1 . Food festivals are a common occurrence in the UK and take place in all sorts of places and at all sorts of times. Whatever your taste, there’s a food festival to match — no matter how specialized.

1. Meatopia

This three-day, London-based festival takes place at the end of August and is a meat lover’s paradise. In addition to a range of legally sourced meat products, from juicy burgers to tender steaks, attendees can listen to live music, watch butchery demonstrations, and attend informal meat-based workshops.

2. The National Honey Show

If you have a sweet tooth, then it could be that the National Honey Show, which started in 1921 and is the largest event of its kind, is the place for you to be. This three-day event attracts many local entries who showcase their sweet golden honey, some of which is sold globally.

3. The Orange Sauce Festival

Have you heard about a festival that is devoted only to orange sauce? Held in Cumbria, this sweet, fragrant festival has been running for 3 years. What attracts people most is a competition to find the best homemade orange sauce. There are thousands of participants from over 30 different countries across the globe, bringing their local snacks to share here.

4. The Ginger and Spice Festival

If you’d prefer something with a little more kick to it, then you could attend The Ginger (姜) and Spice Festival held in Market Drayton. Unlike other food festivals, it celebrates its town’s historic connection to Robert Clive, who returned from India with ginger. Because of this, they specialize in baking gingerbread, but also sell a range of traditional spices from mild to hot.

2 . 72 hours in Beijing

Traveling to China is no longer a luxury for many foreign passport holders. The Chinese government has permitted a 72-hour visa free policy that offers access to visitors from 53 countries including the US, France and Austria. Let’s start with the capital of China, Beijing. Here’s a pick of the best in Beijing.

Your trip to Beijing isn’t really complete without seeing one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World” — the Great Wall of China. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is by far the most well-preserved of all. Taking a one-hour bus ride, Mutianyu would be your ideal location for a half-day of hiking away from the large crowds in the city. Also, the authorities have allowed tourists to paint graffiti on a specific section of the Great Wall since 2014. The Great Wall was designated (把……定名为) a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

Located in northwestern Beijing, the Summer Palace is by far the city’s most well-preserved royal park. With its huge lake and hilltop views, the palace offers you a pastoral escape into the landscape of traditional Chinese paintings. The Summer Palace was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998.

This would be on the top of my list! Named after the 798 factory that was built in the 1950s, the art zone is home to various galleries, design studios, art exhibition spaces, fashionable shops and bars. You could easily spend half your day wandering around the complex, feeling the contrast of the present and the past.

While in Beijing, apart from trying the city’s best-known Peking duck, the Sichuan provincial restaurant is one of places where you can enjoy regional delicious food. It offers one of China’s eight great cuisines, Sichuan Cuisine, which ranges from Mapo tofu to spicy chicken.

3 . Since the modern Olympics began in 1896, it has been held in more than 40 different cities. That gives Olympic fans quite a few possible travel destinations to choose from!

Beijing, China

Olympic fans should consider visiting the Beijing Olympic Park to check out the special buildings of the so—called “Bird’s Nest” and “Water Cube”—the national stadium and aquatics center built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Popular historic places in Beijing include the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and Tian’anmen Square.

Innsbruck, Austria

Located in the heart of the Alps, Innsbruck is known as a great winter destination—which explains why it has hosted not one but two Winter Olympics. Known for its mountainous views, Innsbruck is the perfect stop for outdoor adventurers.

Mexico City, Mexico

This wonderful travel destination offers a wide number of popular museums, historic buildings, and public parks. People will love shopping for fresh meat and produce at the markets, taking a cooking class, and generally eating their way through Mexico City, which is especially known for its culinary(烹饪的)experiences that include both globally well—known restaurants and locally favored street carts.

Melbourne, Australia

Nearly half a century before Sydney hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics, Melbourne became the first Australian host city in 1956. Head to the “cultural capital of Australia”, located in Victoria on the southeastern coast, for an energetic cafe culture and art scene. Melbourne offers something for every type of traveler and everyone can enjoy an evening at one of the city’s many rooftop bars or a day of wine tasting.

4 . Recently, my husband and three kids were playing in the Mediterranean, swimming and floating in the picture-perfect sea. It was ridiculously beautiful in Majorca, Spain. The way the sun danced across the water and how the blue horizon was dotted with storybook sailboats were such beautiful scenes. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes.

My husband and I always dreamed about taking our kids on a trip around the world. It was something we always wanted to do “one day”. It was one of the things we talked in detail about, when we imagined our life with the children we hoped we would have.

Fourteen years later, we had three boys who were growing up faster by the day. It was time to make good on (兑现，实现) those plans.

We spent dozens of hours discussing, researching and planning.

We had to learn how to “road school” our kids and arrange time off from work. We renewed our passports, and then packed our bags.

