凯泽斯堡，阿尔萨斯，法国 Kaysersberg, Alsace, France (© Federica Gentile/Getty Images)

此行，不虚绕道 This is your detour

凯泽斯堡，阿尔萨斯，法国

7月4日，环法自行车赛拉开帷幕——这正是聚焦法国东北部阿尔萨斯地区凯泽斯堡（Kaysersberg）村落的绝佳时机。这座历史名城坐落在维斯河（Weiss River）畔，位于科尔马（Colmar）西北约12公里处，地处孚日山脉（Vosges Mountains）的东坡。

凯泽斯堡的名字意为“皇帝之山”，反映了其显赫的战略往昔。村庄上方矗立着一座山顶堡垒，最早记载于1227年，当时神圣罗马帝国皇帝腓特烈二世（Frederick II）购入并加固了此地。如今，这份遗产向四面八方铺展开来：粉色系的半木结构房屋错落有致地排列在鹅卵石街道旁，一座建于16世纪初、极具视觉冲击力的加固石桥横跨河流，连接着老城的各个街区。

走进圣克鲁瓦教堂（Sainte Croix Church），可以发现追溯至13世纪的建筑层级；或者漫步向被葡萄园覆盖的山丘，正是这些葡萄园在数世纪间形塑了这里的生活。不妨配上一杯清脆爽口的灰皮诺（Pinot Gris）多停留片刻，让阿尔萨斯的这处角落以其特有的悠闲步调徐徐展开。

小溪上方的萤火虫，冈山县，日本 Fireflies glowing above a stream, Okayama Prefecture, Japan (© tdub303/Getty Images)

流光之诗 The poetry of vanishing light

萤火虫发光在小溪上方，冈山县，日本

在冈山县（Okayama Prefecture），当湿润的空气笼罩在溪流之上，被称为“hotaru”的日本萤火虫便开始发出信号。在温暖无风的夜晚，如果条件理想，它们通常会在日落约两小时后开始发光，发散出一种水边独有的静谧感。

萤火虫并非蝇类，而是甲虫（Beetles），大多数种类栖息在水边，如池塘、溪流、沼泽和河流。白天，它们隐藏在低矮的草丛中；入夜后，它们爬上植被并起飞，通过闪烁光芒来寻找配偶。它们的光源自腹部的化学反应，而特定物种的闪烁频率有助于伴侣识别正确的信号。它们的幼虫生活在更安静且充满饥饿感的阶段：作为肉食性动物，幼虫以蜗牛和蛞蝓等软体动物为食；而成年萤火虫则可能采食昆虫、花蜜或花粉。

在日本，“萤狩”（Hotaru-gari，即观赏萤火虫）有着深厚的文化根基。平安时代（794–1185）的作家如清少纳言（Sei Shōnagon）曾在著作中描写过萤火虫，后世的文学作品和浮世绘（Ukiyo-e，一种传统的木版画和绘画形式）也常借其转瞬即逝的光芒来隐喻生命之无常。

Fireflies glowing above a stream, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

In Okayama Prefecture, when humid air settles over a stream, hotaru—Japan's fireflies—begin signaling. On warm, windless evenings, they often start glowing about two hours after sunset under favorable conditions, inviting silence beside water.

Fireflies aren't flies but beetles, and most species stay near water—ponds, streams, marshes, and rivers. By day they hide low in the grass; after dark they climb vegetation and take flight, flashing to find a mate. Their light comes from a chemical reaction in the abdomen, and species-specific timing helps partners recognize the right signal. Their young live a quieter, hungrier life: larvae are carnivores that feed on soft-bodied prey such as snails and slugs. Adults may eat insects, nectar, or pollen.

In Japan, watching them—hotaru-gari—has deep roots. Heian-era (794–1185) writers like Sei Shōnagon wrote about fireflies, and later literature and ukiyo-e art—a traditional form of woodblock prints and paintings—used their brief light to evoke impermanence.

