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But the village was first mentioned in 844 and changed hands several times between the local abbey, the bishop of Milan, and the Dukes of Milan, until it was settled as part of the Swiss Confederation in 1807 and became part of Switzerland in 1848. That accounts for it having at least a pretty church.

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This modern building is the cause for its riches. If you find it, you still won't know who is hiding there, because there are no signs and no names anywhere to be found. The building cost $50 million to build, and it took less than two years for the company residing in it to pay it out of tax savings. I would call that a good investment. The calculation is mine, and I didn't calculate the further savings in the pay checks, because social security cost is much lower in Switzerland.

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This car somewhere in Arabia shows the typical monogram of this mysterious tax payer. It is Gucci who has its world head quarters in Switzerland. If you believed they were in Florence, you were wrong. So was I, until I found out about it tonight. So remember to buy as much Gucci as you can, you make a very small community a lot richer by that.

Gucci is quite proficient at playing the elusive company, I found while doing this research. Whereas the label is known anywhere in the world and quite happily linked up with Florence, there are almost no offices situated there. And I found a blogger looking for the headquarters of Gucci in Germany. He failed, by the way, because there aren't any offices in Germany. In truth, there are almost no offices of Gucci anywhere outside Switzerland because all correspondence is handled by local agents.

From the moment you walk in you're surrounded by history. Buildings of many shapes and size with various backgrounds will welcome you to learn about life in early 19th century rural New England.

My first trip to this living history museum was in the 5th grade. An assistant teacher styled the girls hair in 1830's fashions and we piled into the big yellow bus and watched in excitement as we pulled into the parking lot. We got the chance to try on clothing, make marbled paper, and tour the village.

Now over ten years later I am now a volunteer and dancer at Old Sturbridge Village. I started out as a greeter smiling warmly and offering directions to locations within the village. After becoming costumed in 1830's attire including reproduction dresses, petticoats and bonnets, I was able to become a docent and work in the Towne House.

This house has an interesting history. Its owner, Salem Towne Sr. came from a poor family. His father died during the French and Indian war. His mother eventually remarried to a lonely farmer and later would follow in his step-fathers footsteps. At the rough age of 20, Salem purchased ten acres of land and taking on the position as a land surveyor. He later would purchase and sell pieces of land making a profit and acquiring more land as time went on.

In 1796, three years after he married his third wife, Salem had the Greek revival home built in Charlton, Massachusetts. After his death 1925 the house would be passed down to his son Salem Towne Jr., Salem Jr.'s wife Sally and their ten children. By 1830 the family owned 400 acre's of land was considered the wealthiest family around gaining this status by progressive farming. Their wealth can be shown by the hallway that extends the entire length of the house that is fully carpeted. Another tell-tale sign of wealth is the elaborate sideboard placed in the hall. The house has three floor, a cast iron stove (the newest amenity in those days) and a pleasure garden.

As and Old Sturbridge Village dancer I am able to participate in 1790's to late 1830's style dancing. With skirts twirling and white gloves on you can imagine how elegant it must be to cast off in Jefferson and Liberty or circle six hands round in White Cockade. Dancing in those days was sometimes seen as scandalous but was also romantic as this was possibly the only chance you might have to touch the hand of the person you fancied.

Within the village you can also see three different mills (Saw, Carding, and Grist) that are run off of water power and are the start of the industrial revolution in this country. There is a tavern, tin shop, shoe shop, district school, pottery shop, bank, parsonage, and several farms with cattle and other animals native to this country during the 19th century. You can also grab an ice cream, watch as sheep are sheared, or taste freshly made butter.

So, if you every find yourself in search of experiencing history in a different way then Old Sturbridge Village is the place to go. You won't be disappointed.

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Let's Go!

There are lots of ways to get there, I am going to give you a nice circle route. Head south on Highway 2 to Highway 39, then West to Calmar. Calmar has a great little bakery on the north side of the road, and will make a nice stop to pick up a treat to eat in the car. Continue West, you will turn south at a point and pass through Thorsby. Continue south past the many farms and pastures. You will come to Highway 616, at which point you want to turn Right, or West. This will take you on a scenic trip around the lake and past some Bison farms. Unfortunately the roads were not designed with tourists in mind, and this will not be a completely lake shore drive. The 616 is a nice rolling drive, and you want to look for the South (left) turn to highway 771. Here is where you will get close to the lake and have a view. Follow the 717 as it heads south and eventually south east around the lake. At one point you will pass The Village Gardener Greenhouse on your left side. In the spring and summer this may make a nice place to get out and look around.
It is only a few more minutes south west on the 771 until you come to highway 13, turn left on this road, so you are headed east. In about 3 minutes time you will see "The Village at Pigeon Lake" on your left side. It is not a typical "village", nor is it on the lake, and by no means huge, although it is expanding. It is the name given to the development.

