander Gérard and his wife Jana Marko, an art historian, who commissioned the original design by the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, who developed and promoted the project (since 2003 in cooperation with the Hamburg-based real estate developer and investor Dieter Becken) for 3.5 years until the City of Hamburg decided to develop the project by itself. It is the key project of the new Hafencity development and the tallest inhabited building in Hamburg, with a final height of 108 metres (354 ft).

The Elbphilharmonie was officially inaugurated with concerts of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and a light show on 11 January 2017.

On 2 April 2007, the foundation stone was laid in the Kaispeicher A warehouse, in the presence of then First Mayor of Hamburg Ole von Beust, Hochtief Construction AG CEO Henner Mahlstedt, the project coordinator for the City of Hamburg Hartmut Wegener (dismissed in 2008 for mismanagement of the project), Hamburg Minister of Culture Karin von Welck and architect Pierre de Meuron (read more).