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Kiteboarding and windsurfing in Croatia
Kiteboarding and windsurfing in Croatia
Of the many ways people have invented to ride boards of one kind or another, the sport of kiteboarding (aka kitesurfing) is one of the newest. It owes a debt to all the board sports that came before it, borrowing a little bit from snowboarding, water skiing, wakeboarding, and of course windsurfing. Like snowboarders and skiers, windsurfers and kiteboarders often share play space, as they are doing here off the Pelješac Peninsula in Croatia. They can count on a stiff afternoon breeze to fill their sails in the summer months, when the land heats up and draws in the cool air over the Adriatic.Desktop Version
World Environment Day
World Environment Day
"To damage the Earth is to damage your children," as the writer and environmentalist Wendell Berry put it. Today is World Environment Day, which marks its 50th year of raising awareness and encouraging action to protect the natural world. This year"s theme is about finding solutions to plastic pollution, which brings us to our homepage image.Desktop Version
Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico
Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico
Time is the great transformer, changing the world and all of us. For instance, this New Mexico badland—the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness—was once a lush, tropical forest. Nearly 70 million years ago, instead of twisted terrains and towering spires, this place was home to an array of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs, including armored Ankylosaurs, duck-billed Hadrosaurs, and mighty Tyrannosaurs. Today, the area is filled with wonders of a different kind, rock formations that look more like sculptures than natural phenomena. Bisti/De-Na-Zin is named after Navajo words: Bisti means "among the adobe formations," and De-Na-Zin means "standing crane," a reference to nearby rock carvings of the bird. Visitors to the Four Corners region shouldn"t miss out on this otherworldly landscape of shale and sandstone.Desktop Version
Poppies in bloom
Poppies in bloom
The soft, rolling hills and ample vineyards of this southeastern part of the Czech Republic have earned it the nickname the Moravian Tuscany. This picturesque area, located in the Hodonín District near the town of Kyjov, is a haven for photographers. Moravia has a rich history, and the long-settled region has been a part of numerous empires. Medieval and Ottoman castles are among the historic highlights for visitors to take in.Desktop Version
Oktoberfest begins
Oktoberfest begins
Welcome to Oktoberfest, the world"s biggest beer festival, held each year in the German city of Munich. Dating back all the way to 1810, it began with the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig, later Ludwig I of Bavaria, and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The celebrations took place on the fields in front of the city gates, which were named Theresienwiese, or Theresa"s Meadow, in honor of the bride. The festivities lasted for five days, filled with exciting activities such as parades and horse races. It was so popular that Oktoberfest became an annual event that now draws more than 6 million people. This year"s festival starts today and lasts 18 days. Beyond Munich, it has become a popular celebration in multiple countries, and cities inside and outside of Germany imitate the festival and cherish its German traditions.Desktop Version
Puma in Patagonia
Puma in Patagonia
Odds are this very focused puma has its eyes locked on a guanaco, a relative of the llama that"s firmly at the top of its daily menu. In this case, dinner will be served in Torres del Paine National Park in the Patagonia region of Chile, the sprawling park recognized as one of the most famous places in the world to watch and photograph wild pumas. While tourists will sometimes see the big cats on their own, trained guides take visitors on hikes or all-terrain vehicle tours to look for the stealthy pumas. The wild cats have been officially protected for the last few years, bolstering their population, and there are abundant guanacos in the Patagonian steppes, which also helps.Desktop Version
Silent night, sparkling lights, and hearts full of joy
Silent night, sparkling lights, and hearts full of joy
Christmas markets in Germany are a cherished holiday tradition that welcome visitors into a magical world of twinkling lights, festive music, and delicious seasonal treats. These markets date back to the Middle Ages and are held in town squares throughout Germany, with iconic examples in cities such as Nuremberg, Munich, and Dresden. Each market displays unique regional crafts and festive customs. Here, guests can discover handcrafted ornaments, wooden toys, and cozy winter accessories, along with specialties like Glühwein (mulled wine), Lebkuchen (gingerbread), and roasted nuts—ideal for enjoying while immersing themselves in the enchanting atmosphere.Desktop Version
Celebrating Festivus
Celebrating Festivus
"A Festivus for the rest of us!" This is the unofficial motto of a non-commercial alternative to Christmas. Celebrated on December 23, Festivus was popularized by the TV show "Seinfeld," although it was actually invented by the family of one of the series" writers. The celebration centers around the unadorned aluminum Festivus pole. After dinner, the traditional Festivus "airing of grievances" gets underway. This consists of telling friends and family the ways they"ve disappointed you over the year. This can provide some much-needed catharsis at what can be a stressful time of year. The day traditionally concludes with feats of strength. Once the head of the household has been pinned, Festivus is officially over. Those who embrace this farcical holiday welcome the opportunity to let off some steam amid the Christmas build-up chaos—much like these red-crowned cranes in Hokkaido, Japan.Desktop Version
