2022年4月

北极光下的众神瀑布，冰岛 Goðafoss waterfall under the northern lights, Iceland (© Anton Petrus/Getty Images)

冰雪之地 Land of fire and ice

Goðafoss waterfall, Iceland

Goðafoss is one of the hundreds of show-stopping waterfalls Iceland is blessed with. And though it isn't the island's highest waterfall—that would be Morsarfoss at over 240 meters—or most powerful (the thundering Dettifoss), Goðafoss, has, within its swirling waters, its own story to tell.

An Icelandic legend holds that in 1000 CE, a well-respected pagan priest and chieftain named Thorgeir Thorkelsson was tasked with deciding if Iceland was to become a Christian nation or if it would continue to worship the ancient Nordic gods. The peace of the island was at stake, with fierce advocates on each side. Thorgeir decided in favor of Christianity, but with the caveat that those who chose to continue to recognize the old gods would not be punished so long as they converted. This tale, likely created in the nineteenth century, says that after Thorgeir converted to Christianity he returned to his home near Goðafoss and hurled his statues of the Norse gods into the falls, which is said to have angered the old gods so much that they split the waterfall in two. Which might be enough to make one rethink angering them in the first place.

Goðafoss瀑布，冰岛

Goðafoss是冰岛拥有的数百座停止表演的瀑布之一。尽管它不是岛上最高的瀑布，也不是海拔240米以上的穆萨福斯瀑布，也不是最强大的瀑布（雷鸣般的Dettifoss），但Goðafoss在其漩涡中有自己的故事要讲。

冰岛的一个传说认为，公元1000年，一位受人尊敬的异教徒牧师和酋长托尔盖尔·托克尔松（Thorgeir Thorkelsson）受命决定冰岛是要成为一个基督教国家，还是要继续崇拜古代北欧诸神。岛上的和平岌岌可危，双方都有强烈的支持者。索盖尔决定支持基督教，但有一条警告：那些选择继续承认旧神的人，只要他们皈依，就不会受到惩罚。这个故事可能是在19世纪创作的，故事中说，托尔盖尔皈依基督教后回到他在戈阿福斯附近的家中，将他的北欧诸神雕像扔进瀑布，据说这激怒了古神，以至于他们将瀑布一分为二。这可能足以让人重新思考一开始会激怒他们。

裂缝中的谢拉格伯顿石，挪威谢格拉山 The Kjeragbolten boulder on Kjeragin Rogaland, Norway (© Angel FAyE/Getty Images)

在岩石之间... Between a rock and a hard place

Kjeragbolten boulder on Kjerag in Norway

If you have nerves of steel, you'd enjoy the precarious, one-of-a-kind photo op that is the Kjeragbolten boulder. Visitors climb up Kjerag, a mountain on the southwest coast of Norway, for the chance to clamber onto the stranded rock and have their daredevil pic snapped for posterity. Indeed, Kjeragbolten is so popular that you might have to wait an hour for your turn—plenty of time for second thoughts and jitters.

So how did Kjeragbolten become wedged in a crevice on Kjerag, with a clear 791-foot drop below? Experts say that after millions of years of glacial activity the ice finally receded to the valley, leaving the famous rock in the mountain's grip. Today the piece of geological history invites brave adventurers and steady-handed photographers. If adrenaline rushes aren't your thing, don't worry: The mountain itself offers perfectly safe, breathtaking views of the valley and fjord below.

挪威Kjerag上的Kjeragbolden巨石

如果你有钢铁般的勇气，你会喜欢这张不稳定的独一无二的照片，那就是Kjeragbolten巨石。游客们爬上挪威西南海岸的一座山Kjerag，以便有机会爬上搁浅的岩石，并为子孙后代拍摄他们的大胆照片。事实上，Kjeragbolten是如此受欢迎，以至于你可能需要等一个小时才能轮到你，这给了你足够的时间重新思考和紧张。

那么，Kjeragbolten是如何被卡在Kjerag的一个裂缝中，并在下面有一个791英尺的明显落差的呢？专家说，经过数百万年的冰川活动，冰最终退到山谷中，留下了山上的著名岩石。今天，这段地质历史邀请了勇敢的冒险家和稳健的摄影师。如果你不喜欢肾上腺素的刺激，别担心：这座山本身就为你提供了非常安全、令人叹为观止的山谷和峡湾景观。

太湖边盛开的樱花，无锡 Cherry blossoms at Tai Lake at Wuxi, China (© Eric Yang/Getty Images)

太湖畔的春天 Spring on the shores of Lake Tai

Cherry trees bloom at Lake Tai in Wuxi, China

The tranquil appearance of Lake Tai belies its location within Wuxi, China, a metropolis of 7.5 million people in the southern Jiangsu province. A short distance to the east is the megacity of Shanghai. But city life feels a world away here at China's third-largest freshwater lake. m More than 20 miles across in places Lake Tai provides a needed retreat from urban life, drawing locals and tourists to its picturesque shores.

There is no more popular time to visit Lake Tai, also known as Lake Taihu, than when its 30,000 cherry trees bloom on Turtle Head Isle, a peninsula that helps form a cove at the north end of the shallow lake. Turtle Head is the perfect launching point for a visit to the lake, where visitors can stroll through scenic trails, formal gardens, bridges, and overlooks.

