Cyprus - Beautiful Landscape

China - Beijing University

Throughout its history, the university has distinguished itself in terms of intellectual freedom and has produced and hosted many modern and prominent Chinese thinkers, including figures such as: Lu Xun, Mao Zedong, Gu Hongming, Hu Shih, Li Dazhao, and Chen Duxiu. Peking University was influential in the birth of China's New Culture Movement, May Fourth Movement, the Tiananmen Square protest of 1989 and many other significant events.

Canada - Acadia University

Acadia University is located in the town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia, approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia the provincial capital. Founded in 1838 by the Baptist Community, Acadia's beginning was the result of the commitment and enthusiasm of a community determined to build a university. The University has been shaped by their spirit of hard work and dedication to the principles that everyone should have access to university regardless of gender, race or religious affiliations - a spirit which continues to guide the university today.

Belgium - Mechelen

Mechelen lies on the major urban and industrial axis Brussels-Antwerp, about 25 km from each city. Inhabitants find employment at Mechelen's southern industrial and northern office estates, as well as at offices or industry near the capital and Zaventem Airport, or at industrial plants near Antwerp's seaport.

Mechelen is one of Flanders' prominent art cities, with Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, and Leuven. It was notably a centre for artistic production during the Northern Renaissance, when painters, printmakers, illuminators and composers of polyphony and were attracted by patrons such as Margaret of York, Margaret of Austria and Jeroen Van Busleyden

Australia

Czech Republic - Traditional Costume

Cyprus - Kiti - Angeloctistos Church

The main part of Panagia Angeloktisti, which literally means "Our Lady built by the angels" in Greek, dates from the 11th century and still serves as a working church for the busy village. During our visit, locals from various walks of life - an old lady dressed head to toe in black, a construction worker from the building site down the road and a dentist from across the street taking a break from drilling teeth - all stopped in to offer up a quick prayer and kiss an icon or two. It's nice to see such a venerable old building still in active use.

The church was built on and around the remains of a 6th century Christian basilica, the apse of which - and the fabulous mosaic of the Virgin Mary which serves as its stunning centerpiece - still survive today. Intriguingly, the mosaic was only "discovered" in 1952 during renovations. The original construction has clearly been added to and sympathetically restored in parts, and the standard is such that you can hardly differentiate between the ancient and the relatively new.

Cyprus - Landscape

Japan - Maiko

Maiko is an apprentice geiko. Their jobs are performing song, dance, and shamisen (three-stringed Japanese instrument) to visitors at a feast. Maiko are from 15 years old to 20 years old, and they can be geiko after learning how to dance (a kind of Japanese traditional dance), play the shamisen, and they also learn Kyō-kotoba (dialect of Kyoto), regardless of where they are from.

Switzerland - Sion

Sion is the capital of the Swiss canton of Valais.

It takes its name from the Latin word Sedunum, itself derived from the celtic tribe that lived there, the Seduni. It was occupied by the Romans with the rest of the surrounding area in the first century BCE. The town-hall is said to contain several Roman inscriptions, one of which found at Sion memorializes the Roman presence: Civitas Sedunorum Patrono. The Roman Catholic diocese of Sion is the oldest in Switzerland and one of the oldest north of the Alps.

Sion lost to Turin, Italy in its bid to host the 2006 Winter Olympics. Sion also bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics, which it lost to Salt Lake City, and the 1976 Winter Olympics, which it lost to Denver (the games were re-assigned to Innsbruck when Denver residents voted down additional funding).