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Five curiosities you may not know about the White House
The White House is one of the most important buildings in Washington D.C. and the entire United States, the official residence of the American President and the seat of the nation's presidency.
It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington and has been the residence of every US president since John Adams. Historic decisions have been made among its rooms, and it has been the site of intrigue and mysteries that have shaped world history for more than two centuries.
Despite being one of the most famous palaces on the globe, these five curiosities will surely leave you speechless.
White House, the five curiosities you may have missed
The White House is one of the most important buildings in Washington D.C. and the entire United States, the official residence of the American President and the seat of the nation's presidency. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington and has been the residence of every US president since John Adams. Historic decisions have been made among its rooms, and it has been the site of intrigue and mysteries that have shaped world history for more than two centuries. Despite being one of the most famous palaces on the globe, these five interesting facts will surely leave you speechless.
Di (top)Cezary p(bottom)MattWade - here and here, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/inde
You can visit the White House
It is possible to visit the White House although, for security reasons, the request must be made months in advance. Public tours of the White House include the public rooms in the East Wing, which includes three rooms with different colours, namely the Blue Room, the Red Room and the Green Room; the State Dining Room and the China Room. In addition, thanks to Google Maps' Google Art Project, it is also possible to visit it digitally.
Di Rand McNally and Company - https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14579457637/So
The legend of the underground rooms
There is no official information on this, but these are legends, unconfirmed rumours. These claim that there are a series of very large, spacious and, above all, luxurious tunnels and rooms underneath the White House, which the President and his staff would use in emergency situations.
By Pete Souza - JANUS-Tête-à-Tête: Sitting President & President-elect, Barack Obama & Do
How many rooms does the White House have
The White House has as many as 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms inside. This also includes 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases and three lifts. It should also be mentioned that the building has a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, a jogging track, a swimming pool, a cinema, a billiard room and a bowling alley.
At first it was also much criticized
It was judged huge by Thomas Jefferson, its second tenant, who said: 'You don't need a house big enough for two Emperors, a Pope and a Dalai Lama'.
The president can change the furniture, but he has limits
All presidents have $100,000 at their disposal to modify elements of whatever they wish in the residence. In addition, the president is free to furnish his private rooms and offices as he sees fit, and he also has the option of adding new spaces. For example, President Obama had a basketball court built.
Villages
02/10/2023
Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State, is a landlocked city-state on the Italian peninsula, the world's smallest sovereign state by population (869 according to a 2019 census).
The Vatican is what remains of the ancient Papal State, a portion of Italian territory over which, for centuries, the authority of the Pope reigned supreme. The real problems began with the birth of the Kingdom of Italy and the Pontiff's loss of temporal power. Today, only a tiny part of the State that once was remains.
Always a place of intrigue and mysteries but also a place of preservation of a great deal of Christian art, Vatican City still remains one of the most visited places in the world, and not only by Catholics or Christians, but tourists from all over the globe.
Travel without booking
30/09/2023
In the desert of Karakum, in Turkmenistan, there is a huge gaseous crater known as the Gate of Hell, which is presumed to have been burning, without ever stopping, since 1971.
The crater was formed following the collapse of a natural gas cave and the name Gate of Hell was given to it by the local population, who live in the nearby village of Derweze. The name is associated with the fact that inside the crater, with a diameter of about 70 meters and a depth of 20, there is constantly fire, flames and boiling mud. At night, flames are visible even several kilometers away.
According to the local population, the Gate of Hell is a supernatural phenomenon. The explorer George Kourounis managed to take some soil samples inside the crater and from the analysis would have discovered the presence of bacteria that survived despite the high temperatures and present are inside the crater and not in the surrounding terrain.
Villages
28/09/2023
Barcelona is a kaleidoscope of art, culture and natural beauty. Start with the Sagrada Familia, Gaudí's masterpiece, still under construction, and the Parc Güell, with its colourful and imaginative sculptures.
The Barri Gòtic, the historical heart of the city, fascinates with its alleys and squares.
Don't miss La Boqueria market, a gourmet's paradise, and Casa Batlló, another Gaudí jewel. Montjuïc offers breathtaking views and the Parc de la Ciutadella is perfect for a relaxing break.
Luxury shopping and modernist architecture await you at Passeig de Gràcia.
Enjoy the beach at Barceloneta and admire Picasso's art at the museum dedicated to the famous painter.