Leaving hometown never to return again: To the USA to France and the extremes of free living in the Carpathians and The Pyrenees

 

 

 

 

Leaving your hometown never to return again -   That's what happened in these ghost towns and lost cities. They were once thriving and home to many inhabitants but are now left deserted and forgotten. From sprawling cities that were home to thousands of people to a coal mine that is now occupied by just one inhabitant, these unique places are revealed as some of the most beautiful empty towns from around the world. The desolate medieval village of Craco, in southern Italy, has been used as the setting for many films, including Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, while Bodie, in California, has been preserved in exactly the same way it was when residents left there in the 1960s. The only way to get to China's Lion City is by scuba diving 130ft underwater and if you wish to visit the Pyramiden village in Norway you'll have to travel on a snowmobile from a town 31 miles away. Mandu in India was abandoned by its people and last inhabited over 400 years ago while there are still some people living in the Unesco World Heritage Site of Chinguetti in Mauritania in Africa. Craco, Italy +21 The ghost town of Craco, Italy is situated in the south of the country and has been left completely uninhabited +21 The medieval village of Craco, often described as the most beautiful abandoned city, was built so that its inhabitants could watch over the surrounding land +21 The beautiful and unique landscape means Craco has been the setting for many films, including The Passion of the Christ and Quantum of Solace   +21 The last of Craco’s residents left the city between 1892 and 1922 for America due to poor agricultural conditions, landslides, earthquakes and floods Mandu, India +21 Occupied between 1401 and 1561, the former capital city of Mandu is found in the south of India in Madhya Pradesh +21 Within the city, visitors to the can see the ancient royal palace along with a wide selection of other amazing ruins including temples, tombs, mosques and monuments +21 An elaborate mihrab sits in the Jama Masjid, a huge mosque that is part of the fortress complex of the abandoned city of Mandu Bodie, California +21 Wild west: Bodie, an abandoned gold-mining town in the US state of California, is now known as Bodie National State Park +21 Bodie general store: What still remains of the town has been so well preserved visitors can still find interior decoration of the time and items still on shelves +21 When the gold ran out all the mines were closed and everyone left to seek other work as there were no other industries to support the inhabitants Chinguetti, Mauritania, Africa +21 Founded in the 11th and 12th centuries, the ancient town of Chinguetti was originally built to serve the important caravan trade routes that began crossing the Sahara +21 Although Chinguetti is not a completely abandoned city there are beautiful examples of Sharan architecture and many ancient scientific and Qur’anic texts to be found +21 Due to the temperamental weather and ever encroaching desert several buildings to the west of the city had to be abandoned, creating the feel of a ghost town Lion City, China +21 Lion City in China is located beneath Qiangdao Lake in Zhejiang province. Built over 1,300 years ago in the Dong Han period (25-200CE), it was abandoned in 1959 +21 Beneath the surface of the lake in the eerie blue of the water, ornate lion statues continue to ‘guard’ submerged Lion City in China +21 The Chinese government chose to flood Lion City in order to use the area for the Xin’an River Dam project +21 The city was once a political and economic hub for eastern China but after authorities built the man-made Qiandao Lake in 1959, it is now nowhere to be seen Pyramiden, Norway +21 Built in 1910, Pyramiden, named after a nearby pyramid-shaped mountain, was a small mining town with a population of 1,000 +21 In 1917, after being bought by Russia, the village began to rapidly expand and the coal mining industry flourished, however by 1998 the island was deserted +21 Once home to over 1,000 inhabitants, the settlement was abandoned - apart from one Russian tour guide - when the last of the coal was mined in 1998 +21 Visitors can walk through a ghost town intact with high-rise buildings, the town’s indoor swimming pool, library and theatre These eerie pictures show the demise of an abandoned Grade II listed home, once lovingly cared for by a local historian. Situated in the leafy, affluent suburb of Moseley, Birmingham it was once a stunning example of a quintessentially English detached house. It has now been repossessed after its current owners were declared bankrupt, after they left it to decay for at least eight years.   +22 The front of the Grade II listed home, in Moseley, Birmingham, which has been left abandoned for eight years after its owners went bankrupt +22 The view from the back of the abandoned property shows the lawn growing out of control and trees and vines climbing up the side of the house +22 The gardens in the Birmingham property remain overgrown and don't appear to have been maintained at all during the eight years the home has been deserted +22 The loft inside the home was left almost completely bare. A local history group is growing 'increasingly concerned' about the state of the abandoned property +22 The fireplace inside the historic stately English home, which was first built in 1916 and once lovingly cared for by a local historian +22 Couches and mould-covered walls have been left to rot. The building has now been repossessed and remains unsecured after its owners left it about eight years ago The house tells the story of the changes in English society that have been felt particularly in the West Midlands. The exterior of the house still looks much the same as when it was completed for Albert Gosling, a butcher, in 1916. It maintains features such as the cupola on top of the garage, which allowed exhaust fumes to escape. Inside, many of the original wooden panels and stained glass windows remain. The kitchen has a distinct 1970s kitsch feel, whilst the living room has a picture of Mecca hanging. Fiona Adams, 67, Secretary of the Moseley History Society said: 'It was the home of Fred and Olive Price - the Moseley Local History Group had many meetings there. 'We’ve been increasingly concerned about the state of this charming Arts and Crafts house that Fred lovingly maintained.'   +22 Despite the fact the property has been ignored for a number of years, parts of the interior and living room appear to remain in relatively good condition   However, other parts of the home are in need of major repairs. Here the floor of the living room can be seen with holes while a spider has made a room its nest +22 A court order stuck on the property's window states the home has been repossessed, however the property still remains unsecured +22 The home is abandoned but little appears to have been done to clean up, with used teacups and cutlery left lying throughout the kitchen   Both the kitchen and one of the sitting rooms need major repairs, with building materials and mould visibly staining the walls +22 A large Sony television, along with newspapers and photos of Diana remain intact. Much of the house's exterior also remains as it was when it was completed in 1916 Still in the house were used teacups, a large Sony television, photographs of Lady Diana, newspapers, made beds and family photographs showing Fred Price. Javid Sattar, who was the last owner of the house, is believed to be the President of the World Council of Muslim Youth. A business card stating Mr Sattar's job title and contact details was found in the home. There was also a photograph of Mecca, the Muslim holy site in Saudi Arabia, and a copy of a book issued during the Pakistan National Defence College's 2002 visit to the United Kingdom. A letter from a law firm has been put up in the house notifying Mr Sattar that it is now in their possession. However, the building hasn’t been secured. The house has slipped a long way from it’s former glory giving concern to neighbours who blame the decay for burglaries on their own properties, saying that it has enabled thieves to gain access through the abandoned house’s garden. +22 These photographs show the former owner of the house, Fred Price (right with glasses), hosting a social gathering inside the Grade II listed family home +22 A copy of the Daily Mail from June 1, 2006, is left lying in the house - giving an indication of just how long the property has been left to decay +22 A large Sony television, with a thick gathering of dust on it, has been left in the living room. It was once the home of Fred and Olive Price, two local history enthusiasts +22 The home's dining area remains a mess, with clothes, rubbish, bowls and cutlery left scattered across the floor and dining table +22 These pictures show Fred Price, who once owned and cared for the historic property, prior to its latest owner abandoning it eight years ago +22 A photo of Mecca was left hanging on the living room wall inside the property. A business card found at the address states the former owner was the president of the World Council of Muslim Youth   A picture of Lady Diana remains the living room, while on the right is a book commemorating a Pakistan National Defence College visit to the United Kingdom. The former owner, Javid Sattar, is a property magnate who also owns numerous other properties in and around Moseley

