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The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

If you want to go and see any of these seven wonders of the ancient world, you will be out of luck. The only one still standing is the Great Pyramids of Giza.


A global competition to name the new seven wonders of the world has attracted more than 20 million votes so far. They can have been built at any time before the year 2000, but a budding young tourist needs to be able to actually go, see and expierence them.
They're intending on taking a lot of the wonder out of the seven wonders if you will.

Winners of the competition will be announced on July 7, 2007 - 07/07/07 - in Lisbon, Portugal.

 www.new7wonders.com

Candidates for the new list have been narrowed down to 21, including the Egyptian pyramids (probably a shoe-in to get the gig) The shortlist can be seen above in this blonde poll.

Which ones would you choose?

They've taken that whole list from Sid Meier's Civilization 4.

12 of the shortlisted 21 appear in that game. (if you count Colosseum)

Civ freak.  :D

LMAO.

(http://www.puzzlehouse.com/images/webpage/neuschwanstein2000clem.jpg)

Most people don't know its name or location. (including me before today) Still, this is quite possibly one of the most recognizable castles in the world. Probably largely due to to being the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland. It also appears on the cover of Blur's single Country House.

Built by King Ludwig II in the late 19th century, it's name is Neuschwanstein castle. The nearest place to it that I've heard of is Munchen.

www.neuschwanstein.com/english/index.htm (officail site)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein (wikipedia link)

I don't know if this will make the final seven, but it certainly is stunningly beautiful.

Your first thought when you think Rio De Janiro has probably got something to do with bikinis. Your second, maybe Simon Le Bon and his cronies are involved somewhere, but after that, (and dancing dustmen) you definately think of this.....


(http://www.photogalaxy.com/pic/willbl-173/christ_the_redeemer.jpg)


Featured in countless films, usually with aerial looping shots, the Statue of Christ The Redeemer is very recognizable indeed. Paul Landowski was the name of the sculptor responsible for it's design, a Parisian.

Opened for buisness originally in 1931, last year a chapel was consecrated there. You can now get married under this statue if Vegas doesn't take your fancy.

http://www.corcovado.com.br/principal.asp?lingua=English (official site)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_the_Redeemer_%28statue%29 (wikipedia page)

I don't think this will make the list. Relatively modern, designed by a frenchman, and erm, just a big statue at the end of the day. It has a few things going against it.

Still, it does look rather cool. May be a darkhorse perhaps? The potentially huge Catholic vote can never  be discounted, and two of the original wonders were just big statues too.

In case anyone was wondering, no, I'm not doing all 21 just now.

Anyone else feel free to post away any piccys, stories, anecdotes, explanations etc about any of the above landmarks. Which will you vote for? Which do you think will win? Or maybe there's a wonder you think should have been shortlisted but isn't.


I thought I'd go through and give a few a lookie (as I'd only heard of half of them)
I haven't voted yet you see (on the main site www.new7wonders.com ), and was hoping to find out what the hell they all are before I do.

Machu Picchu and Petra were the 'musts' for me before I'd even seen the shortlist.  I've never been to either, but hope to see both someday.  I think they would be truly awesome, with a real 'wow' factor.  To me that's a good measure of a 'wonder'. 

I don't know if this will make the final seven, but it certainly is stunningly beautiful.

Its very close to a village called Wank ( I kid you not) and close to Garmisch where they had the Winter Olympics some years back. I'll never forget coming across the place, not even aware that it was there, I was absolutely gobsmacked and had a vague memory of seeing it on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (although I may be wrong)!
It is very very impressive.

The setting is pretty amazing too - beautiful

blah..it's not nearly as pretty as the one bedroom appartment I used to rent in Greenock ;)

your taking the piss...apartments in greenock ? hahaha

yes - I've been here as a kid - the walk to the castle seemed very long at that age. You can't see the castle when you set off and all of a sudden it appears when you go round a corner - magical.

