分类必应美图下的文章

冬日里的科赫尔湖，德国巴伐利亚州 Kochelsee and Heimgarten Mountain in Bavaria, Germany (© Reinhard Schmid/eStock Photo)

Kochelsee in Bavaria

To English speakers, this is Lake Kochel. To German speakers, it's Kochelsee. Whatever you call it, this popular recreation spot in Bavaria looks great all decked out in winter white. Imagine how quiet it must be when the lake is blanketed by snow. Now stretch your imagination further to the warm summer months when the shores of Kochelsee are busy with tourists out to get a dose of nature. The lake is just an hour's journey by car or train, south from the Munich. Visit during summer and you're likely to see windsurfers gliding across the surface of the lake.

巴伐利亚州的科切西

对说英语的人来说，这是科切尔湖。对说德语的人来说，这是科切西。不管你怎么称呼它，这个巴伐利亚州广受欢迎的娱乐场所穿上冬装，看起来很棒。想象一下，当湖面被雪覆盖时，一定是多么安静。现在，让你的想象力进一步延伸到温暖的夏季，科切西海岸正忙于吸引游客到这里来体验大自然。从慕尼黑以南，乘汽车或火车到这个湖只有一个小时的路程。夏季游览，你可能会看到风帆冲浪者滑过湖面。

安沙波利哥沙漠州立公园，美国加利福尼亚州 Borrego Badlands in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California (© Tom Hogan/plainpicture)

Borrego Badlands

If you're looking to take in a beautiful sunset over some exotic terrain, you could do worse than the Borrego Badlands, a 20-mile stretch of desert in southeastern California's Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. This arid landscape is not the kind of dune-filled terrain t you might visualize when you think of a desert, but a series of rolling hills, canyons, gullies, and arroyos, speckled with sparse but hardy vegetation. It makes for a surreal and beautiful view.

Fossilized seashells found in the area reveal that this arid landscape was once submerged under the waters of the Gulf of California and the Colorado River. The terrain was shaped over time by water and wind erosion into its current form. Today, the Borrego Badlands is a favorite spot for campers, while photographers are drawn by the picture-perfect sunsets.

博雷戈荒地

如果你想在异国情调的地形上欣赏美丽的日落，你可能会比博雷戈荒地（Borrego Badlands）更糟糕。博雷戈荒地位于加利福尼亚州东南部的安扎博雷戈沙漠州立公园（Anza Borrego desert State Park），是一片20英里长的沙漠。这片干旱的土地并不是你想象中的那种布满沙丘的土地，而是一系列起伏的丘陵、峡谷、沟壑和荒野，点缀着稀疏但耐寒的植被。这是一个超现实主义和美丽的景色。

在该地区发现的贝壳化石表明，这片干旱的土地曾被淹没在加利福尼亚湾和科罗拉多河的水域之下。随着时间的推移，地形被水和风侵蚀成现在的形状。今天，博雷戈荒地是露营者最喜欢的地方，而摄影师则被完美的日落所吸引。

汉密尔顿山顶的利克天文台，美国加利福尼亚州 The Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, near San Jose, California (© Jeffrey Lewis/Tandem Stills + Motion)

Lick Observatory

Shrouded in snow on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, lies the world's first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory. Constructed between 1876 and 1887, the Lick Observatory has been the site of significant discoveries including several of Jupiter's moons and other planetary systems. It's named for American real-estate entrepreneur James Lick, who set aside $700,000 for the University of California to build a facility that would be home to a 'telescope superior to and more powerful than any telescope yet made.'

His wish came true. The 36-inch refracting telescope on Mount Hamilton was the largest that had ever been built from when it saw first light on January 3, 1888, until the construction of the 40-inch refractor at Wisconsin's Yerkes Observatory in 1897. Sadly, Lick died before his vision became a reality, but his name lives on. His body is even buried beneath the telescope, which continues to scan the skies today.

