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Maspalomas, in Gran Canaria, Spain, surprises with a landscape where the city and the desert seem to touch each other without mixing. From the air, the orderly layout of streets and buildings comes to an abrupt halt in front of a sea of golden dunes that stretches along the Atlantic, creating a unique contrast in the archipelago.

These mobile dunes, which can exceed ten meters in height, change shape with the wind, advancing slowly and redrawing the landscape day by day. A few metres away, urban life continues at its pace, between avenues, hotels and promenades. This close encounter between the dynamic and the built makes Maspalomas a unique place within Spain. Here, the sand never stands still and reminds us that even the most iconic landscapes are constantly transforming.

Today, July 7th, is Tanabata. Tanabata festivals are held all over Japan, competing in the splendor of Tanabata decorations, but the Sendai Tanabata Festival is especially famous. Because it inherits the Tanabata events of the old calendar, it is held every August according to the current calendar. Shopping streets and city streets are lined with colorful streamers and luxurious Tanabata decorations, creating a magical scene swaying in the summer breeze. The wish strips and delicate washi paper crafts are popular among overseas tourists, as they showcase Japan's unique traditional culture and craftsmanship. It is known as a festival symbolizing Sendai's summer, rich in history and beauty.

Founded by Greek settlers from Corinth around 734 BCE, the Italian city of Syracuse, on the island of Sicily, grew into one of the ancient Mediterranean's great powers and is now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 'Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica.' It is forever linked to Archimedes, whose genius still shapes its identity, and to Plato, who came to Syracuse hoping philosophy might shape political life. That layered past still feels tangible at Castello Maniace, a seafront fortress built for Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the 13th century, which can still be admired today.

In 2009, the castle provided the setting for the 'Carta di Siracusa,' a document focused on biodiversity and the relationship between nature, culture and development. The city has also offered filmmakers a ready-made stage, from 'Casanova '70,' starring Marcello Mastroianni, to 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.' Here, Italy is more than sunshine, wine and good food: it is history still conjugated in the present.

In the dry season, the grass loses its green, the water hides and the heat reorganizes the Cerrado around resistance. Even so, they appear: thin stems that end in spheres with dozens of tiny flowers, forming an almost geometric "shower" — hence their name. Very delicate, but not fragile at all, showers grow where much would give up, enduring intense sun, poor soil, dry wind and frequent fires. They usually bloom between the end of the rains and the advance of the drought, from March to July, and can exceed two meters and produce hundreds of flowers in a single structure.

In the Jalapão State Park, in Tocantins, where today's image comes from, this pattern is repeated until it becomes a tapestry of light dots in dry gold, as if the ground were made of constellations. The nickname "sempre-viva" is not free poetry: because they maintain shape and color even after drying, they are darlings in arrangements and handicrafts. In the Cerrado, one of the oldest and most demanding biomes on the planet, beauty is rarely separated from strategy.

In southeastern France, on the Valensole Plateau, summer arrives in waves of purple and blue. Valensole—one of the largest plateaus in the region—lies in the Verdon Regional Natural Park between the Durance and Asse valleys, near the Gorges du Verdon and its lakes. From mid-June to early July, depending on altitude and weather, lavender and lavandin bloom and transform the landscape into one of Provence's most recognisable sights. The air carries a sharp, dry and unmistakably Mediterranean scent.

Beyond the postcard-worthy view, lavender is an evergreen shrub in the mint family, native to lands bordering the Mediterranean. Its fragrance comes from oil glands on the flowers, leaves and stems, which is why it has long been valued for perfumes, soaps, sachets and essential oils distilled from the plant. The ancient Romans even used lavender in their baths. It also attracts bees and other pollinators, adding a steady hum to the fields. In Valensole, beauty is agricultural, aromatic and alive—rooted in climate, cultivation and tradition.

Tucked between vineyards and mountains, Kaysersberg is one of Alsace's most enchanting villages. Set along the Weiss River in northeastern France, it lies about 12 kilometres northwest of Colmar on the eastern slopes of the Vosges Mountains.

Kaysersberg's name—Emperor's Mountain—reflects its strategic past, crowned by a hilltop fortress first recorded in 1227, when Emperor Frederick II acquired and refortified the site. Today, that legacy unfolds in every direction: pastel half-timbered houses line cobblestone streets, while a striking fortified stone bridge from the early 16th century spans the river, linking the old town's districts.

Step inside Sainte Croix Church to find architectural layers dating back to the 13th century, or wander toward vineyard-covered hills that have shaped life here for centuries. Linger a little longer with a glass of crisp Pinot Gris, and let this corner of Alsace unfold at its own unhurried pace.