2022年2月

心形小岛和白沙滩，印度洋马尔代夫 Heart-shaped island with sandy beach, offshore coral reef, Indian Ocean, Maldives (© Willyam Bradberry/Shutterstock)

阿拉伯海的情人节 A Valentine in the Arabian Sea

Maldives

Heart-shaped islands are more common than you might guess and can be found at many latitudes and longitudes. This one in the archipelago nation of the Maldives is hard to top for its beauty. A flight over this tropical gem might make for the most memorable Valentine's Day ever.

The Republic of Maldives is the smallest nation in Asia, located 470 miles from the continent's mainland. The country is made up of 26 atolls, together containing more than 1,000 islands. It's one of the least populous and smallest Asian nations by land area, although it covers 35,000 square miles if you count its waters.

Highly sought after by honeymooners, the Maldives derives most of its income from tourism. However, its days as a tropical getaway might be numbered as it faces the threat of climate change. With an average elevation of just under five feet, the country is especially vulnerable to rising sea levels. If you need a reason to care about global warming, just keep this precious spot close to your heart.

马尔代夫

心形岛屿比你想象的更常见，在许多纬度和经度都可以找到。这个位于群岛国家马尔代夫的岛屿，因其美丽而难以超越。飞越这颗热带宝石可能会成为有史以来最难忘的情人节。

马尔代夫共和国是亚洲最小的国家，距离大陆470英里。该国由26个环礁组成，共有1000多个岛屿。按陆地面积计算，它是亚洲人口最少、面积最小的国家之一，尽管如果算上它的水域，它的面积为3.5万平方英里。

马尔代夫深受蜜月爱好者的追捧，其大部分收入来自旅游业。然而，由于面临气候变化的威胁，它作为热带避风港的日子可能屈指可数。该国平均海拔不到5英尺，尤其容易受到海平面上升的影响。如果你需要一个关心全球变暖的理由，那就把这个珍贵的地方放在你的心里吧。

达尔文岛的达尔文拱门，厄瓜多尔加拉帕戈斯 Darwin's Arch with Darwin Island in background, Galápagos, Ecuador (© miralex/Getty Images)

著名海拱门的末日 Last days of a famous sea arch

Darwin's Arch

On Darwin Day, we visit Darwin's Arch, named for the famous English naturalist Charles Darwin who was born on this day in 1809. The last time the arch looked as it does in this image was May 17, 2021. That's when this sea arch collapsed due to natural erosion and became a pile of rubble between what is now two pillars. Some locals and scientists have renamed the rock formation the 'Pillars of Evolution,' a nod to Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

Sea arches are found all over the world, often where cliffs meet the sea. They're formed as waves erode the underside of a rock, leaving the top. Darwin's Arch is located southeast of Darwin Island, part of the Galápagos Archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.

达尔文拱门

在达尔文日，我们参观达尔文拱门，以1809年出生于这一天的著名英国博物学家查尔斯·达尔文命名。最后一次拱形看上去像是在2021年5月17日。就在那个时候，这座海拱由于自然侵蚀而倒塌，变成了现在两根柱子之间的一堆瓦砾。一些当地人和科学家已将岩层更名为“进化的支柱”，这是对达尔文自然选择进化理论的认可。

海拱遍布世界各地，通常是悬崖与大海交汇的地方。它们是波浪侵蚀岩石底部，留下顶部时形成的。达尔文拱门位于达尔文岛东南部，达尔文岛是太平洋加拉帕戈斯群岛的一部分。

慕那尔山区的茶园，印度喀拉拉邦 Tea plantations in the mountains of Munnar in Kerala, India (© SvitlanaBelinska/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

印度慕纳尔 Munnar, India

Tea plantations in the mountains of Munnar in Kerala, India

The hill station of Munnar is synonymous with rolling hills that are carpeted with verdant plantations of tea – a delicious beverage loved worldwide. The town became a hotspot for tea plantations after John Daniel Munro, a colonial office of the British raj, first visited the place in the late 1870s. He discovered that much of Munnar’s land was suitable for growing tea and coffee. Today, the hill station is recognised for some of the best and most beautiful tea gardens across the globe.