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
While people gather across the country for feasts of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, you may wonder about the origins of Thanksgiving. Early English settlers had plenty to be thankful for, whether surviving the long voyage to America or the first harsh winters. Written records tell of an early thanksgiving shared between Plymouth Pilgrims and Wampanoag Native Americans, who provided a harvest of corn, deer, and turkey. There were many early days of thanksgiving, but an official, national celebration was proclaimed by George Washington in 1789, and has been a part of our holiday season ever since. Today, we wish you good company and plenty of things to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!Desktop Version
Legacy mural in Philadelphia
Legacy mural in Philadelphia
As Black History Month winds down, we"ve come to the City of Brotherly Love—Philadelphia—to admire this stunning mural, "Legacy," painted by Josh Sarantitis and Eric Okdeh. Measuring nearly 10,000 square feet, the mural in Philadelphia"s Central City District explores the work of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass to end slavery. Students and staff at five public schools, together with dozens of other individuals, collaborated to produce the artwork, hand-laying over 1 million small glass titles on the mural’s right side. The main figure is a girl holding a medallion surrounded by blue flames. The girl"s middle-aged self rises out of these flames, a symbol of defiance and freedom.Desktop Version
World Jellyfish Day
World Jellyfish Day
Drifting along our shores and into our calendar, it"s World Jellyfish Day! Jellyfish can be found in all the world"s oceans, in all shapes and sizes. There are about 2,000 species, all lacking hearts, bones, and brains. Pacific sea nettle jellyfish, seen here, have vibrant golden-brown coloring and long tentacles and inhabit the coastal waters of California and Oregon. Moon jellyfish are pale with short tentacles, and, in an appropriate twist, went into orbit aboard the space shuttle Columbia in 1991, to help scientists study their unique biology. Jellyfish play a vital role in the ocean"s food chain, as the main food source for many animals, including sea turtles. Their numbers are impacted by climate change, marine pollution, and overfishing, and in turn have reverberating effects on sea life around them.Desktop Version
World Children s Day
World Children s Day
Color, creativity, and fun are three things that go along with being a kid, so what better way to illustrate World Children"s Day than with this huge (we"re talking more than 100,000 square feet!) piece of "land art" in New York City, painted by the French-Swiss artist known as Saype. Gifted to the United Nations by Switzerland in honor of the UN"s 75th anniversary, "World in Progress II," shows two children busily drawing and using origami to create their ideal world.Desktop Version
Albion Falls, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Albion Falls, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
The spectacular Albion Falls is just one of more than 130 waterfalls that give the city of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada, its sobriquet: Waterfall Capital of the World. The city eagerly welcomes visitors to share in its natural beauty, and there are hiking and biking trails around the waterfalls as well as guided tours. On the edge of Lake Ontario, Hamilton lies 54 miles northwest of Niagara, New York, a town that constantly brags about its own waterfall.Desktop Version
Golden jellyfish in Jellyfish Lake, Palau
Golden jellyfish in Jellyfish Lake, Palau
If you"re lucky enough to see this view through the lens of your diving mask, you must be snorkeling in Jellyfish Lake on the island of Eil Malk in the Pacific island nation of Palau. Golden jellyfish are a subspecies unique to this small lake, on this small island—they"re found nowhere else on the planet. Millions of teacup-sized golden jellies inhabit the lake, following the sunlight that nourishes them. Symbiotic algae live inside the jellyfish and provide their hosts with energy as a byproduct of photosynthesis. The more sun the jellies get, the more energy they derive from their hitchhikers. The jellies start the day at the east end of the lake and drift westward until dusk, following the arc of the sun.Desktop Version
Diwali lights in Guwahati, India
Diwali lights in Guwahati, India
The oil lamps called "diyas" have been lit for Diwali, the Festival of Lights, in Guwahati, India. Diwali is a five-day celebration of the symbolic victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Diyas are a traditional symbol of the festival, and they are arranged on a rangoli, a colorful pattern made on the floor using dried rice flour, colored powdered stone, flower petals, or other colorings. Rangoli designs are more than just attractive—they"re believed to attract Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity. Each day of the festival has its own significance, but day three—called Lakshmi Puja—is considered the main event. To prepare for Lakshmi Puja, people clean their homes to welcome Lakshmi"s blessings of prosperity and happiness. A rangoli design is created near the entrance to a home or building, and families pass down traditional designs from generation to generation.Desktop Version
Native American Heritage Month
Native American Heritage Month
November is National Native American Heritage Month, a commemoration that invites us to delve into Native peoples" traditions, languages, and art forms. There are millions of Native Americans across the US, with hundreds of tribes and groups, each with their own culture. In Arizona, Canyon de Chelly National Monument preserves the ruins of Indigenous tribes that have lived here over the past 5,000 years, including Ancestral Puebloans, who built the ancient village in our homepage image, and the Navajo, who arrived here around 1700. Carved by the relentless forces of nature, the canyon is owned by the Navajo people who manage it in cooperation with the National Park Service. Some Navajo families still live here, keeping traditions alive in one of North America"s longest continuously inhabited landscapes.Desktop Version
