Whales, From Above

Four frogs with violins gather beneath a window to serenade another frog in a dress. You don’t see that every day. Nor a frog being shaved in a barber’s shop. “People are so obsessed with technology, it can be tough to get them interested in frogs,” says my guide Marina Bitunjac, as we ponder a scene in which one of the amphibious creatures balances a boot on his nose.  

Recently listed for $12.5 million, and situated 50 minutes from Monaco, Les Moulins du Villars on the French Riviera is an estate with important historical significance and a special connection to Grace Kelly.

With spectacular year-round sunshine, never-ending entertainment and action-packed activities, there’s certainly no bad time to visit Florida. But depending on your interests and what you’re trying to find (or avoid) when you get here, there’s likely to be a “best time” to come.

The pandemic fuelled a boom in remote working for many industries and yachting is no exception.

Editor's note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.

Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer. CNN is showcasing the work of The Conversation, a collaboration between journalists and academics to provide news analysis and commentary. The content is produced solely by The Conversation.

Whispers of lunar vacations are causing a stir while down-to-earth astrotourism continues to bloom as a carousel of eclipses and supermoons light up the sky. You may not necessarily need to stray too far from home on your hunt for celestial spectacles. Rental cabins with moonroofs put sleeping under the stars on the table for those who prefer an alternative other than a traditional camping setup. These divine Airbnbs with a glass roof in the United States are made for lazy stargazing from bed.

In November 2016, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck and ravaged the region around the town of Kaikoura on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The earthquake and the ensuing landslides killed two people, and demolished homes, roads, and railway tracks. Indeed, parts of the Main North Line, one of the most scenic rail routes in the world, slid into the ocean, forcing the Coastal Pacific train to stop its operation. In 2018, the line was repaired and the magnificent train journey between Christchurch and Picton resumed. Today, the Coastal Pacific still runs along the Pacific Ocean, allowing travelers to see New Zealand’s beauty, the slow and comfortable way.

Summer in New York City means outdoor festivals, al fresco dining, and day-long picnics in the park. But it also means mystery street smells, sidewalks so hot they could melt diamonds, and the dreaded subway car with a broken AC. Even die-hard New Yorkers need a weekend away from the mayhem, and when the weather is warm, there’s no better place to escape than the beaches near New York City.

A Swiss International Air Lines plane arrived at its destination without a single checked bag onboard.

The first written evidence of beer being brewed and consumed dates back as far as 4,000BC, with the ancient Sumerians believed to have developed the earliest known methods for creating the alcoholic drink. Its history and connection to human civilisation runs deep, and a number of today’s beers have their own remarkable heritage.

It took the second thud to rouse me. Worried I’d slept through it, I slid up the blind to find our train pulling into the port city of Villa San Giovanni in Calabria, Italy. Not quite 6am, the last of the night’s sky was taking leave: navy clouds pulled apart before my eyes, a single neon-pink patch igniting the ridgeline of the Peloritani mountains in north-east Sicily.