2021-04-11
Mount Yoshino, Nara Prefecture, Japan (© Sean Pavone/iStock/Getty Images Plus)
吉野山，日本奈良 (© Sean Pavone/iStock/Getty Images Plus)
Mount Yoshino ranks as one of the best places in Japan to immerse yourself in the spring cherry blossom season. Over 30,000 flowering Japanese cherry trees, or sakura, grow in four main groves on the hillside. Because the trees, some planted over 1,300 years ago, grow at different elevations, the cherry blossom front gradually moves up the mountain in a slow, fragrant wave as the season progresses. Peak bloom usually arrives between early and mid-April. Most years, crowds wander through the town of Yoshino, visiting its traditional temples and shires, before admiring the profusion of cherry blossoms, a custom known as hanami. Of course, we can practice hanami virtually with pictures. But if you're lucky enough to have a blooming cherry tree near you, we encourage you to pause and breathe the moment in.
Mount Yoshino, Nara Prefecture, Japan (© Sean Pavone/iStock/Getty Images Plus)
吉野山，日本奈良 (© Sean Pavone/iStock/Getty Images Plus)
Mount Yoshino ranks as one of the best places in Japan to immerse yourself in the spring cherry blossom season. Over 30,000 flowering Japanese cherry trees, or sakura, grow in four main groves on the hillside. Because the trees, some planted over 1,300 years ago, grow at different elevations, the cherry blossom front gradually moves up the mountain in a slow, fragrant wave as the season progresses. Peak bloom usually arrives between early and mid-April. Most years, crowds wander through the town of Yoshino, visiting its traditional temples and shires, before admiring the profusion of cherry blossoms, a custom known as hanami. Of course, we can practice hanami virtually with pictures. But if you're lucky enough to have a blooming cherry tree near you, we encourage you to pause and breathe the moment in.
2021-04-12
Earth from the International Space Station, photographed by astronaut Jeff Williams (© Jeff Williams/NASA)
宇航员杰夫·威廉姆斯在国际空间站拍摄到的地球 (© Jeff Williams/NASA)
Sixty years ago today at around 9 AM Moscow time, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to get a view of Earth from space (like this one captured from the ISS by astronaut Jeff Williams). With the famous utterance 'Poyekhali!' ('Off we go!'), Gagarin launched into low Earth orbit in his Vostok 3KA spacecraft, making history in less than two hours with a complete trip around the planet. Landing in rural Russia, he became an instant worldwide celebrity—that is, after convincing puzzled locals he was a comrade and not a space alien.
Earth from the International Space Station, photographed by astronaut Jeff Williams (© Jeff Williams/NASA)
宇航员杰夫·威廉姆斯在国际空间站拍摄到的地球 (© Jeff Williams/NASA)
Sixty years ago today at around 9 AM Moscow time, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to get a view of Earth from space (like this one captured from the ISS by astronaut Jeff Williams). With the famous utterance 'Poyekhali!' ('Off we go!'), Gagarin launched into low Earth orbit in his Vostok 3KA spacecraft, making history in less than two hours with a complete trip around the planet. Landing in rural Russia, he became an instant worldwide celebrity—that is, after convincing puzzled locals he was a comrade and not a space alien.
2021-04-13
Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya Historical Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ayutthaya, Thailand (© travelstock44/Alamy)
大城历史公园中的帕喜善佩寺，泰国大城府 (© travelstock44/Alamy)
In present-day Thailand sit the ruins of the ancient kingdom that preceded it, Ayutthaya. Wat Phra Si Sanphet, shown here, was the holiest site in the capital of that kingdom, a royal temple containing a 52-foot tall, golden Buddha among other treasures. The first king of Ayutthaya, Ramathibodi I, ordered construction of a royal palace here in 1350. Nearly a century later, they palace was moved to a different location in the city and the former palace grounds were converted to a holy site.
Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya Historical Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ayutthaya, Thailand (© travelstock44/Alamy)
大城历史公园中的帕喜善佩寺，泰国大城府 (© travelstock44/Alamy)
In present-day Thailand sit the ruins of the ancient kingdom that preceded it, Ayutthaya. Wat Phra Si Sanphet, shown here, was the holiest site in the capital of that kingdom, a royal temple containing a 52-foot tall, golden Buddha among other treasures. The first king of Ayutthaya, Ramathibodi I, ordered construction of a royal palace here in 1350. Nearly a century later, they palace was moved to a different location in the city and the former palace grounds were converted to a holy site.