利克天文台

在加利福尼亚州圣何塞以东的暗黑破坏神山脉的汉密尔顿山顶上，积雪覆盖着世界上第一座永久性的山顶天文台。建于1876年至1887年间的利克天文台一直是重大发现的地点，其中包括一些木星卫星和其他行星系统。这是以美国房地产企业家James Lick命名的，他为加利福尼亚大学留出了700000美元建造一个设施，它将是一个比任何望远镜都更强大、更强大的望远镜。

他的愿望实现了。汉密尔顿山上的36英寸折射望远镜是从1888年1月3日第一次看到曙光到1897年威斯康星州耶克斯天文台建造40英寸折射望远镜的最大望远镜。可悲的是，利克在他的梦想变成现实之前就去世了，但他的名字却永存。他的尸体甚至被埋在望远镜下面，望远镜今天继续扫描天空。

雪后的布拉格，捷克共和国 Skyline of Prague, Czech Republic (© benkrut/Getty Images)

Prague, Czech Republic

As a haze of blowing snow diffuses the streetlights of Prague, try to count the steeples, belfries, turrets, and towers that make up the Czech capital's skyline. You may lose count like 19th-century travel writers did when they dubbed Prague the 'city of 100 spires.' The number is closer to 1,000.

A few 'points' of interest: The Church of Our Lady before Týn in the foreground boasts 18 spires total between its two towers. Looming behind it is Prague Castle, built starting in the year 870 and currently the world's largest ancient castle. And the Old Town Hall, its clock tower brightly lit at left, houses an even more impressive timepiece at its base in the city square: The Prague Orloj, the oldest working astronomical clock, which has tracked celestial movements since 1410.

捷克共和国布拉格

当吹雪的烟雾弥漫布拉格的路灯时，试着数一数构成捷克首都天际线的尖塔、钟楼、塔楼和塔楼。你可能会像19世纪旅行作家将布拉格称为“100个尖塔之城”时那样数不清这个数字接近1000。

有趣的是：前景中Týn之前的圣母教堂在两座塔楼之间共有18个尖塔。它后面隐约可见布拉格城堡，建于870年，目前是世界上最大的古堡。旧市政厅的钟楼在左边明亮地点亮，在其位于城市广场的底座上放置着一个更令人印象深刻的钟表：布拉格奥尔洛伊，最古老的工作天文钟，自1410年以来一直跟踪天体运动。

跨年夜的篝火晚会，冰岛雷克雅未克 Bonfire to celebrate New Year's Eve in 2014 in Reykjavik, Iceland (© Ragnar Th Sigurdsson/Alamy)

New Year's Eve

The 'land of fire and ice' earns its nickname from the unique landscape of volcanoes and glaciers here, but Iceland's white-hot celebrations in the dead of the Nordic midwinter also evoke the phrase. The tradition of New Year's Eve bonfires in Iceland is said to date from the 18th century, when a group of schoolboys heralded the new year by scrounging up and torching a huge pile of wood scraps. The unruly teenagers' celebration sparked the general public's interest, and annual fires—like this one in Reykjavik—became an internationally noted tradition for Icelanders. Huddle up to the fire and raise a toasty-warm toast to the new year!

除夕夜

“火与冰之地”得名于这里独特的火山和冰川景观，但冰岛在北欧仲冬之夜举行的白热化庆祝活动也唤起了这句话。据说，冰岛的除夕篝火传统可以追溯到18世纪，当时一群小学生捡起并焚烧一大堆木屑来庆祝新年。不守规矩的青少年庆祝活动激发了公众的兴趣，每年雷克雅未克这样的火灾成为冰岛人的国际著名传统。蜷缩在炉火旁，为新年干杯！

星空下的灯塔，德国Westerhever镇 Westerheversand Lighthouse in Westerhever, Germany (© Sandra Bartocha/Minden Pictures)

Westerheversand Lighthouse

Even in the places most altered by humans, nature seems to slip through, like the Milky Way shown here peeking between light beams from Germany's Westerheversand Lighthouse. This beacon lies along the Wadden Sea, which forms the world's largest tidal flat along the Dutch, German, and Danish coasts.

