2 . When I step out onto the deck, I definitely feel the Arctic chill. That’s not surprising. I’m a good hundred miles inside the Arctic Circle; in fact, you can’t get much farther north and still be in Sweden. This is Abisko Mountain Station, perhaps the crown jewel of the Swedish mountain lodges (小屋). I’m back for a second time to this remote, scenic spot.

Last Autumn, a heavy snowstorm trapped me in my tent for days and eventually forced me to go to the station, a comfortable place. I discovered a different side to Abisko. People come here for many reasons – some to hike, some to climb, some to cross-country ski. But there’s yet another entirely different attraction here. Looking out from the deck of the train station, above a huge lake, in the upper sky of the North Pole, the Aurora, as we often refer to the northern light, mixed with green and red, was giving off ghostly light, rolling across the dark night sky.

The Aurora may be old hat to those who live this far north, but for the rest of us it is an unforgettable experience. The lights here were so appealing to us we quickly forgot the discomfort of the cold.

One of the attractions in Abisko is the Tornetrask. It’s a huge lake, which extends more than 70 kilometres long just north of the station, creates an unusual weather phenomenon that keeps the skies above the station clear even when fog or clouds blanket most of northern Sweden. The sky in this area is mostly clear all year around.

Abisko has a lot to offer to make it an ideal place to view the Aurora. It is far from any city lights. The station operates a ski lift to the top of Nuolja Peak, more than 3,000 feet high. For the first time this year, a cafe at the top of the mountain has been turned into a viewing platform for the Northern Lights, called the Aurora Sky Station. Also, the station posts forecasts each night of expected Aurora activity, collected from scientific observations arriving via computer, so visitors may choose the best viewing time.

3 . I was hungry because after a full day of exploring the German town, I hadn’t eaten anything more than a pizza. I’m comfortable travelling through a country where I don’t speak the language, but I would almost rather go hungry than sit in a restaurant eating alone.

After wandering around the town for another half an hour, I finally chose an Italian restaurant that seemed friendly enough. I know I should have gone for more traditional German food, but the idea of a plate of Italian noodles for only six euros was too much to pass up. So I nervously entered. As I stood there, I noticed all the happy families and friends eating together. The hostess found a small table for me next to the front entrance.

“Great,” I thought, “now people can look at this friendless traveller as they enter.” Then I started to wonder how many of the customers might mistake me for the hostess and how much this would interrupt(打断) my meal. Then a woman, whose name is now lost to memory, invited me to have dinner with her and her family. I couldn’t believe it! This was the German friendliness I had read about.

I walked to their table. I can be quite shy when talking to new people. I also started to wonder how this would work. Do I have to talk to them the whole time? Do they even know English? The meal began awkwardly. The woman’s two children mostly stared at me.

Fortunately, the parents spoke enough English and I knew a little German. I came into this restaurant afraid of eating alone and I ended up conquering my shyness. Separate bills came for each of us; we paid and went our own ways. The family probably ended up discussing their day while I just walked back to my hotel with a smile on my face.

4 . We humans have always been obsessed with reaching higher, building taller, and touching the sky. In effect, we have been building towers and buildings each taller than the other. Today, we will look at four of the tallest buildings in the world.

Burj Khalifa

Since it opened on January 4, 2010, the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest building in the world. The United Arab Emirates broke world records in the 21st century for building a needle-like, 162 story skyscraper in Dubai. A public observation deck called “At the Top” is located on the 124th floor. The top floor is home to a private VIP club, closed to anyone except members.

Taipei 101

Featured in many videos, the tallest building in Taipei, China, is famous for its unique shape and awesome fireworks display every year. It houses lots of hotels, offices, apartments, and an observatory deck. There’s an outdoor round observatory square on the 91st floor of the building, at 392m above the ground, it’s now the third highest open-air observation deck in the world.

Shanghai World Financial Centre

The Shanghai World Financial Centre, is a soaring glass skyscraper with a distinctive opening at the top in Pudong District, Shanghai, China. The construction of this building began in 1997, but due to the crisis in Southeast Asia, it temporarily halted and resumed in 2003. Its final height is 492 metres and has 101 floors.

International Commerce Centre (ICC)

The ICC building, completed in 2010 in West Kowloon, is the tallest building in Hong Kong, China, and one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers at 484 metres. Original plans were for an even taller building, but zoning laws prohibited the construction of buildings higher than the surrounding mountains. The design of the skyscraper was revised (修改) and plans for a pyramidal-shaped top were abandoned.

5 . It’s often hard to find family holidays that everyone will enjoy. Cruises (海上航游) can be fun,but may offer activities either for small children or adults,with not much for teenagers.

Fifteen­-year-­old Josh Sandford and his 13-­year-old sister Rowena took a cruise last year, on a ship called the Rega. “Before we left, I’d spent ages looking at the brochure (宣传册), and all the activities on offer, so I was really looking forward to it,” says Josh. “When we got on, I could see they had activities that teenagers could join in, so we couldn’t really say the brochure was wrong. But they were a bit boring—things like old movies we’d seen before. I wish there’d been somewhere for people of my age to just hang out together. My parents really enjoyed it, but they were disappointed that we didn’t. ”

Josh’s parents had almost decided they’d never take their family on a cruise again when they heard about some new cruises that were specially for families with teenagers. So earlier this year the Sandford family set off again,this time on a ship called the Flora. “We did some tours organised by the Flora when the ship stopped in different ports (港口),” says Josh. “We went off and explored some old ruins. I was worried it’d be boring,but I have to admit the ruins were actually quite cool. ”

“The biggest difference was the activities on board,though,like a great gym and two pools. There was a fantastic rock­climbing wall,too,although lots of the teenagers on board didn’t seem to want to try it. Maybe they were too scared,as it was really high. But my sister immediately managed to get all the way up it,so I just had to do the same!”

Josh and Rowena’s family had such a good time on their last cruise that they’re thinking of going again—in fact,they’re already saving up for it!

10 . I’m in the area of Noailles in Marseille, France’s second largest city and its main trade seaport. Some small shops sell vegetables, meat, and, it seems, all the spices of the Middle East. In addition to French, languages spoken on the busy streets include Arabic and African French. It all adds up to one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Europe.

Close to the downtown street, I discover an Algerian restaurant, whose owner makes his signature dish-couscous with barley, not the usual wheat, using a recipe that hasn’t changed since the 1920s. Couscous is an necessary part of Marseille culture. The dish was added to the UNESCO’s Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2020.

To be honest, before I travelled here, couscous had not been the first meal that came to mind when I thought of Marseille. It was bouillabaisse, the rich soup with olive oil, garlic and saffron. I imagined enjoying it at a small portside cafe. This was clearly a romantic fantasy. For one thing, there are no small cafes at historic city. For another, the restaurants do serve bouillabaisse, but when I see the price at one place I am shocked: 69 euros! No bowl of soup should cost that much.

I give up and end up two streets away from the old harbor in a new restaurant, Ourea. For 28 euros, Chef Matthieu Roche serves a three-course lunch that includes tuna steaks and couscous.

More and more young, talented people are discovering that Marseille is an ideal place to live. There is also a growing number of Parisians moving here every year. Tired of the rush and expense of life in larger cities, the newcomers come looking for the more relaxed Mediterranean way of life.

Walking through these contrasting neighborhoods of Marseille. I think about the distinct communities here living in the same neighborhoods — together, side by side, but not mixed. They may also feel they are Marseillais first regardless of nationalities.