2022年10月

哈德逊湾边缘的北极熊，加拿大 Polar bear at the edge of Hudson Bay, Manitoba, Canada (© Sean Crane/Minden Pictures)

北极之王 Kings of the north

北极熊周

陆地上最大的食肉动物在冰冷的北方漫游。像这样的北极熊一生中大部分时间都在海冰上度过，而不是在陆地上，它们会跟踪自己最喜欢的猎物：海豹。北极熊极易御寒，特别适合在冰上生活，因此它们特别容易受到全球变暖的影响。他们的困境是北极熊周的焦点，每年11月的第一周，北极熊周将关注这些生活在大多数人看不见的地方的动物。

北极熊生活在格陵兰、挪威、俄罗斯、阿拉斯加和加拿大的部分地区。加拿大的大多数北极熊生活在广阔的哈德逊湾附近，在这里可以看到海豹河三角洲附近。随着夏季的结束，几个月来一直生活在脂肪储备区的饥饿熊聚集在哈德逊湾沿岸，等待结冰，以便它们能够重新开始捕猎。由于气候变化，夏季的无冰期变长了，缩短了熊的狩猎季节，使人类与熊相遇的可能性更大。虽然后者对熊观察者来说似乎是个好消息，但这些海兽最好从远处观看。

Polar Bear Week

The largest carnivore on land roams the icy north. Polar bears like this one spend much of their lives on sea ice rather than terra firma, stalking their favorite prey: seals. Superbly insulated against the cold, polar bears are uniquely suited for life on the ice—so they're especially vulnerable to a warming planet. Their plight is the focus of Polar Bear Week, observed the first week of every November, bringing attention to these creatures who live far out of sight of most humans.

Polar bears live in portions of Greenland, Norway, Russia, Alaska, and Canada. Most of Canada's polar bears live near the vast Hudson Bay, seen here near the delta of the Seal River. As summer ends, hungry bears who have been living on fat reserves for months gather on the shores of Hudson Bay, waiting for ice to form so they can return to the hunt. Due to climate change, the ice-free period of summer has grown longer, cutting short the bears' hunting season and making human-bear encounters more likely. And while the latter may seem like good news for bear-watchers, these maritime beasts are best viewed from afar.

洛桑日内瓦湖上空的暴风雨，瑞典 Stormy sky over Lake Geneva in Lausanne, Switzerland (© Suradech Singhanat/Shutterstock)

一个黑暗的暴风雨之夜 On a dark and stormy night...

弗兰肯斯坦星期五

如果看到日内瓦湖上空的风暴云聚集，你会陷入一种阴暗而沉闷的情绪，那么当玛丽·雪莱构思这个将成为她开创性作品的故事时，你会对她的心境有一个了解。虽然雪莱写了几部历史小说和旅游书籍，但正是这个关于一个怪诞生物的可怕故事给她留下了遗产。

今天，也是十月的最后一个星期五，是《弗兰肯斯坦星期五》，这是对雪莱1818年小说的一次庆祝，这部小说讲述了一位医生救死扶伤的故事，许多人认为这是第一部科幻小说。雪莱在法国-瑞士边境阿尔卑斯山北部的日内瓦湖为“弗兰肯斯坦”（又名“现代普罗米修斯”）构思了概念。1816年，她在这里度过了一个异常寒冷和潮湿的夏天，她的未来丈夫珀西·比什·雪莱和拜伦勋爵都是诗人。这群人被关在室内，互相挑战，想出鬼故事。玛丽很快写了一篇短篇小说，后来成为了《弗兰肯斯坦》，在一个漆黑、暴风雨的夜晚，日内瓦湖的阴暗和寒冷在很大程度上激发了她的灵感。

Frankenstein Friday

If the sight of storm clouds gathering over Lake Geneva puts you in a dark and ponderous mood, then you have an idea of Mary Shelley's frame of mind when she conceived the story that would become her seminal work. While Shelley wrote several historical novels and travel books, it was this macabre story of a grotesque creature that made her legacy.

