The World From Above

This journey traces part of the Brazilian coastline beginning at the tropical Island of Honey, with its miles of beaches and lonely lighthouse. It then crosses some of the last remaining coastal Atlantic Rainforest, one of the most endangered landscapes in the world.

This journey begins at the city of Liverpool, once a gateway to the new world for both trade and passengers. Branching off the River Mersey is the Manchester Ship Canal, which, when finished in 1893, was the largest of its kind in the world. On the eastern side of Manchester is the Peak District National Park, attracting millions of visitors every year.

This journey begins at Blackpool, one of Britain's most popular seaside resorts, before heading north across Morecambe Bay with its fast moving tides and dangerous sands. From there it's inland to a rare 17th century topiary garden at Levens Hall, which takes several gardeners months to cut each year. Flying west up the coast is the Ravenglass and Eskdale steam railway.

This journey begins at Avignon, once home to medieval popes and the site of a famous bridge across the River Rhône. It then crosses the Alpilles Mountains, exploring beautiful hilltop villages before arriving at Arles, one of the most important cities in Roman Gaul. To the south on the coast is Marseilles, which has a history stretching back to the ancient Greeks.

This journey begins at Glücksburg Castle, once in the Kingdom of Denmark and now in Germany. To the south is the 100 kilometer Kiel Canal, which joins the Baltic and North Seas. Off the west coast are the Friesian Islands, separated from the mainland by sand bars and mud flats.

This journey begins in the Vatnajokull National Park at Lake Oskjuvatn, one of the deepest lakes in Iceland, formed in an old volcanic crater. The center of the National Park is taken up by the large Vatnajokull Ice sheet, which covers mountains and some very active volcanoes.

This journey begins on the coast at the Portofino National Park, a small headland of dramatic cliffs and woodland surrounding the famous village of Portofino itself. Traveling north takes the journey to Genoa, Italy's largest seaport and birthplace of Christopher Columbus. The second largest city in Italy is Milan, which has long been thought of as the fashion and design capital of the world.

This journey begins in the Drakensberg Mountains, a range of over 1,000 kilometers in the east of South Africa. One of its many summits exceeding 3,000 meters is Cathedral Peak in KwaZulu-Natal. This part of the country is also well known for its historic battlefields of the 19th Century.

This journey begins in the harsh landscape of South Africa's Northern Cape and the Orange River, where vineyards line the banks. The river continues through one of South Africa's most dramatic landscapes, the Augrabies National Park. We then head west to the Atlantic Ocean and the Diamond Coast, where these precious gems were first discovered in 1908 to give the coast its namesake.

This journey begins at the ancient and historic city of Toledo. From there we head east across a high arid plateau to arrive at the beautiful Royal Palace of Aranjuez. To the north is the capital of Spain, Madrid, a city of medieval mansions, an enormous royal palace, beautiful open spaces, and world class museums.

This journey begins at Fort Laramie, which protected emigrants' wagon trains on the Oregon Trail during the 1840's. Flying west we come to the Miracle Mile, a stretch of the North Platte River world-famous for trout fishing. On the high plateau to the north is Independence Rock, a prominent landmark on the Oregon Trail, where we can see names carved by the settlers.

This journey begins at West Quoddy Head Light, the most easterly structure in the United States. One of the most popular sights in Maine are the thousands of hectares of wild blueberry fields, which grow naturally in scrub land around pine forests. Bar Harbor was discovered in the mid-19th century by artists, and within ten years, rich industrialists began building summer homes along the coast.

We begin on the Great Plains by the Gates of the Mountains, where the Missouri River flows through a spectacular gorge. To the south is Montana's Capital, Helena, with a fine cathedral and state house built at the end of the 19th century. Huge numbers of visitors head for Montana for the beautiful and varied landscape, and the city of Bozeman stands surrounded by mountains, rivers, and forests.

This journey begins at Raleigh, the capital city of North Carolina, and the second largest in the state. The Blue Ridge Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountain Range, which runs for over 1,500 kilometers up the eastern side of America. In the 1880s, George Vanderbilt II constructed the enormous Biltmore Mansion, which he called his 'little mountain escape'.