Monsanto Village In Portugal Built Among Rocks

Monsanto is an ancient fortified village on perched on the side of the mountain located Southeast of Serra da Estrela in Portugal . Its appearance has not changed in centuries. The tiny streets are carved from and in the rocks. The houses are squeezed between gigantic boulders. This historical village is one of the most remarkable in Europe. It is often mentioned as the most Portuguese village in Portugal.

At the top of the 400 feet high hill stands a very old square built fortress / castle. The castle played an important role in Medieval times when the Templars Grand Master built a castle which withstood several battles including the Napoleonic invasions. The walk up to the castle is rewarded by one of the most breathtaking views in the whole region. On a round trip in Portugal Monsanto Village is a must! [wikitravel]

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Chinese Drug makers Office Looks Like Royal Palace

The luxury interior decoration of the office building belonging to the state-owned Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Sixth factory in Harbin, in northeast China's Heilongjiang province. The building contains three floors of offices and three more floors of a print museum belonging to the state-owned pharmaceutical firm.

It looks more like a view of a luxurious palace for one of the world's richest leaders - but this is actually the interior of an office building. Even more surprising is that the block is in China, a country more known for its minimalist, functional approach.

Li Xiaomeng, a CCTV anchor, said in his weibo.com (China’s twitter): “The first reaction is, the 6 Pharmaceutical Factory of Harbin Pharmaceutical Group is a state-controlled enterprise. According to the Ministry of Finance, in 2010 the state-owned enterprises realized a total profit of nearly 2 trillion Yuan, only about 5% was paid out as ‘dividend’. People should know where the profit has gone, do people love to see the ‘imperial palace’ ”. A netizen “sherry” said:” I can only say it is too much like an upstart and far from a pharmaceutical company. Another netizen“大米爱折腾” said:”it is so luxuriously decorated, no wonder Chinese medicine is so expensive! ”

Harbin Pharmaceutical Group appears to have modelled its factory in Harbin, in the northeast of Heilongjiang province, on the Palace of Versailles. The state-owned drug firm has caused outrage with the lavish decoration, which includes gold-tinted walls and chandeliers.










































Source: xinhuanet

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg New 7 Million Dollar House

26 year old Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, who had been renting for years which was a huge topic of discussion because he could afford to buy has finally purchased a home in Palo Alto California. He is reported to have paid $7 million for a home in Palo Alto, California.

But after looking at photos of Mark Zuckerberg’s new house, I can’t help but ask: Is it worth $7 million? The 5,617 square feet home includes 5 bedrooms and 5 baths, a banquet-size dining room, a music alcove and glassed-in porch. The backyard has a saltwater pool, a spa, an outdoor gazebo with a wood-burning fireplace and a carport. But 7 million dollars? I’m no real estate expert but, from the looks of it, the house does not look like a seven million dollar home.

The mansion was built in 1866.

Picture taken by google earth.