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Venice.... The Floating CIty!!!!!!!

Top 10 Most Expensive Cars in the World

Style, luxury, an innovative design and above all, speed… these cars have it all and much more.  Actually, the most expensive car in the world was the 1931 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe which was sold for $8,700,000 in 1987. However, as it’s not longer available in the market today, it will not be included in this list. These spectacular supercars are any car enthusiasts dream come true, although after reading some of the prices you may feel a little differently. From prices as high as $2,400,000, here are the 10 Most Expensive Cars in the World. 

1) The Bugatti Veyron Super Sports ( $2,400,000)

This is easily the most expensive and the most powerful car in the world today. It is also the fastest street legal car with a top speed of 431km/hr.  It is also the fastest accelerating car reaching 0-60 in just 2.5 seconds! This car is named after racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti firm.  This beauty has been designed and developed by the Volkswagen group and produced by Bugatti Automobiles SAS at their headquarters in France.  The best part about this car is that it can be driven by anyone with a driver’s license as opposed to other super cars that require special driving permits.

 

 

2) Aston Martin One-77 ($1,850,000)

This supercar surpasses all the previous Aston Martin cars due to its powerful performance and stunning exterior.  The production of this magnificent car is limited as it is expected that not many people will be able to afford this luxury.  With 750 hp, this car is able to travel from 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds. It can reach a maximum speed of 220 mph.  It even stands ahead of the Veyron, in terms of luxury.  It is the epitome of sophistication.

 

 

3) Pagani Zonda Clinque Roadster ($1,850,000)

One of the most striking cars in the world is the Pagani, the Italian super car that can go from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds.  This rocket ship inspired car hits 200 kilometers per hour in less than 10 seconds. It has a top speed of 217 mph.  This limited edition super car includes all the things that one can only dream of. 

 

 

4) Lamborghini Reventon ($1,600,000)

Here is yet another masterpiece by the father of sports cars- Lamborghini. It is the most expensive as well as powerful Lamborghini ever built. It takes 3.3 seconds to reach 60 mph and its top recorded speed is 212.2 mph.  Only 20 pieces of this new breed of Lamborghini were manufactured. Thus, it’s rarity as well as specifications of the car makes it one of the expensive cars till date.

 

 

5) Koenigsegg Agera ($1,600,000)

 This is one supercar that may give Bugatti a run for its money and claim for itself the title of being the world’s fastest supercar.  This latest import from Sweden can go from 0-60 in just 2.8 seconds, reaching a maximum speed of 260 mph.  This new car is so exotic that the Royal Family of Oman already placed an order for one before it was even revealed at the Geneva Motor Show.

 

 

6) Maybach Landaulet ($1,380,000)

This is the most luxurious and the most expensive sedan on the market as of now. It can reach from 0-60 in 5.2 seconds. What makes this car even more unique is its convertible roof that can open fully at the rear. The Landaulet is made for those lucky CEOs and Executives who have their own personal driver.

 

 

7) Zenvo ST1 ($1, 225,000)

This car is the product of a new Danish supercar company that will compete to be the best in speed and style. The Zenvo ST1 is able to reach 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and has a top speed of 233 mph.  This latest supercar is limited to 15 units. The company has even guaranteed “flying doctors” to keep your car running.

 

 

8) McLaren F1 ($970,000)

This first thing you will notice about this car is its unique design.  The car possesses a unique 3 seater configuration with the driver at the center of the interior and the 2 passenger seats flanked along the back of the driver. In 1994, this was the fastest and most expensive car. However, it is more than just that. Built with some of the most flawless engineering, this is one car that has made its mark in the automobile industry.  It has an amazing top speed of 240 mph and can reach 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, despite being built 15 years ago. 

 

 

9) Ferrari Enzo ($670,000)

The Ferrari is without a doubt the most popular super ever built.  It was developed in 2002 using Formula One Technology. It has a horsepower of 650 and can reach a top speed of 217 mph with 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds. However, it is hard to get your hands on this beauty as only 400 units have been produced.

