2021-04-04
An Ostereierbaum (Easter egg tree) in Saalfeld, Germany (© Rudi Sebastian/Alamy)
【今日清明】（ © yangphoto ）
If you find yourself in Germany or Austria around Easter, you'll see trees, branches, and bushes decorated in colorful eggs such as these. The Ostereierbaum (aka Osterbaum or Easter egg tree), is a German tradition dating back centuries, though no one's quite sure of the exact origin. Eggs have long been a symbol of rebirth and spring, and the sight of colorful eggs hung by ribbon can melt even the coldest of hearts.
An Ostereierbaum (Easter egg tree) in Saalfeld, Germany (© Rudi Sebastian/Alamy)
【今日清明】（ © yangphoto ）
If you find yourself in Germany or Austria around Easter, you'll see trees, branches, and bushes decorated in colorful eggs such as these. The Ostereierbaum (aka Osterbaum or Easter egg tree), is a German tradition dating back centuries, though no one's quite sure of the exact origin. Eggs have long been a symbol of rebirth and spring, and the sight of colorful eggs hung by ribbon can melt even the coldest of hearts.
2021-04-05
Saut du Brot stone bridge in the Areuse Gorge, Neuchâtel, Switzerland (© Andreas Gerth/eStock Photo)
Areuse峡谷的Saut du Brot石桥，瑞士纳沙泰尔 (© Andreas Gerth/eStock Photo)
Although this stone bridge, known as Saut de Brot, looks right out of a fairy tale, it serves a very practical purpose. It connects walking trails on each side of the Areuse Gorge, offering safe passage to hikers exploring the lush Brot-Dessous area in eastern Switzerland, a predominantly French-speaking region of this multilingual country. It's not known when the bridge was built exactly, though it's thought to be a recent construction. But if that's true, how do we not know who built it? All this mystery leads us to suspect it's the work of helpful gnomes and fairies living deep in the Swiss woods.
Saut du Brot stone bridge in the Areuse Gorge, Neuchâtel, Switzerland (© Andreas Gerth/eStock Photo)
Areuse峡谷的Saut du Brot石桥，瑞士纳沙泰尔 (© Andreas Gerth/eStock Photo)
Although this stone bridge, known as Saut de Brot, looks right out of a fairy tale, it serves a very practical purpose. It connects walking trails on each side of the Areuse Gorge, offering safe passage to hikers exploring the lush Brot-Dessous area in eastern Switzerland, a predominantly French-speaking region of this multilingual country. It's not known when the bridge was built exactly, though it's thought to be a recent construction. But if that's true, how do we not know who built it? All this mystery leads us to suspect it's the work of helpful gnomes and fairies living deep in the Swiss woods.
2021-04-06
The Parthenon temple in the Acropolis of Athens, Greece (© Lucky-photographer/Shutterstock)
雅典卫城的帕特农神庙，希腊 (© Lucky-photographer/Shutterstock)
Today marks the 125th anniversary of the first modern Olympic games, held in Athens in 1896—1,500 years after they were banned by the Roman Emperor. (The original games were held at least as far back as 776 BCE and probably earlier.) The 1896 games were held in the Panathenaic Stadium, in the shadow of the Acropolis of Athens, shown here. Those newly revived games of 1896 included athletes from 14 countries, with the largest delegations from Greece, Germany, France, and Great Britain. The 43 events included a marathon, tennis, cycling, fencing, shooting, Greco-Roman wrestling, and swimming. And while some things haven't changed over the years, some were pretty different back then. Swimmers were taken out to sea by boat for the longer races and had to swim back to shore. Winners were given a silver medal (copper for second place), as well as an olive branch and a diploma.
The Parthenon temple in the Acropolis of Athens, Greece (© Lucky-photographer/Shutterstock)
雅典卫城的帕特农神庙，希腊 (© Lucky-photographer/Shutterstock)
Today marks the 125th anniversary of the first modern Olympic games, held in Athens in 1896—1,500 years after they were banned by the Roman Emperor. (The original games were held at least as far back as 776 BCE and probably earlier.) The 1896 games were held in the Panathenaic Stadium, in the shadow of the Acropolis of Athens, shown here. Those newly revived games of 1896 included athletes from 14 countries, with the largest delegations from Greece, Germany, France, and Great Britain. The 43 events included a marathon, tennis, cycling, fencing, shooting, Greco-Roman wrestling, and swimming. And while some things haven't changed over the years, some were pretty different back then. Swimmers were taken out to sea by boat for the longer races and had to swim back to shore. Winners were given a silver medal (copper for second place), as well as an olive branch and a diploma.