分类必应美图下的文章

新英格兰的杨树，澳大利亚新南威尔士州 (© ILYA GENKIN/Alamy)

Guaita Tower in San Marino (© Piercarlo Abate/Shutterstock)

In the 'Most Serene Republic'

Though some of the details of the founding of San Marino vary depending on who is telling the story, what's certain is that in the 4th century CE, a stone mason built a Christian chapel on a hill near the Mediterranean coast and founded the settlement that would share a name with Saint Marinus. Over the centuries European nations grew, shrank, and changed—but San Marino remained, ultimately bordered on all sides by Italy. Today, this tiny nation, sometimes called the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, celebrates 1,718 years of existence and its continued status as the world's smallest republic—24 square miles of quaint European charm embedded in Italy's northeastern region.

拉姆绍的Wimbachklamm峡谷，德国巴伐利亚 Wimbachklamm, Ramsau, Bavaria, Germany (© Westend61 GmbH/Alamy)

At the foot of the Watzmann

The gorge is a particularly narrow, deeply cut gorge with partly overhanging rock walls in the mountains. Today's homepage picture shows the Wimbachklamm near Ramsau. It is located in the heart of the Berchtesgaden National Park, nestled between the mountains Watzmann and Hochkalter. The Wimbach torrent has left a deep cut in the rock over the past 50 million years.The Wimbachklamm is open from May to October and can be passed over wooden bridges over a length of 200 meters. Only a few meters below the path the Wimbach roars, and the rock walls throw back the sounds of the water masses many times.

法国塔恩河沿岸的Castelbouc城堡和塔恩峡谷 Castelbouc and the Gorges du Tarn along the Tarn River in France (© Stefan Schurr/Westend61/Offset)

Bidding summer adieu

Today, on the traditional end of the French summer season, we're featuring the wild beauty of the Gorges du Tarn, a canyon formed by the Tarn River in south central France. The Tarn Gorge is about 33 miles long and, at points, almost 2,000 feet deep. It's a popular spot for tourists, especially kayakers and rock climbers. History buffs also find much to explore, including the castles and villages built along—or even carved into—the canyon walls, like Castelbouc in today's image.

正在巨石间走扁带的人，加利福尼亚毕晓普 Slacklining between giant boulders in Bishop, California (© Evgeny Vasenev/Aurora Photos)

Walk the line

Our homepage today shows two climbers slacklining between boulders near Bishop, California. Look closely and you’ll see something very similar to tight-rope walking: the slackliners anchor a thin strip of webbing between two points and then walk across (very carefully, of course). Bishop is near the Sierra Nevada mountain range and is a popular destination for climbers interested in both slacklining and bouldering. What's bouldering? That's rock climbing without ropes or harnesses. Instead, climbers simply shimmy up rocky crags and free-standing boulders—but no higher than 20 feet, for safety’s sake. And where there are rock climbers, you’ll likely find slackliners.

新泽西阿斯伯里公园 Asbury Park in New Jersey (© Patrick Morisson/Alamy)

Greetings from Asbury Park

The warm waters of the Atlantic and a long stretch of sand bring thousands of visitors, but Asbury Park also draws waves of art, culture, and music that shine brightly in the summer months. Bruce Springsteen, has played here regularly since the 1970s, performing everywhere from The Stony Pony, an iconic music venue, to a benefit show at Asbury Lanes, a bowling alley that was in dire need of sprucing up. Springsteen, who grew up near here, clearly finds this place special—the name of his 1973 album inspired the title for today‘s image. But the rich history of the music scene predates The Boss, with the sounds of jazz, gospel, and rhythm and blues spilling out from clubs dating back to the 1920s, when the area was developed as a seaside community. Musicians Arthur Pryor, Clifford Johnson, and many others helped Asbury Park be rooted in America‘s rich musical history. The tradition continues today with a ‘Jams on the Sand‘ summer concert series and plenty of other events around town. Whet

科尼西宫的花园，佛罗伦萨 The Gardens of the Palazzo Corsini al Prato in Florence for the New Generation Festival (© Will Perrett/Alamy)

Florentine garden brings generations together

Hidden from view, many tourists never realize that the Corsini Garden, featured in today's image, lies just beyond the walls of the Palazzo Corsini al Prato. You'll find the garden and palace in Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance and capital of Tuscany. Designed by architect Bernardo Buontalenti in the early 1590s, the Palazzo Corsini al Prato and Corsini Garden will host the 3rd annual New Generation Festival this week. The festival, which features a new generation of musical talent from around the world performing a different musical genre each night, is designed to break down barriers between generations. For four nights, young and old will enjoy opera, jazz, and classical music in an Italian garden that has enchanted visitors for more than a dozen generations.

Remembering Krakatoa

Over two days in late August 1883, Krakatoa—an uninhabited island near Indonesia—experienced one of the most destructive volcanic explosions of modern times. Ten times more powerful than the eruption of Mount St. Helens, the explosion obliterated all but a third of the island. The blast could be heard 3,000 miles away—it's still the loudest sound ever recorded—and triggered massive tsunamis. More than 36,000 people lost their lives, and the explosions impacted the entire world: Global temperatures dropped and skies darkened for years, causing huge crop failures. Sunsets turned a vivid red and the moon was often blue or green for years after the event due to the volcanic debris circling in the atmosphere.

The volcano we're featuring today emerged from the ruins of the giant that exploded on this day in August 1883. Anak Krakatoa, or ‘child of Krakatoa,' began to rise in 1927. Though it has yet to be as destructive as its predecessor, the juvenile volcano is highly active, and a collapse of the lava dome in December 2018 caused a massive tsunami, a reminder of just how dangerous this part of the world remains.

Classical music takes center stage

We're looking at the West–Eastern Divan youth orchestra rehearsing for a performance in the BBC Proms. The Proms (short for promenade concerts) annual music festival is held in London over eight weeks from July into September. The first Proms took place on August 10, 1895 in the Queen's Hall in Langham Place, London. After the Queen's Hall was destroyed by a bomb during the London Blitz, The Proms moved here to the Royal Albert Hall in 1941. This year marks the 125th festival and includes 150 concerts and educational events. While the focus is on classical music, the Proms in the Park event closes out the season with performances from Barry Manilow, Chrissie Hynde, and other pop artists.

A desert arts pop-up, just popped up

Today we're viewing North America's largest arts and music festival—dust free—from a satellite lens. Welcome to Black Rock City, the pop-up home of Burning Man, a raucous festival that takes place in late summer each year on the sun-scorched alkali flats of Nevada's Black Rock Desert. It's an unusual set-up, a counterculture mecca where gifts reign supreme and money has no value.

Festival goers are called ‘burners' in honor of the massive wooden effigy of a man they build each year, only to set ablaze on the penultimate eve of the event. Attendees may come as individuals or entire communities, planning months in advance to construct grandiose art installations, fantastical floats, cars, and other experiences that defy the logistical constraints of the harsh desert landscape. To do this they must pack in everything they'll need for nine days, with the full knowledge that it must all be packed out. Any litter left behind is considered MOOP (Matter Out Of Place), so glitter and other items difficult to retrieve from the desert floor are forbidden. Once inside, goods or services can't be bought, however volunteering and gifting are expected. Part of the mission behind Burning Man is to build a creative and connected community. A worthy goal, especially for those spending a week in the desert with 70,000 of their closest, weirdest, and dustiest friends.

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