 

 

10) Pagani  Zonda C12 ($667,321)

This custom built supercar was unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show in2005. It’s advanced technology and spectacular craftsmanship, the Zonda has proven that it can easily compete with other supercars around. Produced by a small independent company in Italy, it is one of the fastest cars ever produced with a top speed of 215 mph+. It can reach 0-60 in 3.5 seconds.
 

7 Most Terrifying Places Ever

If you're easily spooked out then this is not for you. If the very mention of 'scary' and haunting' sends chills down your spine then you may not have the stomach to make it to the end of this article. Here's a list of some of the scariest and most terrifying places to be.

1. Aokigahara Forest (Japan):

Aokigahara, a forest situated at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan, is the resting place of more than 500 people. These people were not victim of any calamity but orchestrated their own deaths through suicide by hanging themselves from the boughs of the Aokigahara greenery. The forest is known to be so thick that even at peak sunshine hours, the place is blanketed with darkness. A popular author Seicho Matsumoto published a novel called Kuroi Kaiju where two of his characters commit suicide there which sparked the trend of self-inflicted deaths.
The place is scattered with decomposed bodies and readily available nooses from previous suicides. There are even signboards displaying encouraging messaged such as, "Think of Your Family" and "Life is a precious thing! Please reconsider!"

2. Borley Rectory (Sadbury, UK):

A love story gone awry, Borley Rectory is known to house the ghosts of a nun and monk who commit the forbidden act of falling in love. The so-called nun tried to elope with the monk and were both quickly tracked down. The monk faced his demise at the hands of the outraged and the nun was bricked up in the cellars of the monastery. It has gained the reputation of being 'The Most Haunted House in England'.

3. Winchester Mystery House (California, USA):

This intimidating structure sprawls over a 160-room complex built as a death trap with secret passages, dead ends, long hallways, doors opening to walls and staircases leading to ceilings. Sarah Winchester, a widow, was told by a medium that her house was haunted by the ghosts of it's ancestors and if she didn't continue building she would die. This scary prediction and her grief over the death of her husband and daughter drove her to create this madhouse. The place was like a pyramid designed to have ghosts lose their way within it's walls. However, the likelihood that some poor human would lose their way and starve within the confines of this house, not being able to find their way out, was higher. Indeed, making it a terrifying place to visit.

4. Stull Cemetery (Kansas, USA):

Stull is a tiny town in Kansas that houses a cemetery reputed for being one of the 7 gateways to hell. The Devil himself is known to hold courts of his worshippers here. Rumour has it that Pope John Paul II refused to fly over this unholy location on his way to Colorado.
This cemetery received it's infamous reputation when a farmer finished burning his crop on the land only to find the charred body of his son in the remains. Another occurance was when a man went missing and was later found hanging from a tree there.

5. Prypiat (Ukraine):

Prypiat, in Ukraine, popularly known as the Chernobyl disaster site is one of the scariest known locations to man. Prypiat became a ghost town almost overnight when the 50,000 residents, that is the families of the Chernobyl employees, were evacuated due to a malfunction in the Chernobyl Reactor.
This radioactive nest gives you the creeps immediately with it's eerie abandoned look.
The place is dead save the strewn belongings of previous inhabitants and a big ferris wheel that nobody uses giving you the sense that something is lurking within the shadows. While the city is open to people, by an announcement from the governement that the radioactive levels have gone down (because a little radioactivity is okay!), it's not top on the list of places to travel to.

6. Byberry Mental Asylum (Philadelphia, USA):

Burberry used to hous the Philadelphia State Hospital which was notoriously famous for it's ill-treatment of patients. It housed over 7,000 patients, from the mentally challenged to the criminally insane. It was shut down due to their barbaric treatment of patients. The scary thing about the place is the terror wrecked there during the time that the asylum was being run. The place was running over-capacity so patients slept in hallways lined with excretion they were constantly abused and exploited by the staff. There was an incident where a staff member killed and dismembered a female patient, leaving her body parts strewn across the property. The killer, Charles gable was never found but the place because a hot spot for Satan worshippers, vandals, arsonists and all kinds of miscreants.

