Famous World Sites in Other Words Quiz

Answer: Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty in New York was a gift to the United States from France. She represents the Roman goddess of Liberty and holds in her left hand a document on which the date of the Declaration of Indepndence is written. At her feet rests a chain which has been broken.

The symbolism associated with this impressive icon is the liberty that this new land offers to weary immigrants fleeing the chains of their past in other harsher nations. Manufactured in France, she was shipped to the US in crates (how undignified for such a lady), and when finally dedicated on 28 October, 1886, she was welcomed by New York's very first ticker-tape parade. Mind you, only two females were allowed to attend that dedication ceremony at the island on which this gracious lady resides.

This so infuriated the suffragettes at the time that they chartered a boat and sailed as close as they possibly could to the site. In an odd kind of way though, that was just as symbolic as well, as they too were trying to break the societal "chains" that had bound women for so long. Liberty probably thoroughly approved.

Answer: Big Ben

That song was the lovely "Ben" released by Michael Jackson. Even though it's about a rat, it's the lovely melody delivered by the clear voice of the young Michael in 1972 that resulted in his first number one hit, both in the US and internationally. Big Ben of course is the famous giant bell in Elizabeth Tower at the Palace of Westminster in London. It was cast in 1856 and weighed an astonishing sixteen tons. Placed on a huge trolley, it was drawn by sixteen strong horses to its destination through crowds of cheering people, but because the tower was under construction when it arrived, that first Ben was mounted in New Palace Yard instead. Alas though, it didn't last too long, for it cracked beyond repair when first tested. Another was cast to take its place two years later in 1856. It only weighed thirteen and a half tons, was seven foot, six inches tall and had a diameter of nine feet. In spite of the weight loss though, it took eighteen hours to haul it up the 200 feet to the belfry of the tower.

Unbelievably, two months later, it too cracked under the weight of the hammer. A miscalculation in the construction of that hammer made it twice the size it should have been. Ben was hauled away again, to be repaired this time, but it was three years before it struck once more. Incredibly though, they didn't actually repair it! They simply chipped a bit of metal out of the rim, re-positioned it one eighth of a turn around - and gave it a new and lighter hammer instead. Astonishing. This gave Ben a different tone when he rang, his fine baritone turned into a castrati, and that's what people hear yet, as a still cracked Ben continues to chime well into the 21st century.

Answer: Little Mermaid

Seated on a rock near a promenade in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Little Mermaid is just lovely. Unveiled in 1913, and taking four years to create, she is based on the heroine of Hans Christian Andersen's famous story of the same name, so indirectly honours that famous writer as well. This famous beauty has been an iconic sight of Copenhagen ever since, but more than suffered disgusting acts of vandalism along the way. These included being beheaded several times, having one of her arms stolen, being dressed in a Muslim burqa on more than one occasion, and even being blown up. No sane person can comprehend such senseless and utterly mindless acts. Each time, however, this Danish beauty has been faithfully restored.

Models for this truly delightful work included the famous Danish ballerina, Ellen Price (1878-1968) - and the sculptor's own wife. It is Ellen's face and head you see on the statue, but, as she refused to pose naked for the body, the sculptor, Edvard Eriksen (1876-1959) had his wife, Eline (1881-1963) pose for that instead. Rather comically, when Danish politician, Mette Gjerskov, tried to use a photo of the Little Mermaid on her Facebook page in 2015, that organisation initially refused to let her do so, because it showed "too much bare skin" and had "sexual undertones". The tail, though, didn't rate a mention.

Answer: Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications and walls built along an east-west axis of China's northern border. Amazingly, walls first began to built in this area of the world way back in the 7th century BC, and, over the centuries that followed, continued to be strengthened, enlarged and lengthened. It is estimated today that this length, including the natural geological features, such as mountains, that are part of it, and the many side walls branching off from it, is approximately 13,000 miles long.

Not only did it act as a fortification and defence barrier against potential invaders of that large empire, the Great Wall was also used as a line of smoke and fire signalling relay sites, barracks for troops, stables for horses, armoury depots, and a type of taxation collecting site, with the monitoring of duties to be collected on goods being transported along it and the Great Silk Road. Another aspect to this incredible structure was that it allowed for the control of emigration and immigration along its northern borders.

Answer: Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a free-standing 183 feet tall bell tower located at the rear of the cathedral in the town of Pisa in Italy. It took two hundred years to build and was finally, somewhat disastrously, completed in 1372. During construction it became obvious when work began on the second floor, that the ground on one side of the tower was too soft to hold the weight beginning to tower above it. Unbelievably the work continued - as the tower began its slow and famous tilt. Quite beautiful in design, this white marble and stone monument looks just a little like a multi tiered wedding cake - especially after the viewer has had several glasses of champagne.

The reason the tower took so long to build was that work was continually being halted by the ongoing wars that were waged in that region of the world for so long. This had an unexpected benefit of allowing the ground below the tower to firm up somewhat. Otherwise, it is believed the tower would have fallen over long before this. In the late 20th century, after many, many centuries of wear and tear and even more tilt, the government of Italy finally decided to try to save Pisa. It took twenty years of discussion and meeting with engineers first though. Typical. In 1990 then, work began on the project, but, incredibly so, this came with the stern stricture that the tower had to retain some of its famous tilt. I don't understand that, do you? The tower would still be a glorious and famous site without looking as though it had one leg shorter than the other. However, ten years later, and at the cost of millions and millions of dollars, the famous tower of Pisa, still crooked, was surgically straightened up by seventeen inches only. We are assured it will now last another 300 years. Anyone taking bets on this?

