Science Sunday is for everyone interested in the world around them, whose lectures are designed to make science interesting and “user-friendly” for everyone. Lectures are one hour long. Doors open to the lecture hall at 1:00 pm. Lecture passes are available at the admissions counter at 12:30 pm. Seating is limited and first-come, first-served. No late seating. Lectures include time for a few questions at the end.

Celebrate the warmth of the holiday season with crafts, games, music, and enjoyment from the early 20th century. We’ll busy your hands with holiday wreath-making (花冠), invite you to join in an old-fashioned sing-along around the player piano, and provide you with materials to make Victorian and Mexican holiday crafts. Come play games, take a draft-horse carriage ride, decorate the tree, and create decorations to bring home to your own tree.

Explore the hidden world of art! Visit artists in their studios, learn about their processes, purchase original works of art. Free mobile app and printed guide have artist information and maps. Open Studios is a free self-guided tour, produced by Arts Council Santa Cruz County, which invites the public into more than 300 artist studios across Santa Cruz County.

Step into the incredible world of steam power at the Steam & Harvest Festival. Welcome Fall with traditional children’s activities like candle making, and gold panning. See a variety of steam and belt-powered equipment on display. Admission is free for the whole family.

2 . Amboseli National Park, Kenya

The easiest way to get to Amboseli is by air. Airkenya has daily flights from Wilson Airport in Nairobi and Mombasa Air Safari to Amboseli from Mombasa, Malindi and Diani on the Kenyan Coast. The drive from Nairobi is 4 hours. The road is paved to Namanga but the remaining 75km to Amboseli’s Meshanani Gate is over a rough dirt road. It takes roughly 2.5 hours to cover the 94km between the Chyulu Gate in Tsavo West and Amboseli. The passage on this road should be undertaken only in the presence of an armed convoy. A four-wheel drive vehicle is highly recommended.

The best time to visit Amboseli National Park is the dry season from January through April and June through October when vegetation is thin and animals congregate at the water holes making them easy to spot. The long rains are in April and May and short rains in November and December.

Amboseli lies in a malaria risk area and travelers’ diarrhea is a common ailment affecting tourists in Kenya. When packing your suitcase don’t forget to include neutral colored, long-sleeved shirts and trousers, DEET insect repellent and high factor sunscreen. Sleep under a treated mosquito net or in a screened or air conditioned room.

An entrance fee is charged and, in general, is included in the rate of the safari lodge or camp.

Road transfers should be undertaken during the day rather than at night. Be aware and be weary of both small and large tricks.

On my trip to Dunhuang, Gansu province in December, I had an exciting experience of     1    (explore) Mogao Grottoes (莫高窟) in Dunhuang with 735 caves     2    (build) by believers from 366 to the Yuan Dynasty(1271-1368).

The guide     3     (random) opened one of the old caves at Mogao Grottoes and curious tourists began a journey of mystery. Following     4    tiny points of light from the guide’s small flashlight (手电筒), we learned stories of the past from the Buddhist statues and murals (壁画) in the darkness.

Some wall paintings represented musicians playing Chinese instruments, as well as complex gestures of dancers at parties in an ancient royal court. Others showed interesting and exciting scenes of hunting in the     5     (wood). The statues—even those     6     faces had turned black, and some having lost an arm or two to natural weathering(自然风化)—didn’t stop the solemn (庄严的) power.

Thanks     7     its being the off-season, my group was able to see 12 caves. Tourists, however,     8     (allow) to see a maximum of eight caves during peak season. When I     9     (come) out from the three-hour exploration, I was amazed that I had bought     10     (vary) souvenirs, which help preserve the memory and feel of the place.

8 . Chocolate Museums and Attractions

Chocolate is one of the most popular desserts in the world, served in countless forms. Serious chocolate-lovers always want to know more about it. These four destinations around the world allow chocoholics to indulge their sweet teeth.

Lindt Home of Chocolate, Zurich

Swiss chocolate has a reputation all its own, and the newly opened Lindt Home of Chocolate made an immediate splash with its nearly 30-foot chocolate fountain and over 5, 000-square-foot chocolate shop, the largest in the world. The museum has exhibits on how chocolate arrived in Europe and well-known chocolate makers. Lindt also offers special chocolate-making classes as a feature. Admission starts at $16. 50 for adults, with an additional fee for tours and courses.

Cadbury World, Birmingham, England

In the United Kingdom, chocolate means one thing: Cadbury. Cadbury World opened in 1990 in the Bournville village, where Cadbury factory starting in 1893 once located. It was considered a model village for workers at the time. One of the exhibits on this self-guided tour focuses on this area and how it impacted the company. Admission is $23 for adults.

Chocoversum, Hamburg, Germany

The Hachez company, which was founded in 1890, created the Chocoversum as a way to showcase their production without bringing guests into the actual factories. Here, the guides, called “ChoColleagues”, bring visitors on a 90-minute exploration of all things chocolate, from a real cocoa pod to the liquid chocolate used in bars. Admission is $22 for adults.

MUCHO Museo del Chocolate, Mexico City

The MUCHO Museo del Chocolate opened in 2012 in a renovated 1909 house in the Colonia Juarez neighborhood of Mexico City. The museum collection has fascinating chocolate-related artifacts dating back to the 17th century and exhibits well displaying the development of chocolate. During the tour, visitors learn how chocolate gained popularity. The museum has a store and cafe serving chocolate treats. Admission is $3. 50.