Author: Ms. R.

Nestled among the Orobic Alps, the Italian valley of Valtellina is known across Europe for its glorious apples. The fruits grown on its terraced slopes are recognized by the European Union as products of protected geographical indication, due to their their distinctively crunchy texture and fragrant flavor. The trees themselves have also turned the valley into a destination. During spring, hikers and bikers flock to trails among the flowering apple orchards and their stunning Alpine backdrop. But in recent……

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The Standing Rock Sioux Reservation covers more than two million acres of grass plains, rolling hills, and buttes running alongside the Missouri River. The reservation takes its name from a sacred rock formation that resembles a woman with a child on her back. This sacred stone stands outside the Standing Rock Agency office in Fort Yates, North Dakota. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is part of what was known as the Great Sioux Nation. The stone once stood in……

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Near Oregon’s southeastern border with Idaho, miles from anything that could even generously be described as a city, is a small but well-maintained graveyard. It’s a peaceful place, as little disturbs the silence save for the gentle lowing of cows and the occasional fluttering of a magpie’s wings. It is here that the youngest member of the Lewis and Clark expedition is buried. The sweeping wilderness seems a fitting resting place for the young explorer. Nearly two centuries after……

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When Queen Elizabeth II, officially opened the square where this sculpture originally stood as a centerpiece, she reportedly inquired as to whether the bright yellow sculpture could be painted “a more agreeable color.” While the truth of this anecdote is up for debate, it accurately represents many people’s reaction to Vault, a sculpture made by Australian artist Ron Robertson-Swann. The large steel structure was installed in Melbourne City Square in May 1980. It lasted less than eight months in its intended position……

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They are rodents of unusual size, in an unexpected place. Fossils of three new species of giant cloud rats have researchers in the Philippines scratching their heads: The find, on the island of Luzon, hints the archipelago—one of the most species-rich places on the planet—was somehow even more biodiverse in the past. But it also raises questions about how these fluffy, pot-bellied rodents ended up in a cave, outside their usual habitat, and why they went extinct. The giant……

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Founded in 1955 by professional golfer George Vitense, the distinct features of the larger golf and entertainment center are the three 18-hole miniature golf courses. Set on the outskirts of this college town, you’ll find a quirky pairing of two full outdoor courses themed around the state of Wisconsin and California, plus an indoor course themed around the city of Madison. When Vitense first bought the land, which had originally been a farm, he had a vision. He wanted……

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Saint Genadio was a bishop during the Early Middle Ages. He resigned his high clerical status in 920 CE to meditate in a cave in El Valle del Silencio (Silent valley) in the Mountains of León. Located near the Mozarabic monastery in Peñalba de Santiago, he practiced a new and unknown game that helped him meditate. Today, somewhere in that area are still four pieces of carved goat bones that he used for the game derived from the Persian……

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Near the East 33rd Street entrance of the Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, stands a beautiful Japanese weeping cherry tree (Prunus pendula). Each spring, the tree bursts into a marvelous display of pink cherry blossoms. The cherry blossoms or sakuras represent beauty, rebirth, and mortality. Ironically, this tree was gifted to the hospital by infamous American mob boss and gangster Al Capone. During his 11-year sentence for federal income tax evasion, Capone spent four-plus years incarcerated at Alcatraz Federal……

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