Paco Park ( Manila). Visita Iglesia during vacation in the Philippines. Paco Park's Chapel of San Pancratius is where the remains of Spanish colonial Governor General Ramon Solano was interred. The park was originally designed by Nicolas Ruiz as a cementery of the Spanish colonial elite. It was built in the later years of the 1700s making it one of the oldest, if not the oldest, cementery in the Philippines. The GOMBURZA martys- Fr. Mariano Gomez, Fr. Jacinto Zamora, and Fr. Jose Burgos- were buried here after their execution in 1872. Twenty-four years later in 1896, the executed Dr. Jose Rizal was also secretly buried in the cemnetery. His remains were later exhumed in 1912 and moved to what his now his grand monument at the Luneta. Interment in the cementery was probihited in 1912 and most of the remains of those who were buried were moved out. The cementery became a national park in 1966. Paco Park, Manila. A cross now marks the burial site of the GOMBURZA martys inside the park. Paco Park (Manila) Dr. Jose Rizal was secretly buried in the park after his execution. His remains were later exhumed and interred beneath the Rizal Monument at the Luneta. San Juan, Metro Manila. Unique to the San Juan church is the massive buttress walls covering its facade. Butress walls are usually the side walls in the case of most Philippine colonial churches. San Juan, Metro Manila. The Dominicans built the first parochial buildings in 1602 that were razed during the 1639 Chinese revolt. These were rebuilt in 1641, burned down during the British invasion of 1763, and rebuilt again in 1774. The city of San Juan is unofficially the "Town of Philippine Presidents" having had 5 Filipino presidents as residents namely Diosdado Macapagal and his unpopular daughter Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Ferdinand Marcos, Joseph Estrada, and Elpidio Quirino. Leave home for France as it is crowned most popular country in the world with record-breaking number of tourists (and UK lags in eighth place, beaten by Spain, Italy and even Germany)   The fact that I didn’t speak French wouldn’t have bothered me as much had I not heard that French people are rude to you if you don’t.  Actually, every person I knew who had been to France told me that they were rude no matter what you did.  There’s a saying I’ve heard repeated ad naseum.  Something like, “Wonderful country France…pity about the French.” Granted, I didn’t spend a long time in Paris–eight days–but I didn’t find French people rude at all.  They weren’t friendly in the same way North Americans are, which people from other cultures sometimes find superficial.  But in my experience, they weren’t rude.  I think that a bright smile and a friendly attitude can serve you well no matter where you go.  I’d like to think that my positive spirit was reflected back to me. So in that same positive spirit, today I’ve decided to reflect on a few of the reasons I love France–and the French.  I’m happy in my village and when I get right down to it, I wouldn’t really want to live anywhere else.  But there are some things that I appreciate about France so much that I wish they were bigger part of North American culture… France now is the most visited country in the world with 84.7m tourists in 2013 The UK attracted a record 32.8m visitors last year spending £21 billion French, German and American tourists account for one third of UK visitors France has been named the most visited country in the world, welcoming a record-breaking 84.7 million tourists last year. The European hotspot was streets ahead of the second most visited country in the world - the US - beating it by almost 15million visitors. While France, the US and Spain made the top three list of the most visited countries, the UK took eighth place, welcoming 31.2million visitors in 2013, a new record. Eh Voila!  La Tour Eiffel: France welcomed 84.7 million tourists across its borders in 2013 +4 A stony look: Paris observed from the top of Notre Dame with La Tour Eiffel in the distance THE 10 MOST  VISITED COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD France - 84.7million US - 69.8million Spain - 60.7million China - 55.7million Italy - 47.7million Turkey - 37.8million Germany - 31.5million UK - 31.2million Russia - 28.4million Thailand - 26.5million But the UK is still losing out to European rivals, with Germany and Italy joining France and Spain ahead of Britain in the top 10 most visited countries in the world. Some of the surprising entries into the top 10 incllude Turkey, which took sixth place, with 37.8million visitors and Russia, which made it into ninth place with 28.4million tourists. Thailand rounded off the top 10 most visited countries in 2013. The latest statistics come after a study was published by France's government competitiveness agency, confirming how many visitors the country received in 2013. The statistics were referred to the World Tourism Organisation to be compared with statistics from each country.  