We showed our kids the world. It was about experiencing the dozens of flights and trains and taxis together. We showed them how wonderful, how diverse, and how fascinating the world is. We wanted them to learn all that we had learned ourselves, through our own travels as young adults.

But there was something more than that: What we really wanted is to slow down time. We wanted the days to last a bit longer and the weeks to take their time. The years with our children are going too fast. We wanted to put the brakes on our busy lives for a year, and just be with our kids. We wanted a break from the daily morning routine of making lunches, eating breakfast and rushing out the door in time for school. We needed a family time-out (休息时间).

It was a wonderful two months in Europe, full of incredible moments. And when we look back at our lives, I know we’ll be glad we did it. I know we’ll be happy that this is a chapter of the story of our family.

8 . 4 Popular Places to Go This Winter

Harbin, China

China Harbin’s winter is for the brave ones—the average temperature is 1.8°F- but those who brave the cold will be rewarded with experiencing one of the world’s largest winter festivals. 2021 marks the 37th Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (January-March), when massive frozen structures rise and are lit up, transforming the city into a winter wonderland.

Lyon, France

Paris may be called The City of Light,but every December, light takes center stage in Lyon, France’s third-largest city. That’s when the annual Festival of Lights (around December 8) takes over, with light installations (装置)that transform the city’s streetscapes into modern works of art. The city is also home to two Christmas markets (one in La Croix-Rousse; the other at the Place Carnot; through December 25).

Lima, Peru

Peru’s capital Lima is home to the world’s highest number of cooking schools per person. Aside from its delicate dining, the city also has great cocktail bars where you can taste classic or contemporary takes on the Pisco Sour.Combine that with the oceanfront setting and temperatures in the 80s, and you’ll understand why Lima should no longer be ignored this winter.

Vermont, US

Winter in Vermont means skiing and snowboarding, Many resorts (度假胜地)have greatly upgraded their snowmaking abilities as part of a $15 million statewide program that replaced many outdated snow guns with new, low-energy models.These new machines will also improve the quality of snow surfaces and lengthen the season, meaning this will be one of the best winters for skiing and riding in Vermont in recent memory.

9 . Not all walks need be a forced march. Here are 4 of Britain's gentlest routes, both urban trails and countryside meanderings（曲径）.

The Grand Union Canal, Birmingham

Start Point:The Bordesley Centre

The original Grand Union Canal runs for 137 miles, taking you through an industrial area to discover the hidden world of canals, with narrow boats, wildlife and fishermen. Along the canal, look out for wildflowers and birdlife, and narrow boats negotiating the locks. The walk can be extended along the canal at either end to make it flexible in length.

Warley Woods, Keswick

Start point:Keswick Youth Hostel

Starting in the centre of Keswick, this walk takes you up through Castlehead Wood, the perfect place for a woodland adventure, and to a wonderful viewpoint over Derwentwater and the surrounding mountains. The route then takes you down to the lakeshore and returns across Crow Park to the market square.

Chester-le-Street, County Durham

Start point:Chester-le-Street Amateur Rowing Club

A lovely riverside walk along the banks of the River Wear, through Riverside Park and past Durham county football club. The circular route follows a curve in the river, meaning you'll have beautiful views along the way. Watch the rowers on the river or stop in the park to feed the swans and ducks. This walk is wheelchair-friendly.

Hathersage Flower Meadows（草地），Derbyshire

Start point:Hathersage Railway Station

There are attractive views to be appreciated throughout this scenic walk and two sites of protected meadow offer a real treat to summertime walkers. Fans of the works of great masters, like Charlotte Bronte, will enjoy spotting several places that are closely associated with the authors.

10 . Berlin Tours

Seen from above Berlin is incredible as you can see both the former East and West, as well as get a bird-eye view of many of Berlin’s historic landmarks. Meet your guide at the base of the tower and skip the line to go straight inside and up to the observation deck--- the highest in Berlin!

Potsdam is Berlin’s most popular day-trip destination and for good reason. It’s a suitable playground for biking with many Prussian people and Cold War sights located deep in parks and along quiet alleyways. Come and prepare for an action-filled day!

We start by taking the train from our TV Tower shop for the over 25-km journey to Potsdam, where our bikes are waiting for you.

Our Berlin City Bike Tour is full of great Berlin sites and fascinating anecdotes delivered by our engaging guides. We have been perfecting the tour for more than ten years! You’ll have great fun while touring at an easy pace. There is plenty of time for taking pictures, and even a great break at one of our favorite beer gardens!

Segways are an exciting way to explore any city, and our tour is sure to impress! You don’t need experience with Segways to join the tour as we will start all tours with a comprehensive training session to make sure everyone is safe and happy on tour. We will then take you to the must-see sites. Your memorable experience on tour will surely make your friends jealous!