7. Leap Castle (Ireland):

The Castle belonged to the O'Carrolls's and when the last of them died, two brothers went to war over control of the castle resulting the the murder of one by the other in front of the family. This gave the name Bloody Chapel to the place for reasons most obvious. Rumour has it., that there is a hunched beast , that stalks the halls of this place, called Elemental. The appearance of this creature of proceeded by the smell of rotting flesh and sulphur.
There is also a dungeon filled with spikes where people who were thrown in and forgotten about were impaled to death. There were also more than 2 dozen human remains found in these dungeons and the ghosts of all the victims are said to haunt the place till date.

Top 10 Legendary Lost Worlds

Notions of past grandeur have always captivated the human mind. The idea that we are the result of a long line of developments, and cultural transformations pulls us out of the prison of time and urges us to imagine what life would have been were we born in different times. Yet, a lot of civilizations and prosperous cities never made it into modern era, destined instead to fall as quickly as they rose. This is a list of 10 of the most breathtaking lost treasures of human civilization. Cities that were either destroyed, or abandoned, and all but forgotten, only to be rediscovered much later so we may marvel at their once magnificent stint at the helm of human progress.

Pavlopetri, Greece

While there is no strong evidence that the legendary city of Atlantis existed outside popular myth and folklore, many parts of the world have fallen prey to the ever changing wishes of the fickle mistress that is the Sea. Pavlopetri was a town of pre-Classical Greece that was settled in the Stone Age and persisted until approximately the tenth century BC, and is the oldest submerged town in the world. Archaeological in particular have taken a fond liking for the site, since the fact that it is submerged has presented a evocative case study of a civilization that has been very well preserved and not contaminated by the remnants left behind by the occupants who followed soon after. The existence of this site gets one thinking about how many such sites must exist around the world, as surely, sea levels have risen and fallen for thousands of years, and early human settlers have tended to stay at sites such as Pavlopetri - sites that have proximity to water sources and trade routes.

Akrotiri, Santorini

There is little written material left by the Minoan Civilization thus they were largely left forgotten until the renewed push behind archaeological efforts in the 20th century. The discovery of the palace at Knossos revived interest in the Minoan Civilization. Similarly, on the small island of Santorini, there exists the minoan outpost of Akrotiri. The island is also home to the Thera volcano. Many possible explanations for the glorius minoan civilizations coming to an end have been postulated, but the most likely one points to the island of Santorini and its volcano. While the city was in its prime, the very volcano that brought about its eventual demise provided a natural water heating system for the minoans that was in probability the first city-wide hot water system in the world. The city also features exceptionally well preserved frescoes, homes up to three stories high, and a complex planned settlement.

Tikal, Guatemala

Once the capital of the Mayan Kingdom, Tikal was occupied from the 2nd to the 9th century AD. Thanks to the almost perfect preservation of the city the details of the culture that once flourished here are very well known, and very little is left undiscovered, and this offers an opportunity to the interested tourist to get a true picture of life in those times. Tikal was eventually abandoned because it was unable to sustain a growing population. Abandonment occurred over a number of years and the city was left for the jungles to grow over. Yet rumours of a lost city persisted and the city was found in 1848. Tikal is the largest surviving archaeological site in the New World and features 70m high pyramids, palaces, and even a playing arena for the Mayan ball game.