This soggy low country was once prone to deadly flooding, but over time, locals have moved earth and sea to reinvent the coastline with dikes, causeways, and artificial islands. You may not guess it by the thousands of species of seabirds, shellfish, and other lifeforms that thrive here, but this UNESCO-recognized biosphere is one of the most engineered locales on Earth.

韦斯特海尔桑灯塔

即使在那些被人类改变最多的地方，自然似乎也在悄悄溜走，就像图中所示的银河系在德国西部凡尔赛灯塔的光束之间窥视。这座灯塔位于瓦登海沿岸，瓦登海在荷兰、德国和丹麦海岸形成了世界上最大的潮坪。

这个潮湿低洼的国家曾经容易发生致命的洪水，但随着时间的推移，当地人已经移动了土地和海洋，用堤坝、堤道和人工岛屿重建了海岸线。你可能无法从这里繁衍生息的数千种海鸟、贝类和其他生命形式中猜到，但这个联合国教科文组织认可的生物圈是地球上最精心设计的地方之一。

半球形的谢尔亨里克森天文台，挪威斯瓦尔巴群岛 Kjell Henriksen Observatory in Svalbard, Norway (© Vincent Fournier/Gallery Stock)

Kjell Henriksen Observatory

While these domes look like they should be in a movie set depicting a galaxy far, far away, they're actually part of a scientific research station here on planet Earth. Kjell Henriksen Observatory is named for a Norwegian scientist whose research focused on polar lights. The aurora borealis is frequently seen here, deep within the Arctic Circle on Norway's remote Svalbard territory. And the observatory is specially designed to observe the aurora. Since it opened in 2008, the observatory has become a destination for atmospheric scientists, who can rent one of these thirty glass-topped rooms built to house high-end optical instruments.

基尔·亨利克森天文台

虽然这些圆顶看起来像是在电影场景中描绘了一个遥远的星系，但它们实际上是地球上一个科学研究站的一部分。基尔·亨利克森天文台是以一位挪威科学家的名字命名的，他的研究集中在极光上。在挪威偏远的斯瓦尔巴特地区的北极圈深处，经常可以看到北极光。天文台是专门为观测极光而设计的。自2008年开放以来，天文台已成为大气科学家的目的地，他们可以租用这30间玻璃顶房间中的一间，这些房间是为安装高端光学仪器而建造的。

宛如圣诞精灵的树干，乌克兰喀尔巴阡山脉 Trees on the northern slope of Mount Khomyak in the Carpathian Mountains, Ukraine (© panaramka/Getty Images)

Merry Christmas

For Christmas Day, we're taking in the winter views on Mount Khomyak in Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains. The bright green moss and the red of the fallen leaves pop against the snowy white, as though the forest were transforming into a magical band of Christmas elves. While much of the Christian world celebrates Christmas on December 25, for those who follow Eastern Orthodox Christian traditions—including many Ukrainians—Christmas is still a couple weeks away. Eastern Orthodox Christmas celebrations are tied to the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the more universal Gregorian calendar, so Christmas Day in Ukraine will be celebrated on January 7.

In many Eastern European cultures, a traditional Christmas Eve dinner consists of 12 meat-free courses meant to symbolize the 12 disciples of Christ. For the Ukrainian feast, kutia, a sweet wheat grain pudding, is a star of the meal—other dishes may include braided bread, fish, and soup. The meal begins when children spot the first star that appears in the night sky. Christmas Day is typically spent in church services and with family.

If you're celebrating Christmas—either today or in 13 days—we wish you a merry one.

