In the city Braga, a city in the far north of Portugal, northeast of Porto

 Many hilltops in Portugal and other parts of Europe have been sites of religious devotion since antiquity.

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(in the city of Braga, in northern Portugal) Worshippers have been coming to the sacred hill of Mount Espinho since the 14th century. The original chapel, dedicated to the Holy Cross, was rebuilt in 1494 and again in 1522. (Two centuries later, construction began on the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte that we know today.) This chapel, dedicated to the Holy Cross, was rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1629 a pilgrimage church was built dedicated to the Bom Jesus (Good Jesus), The present Sanctuary started being built in 1722, with chapels dedicated to the Via Crucis, were completed. Each chapel is decorated with terra cotta sculptures depicting the Passion of Christ; the next segment of stairways is dedicated to the Five Senses. Each sense (Sight, Smell, Hearing, Touch, Taste) is represented by a different fountain. At the end of this stairway, a Baroque church was built around 1725. The works on the first chapels, stairways, and church proceeded through the 18th century. Around 1781, the ensemble was completed by adding a third segment of stairways and a new church. The third stairway also follows a zigzag pattern and is dedicated to the Three Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity, each with its fountain. This new church was consecrated in 1834. The main altarpiece is dedicated to the Crucifixion. In 1882, the water balance Bom Jesus funicular was built linking the city of Braga to the hill. This was the first funicular to be built in the Iberian Peninsula and is still in use. The design of the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus influenced many other sites in Portugal and colonial Brazil, As the pilgrims climbed the stairs, (by tradition encouraged to do so on their knees); at the same time as they experienced the scenes of the Passion of Christ. The culmination of the effort was the temple of God, the church on the top of the hill. The new church (built 1784–1834) was one of the first Neoclassic churches of Portugal it was elevated to a Minor Basilica status on 5 July 2015 by Pope Francis. The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga, is still a popular pilgrimage site. Developed over a period of more than 600 years, the sanctuary provides a panoramic view of the city of Braga. The temple's saddened state spurred Archbishop of Braga, Rodrigo de Moura Telles into action in 1722. His patronage funded the first two stairways (the Portico Staircase and the Staircase of the Five Senses) and the chapels that line it, as well as a small baroque church. In the 18th century Pope Clement XIV sent three religious briefs regarding the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus, which resulted in more and more devotees coming to Mount Espinho. In 1784, the first stone of the present-day cathedral was placed on the hill.

The area around Bom Jesus do Monte was turned into a park in the 19th century.
(It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.)

In the city of Potsdam, the capital and largest city of the German state of Brandenburg

 Potsdam is a diverse cultural hub with a 1,000-year history as a royal capital and State capital near Berlin. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site characterized by monuments, palaces, and modern architecture.

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(on the Havel River southwest of central Berlin, in Germany) Potsdam,the capital and crown jewel of the state of Brandenburg, is easily reached by S-Bahn; the former Prussian royal seat is the most popular day trip from Berlin, luring visitors with its splendid gardens and palaces, which garnered UNESCO World Heritage status in 1990.

+ Potsdam, a part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region, sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of Berlin, and lies embedded in a hilly morainic landscape dotted with many lakes, around 20 of which are located within Potsdam's city limits. It lies some 25 kilometers (16 miles) southwest of Berlin's city center. (The name of the city and of many of its boroughs are of Slavic origin.) Potsdam was a residence of the Prussian kings and the German Emperor until 1918. Its planning embodied ideas of the Age of Enlightenment: through a balance of architecture and landscape, Potsdam was intended as "a picturesque, pastoral dream" which would remind its residents of their relationship with nature and reason.

+ The city, which is over 1,000 years old, is widely known for its palaces, its lakes, and its overall historical and cultural significance. Landmarks include the parks and palaces of Sanssouci, Germany's largest World Heritage Site, as well as other palaces such as the Orangery Palace, the New Palace, Cecilienhof Palace, and Charlottenhof Palace. Potsdam was also the location of the significant Potsdam Conference in 1945, the conference where the three heads of government of the USSR, the US, and the UK decided on the division of Germany following its surrender,which defined Germany's history for the following 45 years.