National Roller Coaster Day
National Roller Coaster Day
To really get the feel for today"s photo, stop what you"re doing, put your hands in the air, and imagine yourself plunging downhill at 50 miles an hour. Screaming is optional. It"s National Roller Coaster Day and we"re waiting in line at Morey"s Piers in Wildwood, New Jersey, for our ride on the Great White. A hybrid wooden and steel coaster, it"s been in operation since 1996 and reaches its highest point 110 feet above the ground. Coaster enthusiasts point out the ride"s dip under the pier shortly after the start as one of its highlights. It"s also noted for a portion of the ride swinging out over the nearby beach.Desktop Version
Sonoma Coast State Park, California
Sonoma Coast State Park, California
Sonoma Coast State Park offers a picturesque retreat with its sandy beaches, natural arches, and secluded coves. Established in 1934, the park encompasses 17 miles of Northern California coastline between Jenner and Bodega Bay. Wildlife enthusiasts can spot seals, sea lions, whales, and a variety of birds like towhees, warblers, finches, sparrows, and orioles. History buffs will enjoy exploring the sea stack formation with rubbing marks believed to have been made by mammoths that roamed the area 40,000 years ago. The park is also home to historical sites like Bodega Head, where Russians built a fort in the early 1800s.Desktop Version
Everglades National Park turns 75
Everglades National Park turns 75
We"re heading down to Florida today to celebrate the 75th year of Everglades National Park, the largest tropical wilderness in the United States. The park was established in 1947 to defend a fragile ecosystem and covers about 20% of the entire Everglades wetland. But even with the park service"s protection, the Everglades" features, primarily shallow freshwater pools, have suffered significantly due to human activity.Desktop Version
Pantaleu
Pantaleu
There isn"t much to the tiny island of El Pantaleu (or Es Pantaleu in Catalan), cast off the westernmost shore of Mallorca, itself an island only about 60 miles across. Pantaleu and Mallorca are part of the archipelago of Balearic Islands in the Balearic Sea, off the east coast of Spain. Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, and Formentera are the chain"s four major islands, famous as destinations for tourists seeking the warm Mediterranean climate and inviting shoreline.Desktop Version
Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand
Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand
When the sun sets over Thailand, the Wat Chaiwatthanaram Buddhist temple lights up to welcome the night at the Ayutthaya Historical Park. These ruins are evidence of the area"s rich history as the capital of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, which grew in power between the 14th and 18th centuries to rule Siam, or present-day Thailand. Around 1630, Wat Chaiwatthanaram was built on the orders of the dynasty"s King Prasat Thong, to symbolize the center of the universe and connote his aspiration to become the future Buddha.Desktop Version
Channel Country, Australia
Channel Country, Australia
Narrow waterways run like veins through the Australian Outback"s Channel Country, a sprawling, ancient flood plain named after its crisscrossing river channels. The huge flat area is transformed from a parched desert canvas to a vibrant tapestry of wildflowers when rainfall is abundant. Indigenous Australians have lived off this land for tens of thousands of years and some offer tours and classes about how to survive in the Outback. This unspoiled region is also home to a bonanza of wildlife—kangaroos that bounce along the plains, strutting emus, and preening purple-crowned fairywrens. If you"re lucky, you might even spot a bilby—a nocturnal marsupial with rabbit-like ears. So, are you ready to "channel" your inner explorer?Desktop Version
Christmas tree at Crystal Pier, San Diego, California
Christmas tree at Crystal Pier, San Diego, California
Santa has plenty of runway to land, but good luck trying to find a chimney. Today, we"re getting ready for Christmas at Pacific Beach in San Diego, California. While it might not snow here, there"s still plenty of yuletide spirit leading up to Christmas in sunny Southern California. Among many beautiful examples on San Diego"s Christmas Tree Trail is the 20-foot tree at the end of a festively decorated Crystal Pier.Desktop Version
World Art Day
World Art Day
"Life imitates art far more than art imitates life." There is perhaps no better day to ponder these iconic words by Oscar Wilde than World Art Day. Celebrated each April 15, it marks the birthday of Renaissance luminary Leonardo da Vinci. The celebration, which started in 2012, continues to be a beautiful reminder of the power of art and its ability to heal, strengthen, and inspire society. The sculpture in today"s image, Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn"s "Together," displayed near the Great Pyramids of Giza, serves as a fitting commentary on this inimitable power of art and also a symbol of the unbreakable human connection.Desktop Version
Polar Bear Week
Polar Bear Week
Polar Bear Week champions the Arctic"s majestic predator, one of nature"s greatest hunters. Established by Polar Bears International, it highlights the challenges they face due to climate change, particularly the rapid loss of Arctic Sea ice. At this time of year, polar bears gather in Churchill, Canada—known as the "polar bear capital of the world." Here, bears wait for Hudson Bay to freeze so they can start hunting for seals, their primary food source.Desktop Version