A record 32.8 million overseas visitors came to the UK, with French, German and American tourists accounting for one in three tourists. The USA, France and Germany were also the biggest spenders in the UK, with their markets attributing to one quarter of the visitor spend pot - 'do visit again'.  The French surpassed their 2012 figure of 83 million foreign visitors and easily outstripped The United States with 69.8 million and Spain with 60.7 million foreign visitors.  The record 32.8 million overseas visitors who came to the UK in 2013 spent a record £21 billion. +4 The UK attracted 34.8m tourists in 2013, a record-breaking number, but not enough to beat European rivals +4 London calling: The capital accounts for 54 per cent of all UK inbound tourism In 2012 the UK ranked eighth in the UNWTO international tourist arrivals league behind France, USA, China, Spain, Italy, Turkey and Germany.  London accounts for 54 per cent of all inbound visitor spend, the rest of England 34 per cent, Scotland 8 per cent and Wales 2 per cent.   At the extremes other people will leave their hometown environment for simple living where there's no running water, no central heating - and certainly no supermarket for as far as the eye can see. These are the families who have chosen to turn their backs on the breakneck speed of modern life to become at one with nature, free from the rat race. Leaving city life for mountain ranges including the Carpathians and The Pyrenees, they pride themselves on living 'off the grid' without access to any of the mod-cons that the 21st Century may have to offer. Off-piste and off-the-grid: How nomadic pro-snowboarder built tiny hut in the Sierra Nevada and lives with no electricity... but has his own hot tub and 40-acres of slopes Mike Basich bought a 4,000 square-foot house when he was professional and earned around $170,000 a year But he shunned the lifestyle for the Sierra Nevada Mountains and has built his very own tiny home from scratch It is set on a 40-acre 'private resort' in California, surrounded by mountainous terrain perfect for snowboarding The house doesn't have a toilet or electricity - but he has a hot tub and his very own chairlift   As a pro-snowboarder he earned $170,000 a year, lived in a 4,000 square-foot home and traveled around the world for international tournaments. But Mike Basich has since shunned the frantic lifestyle and opted to live somewhere far closer to his beloved slopes. He now lives in a tiny, isolated cottage in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Truskee, California, and now lives with no electricity or indoor plumbing - but has 40 acres of slopes with no one else in sight. Scroll down for video +10 Former pro-snowboarder Mike Basich has built a tiny, isolated cottage in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Truskee, California, complete with its very own hot tub (bottom left) +10 It is set in the middle of 40 acres of land with varying terrains - which he describes as his own private resort +10 The property took five years to build, and involved Basich moving 175 tons of rock and hand-mixing all of the cement used on the foundations and surroundings It is set in the middle of 40 acres of land with varying terrains - which he describes as his own private resort. Speaking to Laura Ling from Seeker Stories, he described how the property took five years to build, and involved him moving 175 tons of rock and hand-mixing all of his cement. Now he has his own sanctuary complete with a hot tub and a chairlift he made from scratch with his friends. It operates through an electronic motor. Each chair has it's own tray to carry lunch and a drink while the route up has sculpture  'I like to think of it as getting back to the basics of humanity,' Basich said. 'I like feeling connected to the earth more than I could with a 4,000 square-foot house. +10 +10 Next to the house is a chairlift he built from scratch with his friends. It took him eight months to complete 'It gave me the strength to do everything myself. The project was fulfilling a childhood dream.' The house is fitted with an oven, made with a door picked up from a junk yard, and a fire where Basich does all of his cooking and heating. He sleeps in a bunk next to a stained-glass window and there are no curtains. 'I go to bed with the sun and wake up with it. I don't feel like I'm trying to race time,' he added. 'Like in a city you always feel like you are in a rat race. And here it feels like you are in sync with what is actually happening.' Basich stopped participating in competitions around 15 years ago and now spends most of his time taking pictures.  +10 The house is fitted with an oven, made with a door picked up from a junk yard, and a fire where Basich does all of his cooking and heating   +10   +10 As a pro-snowboarder he earned $170,000 a year, lived in a 4,000 square-foot house and traveled to a different country almost every week +10 Basich says the project fulfilled a childhood dream and has given him the chance to reconnect with the earth +10 Describing his lifestyle, the former professional extreme sportsman said: 'I go to bed with the sun and wake up with it. I don't feel like I'm trying to race time'     French photographer Antoine Bruy has spent years travelling across Europe capturing men, women and children who have joined the so-called 'back-to-land' movement on their very own organic farms. Scroll down for video +11 At one with nature: French photographer Antoine Bruy travelled around Europe living with families who have turned their backs on modern civilization for a humble existence deep in the wilderness. This ramshackle house in Ramounat in The Pyrenees belongs to a German man called Peter who has lived there for the last 30 years. He moved to the area with his wife and children, but they left decades ago, it was reported by Feature Shoot +11 Rustic: Arriving by donkey 20 years ago, English woman Kate settled on some land near the village of Bayacas in Sierra Nevada, Spain. These are some composting toilets which she has built with her own fair hands +11 'Abandoning a lifestyle based on performance, efficiency and consumption': In order build trust and gain a deeper understanding of his subjects, Mr Bruy signed up to a movement which links volunteers with organic farmers. He then stayed with some for months at a time, helping out with jobs in return +11 Pyramid dwelling: Many of the people Mr Bruy met have no access to running water, central heating or any other mod cons +11 Wide open spaces: Mr Bruy took this image in Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park in Spain, where he encountered Amiro, a German who has been living in an area of the park where the nearest village is a three-hour walk away He said: 'Since 2010, I travelled throughout Europe to meet men and women who made the radical choice to live away from cities, willing to abandon their lifestyle based on performance, efficiency and consumption. 'The people and places depicted in my pictures display various fates which I think, should not only be seen at a political level, but more importantly as daily and immediate experiences.   +11 Humble existence: The French photographer has documented families who have chosen to turn their backs on the breakneck speed of modern life to become at one with nature. With no access to running water, these two girls take a bath in washing up tubs in the Carpathian mountains in Romania +11 Living off the land: Mr Bruy captured this picture of Olivier nursing a sheep while spending a month with the French shepherd. Here, Olivier treats one of his flock after it was bitten by a dog in Ardeche in France in 2010 +11 Shunned academia: Among the people Mr Bruy met was this former mathematics student called Vincent who has been living in the Pyrenees for the last seven years He said: 'I give them a hand for different kind of tasks, like growing vegetables, fixing a roof, building a straw bale house or taking care of animals if they have some. 'This time allows me, somehow, to connect to the land, understand the way it works, and know the people I’m living with. 'This documentary project is an attempt to make a kind of contemporary tale and to give back a little bit of magic to our modern civilization.' +11 Steam cleaning: Julian works on his bathtub in Sierra del Hacho in Spain. Mr Bruy has posted a collection of his images entitled Scrublands to the FotoFund website where he has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to continue his project in America Among the people he met was a German called Peter who has been living in Ramounat in The Pyrenees for the last 30 years. He moved there with his wife and children, but they left decades ago, it was reported by Feature Shoot. Others included Sabine, a teacher in philosophy and literature who now raises cows with her husband Christian. He has posted a collection of his images entitled Scrublands to the FotoFund website where he has launched a crowd-funding campaign to raise money to continue his project in America. 'I plan to come in the USA to make photographs of people who retreat in remote places in the Appalachian mountains,' Mr Bruy said. 'America can indeed be considered as the birthplace of these "back-to-the-land" movements.' +11 Life out of the fast lane: A boy who has grown up in the so-called 'back-to-land' movement poses with his dog in Urs in The Pyrenees +11 A lesson in simplicity: Mr Bruy also stayed with Sabine, a philosophy and literature teacher who now raises cows with her husband Christian