Bing Images archive 2025/11

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  2025-11-01Peña Roya beech forest, Moncayo Natural Park, Aragon, Spain

  Spain"s Aragon region isn"t exactly famous for its forests—it"s more "sun and scrub" than "shade and shuffle." And yet, climb the slopes of Moncayo and you"ll walk straight into a twist ending: a dense, whispering beech forest. The mountain is a climate roller coaster. At the bottom? Mediterranean shrubs. Midway up? Oaks and pines. Push further? Suddenly you"re in Peña Roya, a beech wonderland that seems to say, "Surprise, leaf it to me!"

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  2025-11-02Maple and bamboo forests in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan

  Today, we travel to the Arashiyama district in Kyoto, renowned for its captivating seasonal landscapes. Here, vibrant Japanese maple trees and serene bamboo forests create a harmonious blend of colour and tranquillity. These maples, known for their delicate, deeply lobed leaves, turn fiery shades of red, orange and gold during autumn, attracting visitors from around the world. They are celebrated not only for their beauty but also for their cultural symbolism—representing elegance, peace and the fleeting nature of life.

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  2025-11-03World Jellyfish Day

  They don"t have brains, bones or even hearts, yet jellyfish have pulsed through Earth"s oceans for half a billion years. Today, on World Jellyfish Day, these wobbly wonders get their moment in the sun—or at least under the sea. The day promotes efforts to protect jellyfish habitats from threats like pollution, nutrient-rich runoff and ocean acidification.

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  2025-11-04Tower Bridge, London

  Some bridges connect two sides. Tower Bridge connects history, engineering and a flair for drama. Standing next to the Tower of London and rising over the River Thames since 1894, this London icon literally knows how to lift spirits—and traffic. With its twin towers, blue-and-white paintwork and bascules that open like a giant"s drawbridge, Tower Bridge is less a traffic solution and more a stage performer.

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  2025-11-05Guy Fawkes Night

  On the night of 5 November, the skies across the United Kingdom light up with fireworks, bonfires and the occasional singsong of "Remember, remember the fifth of November." But behind the sparklers and toffee apples lies a tale of treason, gunpowder and one man forever linked with an explosive plot that fizzled out.

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  2025-11-06Celebrating Yi Peng

  What would you wish for if a single lantern could carry it skyward? Tonight, in northern Thailand, the Yi Peng festival offers that chance. This centuries-old Lanna tradition celebrates the twelfth lunar month with glowing paper lanterns—khom loi—that are released to honour the Buddha. Each lantern is believed to carry away misfortune and light the way toward a brighter future. Children steady the lantern frames, elders whisper blessings and the crowd pauses as hundreds of lights drift higher than the trees. Farther south, the same full moon watches over Loy Krathong, a sister festival, where candlelit rafts glide across the water.

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  2025-11-07Polar bear in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

  What"s drawing scientists, travellers and cameras to Manitoba, Canada, this week? Polar Bear Week is here, and it"s more than a date on the calendar. The town of Churchill takes centre stage. Each autumn, hundreds of polar bears gather near here, waiting for the bay to freeze so they can hunt seals again—their primary food source. Ever wondered how they stay warm? A thick layer of fat and a dense undercoat trap heat. Their tangle-resistant hairs shake dry after swimming, and natural oils stop the coat from freezing. Sadly, warmer temperatures delay that freeze, forcing the bears to fast for longer. To cope with the delay, they rest, conserve energy and sometimes wander the area. Scientists track their movements to learn how migration patterns shift each year. Polar Bear Week celebrates these mammals while reminding us that their future depends on what we do about a warming planet.

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  2025-11-08Bandon Beach in Bandon, Oregon, United States

  Exit Highway 101, and Bandon, in Oregon, United States, greets visitors with salty air and the gentle clang of harbour bells. The town began as a small settlement in the 1850s and grew into a centre for timber and salmon fishing. Cranberries became a key crop and are still celebrated each September during the Cranberry Festival. Old Town reflects that past with boardwalk cafés and galleries, while the Coquille River Lighthouse stands restored at Bullards Beach as a reminder of the days when its beacon guided ships.

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  2025-11-09Remembrance Sunday

  Every second Sunday of November, the United Kingdom presses pause. Shops may buzz, trains may run, but at 11 a.m., the nation falls silent. For two minutes, the usual noise of life is replaced by a collective stillness. This is Remembrance Sunday—a day less about "time off" and more about "time out" to reflect.

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  2025-11-10Black-tailed prairie dogs, Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA

  If you think small creatures can"t make a big impact, you clearly haven"t met the residents of Roberts Prairie Dog Town in Badlands National Park, in South Dakota, United States. These black-tailed prairie dogs are tiny, furry and endlessly entertaining. The town is one of the park"s largest prairie dog colonies, where hundreds of these social rodents scurry, dig and "bark" at passing visitors. Each prairie dog has a role—lookouts scan for predators while others maintain intricate burrow systems that can stretch up to 10 metres in length.