Tea in Munnar is grown on its undulating terrain, which appears as they are covered with a bright green blanket. The entire place has amazing scenery and offers a panoramic view of the majestic Western Ghats. No doubt one of the best places to immerse yourself in your favourite novel and enjoy a warm cup of tea!

印度喀拉拉邦蒙纳山区的茶园

芒纳山站是起伏山丘的代名词，起伏山丘上覆盖着翠绿的茶园——一种全世界都喜爱的美味饮料。19世纪70年代末，英国国王的殖民办公室约翰·丹尼尔·蒙罗（John Daniel Munro）首次访问该镇后，该镇成为茶园的热点。他发现芒纳的大部分土地适合种植茶叶和咖啡。今天，希尔车站被公认为是全球最好、最美丽的茶园之一。

蒙纳的茶叶生长在起伏的地形上，表面上覆盖着一层鲜绿色的毯子。整个地方风景迷人，可以俯瞰雄伟的西高止山脉。毫无疑问，这是让你沉浸在你最喜欢的小说中，享受一杯热茶的最佳去处之一！

静谧的伯尔尼古城区，瑞士 Old Town section of Bern, Switzerland (© Xantana/Getty Images)

古城区的灯火 The lights of Old Town

Old Town section of Bern, Switzerland

Welcome to a wintry wonderland in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. We're in the city's medieval center—Old Town—which looks much as it did when many of these buildings were constructed between the 12th and 15th centuries.

Old Town was founded in 1191 on a long, narrow peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Aare River. Today, visitors and locals alike enjoy strolling down quaint alleyways and cobblestoned streets amidst the charming medieval buildings. In winter, many stop here en route to ski on the nearby Bernese Oberland mountains or to visit the Schwarzsee ice palaces.

Those in the know also suggest a climb to the top of the Bernese Minster, the highest church spire in all of Switzerland, seen in our photo. It's just 312 steps to the viewing deck, but we hear the panorama of snowy rooftops and the nearby peaks is worth the climb.

瑞士伯尔尼老城区

欢迎来到瑞士首都伯尔尼的冬日仙境。我们在这座城市的中世纪中心旧城区，它看起来和许多这些建筑在12世纪到15世纪之间建造时的样子差不多。

老城区建于1191年，位于一个狭长的半岛上，三面环绕着阿勒河。如今，游客和当地人都喜欢在迷人的中世纪建筑中漫步在古雅的小巷和鹅卵石铺就的街道上。在冬天，许多人会在这里停留，在附近的伯尔尼奥伯兰山滑雪，或参观施瓦西冰宫。

知情人士还建议爬上伯尔尼教堂尖顶，这是全瑞士最高的教堂尖顶，如我们的照片所示。到观景台只有312步，但我们可以听到雪天屋顶和附近山峰的全景，值得攀登。

七姐妹悬崖上的警卫小屋，英国东萨塞克斯郡 (© Paul Daniels/Alamy)

东萨塞克斯郡的白色悬崖

圣达菲附近的岩石艺术, 新墨西哥州 Rock art near Santa Fe, New Mexico (© Scott Warren/Cavan)

真相就在那里，但不是在这块石头上 The truth is out there…but not on this rock

Graffiti near Santa Fe, New Mexico

Evidence of ancient aliens? Nah, more likely the etchings of a prankster hiker. Though Pueblo cultures here in northern New Mexico made pictographs in this style several centuries ago, there's no evidence they were depicting extraterrestrials. But don't get us wrong: We want to believe.

Today is Extraterrestrial Culture Day, a holiday that enjoys official status in New Mexico thanks to the 'Roswell incident' of 1947. Depending who you ask, the metallic wreck found on a remote ranch in New Mexico one July morning was either a weather balloon, a top-secret military device disguised as a weather balloon, or a bona fide alien craft. Whatever the truth, the nearby town of Roswell has gone all-in on UFO lore. It's home to numerous UFO-themed attractions, chief among them the International UFO Museum and Research Center.