Timgad, Algeria

Timgad was founded by emperor Trajan in the middle of the desert and yet it become a large vibrant trading city, and survived many ups and downs. It even went through a period where it was known as a center of Christianity after it was ransacked in the 2nd century and had to reinvent itself. It could not survive the 7th century sacking by the Vandals though - an event which led to its eventual abandonment. The desert sands then buried the city until 1881, when it was rediscovered. The rediscovered ruins offer a brilliant glimpse into Roman administrated cities in Africa. The magnificent Arch of Trajan still forms the gateway to the city, with other attractions including the baths and the temple of Jupiter that rivals the Roman Pantheon in size. An inscription in the forum reads : “To hunt, bathe, play games and laugh. This is life!”

 

Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu is the quintessential lost city. This old Inca city, set picturesquely on the top of a mountain, was only inhabited for a short period of time, before the Spanish raids brought an abrupt end to the civilization. The raids never found the city though, and the locals never revealed its location, and the abandoned city had to wait till the 20th century to be discovered again, and it is not yet certain whether Machu Pichu was used as a retreat, a full fledged city, or simply a sanctuary of some sort. The city is easy to reach in modern times, although this has brought a large influx of tourists and has prompted some to wonder whether such large numbers are sustainable.

Mohenjo-daro, Pakistan

The Indus Valley civilization is one of the worlds most ancient civilizations, reaching its peak at approximately 2000 BC. It was also one of the most advanced civilizations for its time, achieving advances in science, language and culture. The advanced nature of this civilization can be seen at Mohenjo-daro with its ordered streets and drainage system.The lack of a temple or palace at the site has led some to consider it an egalitarian civilization, but there is no confirming evidence for this claim. The Indus and its floods destroyed the city multiple times with new settlements consequently built in their The city was finally abandoned for unknown reasons around 1800 BC and re-discovered only in 1922.

Petra, Jordan

While Petra may not be lost, it was certainly abandoned. The desert city flourished until an earthquake destroyed the vital water system that sustained its population, which preferred to simply move to nearby settlements that had access to essential resources. From then on the site was left to the desert, attracting only the most curious of travelers and grave robbers. Currently it is a world heritage site and one of the greatest middle eastern archaeological sites. The city is partly built from ground up, and partly carved into the red rock that populates the region. The architecture features are a fusion of Roman, Greek and native Nabataean.

Troy, Turkey

Troy was thought for a long time to be a myth until in 1871 Heinrich Schliemann found huge defensive walls at the location of the ancient city of Ilium, as well as golden jewelry postulated to be the jewels of Helen. Modern excavations of the site have revealed the city to be large – large enough to be the basis of the ancient legend. The city was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, and there is a debate as to which of these layers might relate to the city besieged by the Greeks. Interestingly, the mighty walls of the city would have been more than a match for the weaponry available at that time, and this probably further validates the legend of the Trojan Horse.

Pompeii, Italy

When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, it buried with it the ancient city of pompeii. The ash, which destroyed so many lives, yet perfectly preserved the architecture of Pompeii. Pompeii still shows marks of a living city, not just a lost one - political slogans are daubed on walls; “Vote for Lucius Popidius Sabinus!” There is also less politically correct graffiti on toilet walls. A mural shows a riot that occurred around the cities amphitheater. The city has much to offer archaeologists and tourists alike. Also, for whatever reason, the authorities decided not to remove a lot of the dead bodies in the city and you can still see them today, throughout the ruins as ghostly plaster casts left hollow in the ash.

Xanadu, Mongolia

Xanadu, in Inner Mongolia, described in the famous Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem, was the summer capital of Kubla Khan's Yuan Dynasty in China. The city is 2 km wide, and 1.4 km long and the palace alone, where Kublai Khan stayed in summer, has sides of roughly 550m, covering an area of around 40% the size of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The most visible modern-day remnants are the earthen walls. At its zenith, over 100,000 people lived within its walls. But in 1369 Xanadu was occupied by the Ming army and put to the torch. The last reigning Khan, Toghun Temür, fled the city. Today, only ruins remain, surrounded by a grassy mound that was once the city walls, but since 2002, restoration effort has been undertaken, and Xanadu has been officially declared a UN World Heritage Site.