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15 pts!

@ Guardian Dragon, London

It's Dorothy here! Welcome to Around the World in Great Displays! I came to London with my leonine colleague for his tour and we had a goodbye meal at this restaurant in Camden, north-west London, with its guardian dragon! We had such a great time.

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12 pts!

@ Dragon Rock, Scottish beach

I've flown 600 miles north from London! Do you see a basking dragon, its front claws outstretched on the shell-strewn sand? Or do you find the most fearsome thing here the Scottish cold and rain? Brrrrr!

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14 pts!

@ Lough Eske Castle, Republic of Ireland

Now flying west to the Irish Republic! Lough Eske Castle in Donegal nestles amidst dramatic landscapes, ragged coastlines and vast seascapes. It's just the place for one of my dragon cousins to lurk!

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12 pts!

@ Castle Waterspout, Sweden

I've come to Continental Europe next. Where to start? Sweden! Look at this fierce-looking water drain! The 16th C Gripsholm Castle towers, almost as if in a fairy tale, over the idyllic small town of Mariefred. I'm hungry after all that flying. Where's my smörgås?

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15 pts!

@ Dragon's Eye, Norway

Lofoten, northern Norway is untamed beauty, where mountains meet the sea. It basks in the ethereal midnight sun during summer and witnesses the magical Northern Lights from autumn to spring.
In a quiet rockpool is the Dragon's Eye...

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67 pts!

@ Finnish Sand Sculpture

Isn't this sand sculpture in Lappeenranta, Finland, just amazing? Look at the attention to detail! The dragon must have been standing motionless for hours for the artist to be able to make such an accurate sculpture!

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13 pts!

@ River Dragon, Russia

This is a magical place ... such a beautiful scene! My Russian friend here is well versed in dragon lore, and weaves wonderful tales.
You will often see a little group of young dragons sitting entranced in front of her, scarcely breathing as the excitement builds!

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11 pts!

@ Dragon Rock, Germany

Ooh, just look at the brooding intensity of Dragon Rock, near Bonn! I was expecting a huge dragon to come flapping up through the wreathing mist towards the sky at twilight!

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12 pts!

@ Mondsee, Austria

We all enjoyed our Valentine's holiday visit to Austria back in February! The Salzkammergut area is wonderful, isn't it? The peaks in the background are named after their resemblance to slumbering dragons. This is one of my favourite spots in the world.

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14 pts!

@ Versailles, France

In the formal gardens planned and tended to perfection in Versailles, you will come across this fierce little statue of a fledgling dragon!

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14 pts!

@ Dragon Sculpture, Italy

When you're next in Venice, remember to look up to see this intriguing and unique dragon sculpture with its red and blue umbrellas!

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13 pts!

@ Dragon tree, Madeira, Portugal

The tall and imposing dragon tree, Dracaena draco, can be found in Madeira, an archipelago of four islands which is a region of Portugal off the north-west coast of Africa. In the past, ‘dragon’s blood’—tree resin—was a valuable commodity, obtained by extracting the red sap from the trunk.

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10 pts!

@ Dragon Fruit, Nicaragua

We've reached Central America!
You need to be brave to tackle this, by the look of it! This is called the pitaya, the red dragon fruit. Once you're past the prickly exterior, though, it's delicious!

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13 pts!

@ Flowering stage, Ecuador

I like to land just north of Quito and pretend I have my paws planted each side of the equator
This is another place the tasty and nutritious dragon fruit grows! It doesn't look half as fierce at this stage.

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13 pts!

@ Field of Fruit, Colombia

I was flying over Colombia and just had to glide down at this entrancing, peaceful scene at sunset. Dragon de fruta is the name in Spanish for dragon fruit, and here there were fields of them slumbering in the moonlight.

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15 pts!

