Random Windows Spotlight images

Glimmering on the border of Berchtesgaden National Park is a lake that's inspired explorers and artists for centuries. It's not hard to see where all the adoration comes from: Hintersee's setting, lying beneath the Reiteralm and Hochkalter mountains, is at once idyllic and breathtaking. The lake sits within Ramsau, a particularly scenic corner of Bavaria. Soaring Alpine peaks are a specialty around here—Ramsau is home to the Watzmann; rising nearly 9,000 feet in elevation, it's the highest mountain located entirely on German soil. Back here at the lake, a footpath winds around part of the shore, where huge boulders spiked with pine trees add enchanting touches to the view.

Nearly two-thirds of Lake Lugano lies within southern Switzerland. The rest resides in northern Italy. Our vantage point is from Monte Boglia, looking south across the Swiss canton of Ticino. This region is part of Switzerland, but offers up so much Italian architecture, food, and culture that some tourists might think they're visiting Italy. Italian is even the official language of Ticino, including the towns clustered on the shores of Lake Lugano. Fans of Alpine lakes take note: This blue gem is set between two others—Lake Maggiore and Lake Como.

Cape Spartel is a promontory in northern Morocco, rising above the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. It holds many intrigues—not least among them, the storied Caves of Hercules. Named after the myth of the demigod strongman, the caves served as a refuge between his legendary labors. The reality is just as compelling: Believed to have been inhabited since the Neolithic era, the caves were later expanded by Berber people who carved out millstones, leaving marks that are still visible today. As for the sea-facing opening seen in our image, some claim it was shaped by the Phoenicians to resemble the African continent, but this too may be a bit of mythmaking.

While much of Italy is a land of temperate winters and hot summers, there's a portion of the country that feels more like Switzerland. And that's because some of the northernmost reaches of Italy are located in the mountains bordering—you guessed it—Switzerland. Our image captures a quintessential scene at Lake Mufulè in Valtellina, an Italian valley where frozen lakes and alpine forests colored by autumn abound during the colder parts of the year. Valtellina is home to more than astounding scenery: Fine wine grapes are cultivated here, and Bitto, a regional cheese from cows who graze on the summer alpine meadows, is renowned.