1 . Getting around Valencia can be exhausting on foot if you want to see it all, but luckily, the city is very bike-friendly.

This 3-hour Valencia bike tour takes you on a lovely journey from the historic center to the beach where you’ll enjoy a drink at the end. If you’re looking for a truly personalized experience, this is it. The guide is super knowledgeable and gives lots of inside information about the sites you pass and local culture along the way.

With the warm lights of the historic center’s cobbled streets, cycling around Valencia is so different than in the day. The tour takes you through Turia Park to the City of Arts and Sciences which is impressively lit up at night. As you cycle past different tourist attractions, the guide will let you in on the history and culture of the city.

Being one of the classical guided bike tours Valencia offers, this takes you to the main tourist attractions in the old town like the Valencia Cathedral, the Silk Exchange, and the Serranos Towers. You’ll bike in Valencia’s longest park, Turia Park, which leads to the City of Arts and Sciences and a must-visit on any trip to the city. On different stops, the guide will fill in with history and anecdotes about the places you pass.

This tour takes you through the old town of Valencia where you’ll see the top tourist spots like the Valencia Cathedral and the Silk Exchange along the way on your own. You’ll pass the City Hall and the complex on your way to Turia Park where Valencia’s bike paths are at their best. Eventually, you’ll reach the City of Arts and Sciences where you can admire the modern architecture and learn more about the impressive complex.

2 . How to Travel Sustainably in Puerto Rico

From small, farm-sourced restaurant menus to guesthouse stays, community tours and Puerto Rican cultural workshops, Puerto Rico is strengthening its sustainable tourism scene.     1    

Food trip in Old San Juan.

Sign up for a three-hour walk with Spoon Food Tours and get to know locals’ favourites for coffee, snacks and meals served at family-run businesses. The morning kicks off at Don Ruiz Coffee Shop. Try the mallorca, a kind of sweet pastry (油酥糕点), and wash it down with a cup of single origin coffee harvested from the 19th-century Ruiz plantation.     2    

Learn Afro-Puerto Rican culture in Loíza.

The seaside town of Loíza in the Pinones region, a 20-minute drive east of San Juan, is known as the heart of Afro-Puerto Rican culture. Its outdoor drawings feature Afro-boricua women in colourful headwraps and loose dresses, while the interior shines with an open stage for dancing.     3     At the back, a boardwalk attracts hikers and bikers.

Join Local Guest’s community experiences.

    4     Founders Carmen Portela and Monica Perez’s aim is to direct visitors towards culture and nature-rich communities, in turn providing the areas with a sustainable income. Unique experiences include caving, taking a pottery workshop or kayaking Puerto Rico’s longest river. Local Guest also runs a non-profit programme, which matches small volunteer groups with a variety of established community-based ongoing restoration projects for long-term impact.

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An encouraging start from larger hotels, the new Puerto Rican owned Finca Victoria is a two-and-a-half-acre botanical farm guesthouse lying in the hills at the heart of the island. A 10-minute drive to Vieques’ beaches, this eco-conscious property provides relaxation, from its natural wooden house to its organic local farm-sourced vegetarian (素食者) breakfasts.

A documentary titled Across the Straits, which describes the cultural bond between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, went online on January 15,     1     (attract) viewers through the historical and cultural bonds between the two sides.

An actor, from Taiwan, and a hostess, from Chinese mainland, are the hosts of the documentary. Together, they undertake     2     cultural exploration of the Guandi Temple in Dongshan County, East China’s Fujian Province.

Guandi Temple, established     3     (honor) the Eastern Han Dynasty warrior Guan Yu, has a history spanning over 600 years. The documentary sheds light on the historical significance of the temple     4     (treasure) by both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

The Guandi culture in Dongshan     5     (possess) numerous distinctive features, not only preserving a series of unique folk traditions     6     terms of cultural heritage but also having a wide-ranging influence on cross-Straits exchanges from a different perspective.

“Countless historical facts and folk anecdotes across the Straits     7     (continue) prove that we share a common history, culture and blood     8     (tie),”the actor said, adding that Dongshan for him feels like returning home.

“It is a place     9     the people speak the Minnan dialect, share devotion to Guan Yu, and collectively uphold the values of loyalty, bravery, courtesy,     10     (wise), and trust,” the actor was quoted as saying.

5 . Gettysburg National Military Park was established in 1895, 32 years after the deadly battle. Gettysburg is the most-visited of the Civil War battlefields.

Many visitors start their visit at the Gettysburg Museum of the Civil War. The museum has the world’s largest collection of Civil War objects. The museum has more than 1 million items, from soldiers’ private notebooks and uniforms to original maps of the battlefield. The museum also houses the Gettysburg cyclorama (风景画幕) painting, showing the final attack in the Battle of Gettysburg: Pickett’s Charge. George Pickett was a Confederate general. On July 3, 1863, he led a charge against stronger Union forces. It was a disaster for the Confederate soldiers.

