September 2017

Several notable structures can be seen in the July 2017 mystery photo, all connected to the Plaza de la Virgen in Valencia, Spain.

One of these is a large fountain that contains bronze sculptures representing the Turia River. Another is the 17th-century Baroque Basilica de Nuestra Señora de los Desamparado (Our Lady of the Forsaken). The other two are Saint Mary's Cathedral (Valencia Cathedral) and the Palau (Palace) de la Generalitat, both of which have been around for several centuries.

New Zealand’s first-ever Mudtopia festival will take place Dec. 1-3, 2017, in Rotorua on the North Island. Rotorua is home to many geothermal features, including the volcanic mud pools at Hell’s Gate, Wai-O-Tapu and Te Puia.

Mudtopia is being held at the Te Arawa Raceway in Arawa Park, on Fenton Street. Attractions and activities include live music, mud spas, an arena for “mud games” and a mud run. Outdoor showers and changing rooms are on site, with a free storage area where guests can each keep a clean change of clothes. 

Great Plains Conservancy and Ride Kenya opened Ride Kenya — Mara, the first permanent horse stables in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, in February 2017. 

Guests at Maasai Mara safari camps or camps at the nearby Olare Motorogi, Naboisho and Mara North private conservancies can take a 2-hour morning or afternoon guided horseback safari from the stables, which have 16 horses from South Africa trained to carry experienced or beginner riders. Safaris begin at 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. $250 per person, with safety equipment provided.  

Every October 9th, in commemoration of a peaceful freedom march that occurred on that date in 1989 in East Germany, the city of Leipzig celebrates its Festival of Lights.

The festival begins at 5 p.m. with a prayer for peace at St. Nicholas Church in the city center, followed by three “speeches on democracy” given by representatives from the three branches of Germany’s government. Participants then create a “sea of candles” as they walk three blocks to the Augustusplatz, where they can watch performing artists and videos documenting the first event in 1989. 

After being closed for 60 years due to disrepair, in summer 2015 a 2-mile-long cliff-face walkway on Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coastal Route in County Antrim reopened to the public.