The Village

The Village consists of several stores, a grocery store, gas station and many others. The four most popular are in a row, starting with the Eco Cafe. This award winning restaurant is worth a stop just in time for lunch. The food is definitely high quality but not ridiculously priced. Their environmental philosophy, of buying local produce when available, shows in the freshness of the taste. Next is The Clothing Store, a place for womens fashions. The following store is very popular, The Country Sampler, an ever evolving store with pine furniture and home decor like you wont find many other places. Prices are excellent. The other noteworthy stop at the Village is Daisy McBeans, a good dessert stop before continuing on. They have ice cream and many other novelty treats, including home baked goods or incredible sandwiches. This is a good place to have a coffee and treat before heading onward. There is a Spa located in the Inn, and if you can get an appointment they are very good. If you visit the Village during the week, as opposed to a weekend, you should stop in to the ATB Bank to view their display of local artwork. In fact, I would say that coming during the week is better, since weekends are very crowded. The village is open year round, but no not expect late store hours in the winter.

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Continuing On...

From the Village head East, left, onto the Highway, about 1 mile down the road, on the right hand side, is Back Street Antiques, worth a stop, but I caution you that not everything is an antique and prices are a bit higher than in "The Village". Just ¼ mile south of Back Street is The Wilderness Store, another shop worth visiting as it has very unique wood furniture and other items. Phone ahead, often they are only open on Fridays and the weekends. Then head back on Highway 13, going east, which would be to the right. A turn north on Highway 13A will bring you to Ma-Me-O Beach, a man made beach where one can wade in knee deep water for ages. There is not much shopping in Ma-Me-O, but it is worth the stop if you have kids who want to play in the water, and they deserve it after allowing you to shop! You can follow Highway 13A which will loop back south to Highway 13, or can backtrack on Highway 13A to Highway 13, either way, continue East to Highway 2, where you can go North, back to Edmonton.

Trip Time

Traveling time from Edmonton to "The Village" is about one hour, I have suggested some good stops to break up the trip. There are a lot of people who have "cabins" at the lake, but a surprising number come as a day trip from the city. For those who don't know about this hidden treasure, I would like to encourage you to make a trip.

Every year, millions of tourists come to Turkey to see the natural beauties of my country. Most of these tourists are Russian, German and people coming from North Europan countries like Finland, Sweden and Norway. There are many historical and touristic places in Turkey but most of them are found in Aegean and Mediterranean region. Izmir, Antalya, Didim, Kusadasi, Marmaris, Fethiye, Bodrum and Ephesus are all great examples to these beauties. All of these places are located near the sea. Some of them have a historical background while some don't have. This article is about a small town Patara.

Patara is an ancient town in Mediterranean region. It is located in city of Kas which is one of the touristic cities of Antalya Province. According to the historians, Patara is the birth place of Saint Nicholas who is known as Noel Father in Turkish culture. Most of you know him as an old man who drives his deers and gives presents to the children in Noel nights. He lived all his life nearby Patara, in the town of Myra..

Patara was founded by Patarus. So, it is known with his name. Patarus was one of the sons of famous Greek commander Apollo. In the past, Dorians coming from city of Crete lived in this small town. It witnessed many wars of Greek and Egyptians. In 1. century B.C, it was joined to Roman Empire and Rhodians occupied the ancient Patara. It was joined to Pamphylia in the year of 43. According to the quotes in Bible, Paul of Tarsus and Luke changed their ships in Patara.

Patara has a small hill and a ruined temple on one side of the hill. Currently, It is under ruins. Every year, Europan and Turkish archaeologists come to Patara to search about ancient civilizations living in this region. Excavations are made.Most of those excavations are made on the hill and ruined temple nearby. Off-shore part of Patara is under sand. After the latest excavations, archaeologists announced that Patara has a main street and amphitheatre.

One day, if your steps take you away to Turkey, you should visit Patara. Sure that, you can find many interesting things which have not been discovered yet.

Yungas Road (Highway of death in Bolivia)

Yungas Road is one of the most dangerous roads of all world. It is placed in Bolivia, between La Paz and Coroico cities. Since this region is called as Yungas, naturally this road is named as Yungas Road.

This road is used by heavy trucks, buses and lorries. Naturally, if you go to there,you can see the wreckages of many lorries and buses. In last years, it is also preferred by cyclists and motorcyclists. ”Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking” is one of the extreme sports made by on this road. Every month, more than 200 people die on Yungas Road. Annual death toll is more than 3000.

Guoliang Tunnel Road (China)

Guoliang Road is one of the most well-known killer roads .It was built by the villagers living in Guoliang region. Total length of the road is almost 1200 meters. It is located in Taihang mountains in China. To finish complete road took 5 years of villagers. On the road, there are tunnels with 5 meters height and 4 meters width. This road is known as death machine.

Pasubio Road (Italy)

Pasubio Road was constructed in Vicenza, Northern Italy. Once upon a time, it was really a dead machine. Currently, it is only used for motorcycling activities.On the road, there are hairpin turns and tunnels. The existence of the roads twisting into tunnels and hairpin turns makes this road interesting.

There is something special about Painswick. The scenery and views are typical of this part of Gloucestershire, yes, but there is definitely something different about that particular village. Well, I say village but actually it is a town. Yes, it is definitely a town, just a very small one. There aren't many shops in Painswick. Just a few essential places, like a convenience store, a post office, a tea shop, a chemist, and some antique shops. However, Painswick's close proximity to the somewhat larger town of Stroud somehow makes this unimportant.

