分类必应美图下的文章

德比郡高峰区的Winnats山口，英格兰 (© Christopher Drabble/Alamy)

华盛顿州帕卢斯地区的农田 Farmland in Washington state's Palouse region (© Art Wolfe/Getty Images)

Harvest time in the Palouse

The Palouse region of inland Pacific Northwest is an unusually hilly prairie that straddles the state line between Washington and Idaho. Farming seems an unlikely endeavor here, but the land, and the weather patterns, make it ideal for wheat and lentil farming. This time of year, the soft white wheat harvest is on, as the crop turns from green to gold, and for the farmers, from harvest to profit. Before Europeans and early US settlers arrived, the Palouse was occupied by the Nez Perce people, who bred and raised horses with spotted coats—a breed that would eventually come to be known as 'appaloosas'—a gradual permutation of the name 'Palouse.'

哈利法塔湖中的迪拜喷泉，迪拜哈利法塔 The Dubai Fountain in Burj Lake taken from the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (© Eli Asenova/Getty Images)

Dancing waters of Dubai

With the 2009 opening of the Dubai Fountain, featured in today's image, the city of Dubai claims another record to the books—'world tallest performing fountain’—located appropriately enough at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, currently the world's tallest building. Designed by the same company that created the fountains at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, everything about the Dubai Fountain is impressive. Over 900 feet long and located in the 30-acre Burj Lake, the fountain has more than 6,600 lights and 75 color projectors, which are used to create over 1,000 different 'water expressions' and provide a full spectrum of color all perfectly choreographed to a carefully crafted musical playlist.

芬兰东部的Muje-Oulu湖 Muje-Oulu Lake in eastern Finland (© Topi Ylä-Mononen/plainpicture)

Lakeside serenity in Finland

Hikers and campers in Finland, where today's photo was taken, are allowed on nearly 90 percent of the nation's wilderness, regardless of the property's ownership. This practice is called Everyman's Right, or 'freedom to roam.' It's not really written down in Finland's laws, but is used as a sort of social pact: Those who want to enjoy the outdoors are free to roam just about anywhere, as long as they obey a few basic good-behavior rules. It's a practice that's observed to varying degrees across many parts of central Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic region, and Scotland.

温特弗灵附近的费灵加湖，德国巴伐利亚 Lake Feringasee near Unterföhring, Munich, Bavaria, Germany (© Westend61/Getty Images)

Recreation area at the gates of Munich

How about a dip in the cool water? On the shores of the Feringasee near Unterföhring in the district of Munich, numerous bathers cavort in summer. The 32-acre lake is one of the most popular lakes in the Munich area. The Feringasee was built as part of the construction work for the A99 motorway and was used until 1976 as a quarry.

Tidal pools of Leça da Palmeira, Portugal © Fernando Guerra/age fotostock

A splash by the sea

You wouldn't know there's a highway behind these beaming blue pools, and that is just what architect Álvaro Siza Vieira intended. At the young age of 26, Álvaro Siza designed these Piscinas das Marés (Pools on the Beach). His creation is a national landmark and is praised for the way the pools blend into the landscape from some perspectives, and show a harmonious blend of nature and artificiality from others. The design respectfully floats the pools between the soft sands of the beach and the rocky outcrops that have been here long before 1966, when the project was completed. The shapes of the pools simultaneously follow and oppose the natural lines of the terrain that surround them, a masterful balance that foregrounds the beauty of each, as well as the entirety of the scene Álvaro Siza has helped to set.

Of course, pools are for swimming, and locals and visitors flock to Leça da Palmeira for summer fun. The larger saltwater pool is designated for adults and sits close to the ocean. The other pool is located more inland and has an entrance that is fairly low to the ground—a lighthearted signal that this is where young kids can swim. Álvaro Siza built changing rooms and a café here too, with low-walled pathways that are carefully positioned to not only leave the views of the coastline undisturbed, but they follow the right angles to enhance what you see, whether you are headed to grab a bite or take a swim.

马格达伦群岛洞穴内部，加拿大魁北克 (© Virginie Fréchette/Getty Images)

Shining like Klondike gold

On August 16, 1896, two prospectors had their hopes literally pan out when they found a large deposit of gold along the banks of what would soon be known as the Bonanza River in the Klondike. And with that, Skookum Jim Mason (aka Keish) and his American brother-in-law George Carmack set in motion the Klondike Gold Rush—the richest gold strike in North American history. Because of the remoteness of the find, it would be over 11 months before the world found out. And it did so in the most dramatic fashion, when the steamers Portland and Excelsior pulled into Seattle’s harbor carrying over one ton of gold (worth over $1 billion in today's dollars).

The news reached the rest of the United States and Canada during a prolonged economic depression, which may help to explain why over 100,000 people quit their jobs (including the mayor of Seattle) and set out for the Yukon with dreams of striking pay dirt. But the trip was harrowing and arduous, and less than half of those who set out for the Klondike in Canada’s Yukon Territory wound up making it there. But the sudden influx of those who did complete the journey briefly turned Dawson City into the second largest city in Canada...and certainly the most expensive. Eggs cost $3 apiece (the equivalent of $81 today) and salt was literally worth its weight in gold. In the saloons of the boom town, a profit could be made by simply sweeping the floor and collecting spilled gold dust. Most who came lost everything. Today, Dawson City has a population of just under 1,400, making it the second largest city in the Yukon.

It's surströmming time

The historic wooden pier of Smögen, Sweden will be busy—and pungent—today. The third Thursday in August means one thing: surströmming season has arrived and all over Sweden, brave residents stand at the ready with can-openers in hand. If you've never taken part in a surströmmingsskiva, the Swedish word for this particular event, you're going to need a bucket of water, some side dishes, and a strong constitution.

In April and May, freshly caught herring from the Baltic Sea is quickly brined in just enough salt to keep the fish from rotting. In July, the rapidly fermenting fish is canned and then, come this day every summer, the cans are opened—outdoors and often submerged in a bucket of water to reduce the smell—and eaten with flat bread, potatoes, and usually a chaser of strong alcohol or beer. Some say sour herring, aka surströmming, is one of the most putrid smelling foods on Earth. Others say it's delicious.

An ice cap-puccino

No, that's not a new frozen coffee drink from Starbucks; it's the southern polar ice cap on Mars. Mars is the only other planet in the Solar System with a visible ice cap, though it differs from Earth’s because it is comprised of both water ice and frozen carbon dioxide. The ice cap looks smooth here, but its surface is pockmarked with swiss cheese-like depressions caused by the seasonal freezing and melting of the Martian winters and summers. While Mars has been observed by humanity for thousands of years, it was only on August 13, 1642, that Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens observed the ice cap using the most powerful telescope of the day. The giant of science designed the 50x magnification telescope himself, and with his brother, produced the lenses as well.

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