+ Babelsberg, in the south-eastern part of Potsdam, was already by the 1930s the home of a major film production studio and it has enjoyed success as an important center of European film production since the fall of the Berlin Wall (in November, 1089. (The Filmstudio Babelsberg, founded in 1912, is the oldest large-scale film studio in the world.) Potsdam developed into a center of science in Germany in the 19th century. (Today, there are three public colleges, the University of Potsdam, and more than 30 research institutes in the city.) Potsdam is divided into seven historic city Stadtteile (quarters) and nine new Ortsteile (suburbs/wards, former separate villages), which joined the city in 2003. The appearance of the city boroughs is quite different. Those in the north and in the centeer consist mainly of historical buildings, the south of the city is dominated by larger areas of newer buildings. The city of Potsdam is divided into 32 Stadtteile (boroughs, both quarters and suburbs/wards together),that are divided further into 84 statistical Bezirke (districts).

At the Schönbrunn Palace, city of Vienna, Austria

 The Schönbrunn Palace was once the summer home of the Hapsburg family.

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(in Vienna, Austria) The Hapsburgs were the ruling family of Austria for many years Schönbrunn Palace is a former imperial 1,441- room Rococo summer residence. It is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria. Since the 1960s it has been one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna. This was the court's recreational hunting ground. In a separate part of the area, "exotic" birds like turkeys and peafowl were kept.The name Schönbrunn (meaning "beautiful spring") is from an artesian well from which water was consumed by the court. Eleonora Gonzaga, who loved hunting, spent much time there. She was given the area as her widow's residence after the death of her husband, Ferdinand II. The sculpted garden space between the palace and the Sun Fountain is called the Great Parterre. The French garden, a big part of the area, was planned by Jean Trehet in 1695. It has a Maze. Western parts were turned into English garden style in 1828–1852. At the outmost western edge, a botanical garden was made in 1828. Lining the Great Parterre are 32 sculptures, which represent deities and virtues. After the end of the monarchy in 1918, the new Austrian Republic became the owner of Schönbrunn Palace. They made it a museum. (Later it was used for events like the meeting between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev in 1961.) UNESCO designated Schönbrunn Palace a World Heritage site in 1996, together with its gardens, as a  Baroque ensemble (and an example of synthesis of the arts.)

+ Schloss Schönbrunn, with Neptune's Fountain and the Gloriette, on the grounds of Schönbrunn, in Vienna. Tiergarten, perhaps the oldest zoo in Europe, was founded within the grounds in 1752.
+ The Schönbrunn Palace is Austria's most frequently visited tourist attraction.

In the year 1569, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II purchased a floodplain of the Wien river. The emperor put game there. This was the court's recreational hunting ground. + The name Schönbrunn (meaning "beautiful spring") is from an artesian well from which water was consumed by the court. During the next century, the area was used as a hunting and recreation ground. Eleonora Gonzaga, who loved hunting, spent much time there. She was given the area as her widow's residence after the death of her husband, Ferdinand II. In 1642 it was called "Schönbrunn" for the first time. The sculpted garden space between the palace and the Sun Fountain is called the Great Parterre. Lining the Great Parterre are 32 sculptures, which represent deities and virtues. After the end of the monarchy in 1918, the new Austrian Republic became the owner of Schönbrunn Palace. They soon made it a museum.
Later it was used for important events such as the meeting between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev in 1961.

+ UNESCO catalogued Schönbrunn Palace on the World Heritage List in 1996.

In the island of Corsica, in the Mediterranean Sea that is one of the 18 regions of France

 Corsica is a laid-back French island, with a breezy vibe that is part European weekend, and part tropical honeymoon.

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(in Corsica, an island in the Mediterranean Sea that is one of the 18 regions of France.) Jutting from the Mediterranean like a fortress, Corsica resembles a miniature continent, with astounding geographical diversity. Within half an hour's drive, the landscape ranges from glittering bays, vibrant coastal cities, and fabulous beaches to mountain ridges, verdant valleys, dense forests, and time-forgotten hilltop villages. Holidays in Corsica offer varying opportunities: from hiking and canyoning, to snorkelling and sunbathing, enjoying a leisurely boat trip, delving into the island’s history, and sampling local delicacies. A territorial collectivity of France and an island in the Mediterranean Sea, Corsica is the fourth largest island (after Sicily, Sardinia, and Cyprus) in the Mediterranean. It lies 105 miles (170 km) from southern France and 56 miles (90 km) from northwestern Italy -- and it is separated from Sardinia by the Strait of Bonifacio. Ajaccio is the capital.