Today and every final Friday of October is Frankenstein Friday, a celebration of Shelley's 1818 novel about a doctor who reanimates the dead—a tale of terror that many also think of as the first science fiction novel. Shelley concocted the concept for 'Frankenstein' (aka 'The Modern Prometheus') here at Lake Geneva in the northern Alps on the French-Swiss border. She spent an unusually cold and wet summer here in 1816 with her future husband Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron, both poets. Confined indoors, the group challenged one another to come up with ghost stories. Mary quickly wrote the short story that would become 'Frankenstein,' inspired in no small part by the gloom and chill of Lake Geneva on one dark and stormy night.

意大利威尼斯的叹息桥 Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy (© Doug Pearson/Alamy)

一个吻和一声叹息 A kiss and a sigh

意大利威尼斯叹息桥

在威尼斯的叹息桥（Ponte dei Sospiri）下，当你的船夫引导你穿过城市的运河时，是亲吻你心爱的人的好去处。但这个名字所指的叹息并不是因为你凝视着你亲爱的眼睛。这座封闭的桥于1600年完工，将新监狱（Prigioni Nuove）与总督府的审讯室连接起来，据说囚犯最后一次看到美丽的威尼斯是在这座桥上。这足以让人叹息。

Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy

Beneath Venice's Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs), is a popular place to kiss your beloved as your gondolier guides you through the city's canals. But the sighs that the name refers to aren't from staring into your darling's eyes. The enclosed bridge, completed in 1600, connects the Prigioni Nuove (New Prison) to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace, and it is said that a prisoner's last look at beautiful Venice would be on that bridge. And that's reason enough to sigh indeed.

巴尔干中央国家公园的布罗肯现象，保加利亚 Brocken specter in Central Balkan National Park, Bulgaria (© Maya Karkalicheva/Getty Images)

山上的幽灵 A ghost on the mountain

保加利亚中央巴尔干国家公园的布罗肯幽灵

万圣节即将来临，我们呈现了布洛克幽灵的鬼影。尽管出现了，而且这个赛季，布罗肯幽灵并没有什么超自然现象。这是观察者在半空中投射在强光源对面的云上的放大阴影。布罗肯幽灵是罕见的，但在黎明时爬上一座山，爬上雾蒙蒙的山坡，你可能很幸运地看到了这种效果。尽管这种幽灵，也被称为布罗肯弓、山幽灵或布罗肯幽灵，可以出现在条件合适的任何地方，但德国哈兹山脉的山峰布罗肯的浓雾创造了一个当地传说，这一现象由此得名。1780年，约翰·西尔伯施拉格（Johann Silberschlag）观察并描述了布罗肯幽灵，此后，有关该地区的文献中经常有记录。

Brocken specter in Central Balkan National Park, Bulgaria

With Halloween around the corner, we present the ghostly image of a Brocken specter. Despite appearances, and the season, there's nothing paranormal about a Brocken specter. It's the magnified shadow of an observer cast in midair upon a cloud opposite a strong light source. Brocken specters are rare but climb a mountain at dawn up to the misty slopes and you may be fortunate enough to witness the effect. While the specter, also known as a Brocken bow, mountain specter, or specter of the Brocken, can appear anywhere in which conditions are right, the thick fogs of the Brocken, a peak in the Harz Mountains in Germany, have created a local legend from which the phenomenon draws its name. The Brocken specter was observed and described by Johann Silberschlag in 1780 and has since been recorded often in literature about the region.

怪物公园里的奥库斯雕像, 意大利博马尔佐花园 Orcus sculpture in the Gardens of Bomarzo in Bomarzo, Italy (© Scott Wilson/Alamy)

怪物公园 Park of the Monsters

《怪物公园》，意大利博马佐

加入我们的万圣节前夕之旅，前往罗马西北约60英里的意大利小镇。我们要带你去博马佐，那里有一座曾经被遗忘的16世纪花园，里面摆放着巨大的雕塑，这些雕塑的目的是唤起人们的愉悦。在我们的照片中，奥卡斯的嘴，一个罗马冥界之神，一个诅咒破坏者的惩罚者，给游客一种被深渊吞噬的感觉。在参观Parco dei Mostri（怪兽公园）期间，你会看到其他怪诞的景象，比如一条龙被狮子袭击，一个巨人撕碎一个人，以及汉尼拔的大象抓走一名罗马士兵。这些怪诞的人物在创作近500年后，仍然会让人产生一种发自内心的恐惧，也许这正是他们的本意。16世纪，博马佐的维奇诺·奥西尼公爵（Duke Vicino Orsini）委托他们来应对妻子去世的悲痛。