埃斯纳神庙穹顶天花板, 埃及 Ceiling of the Temple of Esna, Egypt (© Nick Brundle Photography/Getty Images)

走进埃斯纳神圣的世界 Inside Esna's sacred universe

埃斯纳神庙穹顶天花板, 埃及

在埃及卢克索以南的埃斯纳神庙（Temple of Esna），游客将步入一个充满生机的世界，这里供奉着公羊头神——赫努姆（Khnum）；传说他曾用尼罗河的黏土塑造了人类。这座神庙主要建于托勒密王朝和罗马统治时期，其现存的大厅由24根高耸的石柱支撑，每根柱子上都雕刻着精美的浮雕与颂扬诸神的仪式铭文。

在古代，进入该处受到严格管控。祭司在入内之前，必须剃净全身毛发、修剪指甲、反复进行仪式性净身，并仅穿亚麻衣物。此外，在为库努姆（Khnum）主持祭祀与仪式前，他们还需禁食某些食物，以确保身体洁净。

在他们头顶上方，天花板（如图所示）宛如一幅装饰华丽的苍穹画卷，绘满了色彩鲜艳的天文景象、黄道十二宫符号及神圣人物形象。这些雕饰绝非仅仅为了装饰：立柱与天花板交相辉映，引领着信众穿行于一个充满象征意义的宇宙之中——在这里，神圣秩序、仪式实践与宇宙循环彼此交织，密不可分。

Ceiling of the Temple of Esna, Egypt

At the Temple of Esna, south of Luxor, Egypt, visitors enter a vivid world devoted to Khnum, the ram-headed god believed to have molded humanity from Nile clay. Built mainly during the Ptolemaic and Roman eras, the temple's surviving hall is supported by 24 towering columns, each carved with intricate reliefs and ritual texts honoring various deities.

In ancient times, entry was tightly controlled. Priests had to shave their entire bodies, trim their fingernails, undergo repeated ritual purification, and wear only linen garments before passing inside. They also avoided certain foods to ensure cleanliness before conducting offerings and ceremonies for Khnum.

Above them, the ceiling—like the one shown—unfolds into a richly decorated sky, filled with astronomical scenes, zodiacal symbols, and sacred figures painted in vivid colors. These carvings weren't merely decorative: together, the pillars and ceiling guided worshippers through a symbolic universe where divine order, ritual practice, and cosmic cycles were inseparably linked.

地牢省立公园, 纽芬兰和拉布拉多省, 加拿大 Dungeon Provincial Park, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (© Kaitlyn McLachlan/Getty Images)

大西洋雕琢而成的加拿大 Canada, carved by the Atlantic

地牢省立公园，加拿大

位于纽芬兰岛博纳维斯塔半岛的地牢省立公园，长期受到大西洋海浪的塑造与侵蚀。公园最著名的景观“地牢（Dungeon）”实际上是一处巨大的塌陷海蚀洞，其顶部因持续侵蚀而坍塌，形成直通天空的壮观开口。这一地貌生动展示了海洋作用如何在数千年间不断改造坚硬岩石。

公园周围的悬崖主要由数亿年前形成的沉积岩构成。砂岩与页岩层记录着远古环境演变的痕迹，其形成时间甚至早于现代大西洋的出现。如今，海鸟、滨海植物以及沿岸洋流共同维系着这片充满活力的海岸生态系统，并持续影响着当地自然环境的发展。

地牢省立公园所在海岸位于西北大西洋重要的海鸟迁徙通道上。每年较温暖的季节，游客有机会看到三趾鸥、海鸠以及北方塘鹅等海鸟在悬崖与海面之间翱翔。丰富的海洋营养物质与崎岖的海岸环境共同构成了理想栖息地，使这里成为众多海洋生物的重要庇护所.

Canada Day

On July 1, Canada celebrates its national day, marking the events of 1867, when the British North America Act (now called the Constitution Act, 1867) united three British colonies into one Dominion.

In 1879, July 1 became a federal holiday, originally called Dominion Day before being renamed Canada Day in 1982. Today, people gather across the country for concerts, community events, and fireworks—celebrations that reflect a shared sense of identity and history.

Today's image takes us to Dungeon Provincial Park on the rugged coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, where nature tells a much older story. Atlantic waves carved a sea cave with two openings, gradually widening it until the roof gave way. What remains is a striking collapsed formation known as a 'gloup,' surrounded by steep cliffs and crashing surf. Boardwalks and viewing platforms allow visitors to take in the scene, while nearby trails offer sweeping ocean views. This dramatic coastline highlights the natural forces that are still shaping Canada's landscape today.