Look, we’re on a Bulgarian kick!

The Shipka Pass is a big deal in Bulgaria, and the Shipka Memorial marks the spot in remembrance of the Russo-Turkish War and those that fought in it.

This post is part of the UpTake Monday Museums, Monuments and Memorials Series.

Photo: Klearchos Kapoutsis via Flickr

Sure, anyone can avoid Phoenix by honoring any number of current boycotts placed upon the city, but politics is a constant storm and those winds tend to wax and wane. The haboob, however, sneaks up on you.

A haboob is a huge dust storm that looks like the gates of hell have been blown off the hinges (hence the heat) and is a fairly common occurrence in the desert areas of the Middle East. And now, apparently the American southwest. The Heritage and Science Park may have more info — if not, they will at least put a roof over you. Dust storms are really dirty.

Granted, many publications claim that such things have been a regular fixture of wind and weather forever, but I spent 28 years in Arizona and never saw more than the occasional dust devil. When I think of an Arizona summer storm I think of a monsoon. Now there’s a reason to visit.

This post is a Wordless Wednesday entry with some words blown in like so much dust.

Photo: Ms. Phoenix via Flickr

LIFE Books has released a wonderful book called Heaven on Earth: The World’s Must See Destinations, and it will look fantastic on your coffee table. The inside is pretty awesome, too.

Today we’re looking at Greenland and its ice-covered everything. Fun fact: Greenland isn’t really that green. Also, vikings were the first users of irony.

Did you know that Greenland is only habitable on 5% of its surface? It’s true.

Greenland is physiographically part of the North American continent, but was part of the European Community until 1985. There are about 56,000 people on the entire island, and the Danish government supplies subsidiaries to them, so there’s that.

While there is no question of Greenland’s beauty, I cannot stress this one point enough: Greenland is really, really cold.  Take a coat.

Photo: Greenland Village by James L. Amos/Corbis, courtesy of LIFE Books

LIFE Books has released a beautiful book called Heaven on Earth: The World’s Must See Destinations, and it is amazing.

Today we’re looking at Nantucket, which is an island located off the coast of Massachusetts in the area of Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod. It is also the hometown of a man in the famous, allegedly, dirty limerick that nobody has ever heard in its entirety.

Other famous Nantucket residents include Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick characters Ahab and Starbuck. As you may have guessed, whaling plays a pivotal role in the history of the town.

The town of Nantucket is actually comprised of the namesake island and two smaller islands, Tuckernuck and Muskeget, both of which seem like they could offer a plethora of clever rhyme schemes to the dirty limerick canon.

The area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and offers a large collection of pre-Civil War structures. Maps and tours are available.

Photo: Nantucket by Michael Melford, courtesy of LIFE Books