Take Monaco, for instance, where the cameras approach the eastern border only to be greeted with this giant abstract sculpture at the crossing (or is that just Monaco giving a massive middle-finger to Google’s camera?).

The western entrance to Monaco is quite stunning, with the road descending into the principality as cliffs loom overhead.

Moving south into the Pyrenees, we reach the border of Andorra, where we can sneak a peek into the ski resort of Pas de la Casa, including some oddly-coloured apartments on the hillside.

For sheer impressiveness, however, it’s hard to beat the sight of the Rock of Gibraltar looming over the Spanish border at La Linea while a thunderstorm prepares to hit overhead:

The prize for ‘Most Ornate Entrance Captured on Street View’ might have to go to the border between Rimini, Italy and Serravalle, San Marino, where the microstate has constructed a pedestrian overpass and an observation tower for tourists, leading into a major shopping district. The other main entrance to San Marino would probably be described as ‘quaint’ by comparison.

The absurdly complicated Dutch-Belgian border at Baarle (documented previously on Google Sightseeing) is likely to have presented special challenges to the Street View team. However, they have cleverly managed to avoid publishing any images captured on Belgian soil – despite examples such as this, where the camera car must drive from Holland at one end of the block, across a tiny sliver of Belgium, and back to Holland at the other end.

Baarle’s not the only town cut in half in Street View. Here’s a place where you park in France to dine at a cafe in Luxembourg:

Near the tri-point of Italy, Austria and Slovenia, we get this multi-national flag arrangement at an old Austrian customs building. Further into the Alps, the Street View car camera ends its trip at the ski resort of Nassfeld, where one of the ski lifts lies right next to a field of grazing cattle.

The lone glimpse of Russian soil captured so far on Street View is the view across a small lake from Norway (the only place you can actually drive south into Russia from), where we get a blurry view of a building on a hill overlooking the lake. Hmm, a regular house, or a Cold War spy shanty? You be the judge…

South Africa is the only African country so far visited by Street View, but sadly most of the border shots are not particularly notable. For example, the images simply stop by a fence on the middle of the road at the border with Swaziland, while the border with Botswana couldn’t be any more different, merely possessing a single stop sign.

We end our forbidden borderland odyssey with a glimpse from Singapore across the Straits of Johor to downtown Johor Bahru.

With luck, one day we’ll be able to get a glimpse beyond those borders as Street View continues to roll out coverage in countries across the globe. (Then we can finally find out just what it is they’re trying to hide from us…)

Locations: Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Crown Dependencies, France, Italy, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain / Categories: Natural Landmarks, Street Views, Structures

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The island service is like a bus route, transporting residents, students and tourists around the Orkney islands. Tourists who take the flight are apparently presented with a certificate signed by the captain and a souvenir bottle of Orkney whisky to commemorate the occasion. The whole sightseeing trip costs £39 return (yes, including taxes).

A single flight produces approximately 0.1 tonnes (224 lb) of CO^₂ which would cost around £1.15 ($1.74) to offset under the UK Government’s carbon offsetting assurance scheme.

By contrast, flight SQ21 between New York’s Newark and Singapore airports, operated by Singapore Airlines, is the world’s longest commercial flight – covering 9,523 miles (15,325 km) in around 18 hours and 40 minutes.

One way economy, this trip costs £2,610.14 ($3,903), and produces 1.9 tonnes of CO^₂ – which can be offset for just £21.85 ($33.32).

Watch a (very short) video of the world’s shortest commercial flight on YouTube. Or for bookings, see the summer 2010 schedule.

Locations: New Jersey, Scotland, Singapore / Categories: Aircraft, Islands

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The Float is not yet visible on Google Maps, but with the launch of Street View in Singapore we get a reasonable view of the 120m x 83m stage, configured for a soccer game, and its stands which hold up to 30,000 spectators. The stage has also hosted parades, fireworks and concerts, and will host ceremonies for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics.

This temporary facility was built after a former national stadium had to be demolished. It will be removed when a new stadium is completed in 2011. The modular construction includes movable joints and pylons fixed to the seabed to protect the stage from movement caused by waves and tides.

In Austria, the imaginatively-named Lake Stage floats on Lake Constance in the city of Bregenz. It was the world’s largest floating stage until The Float was created.

With 7,000 seats, this outdoor theatre hosts operatic performances in an annual summer festival. The industrial-themed set in the images above is from the performances of Il Trovatore in 2005. Other extravagant stage designs have included Aida, A Masked Ball and Tosca, a performance of which was featured in the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace, followed by an epic shootout.