French artist Paul Phillippoteaux and a team of 20 artists created the painting in the 1880s. Phillippoteaux and his team visited the battlefield. It took more than one year for the huge painting to be complete. The cyclorama is 114 metres long and almost 13 metres tall. It has long been one of the most popular parts of the Gettysburg experience. But by the 1990s, the painting was in poor condition. Experts warned that if the cyclorama was not repaired, the painting could be lost.

A restoration project began in 2003. The painting was cleaned and separated into its 14 parts, and later moved into the new centre. There, the original canvas (帆布) was sewn onto new cloth made in China. Park service officials say China was one of the few countries able to produce cloth in the sizes needed. Then each part was hung and sewn together.

A team of cyclorama experts from Poland worked on the project in Gettysburg. The repair work of the Gettysburg Cyclorama marked one of the largest art conservation effort ever in North America.

After the museum, tourists can visit the Soldiers’ National Cemetery, where many of the Union soldiers who died during the Battle of Gettysburg are buried. The cemetery was dedicated on November 19, 1863, the same day President Lincoln gave his “Gettysburg Address”. Historians agree that Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address defined Americans as a people who believed in freedom, democracy and equality.

Every year thousands of tourists flock to China. They come to see the grand sights of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, but     1     leaves the strongest impression is the ancient Chinese architecture     2     (feature) the hutongs. Nowadays, the word “hutong” has come to mean more than just the alleys that connect the courtyards. It also refers to the courtyards     3     (they) and even to the communities that live there.

The majority of Beijing’s hutongs     4     (build) during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. To help them keep control over the city, the Emperors placed guards at the     5     (enter) of hutongs, which made it easier to keep an eye on people’s movements.

By connecting people’s homes, the hutongs in fact connected people’s lives,     6     the lives of the rich or the lives of the ordinary citizens. Because of the hutongs, courtyards were joined together for miles around,     7     created a network of people working, playing and living together — a real community.

Hutongs are still an important part of Beijing’s life and it is not surprising that tourists love the hutongs. They can walk up Sanmiao Street — a     8     (historic) significant street in central Beijing. The hutongs not only link Beijing’s streets and communities, but also its past and present, showing that Beijing is truly     9     ancient yet modern city. Thanks to the increasing importance     10     (attach) to cultural heritage protection in recent years, the tourists have the chance to feel connected to the past.

Nowadays, the word “hutong ” has come to mean more     1     just the alleys that connect the courtyards. It also refers to the courtyards     2     (they) and even to the communities that live there.

To help them keep control over the city, the Emperors during these Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasty    3    (arrange) different areas of Beijing in neat blocks of houses established around courtyards. They were then able to place guards at the     4    (enter) of the various hutongs, which made it easier     5    (keep) an eye on people’s movements.   

By connecting people’s homes, the hutongs in fact connected people’s lives,     6     the lives of the rich or the lives of the ordinary citizens.

Towards the end of the Qing Dynasty, the conditions in Beijing’s hutongs went down as the political situation cast a dark cloud on China’s economy. Many new hutongs were quickly built to house the     7    (increase) population but these new hutongs    8    (make) poorly.     

Hutongs are still     9     important part of Beijing’s life and it is not surprising that tourists love the hutongs. They can walk up Sanmiao Street,     10    (date) back 900 years.

9 . If you decide to see the northern lights, consider heading to Canada, where they fill the sky 300 days a year in certain regions.

Yukon

With its sweeping landscapes and dramatic mountain views, Yukon is an outdoor lover’s dreamland. Take advantage of the brief window between the end of summer and first snowfall in autumn to combine outdoor activities like boating along the storied Yukon River with northern light watching.

Churchill

Home to wolves, foxes, whales, moose and snowy owls, Churchill is well known for its arctic wildlife. It also sees an average of 300 nights of northern light activity every year. With over a week in the wild, there’s a good chance you’ll spot the lights.

Nunavik

Nunavik is Quebec’s northernmost region and one of four areas in Canada. It is home to the country’s Inuit people. By day, travelers canoe or snowmobile to Vieux Fort-Chimo, a 19th-century fur trading post; hear elders tell stories of a nomadic (游牧的) way of life; and listen to traditional throat singing, or katadjak — all led by an Inuit guide. Under inky skies, the guide offers Inuit insights into the meaning of the light.

Jasper

Located in the Rocky Mountains, Jasper is home to the world’s second-largest dark sky preserve, making it one of the best — and most convenient — places to catch northern lights throughout the year.

An especially great time to visit is during the annual Jasper Dark Sky Festival in October when experienced photographers from around the world host workshops to share their best tips and astronomers explain how to interpret space weather data to determine optimal viewing time.