Last year, while I was traveling around Europe, I stopped in various places around the continent where the members of K-Pop group Loona have been, including the locations where they shot a music video and had photoshoots for their albums. While I was there, I tried to take the same pictures as them, and I…
Christmas is usually seen as a time of joy and celebration, and in many traditions Santa Claus rewards all children who have been good throughout the year with gifts, while those who haven’t been nice can receive a lump of coal instead. However, in Alpine folklore, bad children get an even harsher punishment: a visit…
Hong Kong is now one of the most important financial centers in the world, but for most of its history it was just a sparsely populated area of farming and fishing villages. Only after the British took control of the region in the 19th century Hong Kong grew to become a major trading center between…
Volcanic eruptions are among the most fascinating and destructive natural events that can take place on Earth. However, not all volcanic eruptions are the same, and volcanologists have subdivided them into different types. This classification is based on the mechanisms behind the eruption and the condition in which it happens, and different types are often…
During the Late Middle Ages, before the start of the European Age of Exploration, Marco Polo traveled across all of Asia, while Zheng He led several expeditions in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. However, another explorer traveled more than both of them combined: Ibn Battuta. During the 14th century he crossed all of North…
Japan is one of the most ethnically and culturally homogeneous countries in the world, as almost the entire population identifies as Japanese. However, there are a few minorities and two indigenous peoples: the Ryukuans in the Ryukyu Islands to the south, and the Ainu in northern Japan. After centuries of colonization and forced assimilation, only…
The area along the west bank of the Rhine river in the North Rhine-Westphalia state of Germany houses several large cities and historic sites. Among these is Cologne, the largest city in the region and one of the major cultural centers in the country. When visiting Cologne, it’s easy to take a day trip to…
Oceans cover over 70% of the Earth’s surface, and contain 97% of our planet’s water. This huge environment, which is still mostly unexplored, is subdivided into various areas with different conditions. Each zone and each layer are their own unique habitat, and their subdivision depends on depth, with conditions changing as pressure increases and light…
Vampires are among the most common and popular creatures in the modern horror genre, but similar figures have been recorded in several cultures across the world for a long time. The typical trait that defines vampires is that they feed on the blood of living creatures, or another kind of vital essence. Other characteristics might
Regarded as one of the greatest military leaders of all time, but also among the most brutal, Timur is the only Mongolian conqueror who came close to reach the power of Genghis Khan. His conquests during the late 14th century united a large portion of Asia, and his rule coincided with the flourishing of art…