Guess That Geographical Location—2 July 2009

Photo via Google Maps.

Congrats to gelt.

See the extended entry for details.

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Guess That Geographical Location—30 June 2009

Photo via Google maps.

Congrats to gelt.

See the extended entry for details.

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Guess That Geographical Location—29 June 2009

This one has the potential to be very tough.  Or at least a good test of your Google/Wikipedia skills.

Photo via Google Maps.

Congrats to gelt.

See extended entry for details.

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Guess That Geographical Location—26 June 2009

OK. This one will either be very easy, or very difficult.  It’s a historically significant building.

Photo via Google Maps.

We’ll give this one to BVBigBro.  As in horeshoes and hand grenades, close enough…

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Guess That Geographical Location—25 June 2009

Photo via Google Maps.

Congrats to Owen.

Details below the fold.

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Guess That Geographical Location—24 June 2009

I haven’t done one of these for a while, so let’s start you off with an easy one.

Photo via Google Maps.

Congrats to BVBigBro!  See the extended entry for details.

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Where in the World?

It’s that time, folks. 

UPDATE: Congrats to Captain Ned for finding this one.  This is Krak Des Chevaliers.

Standing as high as 2300 feet above sea level stands what is much considered the greatest fortress in the world, Krak Des Chevaliers (Castle of the Knights). With its command over the valley between Homs and Tripoli, and being a model of perfection of medieval fortification, this Castle was never besieged or taken by storm. It only fell through Baibars unique plan involving trickery.

The history of this magnificent fortress is not very well known, it was given to a Kurdish garrison by the Amir of Aleppo in 1031. This has been proven through Muslim chronicles, which named it Castle of the Kurds (Husn Al Akrad). The castle that the Kurds erected was taken over by the Count of Toulouse in 1099 and then by the Latin prince Tancred in 1110. It was taken over by the Hospitallers in 1142, for the defense against the threat of Zengi in Aleppo. After that the Krak was kept in the hands of the crusaders, although it was damaged by a couple of earthquakes, and was rebuilt in its final form in the 13th century. It only fell to the Mameluke Sultan Baibars who resorted to a trick in which he forged a letter supposedly from the Crusader commander in Tripoli that said that they should surrender, and so the greatest fortress in the world fell.

Where in the World?

OK, this one might be a little tough, but it is an entire city.  What city is it and what is its significance?

UPDATE: It’s been the better part of a day, so I’ll throw a hint out there.  It’s a city of about 1.2 million people. 

UPDATE: xxpilot got it!

This is Samara, Russia.  From 1935 to 1990, it was called Kuybyshev.  From October 1941 until the summer of 1943, it served as the Capital of the Soviet Union and Stalin’s command center.

C’mon

OK, folks, it’s been two days and nobody has gotten my “where in the world” quiz.  I even gave clues!!!

I’ll make it easier… it’s in GERMANY. 

Anybody?

Bueller?

Where in the World?

Here’s a hint… it’s NOT in Utah. 

UPDATE: Hmmm… this one must be harder than I thought.  Here are a couple additional hints: the water is not salty.  A historical figure (several, actually) lived here.

Drunk Farmer

This is why you shouldn’t drink and operate farm machinery. 

Planes

OK, here’s a challenge for y’all.  Identify these planes:

More Fun With Maps

OK, here’s another one for you.

Here are a couple of hints.  This is a battlefield.  It’s not an obscure one, either.  It was the site of a famous battle.  The constellation of cities should give it away.  The left flank of one of the antagonists was anchored on the town on the left-center of the picture and his right flank was anchored in the town on the bottom right.  As you might have guessed, the other antagonist was on the other side of that line. 

UPDATE: Good job Captain Ned, who got this.  This is the battlefield of Blenheim.

It was here on August 2nd, 1704, that the 1st Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy crushed Marshall Tallard, Marshall Marsin and the Elector of Bavaria in the War of Spanish Succession.  It was an overwhelming victory.

(note: map orientation is different than those above.  This map is looking south.)

At the end of the day, the French/Bavarian army suffered more than 20,000 casualties and about 15,000 of them were captured.  In comparison, the Allied army suffered about 12,500 casualties.  The primary significance of this battle is that it shattered the myth of the invincibility of Louis XIV’s, The Sun King’s, armies.  After this battle, the allies quickly subdued Bavaria.  This was arguably the most lopsided of the Duke of Marlborough’s victories during the War of Spanish Succession.

Bad Places to Live

You couldn’t pay me to live in these apartments. 

Why not?

UPDATE: I’m going to stick this at the top for a while.  C’mon you Google Earth freaks!  Here’s a hint… you have to know something about my interests to get this one, which means that Wendy and Jed probably had it yesterday.

UPDATE: Jed got it.

This is where Adolph Hitler committed suicide in his Fuhrerbunker, which was located under the garden of the Reich Chancellery.

Here’s a before and after picture with the Fuhrerbunker in red. 

Warmer Times

Given that we’re expecting up to seven inches of snow this evening, I wish we were back here.

Actually, I shouldn’t say “we.”  Wendy has been here.  I was next door.  Where was she?