圣诞快乐

圣诞节，我们将在乌克兰喀尔巴阡山脉的霍米亚克山上欣赏冬季美景。明亮的绿色苔藓和红色的落叶映衬着雪白的天空，仿佛森林正在变成一队神奇的圣诞精灵。虽然大部分基督教世界在12月25日庆祝圣诞节，但对于那些遵循东正教基督教传统的人，包括许多乌克兰人来说，圣诞节还有几个星期。东正教的圣诞节庆祝活动与儒略历（Julian calendar）有关，儒略历比更普遍的公历晚13天，因此乌克兰的圣诞节将在1月7日庆祝。

在许多东欧文化中，传统的平安夜晚餐包括12道无肉菜，象征着基督的12个门徒。在乌克兰的宴会上，一种甜的小麦布丁kutia是这顿饭的明星。其他菜肴可能包括编织面包、鱼和汤。当孩子们看到夜空中出现的第一颗星星时，这顿饭就开始了。圣诞节通常是在教堂里和家人一起度过的。

如果你今天或13天后要庆祝圣诞节，我们祝你圣诞快乐。

'Smoking nights' in Austria

Behold the lovely Tannenbaum ('fir tree' for you non-German speakers). Here in Tyrol, Austria, Christmas Eve marks the first of three Rauchnächte, or 'smoking nights.' A long-standing Tyrolean tradition, people in this Alpine region burn frankincense and herbs in homes, barns, and stables to avert bad fortune. The custom is then repeated on the other two 'smoking nights,' New Year's Eve and the night before Epiphany.

It's said that everything that happens on these nights is of great significance, including one's dreams. Whatever you dream on smoking nights is thought to be a message from above foretelling what the next year may bring. Pardon us while we drift off to the holiday carol 'O Tannenbaum,' currently playing in our heads. Sweet dreams!

奥地利的“吸烟之夜”

看看可爱的坦嫩鲍姆（“冷杉树”适合非德语人士）。在奥地利的蒂罗尔，平安夜是三个“吸烟之夜”中的第一个这个阿尔卑斯地区的人们在家里、谷仓和马厩里燃烧乳香和草药以避免厄运，这是一个由来已久的蒂罗尔传统。这一习俗随后在另外两个“吸烟之夜”——除夕夜和主显节前一晚重复。

据说，在这些夜晚发生的一切都具有重大意义，包括一个人的梦想。无论你在吸烟之夜做什么梦，都被认为是来自上面的信息，预示着明年会发生什么。请原谅，当我们去度假的时候，卡罗尔·奥·塔南鲍姆正在我们的脑海中演奏。甜美的梦！

投射在安纳西中皇岛墙上的雪景影像，法国上萨瓦省 Winter scene illuminated on the Palais de l'Isle in Annecy, Haute Savoie, France (© blickwinkel/Alamy)

Illuminating Annecy

Who knew that an 800-year-old structure could look so festive? The pretty holiday illumination you see is adorning the side of the Palais de l'Ile, a distinctive historic building in the town of Annecy, France, high in the French Alps. Designated a historic monument in 1900, the medieval structure is perched on a small islet in the Canal du Thiou.

Over the years, this house 'in the shape of a ship' has served as a palace for local nobility, a prison, a courthouse, an administrative building for the regional government, and today is a museum of local history. The town of Annecy itself, dubbed 'the pearl of the French Alps,' was annexed during the French Revolution. Today it's the largest city in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. Near the border with Switzerland, the area is also home to Lake Annecy, the third-largest lake in France. It's a popular tourist draw for skiers in winter, and hikers and cyclists in summer.

发光退火

谁知道一座有800年历史的建筑会如此喜庆？你所看到的美丽的假日照明装饰着Palais de l'Ile的侧面，这是法国阿尔卑斯山高处的安纳西镇上一座独特的历史建筑。这座中世纪建筑于1900年被指定为历史遗迹，坐落在杜丘运河的一个小岛上。

多年来，这座“船形”的房子一直是当地贵族的宫殿、监狱、法院、地方政府的行政大楼，今天是当地历史博物馆。被称为“法国阿尔卑斯山明珠”的安纳西镇本身在法国大革命期间被吞并。今天，它是法国东南部奥弗涅-罗恩阿尔卑斯地区最大的城市。靠近瑞士边境，该地区也是法国第三大湖泊安纳西湖的所在地。它是冬季滑雪者、夏季徒步旅行者和骑自行车者的热门旅游景点。

星空迷