+ Take a few hours or even a few weeks to explore the island’s famous walking trails, including the varsity-level GR 20 (a footpath  that crosses the island of Corsica running approximately north–south, described by the outdoor writer Paddy Dillon as "one of the top trails in the world." is clearly waymarked throughout. Every year, approximately 10,000 to 20,000 hikers walk along the trail, typically completing it in about 15 days. The trail consists of two parts: the northern part, between Calenzana and Vizzavona and the southern part, between Vizzavona and Conca. For the most part, the terrain of Corsica is mountainous. Mount Cinto attains an elevation of 8,890 feet (2,710 meters). The mountain silhouettes are dramatic, and their granite rocks display vivid colors. The mountains descend in parallel ranges to the west, where the coast is cut into steep gulfs and marked by high cliffs and headlands. To the east the mountain massif falls in broken escarpments to extensive alluvial plains bordering a lagoon-indented coast. Both the eastern and western watersheds are drained by seasonally torrential rivers that rise in the mountainous center and cleave their way through impressive gorges in their upper reaches.

+ Corsica’s vegetation is luxuriant. Much of the island is covered with a scrubby underbrush, or maquis, that is composed of aromatic shrubs. The flowers of the maquis produce a fragrance that carries far out to sea and has earned for Corsica the name the “Scented Isle.” Bastia and Ajaccio, on the coast, are the largest towns and home to about half of the island’s population. In the early 21st century some four-fifths of Corsica’s population was urban. In northern Corsica the Balagne (once called the “Garden of Corsica”) is also densely populated.

+ In Ajaccio, Corsica's most famous native son, Napoléon Bonaparte, was born in this bustling capital city,

At Niagara Falls, on the Niagara River in northeastern North America

 Niagara Falls, on the Niagara River in northeastern North America, is one of the continent’s famous spectacles.

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(at the Niagara Frontier, a recreation area in western New York, U.S., extending mainly along the Niagara River between Lakes Ontario, and, lying mainly in the counties of Erie and Niagara.) Mark Twain, one of America’s greatest authors, also marveled at Niagara Falls. He remarked, “Niagara Falls is a bride of beauty, a true marvel of nature’s craftsmanship.” Twain’s words not only highlight the falls’ aesthetic appeal but also emphasize its status as a masterpiece crafted by nature itself. The recreational area sometimes includes the Canadian side of the river, while the industrial region includes Buffalo, NY, encompassing Niagara Falls, Tonawanda–North Tonawanda, Lackawanna, and Lockport. (The Niagara Frontier also encompasses the eight westernmost counties of New York state.) The focus of the recreation region is the Niagara Falls State Park, established in 1885 at Niagara Falls. It is New York’s oldest state park, and includes an observation tower, elevators that descend into the gorge at the base of the American Falls, and boat trips into the waters at the base of the Horseshoe Falls.

+ The falls lie on the border between Ontario, Canada, and New York state. For many decades the falls were an attraction for honeymooners and for such stunts as walking over the falls on a tightrope or going over them in a barrel. Increasingly, though, the site's appeal has become its uniqueness as a physical phenomenon.

+ Featured here is Fort Niagara State Park, at the mouth of the Niagara River on Lake Ontario,; the fort’s main structure, known today as the “Castle,”was built by the French in 1725–26 on the site of the Seneca Indian town Ongniaahra -- whence the name Niagara. A few miles to the east lies the Four Mile Creek State Park Campground. Whirlpool State Park is located at the Lower Rapids 3 miles (5 km) north of the falls; and Devil’s Hole State Park at the Lower Gorge overlooks the end of the Lower Rapids. Buckhorn Island, the State Park, is a wildlife sanctuary at the north end of Grand Island, south of the falls. The Big Sixmile Creek Boat Basin is on the west side of the island, and Beaver Island State Park is a recreational area at its southern tip. Evangola State Park, on the south shore of Lake Erie, has a broad sandy beach. Overlooking the river near Lewiston is the Earl W. Brydges Artpark, dedicated to the performing arts. (The recreation region is largely overseen by the Niagara Frontier State Parks and Recreation Commission, created in 1885 as the State Reservation at Niagara).

+ Robert Moses State Parkway links the Grand Island parks with Niagara Falls, Fort Niagara, and Lake Ontario. The Grand Island West River Parkway forms a scenic route around the island and, provides a connection with the New York State Throughay, Robert Moses State Parkway, Beaver Island, and Buckhorn Island state parks.

In the walled market town of Conwy, on the north coast of Wales

 UNESCO considers Conwy to be one of "the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe," and it  was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986.

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(on the north coast of Wales in the spectacular walled town of Conwy)
Previously known as Conway, Conwy is a walled market town, community, and the administrative center of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. It is located on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on the east bank The town is known for its historic walled town located on the north coast of Wales. It is known for its well-preserved medieval walls, impressive castle, and rich cultural heritage. 