The cherry trees bloom for about 10 days, usually starting in late March and early April. If the scene evokes thoughts of Japan, you're on the right track as the viewing of blossoms is a long-standing tradition in Japan. In fact, the trees of Lake Tai were a gift from Japanese visitors who helped plant them in Wuxi. Now, there is no doubt when spring arrives.

中国无锡太湖樱花盛开

太湖宁静的外观掩盖了它在中国无锡的位置。无锡是江苏省南部一个拥有750万人口的大都市。往东不远就是上海这座特大城市。但在中国第三大淡水湖，城市生活感觉像是一个世界。在20多英里宽的地方，太湖为人们提供了远离城市生活的必要去处，吸引了当地人和游客来到风景如画的海岸。

游览太湖最受欢迎的时间莫过于它的3万棵樱花在龟头岛上盛开，龟头岛是一个半岛，有助于在浅水湖的北端形成一个海湾。龟头湖是游览该湖的最佳出发点，游客可以在这里漫步穿过风景优美的小径、正式的花园、桥梁和远眺。

樱桃树开花约10天，通常从3月底到4月初开始。如果这个场景让人想起了日本，那么你就走上了正确的道路，因为观赏鲜花是日本的一项长期传统。事实上，太湖的树木是日本游客在无锡帮助种植的礼物。现在，毫无疑问，春天什么时候到来。

旺阿雷自然保护区里的旺阿雷瀑布，新西兰北岛 Whangarei Falls located in Whangarei Scenic Reserve on North Island, New Zealand (© Nathan Kavumbura/Getty Images)

野餐的好去处 Pretty as a picnic

Whangarei Falls in New Zealand's North Island

This lush, Eden-esque location on New Zealand's North Island has been a popular spot to bring a blanket and basket and lay out lunch since at least the 1890s. Whangārei Falls is part of the Hātea River. At the falls, seen in our photo, the river drops 85 feet over a basalt lava flow. The surrounding park provides a loop trail ideal for a hike along the edge of the river.

English horology enthusiast Archibald Clapham purchased the land here, including the falls, during the 1920s to save the landscape from commercial exploitation. The North Island preserve was later purchased by the Whangārei Businessmen's Association, which turned the space into a public park. Thanks to their preservation work, this island paradise provides respite for visitors from nearby towns and around the globe.

新西兰北岛的旺加雷瀑布

至少从19世纪90年代起，这座位于新西兰北岛、郁郁葱葱的伊甸园式建筑就一直是人们带毯子、篮子和摆设午餐的好去处。黄ā赖瀑布是Hātea河的一部分。在瀑布，我们的照片中看到，河流在玄武岩熔岩流上下降了85英尺。周围的公园提供了一条环形小径，非常适合沿着河边徒步旅行。

英国钟表爱好者阿奇博尔德·克拉帕姆（Archibald Clapham）在20世纪20年代购买了这里的土地，包括瀑布，以避免商业开发。北岛保护区后来被黄ā赖商人协会收购，该协会将该保护区变成了一个公共公园。多亏了他们的保护工作，这个岛屿天堂为来自附近城镇和全球各地的游客提供了休憩之所。

今天不要让外表欺骗你 Don't let appearances fool you today

'Greetings from Giza' art installation by Jean Rene

In honor of April Fools' Day, take a moment to appreciate this trick of the eye created by French street artist and photographer Jean Rene, better known as JR. His cheeky public-art piece, installed in the desert sand as part of the 2021 'Forever is Now' exhibition, makes it look as if the detached tip of the Pyramid of Khafre magically hovers above its base.

Khafre is the second largest pyramid in the Giza complex, second to the Great Pyramid, whose capstone has been missing for all of modern history. (That's no joke.) The Great Pyramid's missing top has been the subject of much speculation and scholarly pursuit. This complex of pyramids was built around 2,600 to 2,500 BCE.

Visual illusions in art, a technique known as trompe l'oeil, is a specialty of JR, born in Paris in 1983 to a Tunisian mother. He always appears in public wearing a fedora and sunglasses, and has revealed very little of his identity. The enigmatic artist is most famous for making the glass-and-metal Louvre pyramid 'disappear.'

让·雷内的《吉萨的问候》艺术装置

为了纪念四月愚人节，花一点时间来欣赏法国街头艺术家和摄影师Jean Rene创造的这一奇观，他被称为小R。他那张厚颜无耻的公共艺术品，被安装在沙漠中，作为“2021永恒”展览的一部分，使它看起来像是哈夫雷金字塔的分离尖端奇迹般地悬浮在其基础之上。

卡夫雷是吉萨建筑群中第二大金字塔，仅次于大金字塔，大金字塔的顶石在现代历史上一直缺失。（这可不是开玩笑。）大金字塔缺失的顶部一直是许多猜测和学术研究的主题。这座金字塔群建于公元前2600年至2500年左右。

艺术中的视觉错觉是JR的特长，被称为trompe l'oeil，1983年出生于巴黎，母亲是突尼斯人。他总是戴着软呢帽和墨镜出现在公共场合，几乎没有透露自己的身份。这位神秘的艺术家以使玻璃和金属的卢浮宫金字塔“消失”而闻名。

朝向世界的皇家窗口

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