'Park of the Monsters,' Bomarzo, Italy

Join us for a pre-Halloween trip to a small Italian town about 60 miles northwest of Rome. We're taking you to Bomarzo, where a once-forgotten 16th-century garden holds monstrous sculptures that are meant to evoke anything but pleasure. In our photo, the mouth of Orcus, a Roman god of the underworld and punisher of broken oaths, gives visitors the feeling of being swallowed into the abyss. During a visit to the Parco dei Mostri (Park of the Monsters), as it's known, you'll come across other grotesque sights such as a dragon being attacked by lions, a giant shredding a man, and Hannibal's elephant snatching a Roman soldier. Nearly 500 years after their creation, the grotesque figures still conjure up a visceral horror, perhaps as they were always meant to do. They were commissioned by Bomarzo's Duke Vicino Orsini in the 16th century to cope with the grief of his wife's death.

玛利恩堡，德国莱茵兰-普法尔茨州采尔县附近 Marienburg near Zell, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (© Eiben, Hans Georg/Alamy)

维尔茨堡美因河畔的一座城堡 Riverside castle

莱茵兰-帕拉蒂纳州马里恩堡

马里恩堡是德国维尔茨堡市美因河畔的一座城堡。它是维尔茨堡的象征，近5个世纪以来一直是王子和主教的故乡。它自古以来就是一座要塞。1631年，瑞典古斯塔夫二世阿道夫（Gustav II Adolf）征服该地区后，城堡被重建为巴洛克式要塞。今天，它是一个公园和博物馆。

Marienburg, Rhineland-Palatinate

Marienburg is a castle on the River Main in Wurzburg, Germany. It is the symbol of Wurzburg and has been the home of princes and bishops for nearly 5 centuries. It has been a fortress since ancient times. After Gustav II Adolf of Sweden conquered the area in 1631, the castle was rebuilt as a Baroque fortress. Today, it is a park and museum.

中国桂林漓江国家公园的喀斯特山脉 Karst mountains in Guilin and Lijiang River National Park, China (© Sean Pavone/Alamy)

云山雾绕 Misty mountain hop

中国桂林漓江国家公园

在这个迷人的地方，群山像龙牙一样刺穿雾霭。虽然它看起来像是一个幻想故事或科幻史诗的背景，但引人注目的桂林和漓江国家公园是非常真实的。

这个公园是中国最受欢迎的自然景点之一。丽江，或称漓江，流经该地区的石灰岩岩溶景观。正是喀斯特赋予了该地区不寻常的地质特征，尤其是覆盖着茂盛绿叶的锥形山丘，以及地表下的崎岖洞穴。

Guilin and Lijiang River National Park, China

Mountains pierce the mist like dragon's teeth in this enchanting location. Though it may look like the setting of a fantasy story or science fiction epic, the remarkable Guilin and Lijiang River National Park is quite real.

The park is one of the most popular natural attractions in China. The Lijiang, or Li River, flows through the region's limestone karst landscape. It's the karst that gives the area its unusual geologic features, notably the cone-like hills covered in lush greenery, but also the craggy caves below the surface.

美国南部的别样秋景 Leaf-peeping Southern style

乔治亚州的柏树

秋天的树叶是秋天的标志，当人们想到法兰绒、灯芯绒、南瓜香料和其他东西时。阳光明媚的白天和清爽的夜晚邀请我们走出去欣赏树叶的颜色变化。虽然有些人可能认为新英格兰的枫树是窥视树叶的金标准，但其他人则会把奖品授予落基山脉的白杨或南方的柏树。

佐治亚州的这些秃顶柏树变成了明亮的金色、橙色和深红色，与北方的竞争对手相媲美。大多数种类的柏树都是常绿的，但秃顶的柏树是落叶的，它们的花边针叶在秋天变成鲜艳的铜色，在冬天秋天，然后树木在春天长出一套新的针叶。秃柏原产于美国东南部，在墨西哥湾沿岸的密西西比河流域盛产。它们在路易斯安那州的河口是一个熟悉的景象，也生长在大西洋中部的沿海平原，就像这片帝王林。秃柏树在河岸和沼泽等潮湿条件下茁壮成长。这些生长缓慢的植物通常高达100英尺以上，为两栖动物、鱼类和鸟类提供了重要的栖息地，并保护海岸线免受侵蚀和洪水。如果你在一年中的这个时候来到这个地区，在温和的巨人们脱掉秋季服装之前，前往沼泽地观看秋季展览。

