Author: Ms. R.

The lush green oasis of Witjira-Dalhousie Springs stands in stark contrast to the barren sand dunes of the Simpson Desert and the Stony Plains that surround them. The springs are an outlet of the vast Great Artesian Basin, which stretches under the aforementioned regions and much of central Australia. Water has been trapped underground for up to 3 million years before emerging through one of 80 mound springs. Mound springs form when water is funneled up through a fracture……

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Old St. Paul’s Episcopal Church stands a stone’s throw away from the western exit of Edinburgh’s Waverley train station in Scotland. Though this structural configuration dates to the late 19th century, the congregation has origins dating back to the late 1600s when they split from St. Giles Cathedral over religious differences. Old St. Paul’s Church is also well-known in its community for its memorial chapel, which pays homage to the members of the parish that died in World War……

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In March 2024, Deb Manley, a volunteer in Big Bend National Park, Texas, uploaded photos of a small, low-lying plant covered in silvery fuzz to the species identification app iNaturalist. The app populates a public map with observations of plants and animals, which shows how frequently species are observed in a given area and can bring the user community together to tackle tricky identifications. Manley sparked one of those puzzles when she shared her photos of the plant, which……

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After the Great Fire of London in 1666, famed architect Sir Christopher Wren devoted a large part of his time and effort to rebuilding the city. Most famously, Wren rebuilt St. Paul’s Cathedral as well as 52 smaller churches within London. However, he also built eight new arched gateways into the city.  Temple Bar is the last of Wren’s gateways still standing. The gate is currently located just north of St. Paul’s Cathedral, but it was originally constructed about……

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When the clock strikes 5 p.m. in Bogotá, a horde of cars finds itself stuck in an all-too-familiar congestion nightmare. A motorbike weaves in and out of lanes, trucks incessantly honk, and what seems to be hundreds of engines idle in the blistering Colombian sun. Even pedestrians add to the motor muddle, as they dart dangerously through the gridlock. But then a savior in stripes descends upon the fury. White face paint and charcoal-lined eyes accentuate an expression of……

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Arrive early on Tłusty Czwartek, or “Fat Thursday” at Syrena Bakery and you’ll be greeted by the sight of rows upon rows of powdered sugar-dusted pillows. In Polish tradition, the six days leading up to Lent are a time of revelry and fried dough. Pączki—pronounced “pownch-key”—the plush, yeast-raised doughnuts filled with prune jam or rose jelly served in anticipation of the fast, have become a particular point of pride among Polish diasporic communities across the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard…….

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Towering over Vergelegen House and providing ample shade for visitors passing through the eponymous wine estate’s extensive gardens are the property’s “Big Five” camphor trees, which were declared national monuments in 1942.  Willem Adriaan van der Stel began planting these trees in 1700, shortly after he capriciously laid claim to nearly 75,000 acres of prime agricultural land 50 kilometers southeast of Cape Town. As an Extraordinary Councillor of the Dutch East Indies and the governor of the Cape Colony,……

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Freiburg is sometimes called the “Venice of Germany” due to its many little canals running parallel to the streets. These canals have underground sections, usually blocked off with iron bars to prevent junk from getting in and clogging them. Naturally, such structures have inspired local legends about creatures lurking beneath. The most popular legend is that of the canal crocodile, which is said to live in these tunnels and eat children who come too close. In 2001, the legend became……

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