新墨西哥州圣达菲附近的涂鸦

古代外星人的证据？不，更像是恶作剧徒步旅行者的蚀刻。虽然新墨西哥州北部的普韦布洛文化在几个世纪前就以这种风格制作了象形文字，但没有证据表明它们描绘了外星人。但不要误解我们：我们想要相信。

今天是外星文化日，由于1947年的“罗斯韦尔事件”，这个节日在新墨西哥州享有官方地位。7月的一天早上，在新墨西哥州一个偏远的牧场上发现的金属残骸，要么是一个气象气球，要么是伪装成气象气球的绝密军事设备，要么是一艘真正的外星人飞船。不管真相是什么，附近的罗斯韦尔镇已经完全沉浸在UFO的传说中。这里有许多以UFO为主题的景点，其中最主要的是国际UFO博物馆和研究中心。

拿破仑在这里出生

Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottowa, Canada

Today we're at the iconic Rideau Canal Skateway in Canada's capital city of Ottawa. Each winter a 4.8-mile section of the canal downtown is converted into the world's largest—and second longest—outdoor skating rink. Rideau was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007, and every year this rink section becomes a featured attraction of Winterlude, a free, annual festival which attracts visitors from across the country for the first three weekends of February.

The 2022 Winterlude festival runs February 4-21 and features a variety of cold-weather activities, including ice-sculpture and snowman-building competitions, a gigantic snowflake playground, a snowy tug-of-war, winter sports lessons, and wide array of public art installations. With activities for people of all ages, Winterlude allows locals and tourists to indulge in Canada's cultural and artistic diversity, while transforming the city into a giant winter wonderland.

加拿大奥托瓦的里多运河滑道

今天我们来到加拿大首都渥太华标志性的里多运河滑道。每年冬天，运河市中心的一段4.8英里长的区域被改造成世界上最大、第二长的室外溜冰场。里多在2007年被联合国教科文组织指定为世界遗产，每年这个溜冰场区都会成为冬季乐园的特色景点，冬季乐园是一个免费的年度节日，在2月的前三个周末吸引来自全国各地的游客。

2022年的温特卢德艺术节将于2月4日至21日举行，以各种寒冷天气活动为特色，包括冰雕和堆雪人比赛、一个巨大的雪花操场、一场白雪皑皑的拔河、冬季体育课和各种公共艺术装置。Winterlude为各个年龄段的人提供各种活动，让当地人和游客可以尽情享受加拿大的文化和艺术多样性，同时将这座城市变成一个巨大的冬季仙境。

Oymyakon, Russia

Oymyakon, Russia, is one of a few places claiming to be the coldest spot in the Northern Hemisphere, a northern 'Pole of Cold.' Centuries of evolving meteorological technology means some historic cold temperatures are considered more accurate than others. The record for ultimate cold is a hot debate.

Oymyakon's claim may be strongest, though. The Siberian town has a verified low-temperature record of minus 89.9 degrees Fahrenheit in 1933—though if local lore and a Soviet-era monument are accurate, the true low was notched a decade earlier at minus 96.2.

By the way, the southern Pole of Cold blows all claimants to the northern record away like fresh-fallen snow: Russia's Vostok Station, in Antarctica, once recorded a low of minus 128.6! Think the Russians brought the cold with them?

俄罗斯Oymyakon

俄罗斯的Oymyakon是少数几个声称是北半球最冷的地方之一，是北方的“冷极”几个世纪以来不断发展的气象技术意味着一些历史上的低温被认为比其他温度更准确。关于终极感冒的记录是一场激烈的辩论。

不过，奥米亚康的说法可能最为强烈。这座西伯利亚小镇在1933年的低温记录已被证实为零下89.9华氏度，但如果当地的传说和苏联时期的纪念碑是准确的，那么真正的低温在十年前就达到了零下96.2华氏度。

顺便说一句，寒冷的南极把所有的求偿者都吹到了北方的记录上，就像刚刚下过雪一样：位于南极洲的俄罗斯沃斯托克站曾记录到负128.6的低点！你认为是俄罗斯人带来了寒冷吗？

星空迷