Here are some of the prettiest small towns across Europe.

They call it the Dutch answer to Venice, but Giethoorn lacks one crucial thing that the Italian city has overtourism. As in Venice, life goes around the water. There are no cars in the center so the only way to get around is on foot or on the water. Hungry? Stop at the Michelin-starred restaurant Hollands Venetië.

Guimãries is crucial to Portugal’s history — It was named the country’s first capital in the 12th century. Its Middle Age core remains largely undamaged, full of grand old palaces and a broken castle, standing on top of a cliff. Like everywhere in Portugal, local bakeries make a taste pie, but here you should try the local speciality: tortas de Guimãries, a pastry filled with squash and ground almonds.

Donkeys used to be the only way to get up and down the steep streets of Clovelly, a pretty fishing village in Devon, southwest England. Today, they still haven’t managed to bring cars in. It sits at the bottom of a 400-foot cliff. Instead, goods are transported by man-powered sledges (雪橇).

On the southwestern tip of Ireland, the land melts into the ocean in County Kerry. Kenmare swings on the bay of the same name. This is in the middle of some of Ireland’s best loved ares. It’s on the Wild Atlantic Way, between the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Beara. Kenmare is known for its food, and for its views — with grand mountains behind the clear bay.

Darcie Hayward will have her five-year-old Alaskan Malamute, Sora, put paws on the pavement every day of the next month to raise funds for Guide Dogs Australia’s PAWGUST campaign.

The initiative, which encourages Australians to walk their dogs for 30 minutes a day for 30 days, is a cause close to the 29-year-old’s heart. Her younger blind brother Lachie, 27, was recently matched with a guide dog of his own, black Labrador Eddie in May after 18 months of tests and compatibility(相容)training.

“Since Eddie arrived, Lachie has been able to walk around without his cane(手杖), feeling like he is just walking his dog, ” said Darcie, who lives in Langwarrin, Victoria. “They are best friends. ” Seeing the difference a guide dog made to her brother, Darcie was overjoyed to be raising funds, so other Australians could one day have their own companion dogs, like Lachie.

“Many people see a guide dog and go, not realizing how much it takes to raise a guide dog puppy so I want to raise some awareness, ” said Darcie. “It’s amazing to see how Lachie’s life has improved, but there are many people without that companionship. It’s really nice to be able to contribute in any way I can. I shared the experience on our local community web page, mentioning we are raising money for guide dogs. Surprisingly, a couple of strangers donated. ”

It seems that Eddie has already been a popular pup with the locals. “There are so many kids who have been asking to pat Eddie that Lachie has to reject them, ” Darcie added with a smile. Excited to be making a positive impact by walking her own dog, Darcie is eager to encourage more people to fetch their leashes(牵狗用的皮带) and tie up their trainers to take action.

“All of our senses convert (转换) physical energy in the surrounding world into electrical responses. which are the common currency that the nervous system uses, “ said James Hudspeth from Rockefeller University.

Hudspeth said, “Our ears have to convert mechanical vibrations(震动)in the air into electrical responses. And the way this is done is that there are so-called hair cells. These cells have little microscopic bristles(刚毛), about a hundred of them, and on the top of each cell, these bristles vibrate back and forth in response to sound. That sets up an electrical signal that goes down a nerve fiber and into the brain. ”

Hudspeth continued, “The real question is what happens with these hair cells as they degenerate. We lose them owing to loud sounds and certain drugs, and we lose them with ag- ing. What can be done to repair them so that we can restore hearing?”

Another expert, Robert Fettiplace said, “Well, I mean there are two aspects to this, one of which is that you could try and regrow them. Almost all hearing loss is due to death of the hair cells or lack of formation of them in the first place. The cells are all different. ”

Hudspeth said, “The problems that Robert has mentioned go for mammals, including ourselves. The situation is different with other four-legged animals. But, in reptiles, including birds, this regeneration is going on all the time, like in fish. In fact, you can take a chicken to a concert, blasting its ears. They will nicely regenerate, and even with frequency- specific hair cells, they will reconnect, and the animal will be able to hear normally again. ”

Hudspeth added, “I agree that there is an enormous challenge, and this is certainly some- thing that won’t happen overnight in ourselves. But I don’t think it’s a hopeless task and I think basically what many people are trying to do is decode (解码) the signals sent as these hair cells develop, and by doing so to recognize the signaling pathways that might be reactivated the original development and restore hair cells by that means. ”