Hard To Pronounce Michigan Places | Pure Michigan
Have you ever wondered how Michigan was named Michigan? Before colonization, the now Great Lakes State was home to at least eight Native American tribes throughout the land, one of which being the Ojibwe Indians. The Ojibwe were the first people to openly interact with the French in Michigan, trading furs and knowledge of the area for guns and goods. Through translation, the state of Michigan was named after the Ojibwe Indian word “Michigama,” which means “great lake” or “land surrounded by water.”
With this in mind, we invite you to take a watch some Michiganders stumble their way through some uniquely-named destinations found across the Great Lakes State. Test yourself and learn the correct pronunciations here:
Amazing Abondoned Castles around the World
Amazing Abondoned Castles around the World
Chateau Gaillard, Normandy, France: Magnificent ruined fortresses are the focus of Kieron Connolly's latest book Abandoned Castles -- including the imposing 12th century Chateau Gaillard on the River Seine. Built on the command of Richard the Lionheart, it was viewed as impregnable until it was captured by the French in 1204. By the 16th century the chateau had become the atmospheric ruin it is today.Abandoned castles -- Dunnottar Castle, near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland: Scotland has no shortage of dramatic castles, but Dunnottar is one of the country's most magnificent. The ruin has a romantic location on the tip of the North Sea -- plus William Wallace and Mary Queen of Scots both visited Dunnottar once upon a time. Spis Castle, Kosice, Slovakia: This Gothic-Romanesque hybrid is one of Europe's largest castle sites. The castle burnt down in the 1700s and is now one of Slovakia's most popular attractions.
Ballycarbery Castle, County Kerry, Ireland: On the edge of the North Atlantic Ocean are these stone remains of this 16th century fort. Oliver Cromwell's troops damaged the castle in 1652 -- now its walls are clad in ivy and the first floor is covered in grass. It's an interesting idea, how nature reclaims these things, says Connolly.
Chateau de Saint-Ulrich, Haut-Rhin, France: Castles are the gateway into looking into early civilization, author Kieron Connolly tells CNN Travel. Chateau de Saint-Ulrich is one of three fortresses overlooking the French town of Ribeauvillé. The chief seat of the lords of Ribeaupierre, it was abandoned in the 16th century during the Thirty Years' War.
Fort de Malamot, Savoy, France: Amid the Cottian Alps of southwestern France stands Fort de Malamot, a military fortress built in 1889 by the Italians. At an altitude of 2,850 meters (9350 feet), the mountain road to the fort is impenetrable for much of the year.
Rocca Calascio, Abruzzo, Italy: I love that you get this idea of layers of history, Connolly tells CNN Travel. You can see how it was built and then rebuilt and expanded, how the walls changed, how it passed back and forth and finally became obsolete. The highest stronghold in the Apennines is this former 10th century watchtower. Ironically it never saw a battle -- instead it was destroyed by an earthquake in the 15th century.Altenstein, Bavaria, Germany: The lords of Stein zu Altenstein lived in this magnificent spot from the early 13th century -- but when the family moved to a new palace in the 18th century, their original haunt was allowed to decay. Mortella Tower, Corsica, France: This abandoned fortress in Corsica was built to defend the Mediterranean island against North African pirates. The tower was blown up by British forces in 1796 -- but not before they swiped the design for their own uses. The tower became the model for the Martello towers built across the British Empire in the 19th century. T
Château d'Alleuze, Cantal, Auvergne, France: This French chateau was occupied by English-sympathizing Bernard de Garlan for seven years during the Hundred Years War. De Garlan wreaked havoc on the locals -- who, in revenge, later burnt down the castle in 1405. However it was rebuilt, before falling into ruin later on.
Loarre Castle, Huesca, Aragon, Spain: This Romanesque castle is a well-conserved relic from the 11th century. It was used in the Ridley Scott movie Kingdom of Heaven.Olsztyn, Silesia, Poland: Olsztyn Castle was built into the limestone crags in Poland's Jura hills by King Casimir the Great. Invaded several times over the years, in 1655 it was captured by the Swedish and later fell into disrepair.
Viaduct de Garabit, Cantal, France
Video of this splendid piece of French engineering - the work of Mr Eiffel - as viewed from the service area on the A75. Wiki says
The Garabit Viaduct (Viaduc de Garabit in French) is a railway arch bridge spanning the River Truyère near Ruynes-en-Margeride (Fr), Cantal, France, in the mountainous Massif Central region. The bridge was constructed between 1882 and 1884 by Gustave Eiffel, with structural engineering by Maurice Koechlin,[1] and was opened in 1885. It is 565 m (1,854 ft) in length and has a principal arch of 165 m (541 ft) span