The Austrians are apparently fond of floating stages; all the way across to the other side of the country there is a much smaller stage on the river Danube, in the town of Tulln.

This stage is mainly used for concerts; a good image of it can be found part way down this cyclist’s blog.

Let us know if there are floating stages in your part of the world.

Locations: Austria, Singapore / Categories: Movie Locations, Stadiums and Sport, Structures

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The Merlion statue at Merlion Park is visible off the waterfront at Marina Bay. The half lion, half fish creature is considered by many to be the mythical symbol of Singapore. Or, if you would rather see real animals, perhaps a trip to the world-famous Singapore Zoo is in order?

Google’s recent imagery also shows us the brand new Formula 1 facility used to stage the Singapore Grand Prix. When it started in 2008 the event was the first ever night race in Formula 1 history¹, using closed city streets and 1,600 flood lamps to create a race track that snakes past many of Singapore’s most beautiful attractions.

We actually found one frame from the street view car near the Esplanade that was taken on a different day showing the streets in preparation for the race. You can see the temporary walls, fencing, and flood lamps all in place awaiting the arrival of screaming race cars.

Take a look around and let us know what you see!

Locations: Singapore / Categories: Street Views

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The biggest news is that Singapore has received coverage for the first time, becoming the third Asian country to get coverage after Japan and Taiwan earlier this year.

Raffles Hotel in Singapore

Canada, which has only had Street View for a couple of months, has just been blessed¹ with new coverage of Edmonton, Hamilton, London (Ontario), Saskatoon, St. John’s, Sudbury, Winnipeg and Victoria!

BC Parliament Buildings, ‎Victoria

That’s not all either – remember when Google asked for the UK public’s feedback on where the Google Trike should go next? Well the imagery has been released and they’ve visited some of the most iconic off-road locations across the country! We’re posting them all to our twitter feed today, but we’ll be rounding them all up later on too.

The original Stonehenge

Expect to see loads of funny, crude, rude and fascinating new sights posted to our Twitter feed in the coming weeks! If you don’t already, you really should follow us on Twitter!

Thanks to Google Maps Mania and Mapperz

Locations: Canadian Regions & Territories, England, Singapore /

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Many places can claim to be haunted, but on every list you find a certain few that keep popping up. The Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, LA USA is one of these places, and is considered one of the most haunted locations in the United States. Built in 1794, the property is said to be the site of up to 10 different murders, and home of 12 resident ghosts. Visitors claim to hear footsteps going up and down the halls, see ghostly children running around the property, and even talk with the ghosts of slaves who ask about chores. Want to visit? Go ahead and book a room because it’s currently a thriving bed and breakfast.

Our second stop isn’t actually a specific location, but an entire country. With the rise of paranormal television shows and magazines, Singapore is quickly becoming known as a hotbed of activity for wannabe ghost hunters. Throughout the city there are numerous ghostly stories to be told. One location is said to be haunted by an entire family that committed suicide together. Another home in Changi Beach apparently is haunted by a ghost that likes to slap house guests across the face! It gets worse though… at the Bedok Tenant House, supposedly a ghost actually killed a woman. The victim went on to become a screaming ghost herself! Maybe that’s all just a bit to scary and you should just stay in the city. Well be careful when travelling on the subway, apparently there are headless ghosts that run through stations terrorising passengers!

Stop number three takes us to England and the infamous Tower of London. GSS visited the tower back in 2005, and the street view update has now given us the ground level perspective. The tower was built way back in the year 1078, so you know there are some creepy stories to be told. Guests claim to see numerous shadows replaying the violent murder of the Countess of Salisbury. She tried to run from her scheduled execution back in 1541, but was chased and then axed to death by her executioner. Others claim to see more legendary ghosts like the beheaded Ann Boleyn. She’s often seen by guests carrying her head in her hands around the property.

Back in the United States, the retired Queen Mary is often called the most haunted ship in the world. Now permanently docked in Long Beach as a hotel, this once luxury ocean liner has been the set for numerous movies and ghost hunting television programs from both the US and the UK. Visitors report being touched by invisible fingers in their room, hear banging and movements from throughout the ship, and even claim to hear a soldier calling for help from the engine room. Strangely enough, it just so happens that a soldier was crushed to death in there back in 1966.