Went to Rio last year - the statue is lit at night and wherever you are in Rio it seems you can always see it (unless you're in the loo of course!). The poverty in Rio is very bad and the previous Pope went there and gave one of the poor communities his Papal ring - worth millions apparently. They don;t have any sanitation or running water but they so have this ring which they could sell but have decided to put ina church and look at. I know it's a bit off topic but isn't it all a bit mad when their children are dying from disease?

very interesting thread

I am surprised Macchu Picu isn't well up there. I went in the late 80s and it was a sensational experience.

I put a vote in for Timbuktu, Mali; purely from having meet Ali Farka Toure, a wonderful musician from Mali.
Not an obvious choice but a strangely beautiful & mysterious place IMO.

(http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/ppmsca/09500/09591v.jpg)

It looks wonderful, except for the large man-made monstrosity in the centre.

Look at those hills behind...... don't you just want to run/walk/crawl/scramble/climb them.....??

12bb

PS  Machu Picchu is truly awe inspiring.  Just make sure to get there early morning before all the other buggers get there and spoil it.

Long time no see welcome back!

HA aint the same without ya.

Who's been voting for the Eiffel Tower...? There's got to be 7 more wondrous things in the world than a disused radio mast ffs. (Unless you mean the one in Vegas, in which case I'll cut you some slack...)

Same goes for the Statue of Prohibition

I voted for the ones I have been to :)

Dundonian,

You are an absolute star!!!

Quote:

"It's very close to a village called Wank"..........................."I'll never forget coming across the place"

Apologies for any offence caused Blondites, but IMHO, this must be the NO.1 accidental pun ever (if it was accidental)

Would be obliged id someone can pass me details on how to copy quotes.

Ever so laughing my head off....

Geo

Welcome back Big Man, where you been?

Get on PHA - NOW!

(http://www.ardle.net/Kiyomizu.jpg)

Overlooking the city of Kyoto in Japan, this is Kiyomizu, yer big ass Buddhist temple.

Built in 1633, distinctly oriental in design. I'm no Buddhist, but in all the pictures I've looked at, you can almost feel a deeply spiritual atmosphere. (Even the ones choc-a-bloc full of backpackers)

(http://japan.geopassage.com/images/attractions/10_7_62.jpg)

This is the back view of the main hall. There was a custom to jump off this stage while making a wish, and if you survived, the wish would be granted.

You're not allowed to do it any more, it's rather a long way you see, and, erm, at least 134 people are reported to have not gotten their wish. (splat)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyomizu-dera (wikipedia link)

Tip number one to get on this wonder shortlist seems to be build yourself on a big hill amongst mucho shrubbage. Maybe that's why the Falkirk Wheel just missed out ::)

Behold, the Hagia Sophia in Turkey.

(http://crusades.boisestate.edu/pics/Constantinople/Hagia%20Sophia%20west%20view.jpg)

Emperor Justinian, of the 6th century Byzantian Empire originally built the main building (with the help of 10,000 of his pals) although it has fallen down and had to be repaired a fair number of times since.

As with the German castle and the Japanese temple, a similary functioning building existed on the same site before then too. There is a fine line between what constitutes repair, and what is just a brand new building, but the Hagia Sophia certainly claims to be over 1,400 years old.

The church was converted into a Mosque in the 15th century, hence the distinctly Islamic minarets (towery things in the corners)
If, like me, you're concerned that the design may be a cheap knock off of something else, I'll briefly point out the Taj Mahal wasn't built until the 17th century.  ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia#Restoration_controversies (wikipedia link)

http://www.focusmm.com/civilization/hagia/welcome.htm (another site, perhaps of more use)

Since 1935 it is neither a church nor a mosque, it is a museum.

While it was built in Constaniople, you can now visit it in Istanbul. It's a big bugger, so if you can find someone gullible, you might like to muse to them that moving it must have taken a fair old while. :D

Feels like school, no idea why I'm doing this.  :D

That's enough for today, I'm going back to work.