Answer: Three Sisters

The Three Sisters are three distinct rock formations jutting out from the north escarpment of the Blue Mountains near Katoomba, in New South Wales, Australia. Once a part of those lovely mountains, the soft sandstone comprising that range, following millennia of erosion by wind and rain, eventually resulted in the separation from its parent of those giddy girls. A bushwalk trail from the valley far below, culminating in a "Giant Staircase" of some 800 steps, can take enthusiastic and extremely fit people right up to the top of one of the Sisters, and, should the idea of the trek back down prove too daunting, The Katoomba Scenic Railway is available nearby to allow for a relaxing and picturesque return journey instead.

An aboriginal legend had it that three sisters of the nearby Katoomba tribe fell in love with three men from a neighbouring tribe, but when their marriage was forbidden by law, those three lovers captured the girls and ran off with them. A major battle followed between the tribes, and, during that mighty engagement, the sisters were turned into stone by an elder of their tribe for protection. Unfortunately he then died in the battle and nobody could turn the rocks back into humans again. Isn't that delightful? And not a word of it is true. It was a yarn created by a non-aboriginal man, Mel Ward, in the 1920s, to increase trade and tourism. He probably made a small fortune from it. You have to be careful if you're visiting this country from overseas. There are ordinary snakes here (very poisonous, just in passing) - and then there are two-legged kind as well.

Answer: Bridge of Sighs

Constructed in 1600, the Bridge of Sighs is a relatively small, but very lovely, white limestone structure over the Rio di Palazzo in Venice, Italy. Not associated with any beautiful memories at all, it was long believed that the purpose of this sorrowful little monument to the past was to connect a nearby prison with the rooms in the Doge's palace where prisoners were interrogated. Given that time of history, one can only imagine the horrors that went on in there. The Bridge, which was given its famous name by England's Lord Byron (1788-1820) of all people, is said to be the last view of Venice that condemned prisoners saw before being hurled into their cells to await execution. This is an engrossing legend, is it not, but it, too, isn't accurate. Interrogations and inquisitions followed by swift executions without a trial was a period in Venice's history that had passed before the Bridge was built - but why stand in the way of a good yarn? Most of the prisoners occupying those nearby cells after the bridge was constructed were small time offenders instead, sent to the cooler for a time by the authorities to contemplate their wrongs.

The Bridge of Sighs still remains a lovely image of view of Venice's past, however, and draws thousands of tourists annually to gaze in wonder at it. Another legend associated with this structure - much nicer this time - is that if lovers, in a gondola, kiss under the bridge at sunset while the bells in St Mark's bell tower are tolling, long lasting love and happiness will be granted to them. This one was probably created by a Byronic gondolier drumming up trade, but that doesn't matter. It's still a happy and gentle thought.

Answer: Bran Castle

Situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, Bran Castle is also known as (spooky music please, Maestro) Dracula's Castle! Bram Stoker, the author of "Dracula", didn't really know much about Bran Castle at all however, for later research revealed he vaguely thought it was somewhere near Moldavia instead. Nor did the Vlad III (the inspiration for that blood-thirsty character) have any particular association with the breakfast cereal castle either. It just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and has been saddled with its spooky reputation ever since.

Built between 1438 and 1342 on the site of an old wooden castle that the Mongols burned down in 1242, this famous building has had a long and somewhat tedious history, and gradually began to fall to pieces through the centuries. It wouldn't be until Queen Marie of Romania took possession of it in 1920, and had rather expensive renovations carried out, that it became the truly lovely sight it is today. It is now used as a museum of Romania's long and convoluted past, with guided tours carried out there on a regular basis for the thousands of tourists who flock to visit it every year. (Look out behind you!)

Answer: Wailing Wall

The Wailing Wall in the city of Jerusalem, Israel, is also known as the Western Wall. This is considered to be the most holy site in the world for people of the Jewish faith, and believed to be all that is left of the original Second Temple which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

The First Temple was considered to be the actual site of God's presence in this world. Located on Temple Mount in the older parts of Jerusalem, it was constructed by the biblical King Solomon in the 10th century BC. Some 470 years later, that structure, incredibly beautiful if you read the descriptions of same in the Bible, was destroyed by the Babylonians. The Second Temple (known as Herod's Temple), was built on that site. It was completed in 516 BC and lasted another 500 years until once again destroyed, this time by those invading Romans. All that remains today is that famous Western Wall, the site today where Jewish people go to pray, and weep for its loss and the memory of God's presence that once dwelt within. It must be an overwhelming feeling to experience that.

Answer: Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls is a mighty geographical feature located on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa. All those Zzzs tend to make a person sleepy - but nobody could ever feel that way on viewing the breathtaking sight of the falls. They were given their English name by the deeply religious Scottish explorer David Livingstone (1813-1873) when he more or less stumbled upon them during his 1852-1871 expeditions in Southern and Central Africa to explore that great unknown land and to try to find the source of the Nile. His ultimate purpose though was the hope that he could spread Christianity through that continent and put a stop to the terrible practice of the African slave trade.

The indigenous people who lived in the area of the Victoria Falls for thousands of years prior to the arrival of any Europeans, knew them by the name of "Mosi-oa-Tunya". That translates to "The Smoke that Thunders", so called because the force of the waters thundering over the falls creates a misty effect in the air all around them. So it seems just a little bit insulting then for people to state today that David Livingstone discovered them. This should be qualified by say that he was the first European to set eyes upon them instead. And those European eyes were completely overwhelmed by their beauty. He described them later as "Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight". Hoot, mon, he wasn't just hitchin' his kilt.