Name That Landmark - Birdseye View

It should be pretty obvious now.

click image for a larger view

Name That Landmark - Airplane View

Here's a closer look at our destination. Have you got it yet?

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Satellite View Help

I think I cropped the satellite view too tightly to allow a reasonable chance at guessing the country and city. Click on the image below for an expanded satellite view.

Name That Landmark

It's amazing what views of the world are visible to us through satellite imaging technology available on Google maps and other such sites. You can start at a satellite view, and zoom down to an airplane view, then zoom even closer to a bird's eye view, and finally all the way down to a street level view, without ever leaving your computer chair.
So with that capability at our fingertips, I decided to take you on a tour of some well known landmarks I've visited. See if you can guess where we're going as we descend closer and closer from high above.

Here's your first satellite view. Obviously too high to choose the landmark yet, but see if you can identify the country or even city. Tomorrow we'll take a look from an airplane level, and bird's eye level on Thursday. If you haven't guessed it by then, the answer will be up with the street view on Friday. Have fun.

Geography Quiz

I'm pretty sure that most everyone recognizes the outline below, and can name the country.

But how good are you at recognizing the outline of other countries? Try the quiz below to find out. After you've made your choices, you can check your results by clicking on the "Check Answers" button. Note: the outlines of the different countries below are not of the same scale.

	Austria Switzerland China United Kingdom Kentucky		Norway VietNam Chile Japan Baja California
	Spain Germany Poland France Georgia		Brazil India Antarctica China South Carolina
	Japan Phillipines Sweden Norway Delaware		Brazil India Antarctica China Illinois
	France Algeria Canada Egypt Arkansas		France Poland Germany Switzerland New Jersey
	Japan Phillipines Society Islands Sweden Key West		Japan Phillipines Society Islands Greece Hawaiian Islands

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Carmen Sandiego Cornered in the Belltower at Chartres

Notre Dame Chartres

	Perched on a hill high above the surrounding town, the Cathedral at Chartres, France appears to be floating over the fields of grain when viewed from a distance.
Along with the clue about flying buttresses, the first clue picture might have been mistaken for the spire over the crossing at Notre Dame de Paris, but the second clue picture clearly revealed the contrasting spires above the western facade of the Cathedral Notre Dame de Chartres. Paris' Notre Dame does not in fact, have any spires above the western facade towers. Both cathedrals are considered examples of the finest Gothic architecture in France.	Notre Dame Paris
Notre Dame Chartres	Notre Dame Paris flickr © Peter Rivera

Having climbed to the top just 2 years ago, Janet recognized the tower and guessed it right.

Carmen goes to church

Clue: She was intrigued by the mismatched spires that were built hundreds of years apart.

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Carmen Sandiego IV

Another Carmen Sandiego puzzle:

Clue:She wanted to see the flying buttresses.

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A New Music Video

A short while back, Jennifer showed me a funny video of a weatherman who was wearing a green tie while working in front of a green screen, and his weather map was showing through his tie. She said I should try something like that, and I was inspired to record this cover of the Beatles' "You Wont See Me" with some clever video editing. Special thanks to Christian for his help making the video and recording the music.

Making the video reminded me of this funny Monty Python skit.

Carmen Sandiego nearly caught in Kyoto, Japan

The picture is of the Deva Gate at the entrance to the Kiyomizu (clear water) Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. The temple is built high on the side of a mountain and offers breathtaking views of the city below. Drinking from the streams of the Otawa waterfall at the temple is said to bring wisdom, health, and longevity.



Kyoto is known for it's Gion district where Geisha and Maiko can be seen travelling to their appointments. The literal English translation of Geisha is "art doer" or "art person".

A new clue!

Clue: She said the city was known for training "art doers" or "art persons".

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Carmen Sandiego III

Here's another chance to catch Carmen Sandiego.

Clue: She said she wanted to drink from the waterfall at the place known as "clear water".

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Carmen Sandiego on Easter Island

I haven't yet been to Easter island, but it is one of the places I'd like to see. A small island in the South Pacific, it is best known for the large stone statues called Moai that surround its shore. Easter Island is directly in the path of the July 11, 2010 total solar eclipse, and for a mere $10,000 or so (airfare not included) you can join an eclipse tour.

Moai on Easter Island (from Flickr)
I thought this one would be harder to guess since the hint was indirect and the picture could have been anything from a Hawaiian tiki to a Japanese buddha, each of which might have been posted from my pictures folder. But Janet solved the puzzle in record time.

The agents from Acme Detective Agency were fast, but Carmen Sandiego is faster. She'll have to miss the eclipse, but she's made another getaway. Try to find out where next week.

Carmen Sandiego II

Carmen got away in Munich last week, but Interpol has turned up some clues to her current whereabouts.

Clue:"She said she hoped she could stay until after next year's total eclipse."

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