Why Painswick?

Years ago, when I was a teenager, I had a college friend who lived in Painswick, in a lovely big old terraced house built from Cotswold Stone; and also my ex-girlfriend lived nearby in another nearby village; to me, this made it romantic somehow, and ever since then I've always loved the area.

Old Buildings

Painswick has a very old feel to it. It lays spread up a hillside, with its church spire pointing upwards; you can see it for many miles away, and it has a great character. I've often thought that the houses there must cost a lot, as the buildings are made of Cotswold stone. There has been some more building work going on lately, in keeping with the style of the other buildings. After a while, when they are more weather-beaten they will certainly look good and fit in very well with the overall Cotswold stone appearance of Painswick. However, apart from this latest development, Painswick hasn't grown much over the years.

The Scenery

The scenery surrounding Painswick is very beautiful, and is part of what I consider Gloucestershire scenery at its best. Famous author Laurie Lee lived nearby in the village of Slad, which is down another nearby valley. By the way: the town of Stroud is surrounded by five valleys; these are: Painswick Valley, Slad Valley, Toadsmoor Valley, Nailsworth Valley and last but definitely not least, the Golden Valley.

From various hilltops around the nearby (and much larger) town of Stroud, Painswick stands out due to its tall church spire.

Painswick Beacon

If you walk out of Painswick in a northerly direction, you come to Painswick Hill, upon which there is a golf course. Once you reach Painswick Beacon on the top, which contains a triangulation point and a very clear view of the City of Gloucester. This is quite a high point, and you can see for miles around. On a windy day it really does get quite windy up there, and I once stood right up on top of the triangulation point on a very windy day.

There is something very atmospheric up on Painswick Beacon, whether it is on a sunny day or on a cloudy, windy day. Whatever the weather, Painswick Beacon is a very nice place to go. I have been on several walks up there with my walking groups, and also with friends and family, and by myself. It is a very peaceful place to be. Well, it would be if it wasn't for all the golfers, but live and let live is what I say. After all, who am I to go starting arguments with people who carry metal bars around as part of their leisure time?!

1. Muck, in the Inner Hebrides

   We’re cheating on this one a bit, as Muck derives from the Gaelic name Eilean nam Muc. It’s so small that if you moved there you’d barely push the population up over thirty people. Appropriately, it’s one of the Small Isles, and is only 2.5 miles from one side of the island to the other. One earlier owner of the place tried to persuade the famous Samuel Johnson that it was actually called the Isle of Monk - but failed.

2. Maggots End, in Essex

   In the Hertsfordshire.com listing of villages in the county, there’s no entry for this place. However, we know there’s a farm there, as anyone taking a walk from Manuden to Furneux Pelham needs to turn right at Maggot’s End farm. Maybe the maggots have finished the place off.

3. Pratt’s Bottom, in Kent

   Of course, any place with Bottom in the title is likely to get a laugh, even though bottom may mean nothing more amusing than a valley. Back in 1773 this place was known as Spratt’s Bottom, but less than 20 years later it had lost the initial S, and Mr Spratt had turned into a Pratt.

4. Nether Wallop, in Hampshire

   Before your imagination starts to boggle, consider this: fields in Nether Wallop are identified, by one Dr. Guest, with the Gualoppum of Nennius, one of the last battlefields of Vortigern the warlord with the Saxons. And Danebury hill is crowned with an ancient camp. So even though we may scoff at the name, it has history.

5. Nasty, in Hertfordshire

   This is definitely a place that causes difficulty. From one ad on the Net we have this line: Nasty Jobs, a local guide to recruitment agencies and vacancies Another talks about Nasty web sites and information.

6. Thong, in Kent

   To say, ‘I live in Thong,’ might easily be misconstrued, especially by someone who’s a little hard of hearing. Even worse, some people live in Netherthong, up in West Yorkshire. Now that’s really stretching it!

7. Mid Yell, in the Shetland Isles

   Again, telling someone you’re in Mid Yell might make them look strangely at you. What is a mid yell, anyway? And how do you define it? Nevertheless, Mid Yell is thriving, with a school, two fish processing plants, medical services, shops and the smallest petrol station you’re likely to see.

8. Rest and Be Thankful, in Strathclyde

   This is the highest point on the A83 between the northern end of Loch Fyne and Loch Long. It’s obviously a bit windy up there as in 2002 a lorry was blown off the road. Maybe not so restful after all.

9. Dykehead, in Strathclyde

   This ambiguously-named town seems always to be hear of in conjunction with a place called Shotts. The Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Band is one of the best known features of the area. In fact, the Band has won the World Pipe Band Championships no less than fifteen times.

10. North Piddle, in Worcestershire

    What can we say about this, except that another Piddling place, Wyre Piddle, has a brewery which produces ales with names such as Piddle in the Hole, Piddle in the Wind, Piddle in the Dark and Piddle in the Snow.