Our last stop takes us to Scotland and to perhaps, the most haunted structure in the world. The site of the Edinburgh Castle has been occupied by man since the late Bronze Age, and the current castle has been dated back to 12th century. The structure sits atop a volcanic rock 80 meters high, with the steep cliff faces surrounding it visible from the street view car. Visitor’s stories range from tales of wandering war prisoners, headless drummers, and ghostly dogs. Some even claim to hear the tunes of a long-dead piper player coming from the castle’s ancient tunnels. Story goes that the piper discovered the tunnels a few hundred years ago, and was playing his tune so that people on the surface could hear him and map his progress. Well at one point the tunes stopped, and the piper was never found. Over two thousand years of history certainly mean the next time you visit the castle and its dungeons, you’re surely not to be alone.

Be sure to check Google for some more great ghost stories at each of these locations. Wikipedia offers great historical information on the Tower of London and Edinburgh Castle. If you’re brave enough, spend the night by booking a room at either the Queen Mary or Myrtle’s Plantation.

Special thanks goes out to Greg, Sergio, Will, Mike, Gareth, Jeff, Kate, Dave, Michele, Ron, Max, James, Ned, Robert, Terry, Boris, Benjamin, Matt, Paul, 7up7, Steve, and Larry for the suggestions and links!

Locations: California, England, Louisiana, Scotland, Singapore / Categories: Buildings, Other Vehicles, Structures, Towers, Weirdness

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Actually, despite being a 5 storey building, it doesn’t stand out at all. From our satellite vantage point it blends in neatly with the surrounding vegetation thanks to the almost total coverage of green roofing.

Green roofing is the the practice of using part or all of the roof of a building to grow vegetation, and it has many environmental benefits, as well as providing excellent insulation for the building itself.

The whole building also slopes down dramatically to meet the ground, which as we can see in this photo, allows the students to climb directly onto the roof to enjoy the open space that it provides.

The existence of green roofs demonstrates a growing trend in urban spaces for buildings to use their rooftops to provide some open space for residents or employees to enjoy. Today they’re used all over the world – here’s the closest one to me in Edinburgh – which is easy to spot from on top of nearby Calton Hill.

Where’s your favourite green roof? And yes, that includes roof gardens too!

Thanks to alternativeconsumer.

Locations: Singapore / Categories: Buildings

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The next tallest observation wheel is the Star of Nanchang (sadly not-yet-built in Google Earth¹, but here’s a ground-level photo), which was the world’s tallest from when it was built in 2006, right up until the opening of the Singapore Flyer in February 2008. This is odd, because at 160 metres the Star of Nanchang should never have lost the title!²

It transpires that the Singapore Flyer has been built on top of a three-story building, taking it to a total height of 165 metres and into the record books. What a con!

Observation wheels seem to be de rigueur these days³ – just last weekend Melbourne got in on the act with the 120 m Southern Star, which we can see under construction on Australian Street View.

Elsewhere, Germany is busy building the Great Berlin Wheel (location), which at a planned 175 m would take the title from the Singapore Flyer.

Unless of course China gets there first, as the Beijing Great Wheel (location) is due to be completed first, and will rise to a staggering 208 metres.

All of which is great news for the Great Wheel Corporation, who will then be the owners of all three of the tallest observation wheels in the world.

There’s lots more at Wikipedia about the Singapore Flyer, the Star of Nanchang, the Southern Star, the Great Berlin Wheel, and the Beijing Great Wheel.

Thanks to John Andresen and Glenn Baker.

Locations: Australia, China, Germany, Singapore / Categories: Theme Parks

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Sadly, urban legend website Snopes debunks this as totally unsubstantiated codswallop.

A similar story is told in the UK, and many believe that straight sections of the M1 Motorway near London were also planned as potential runways. These claims are also easily debunked by the presence of over-bridges and large concrete central reservations, neither of which are very helpful when attempting to land on the road.

The UK version of the myth also extends to most other motorways, some of which have more truth than others. A couple of the motorways were in fact built across and on top of former runways, such as the M8 and the M62, which replaced RAF Burtonwood. Today you can still see one of the former runways intersecting the motorway at 45 degrees¹.

But still, being a former runway doesn’t qualify these roads as being of any use as a runway today!

In China, we can see a runway-to-road conversion happening, as the original Baiyun International Airport is transformed from airport in the southern (older) imagery to highway in the northern (more up to date) images.

However, it seems China have no plans to use these roads as an emergency runway.

But all is not lost – Singapore’s East Coast Parkway is finally what we’re looking for: a road that was actually designed to operate as an emergency runway!

1.25 miles of the road near to Changi Airport was constructed in a nice straight line, with no camber and a central reservation made from easily-removable pot plants.

Thanks to Cookie monster, yym_c & others.

Locations: China, England, Singapore / Categories: Aircraft

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