@ Iguana, Lesser Antilles

Here's me posing with my old friend, Iggy, in the Lesser Antilles. (He doesn't call me Dorothy but Dotty—and perhaps I am!) He and I look so similar in many ways, yet we are poles apart in others. Doesn't he look like an old soul?

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11 pts!

@ Dragon Flower, South Africa

Here is the beautiful flower of the dragon fruit. It's so perfect with the purity of its pristine white petals! It makes me happy to look at it.

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10 pts!

@ Fruit salad, Maldives

It's a long way to fly all the way over the Indian Ocean!
When I spotted an archipelago I took the opportunity to swoop down, rest and enjoy some refreshing mango, strawberry and dragon fruit.

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13 pts!

@ Hindu Temple, Bali

This fearsome relative is to be found at Tanah Lot Hindu temple, Bali, east of Java, Indonesia. What an exotic-sounding location! Nothing like, say, 23 Railway Cuttings, East Cheam.

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13 pts!

@ Thai Temple Hybrid

I seem to have a lot of ancestors in Asia!
Half elephant, half dragon, this striking creature helps guard a temple in Thailand.

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11 pts!

@ Finch and Fruit

On my way to Mount Everest, I was exploring Nepal, admiring the dragon fruit harvest, and made friends with this darling red-fronted rose finch.

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15 pts!

@ Dragon Drainspout, Tibet

Whilst I was in Tibet, also not so very far from Everest, I came across this elaborate building decoration. It has the same function yet looks totally different from the one in Sweden!

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59 pts!

@ "Dragon" in Chinese Script

Chinese script: per­haps in­vent­ed in the Bronze Age by an imperial scribe, who took inspira­tion from animal tracks, land­scapes and the stars. On the night of creation of these characters, people heard the wail­ing of ghosts and demons, lament­ing that humans could no longer be cheated. How spooky!

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10 pts!

@ Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Wherever you are in the locality of this 13-peak massif located in Lijiang, China, you will find it dominates the skyline with its 13,350 ft/5596 m height! A small monastery was established in the 1750s at the foot of the mountain. It is relatively close to the border with northern Myanmar.

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63 pts!

@ Dragon Bridge, Taiwan

Sanxiantai Island has a legend that it was formed from the footprints of three Taoist deities. The bridge leading to it is known as Dragon Bridge. Picture a dragon prone on the ground, its back making eight arches, and that is the design of this beautiful bridge!

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12 pts!

@ Japanese dragon barge

Japan has a centuries-old tradition of dragon boats, where the prow of the boat bears an ornamental dragon head. I've heard tales, passed down by my ancestors through the mists of time, about such boats being used to carry Shinto gods safely and ensure a bountiful harvest.

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59 pts!

@ Fledgling Dragon

I was in a far-away place, stretching my wings in soar­ing flight, when I heard the call. It was too high-pitched for any human to hear, but to me it sent a message; I was near kin. I swoop­ed down to the sea caves and located this beauti­ful young dragon, just start­ing out on her life of ad­vent­ure. "My name is Dorothy," I told her. "I will return ..."

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12 pts!

@ Dragon scales

Dragon scales—aren't they just great? They are said to shatter any weapon, and their flat, over­lapping design means things hurled at us merely slide off. The scales are fire­proof. They are long, but move easily with our dragon muscles. Some breeds of dragon have pig­ment cells in their scales that allow them to change colour for camou­flage. Oh, don't you wish you were a dragon?

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@Dragon Scrapbook

Do you enjoy sitting down and writing by paw, just for the enjoyment of using pen on paper? If so, here's some very special paper for your memoirs! A brooding dragon, all ready to take off in flight! The flowers provide a lovely little pop of colour.

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@Fantasy Dragon

Are you planning a tale of dragons and valour in days of yore? Here's the ideal cover image! I just love how the pastel pinks and blues contrast quite nicely with the dragon's expression! My, doesn't she look fierce?

Shade has enjoyed touring with Dorothy, but it is time to go home. This Event is over now, but there will be more events in PnF soon!