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  2025-11-11Externsteine in the Teutoburg Forest, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

  Nestled in the heart of Germany"s Teutoburg Forest, near the town of Horn-Bad Meinberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, the dramatic rock formations known as the Externsteine rise majestically into the sky. These sandstone pillars, formed around 70 million years ago, are among Germany"s most significant natural and cultural landmarks. They captivate visitors with their unique shapes and rich historical significance, attracting thousands each year. The rocks reach heights of up to 35 metres. As early as the Middle Ages, the site was used as a place of worship, as evidenced by a remarkable 12th-century relief carved into the stone depicting the Descent from the Cross. It is the oldest of its kind north of the Alps.

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  2025-11-12Colosseum, Rome, Italy

  Think modern sports are dramatic? Ancient Romans had front-row seats to spectacles far more intense inside the Colosseum. Commissioned by the Flavian emperor Vespasian in 72 CE and finished by his son Titus in 80 CE, this amphitheatre broke tradition with its predecessors that were built into hillsides for natural support. Instead, the Colosseum was a fully free-standing architectural giant. Crafted from stone and concrete, its arches and vaults supported an arena that could host up to 50,000 spectators. Gladiators, exotic animals and even staged sea battles thrilled the crowds, while hidden elevators and trapdoors created sudden, dramatic appearances.

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  2025-11-13Quiver trees, Keetmanshoop, Namibia

  Of all the plants on Earth, the quiver tree looks the most like a vision from the future. Found in Southern Africa, including parts of Namibia, these striking giants are not true trees but a species of aloe adapted to life under the desert"s scorching sun. Their thick trunks store water, while their branches reflect heat, helping them endure harsh conditions. Reaching up to 7 metres in height, with some living for more than 100 years, quiver trees are also vital to their ecosystem. They offer rare perches and nesting sites for birds in landscapes where few other trees exist.

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  2025-11-14Mother manatee and calf, Crystal River, Florida, United States

  Forget dolphins doing flips or sharks stealing headlines—manatees win hearts by doing, well, almost nothing. And that"s the charm. Manatees are found in the warm coastal waters of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Amazon Basin and West Africa. They can weigh up to 550 kilograms, yet their diet is strictly vegetarian. These whiskered mammals are slow swimmers in a fast-paced world. They cruise at around 5 miles per hour—great for relaxing, not so great when speedboats come charging through. That"s why "no-wake zones," or sections of waterways with a strict speed limit, are there to keep manatees safe.

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  2025-11-15Irohazaka Road in autumn, Nikko, Tochigi, Japan

  If you think the alphabet is straightforward, Japan"s Irohazaka Road in Nikko will twist that belief right out of you. Named after the old Japanese syllabary "Iroha," this mountain pass once had 48 hairpin bends—each curve matched to a character of the alphabet. Today, it"s a pair of separate one-way roads—one goes up, the other comes down and both make drivers feel as if they"re spelling out a story with every turn.

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  2025-11-16A traboule in Lyon, France

  In Lyon, France, you don"t just walk through the city—you glide through it. The traboules, a network of hidden passageways threading between courtyards and buildings, turn a simple stroll into a treasure hunt. They were the original shortcuts, allowing residents to dodge rain, carry goods or move discreetly through the medieval quarters. Today, they"re less about practicality and more about discovery. These passages date back to the fourth century but became essential during the Renaissance, when silk traders used them to shuttle delicate fabrics safely from workshops to the river without braving the weather. Later, during World War II, Resistance fighters used the traboules as escape routes.

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  2025-11-17National Hiking Day

  National Hiking Day is more than a date—it"s an invitation to step away from screens and into the rhythm of nature. This day celebrates the simple act of walking under open skies and reminds us that health and happiness often begin with a single stride. From the rolling hills of the Lake District to the rugged cliffs of the South West Coast Path, Britain"s trails are diverse. The Peak District was the country"s first national park and remains a hiker"s favourite. Meanwhile, Snowdonia National Park in Wales promises climbs that make your calves burn.

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  2025-11-18Male hooded merganser, Oregon, United States

  Each autumn, the quiet waterways of Oregon, United States, become seasonal waypoints for hooded mergansers—small diving ducks native to North America. They are agile divers, plunging beneath the surface to catch fish and other prey. Males, known as drakes, stand out with their fan-shaped white crests, dark heads and chestnut-brown sides, while females, called hens, are brownish grey with smaller crests. Oregon"s lakes and wetlands provide sheltered feeding grounds as these birds migrate or winter across the continent.

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  2025-11-19Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest, Hungary

  Step closer, and the details begin to speak—every stone, spire and statue seems to hold a story of its own. Conceived in the late 19th century, the Hungarian Parliament Building was designed to reflect a nation"s ambition, blending Gothic Revival elegance with distinctly Hungarian motifs. Architect Imre Steindl"s vision took shape over two decades through the work of more than 1,000 craftsmen. Even the central dome, rising 96 metres high, carries meaning: the height honours the year of Hungary"s millennium anniversary in 1896. Completed in 1904, the building still dominates Budapest"s skyline as a powerful national symbol.