Hotel La Residencia in the Atacama Desert seen from the top of Cerro Paranal in Northern Chile.
Cerro Paranal is home to European Southern Observatory’s (ESO’s) Very Large Telescope (VLT) which is was right behind me while taking this photo.
La Residencia is home to the scientists visiting VLT from all over the world – however most observations are ordered and detailed over the internet and then carried out by full time VLT scientists.
La Residencia were also home to the villain, Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), in the 007 James Bond movie Quantum Of Solace (2008) where the movie ends with the building is blown up!
La Residencia has won multiple prices and most of the building is actually under the ground to prevent light pollution this close to the best optical telescopes in the world!
To see La Residencia from the inside: Hotel La Residencia