+ Most of the county borough’s population is concentrated along its coastal strip, where tourism is the main industry. Colwyn Bay is one of the most popular seaside resorts and the largest town. The town of Abergele, located east of Colwyn Bay, was one of the first places in North Wales where “sea bathing” became popular. It is now a thriving market center with weekly cattle markets. The coastal resorts of Conwy, Penmaenmawr, Llanfairfechan, and Llandudno all have lengthy sand beaches. The stone statue of a rabbit checking its watch, located on the western promenade of Llandudno, commemorates the part the town played in inspiring Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865).

+ The town's rectangular castle is built from local and imported stone and occupies a coastal ridge, originally overlooking an important crossing point over the River Conwy. Divided into an Inner and an Outer Ward, it is defended by eight large towers and two barbicans (the outer defense of a castle or walled city), allowing the castle to be resupplied from the sea. It retains the earliest surviving stone machicolations in Britain and what historian Jeremy Ashbee has described as the "best preserved suite of medieval private royal chambers in England and Wales."In keeping with other Edwardian castles in North Wales, the architecture of Conwy has close links to that found in the Savoy (a historic and iconic hotel in the heart of London) during the same period.

+ Featured here is Conwy Castle, built on the River Conwy estuary by Edward I of England, was a vital link in a chain of English strongholds in the then newly invaded North Wales. The castle guarded the entrance to the once-navigable River Conwy at the town of Conwy and dominated coastal access to the region of old Caernarvonshire and Anglesey. For more than seven centuries, Conwy Castle has towered over its narrow streets, against the mountainous skyline of Snowdonia. In its heyday it would have been white -- lime render can still be seen on the walls -- but even in its darker state it makes quite the impression, soaring out of a natural rock formation at the mouth of the River Conwy. (Climb its battlements and you will be treated to sweeping views of the mountains, the sea, Conwy itself and the castle’s roofless Great Hall.)

In the city of Pisa, in Tuscany region, Italy

 There's more to Pisa than its Leaning Tower.

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(in Italy's Tuscany region on the plain of the Arno River, some six miles (10 km) from the Ligurian Sea and 50 miles [80 km] west of the city of Florence). Ancient Pisa, had become a Christian bishopric by 313 CE. It survived the collapse of the Roman Empire to remain the principal urban center of Tuscany. The city revived in the 11th century to become a thriving commercial center. Its participation in the Crusades secured positions for Pisan traders in Syria, and thereafter Pisa grew in strength to rival Genoa and Venice. In the 13th century, Pisa benefitted from the support of the German emperors in its conflicts with Genoa at sea and with its Tuscan rivals. (These struggles culminated in Pisa’s defeat by the Genoese fleet at the famous Battle of Meloria in 1284.)

+ Despite that defeat, Pisa became a center of woolen manufacturing late in the 13th century and remained the chief port of Tuscany. Pisan prosperity was reflected in the casatorre, a tall inhabited tower built of brick and stone, Internal struggles helped to bring about the occupation of Pisa by the Florentines in 1406. Merchandise continued to pass through the city until the 15th century. When French armies invaded Italy in 1494, Pisa reasserted its independence; the city sustained a series of wars and sieges until Florence reconquered it in 1509. Pisa grew again after the mid-18th century. In WWII Pisa suffered damage in 1944 when fighting took place on the Germans’ Gothic Line of defenses. The churches damaged at that time were subsequently restored.

+ Pisa is now a university town renowned for its art and architectural treasures. The city also retains much of its circuit of walls. The city is distinguished above all by a group of buildings in the Piazza del Duomo, the " Square of Miracles," at the northwestern end of the medieval walled city. This piazza contains the cathedral, or Duomo; the baptistery; the campanile, or Leaning Tower of Pisa; and the camposanto, or cemetery. The cathedral, begun in 1063, has a nave with double-vaulted aisles and transepts with single-vaulted ones, and a cupola at the intersection of the two axes. On the western front, the range of arches running around the base of the cathedral is repeated in four open arcades. A marvelous bronze door (ca. 1180) by Bonanno Pisano, survives on the southern side. Inside the cathedral is a pulpit carved in white marble by Giovanni Pisano. The circular baptistery, begun in 1152 but completed in the 14th century, is covered by a dome surmounted by a cone. The Leaning Tower of Pisa, begun in 1174 and completed in the 14th century, is also constructed of white marble The uneven settling of the campanile’s foundations during its construction gave the structure an odd inclination that is now about 17 feet (5.2 meters) out of the perpendic With the medieval Duomo as its backdrop, the Old Town square was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.