Bald cypress trees in Georgia

Fall foliage is the hallmark of autumn, when thoughts turn to flannel and corduroy, pumpkin spice and s'mores. Sunny days and crisp nights invite us to step outside to enjoy the changing colors of the leaves. While some may consider the maples of New England the leaf-peeping gold standard, others would give the prize to the aspens of the Rocky Mountains or the cypress trees of the South.

These bald cypress trees in Georgia turn brilliant shades of gold, orange, and crimson that rival their northern competitors. Most varieties of cypress are evergreen, but bald cypresses are deciduous—their lacy needles turn this vibrant copper color in autumn, fall in winter, then the trees grow a new set of needles in the spring. Bald cypresses are native to the southeastern US and flourish in the Mississippi River basin along the Gulf Coast. They're a familiar sight in the bayous of Louisiana and also grow in the coastal plains of the mid-Atlantic, like this regal grove. Bald cypresses thrive in wet conditions like riverbanks and swamps. Commonly reaching well over 100 feet tall, these slow growers provide important habitat for amphibians, fish, and birds, and they protect coastlines from erosion and flooding. If you're in the area this time of year, head to the swamp to see the autumn display before the gentle giants shed their fall outfits.

等等，这山上得有座城堡！ 'Wait, mountain—you shall bear my castle!'

俯瞰德国图林根森林的沃特堡城堡

当你浏览今天德国图林根森林树木变色的照片时，请注意远处的城堡。这就是瓦茨堡，一座建于中世纪的城堡，对有信仰的人来说意义重大。它是图林根天主教圣伊丽莎白的故乡，也是马丁·路德流亡期间将新约翻译成德语的地方。它是该地区最受欢迎的旅游景点，以其典型的中世纪建筑而闻名。

关于沃特堡的命名，有一些巧妙的文字游戏正在进行。”“Warte”是德语中“watchtower”和“wait”的意思传统认为，城堡的创建者惊呼“Warte，Berg du sollst mir eine Burg tragen！”或者“等等，大山，你将承受我的城堡！”看到位置后。注意那句引语中的“berg”和“burg”，它们分别翻译为山和堡垒。因此，在德国将单词拼凑在一起的伟大传统中，沃特堡这个名字应运而生。

如果你对这座城堡不感兴趣，那么素有“德国绿心”之称的图林根森林对游客来说也有其独特的魅力。德国最古老、最受欢迎的长途徒步旅行步道伦斯泰格（Rennsteig）在森林中绵延约110英里。如果你外出徒步旅行，你会注意到该地区总体上很安静，空气清新、无污染。你甚至可能会遇到一些小村庄，这些村庄遍布该地区，以欢迎外来者而闻名。

Wartburg Castle overlooking Thuringian Forest in Germany

As you glance over today's photo of the trees changing color in Thuringian Forest in Germany, make note of the castle in the distance. That's Wartburg, a castle built in the Middle Ages that holds significance to people of faith. It was the home of the Catholic Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, and also where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German while in exile. It's the area's most popular tourist attraction and has been recognized for its quintessential medieval architecture.

There's some clever wordplay going on regarding how Wartburg was named. 'Warte' is German for both 'watchtower' and 'wait.' Tradition suggests the castle's founder exclaimed 'Warte, Berg—du sollst mir eine Burg tragen!' or 'Wait, mountain—you shall bear my castle!' upon seeing the location. Note the 'berg' and 'burg' in that quote, which translate to mountain and fortress, respectively. And so in the grand German tradition of mashing words together, the name Wartburg came to be.

If the castle isn't of interest to you, Thuringian Forest, known as the Green Heart of Germany, has plenty of its own charm for tourists. The oldest and most popular long-distance hiking trail in Germany, the Rennsteig, runs for about 110 miles within the forest. If you're out for a hike you'll notice the general quietness of the area and fresh, unpolluted air. You may even happen upon the tiny villages that pepper the area and have a reputation for welcoming outsiders.

风之精灵

星空迷