Krujë sits on a rocky hilltop above central Albania and has long been a symbol of the country’s history and independence. At Krujë Castle ancient stone walls rise above the town and offer striking views of the surrounding hills and valleys, and inside the fortress visitors find the Skanderbeg Museum, where armor, documents and displays recount the life and battles of Albania’s national hero.

Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh, set along a steep Himalayan ridge surrounded by cedar and pine forests. Its hillside streets, mountain views, and dense collection of colonial-era buildings give the city a distinctive character, while The Ridge and Mall Road form the main pedestrian and civic areas. Shimla also developed as a major hill station during British rule and later became the state capital.

The Australian Outback is a broad term for the sparsely settled rangelands and remote landscapes that extend across much of the continent. Rather than being a single desert, it includes arid plains, red-earth deserts, mountain ranges, rocky gorges, tropical savannas, salt lakes, and river country.

Pogradec is a lakeside town in southeastern Albania, situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Ohrid beneath the surrounding mountains. The lake is part of the UNESCO World Heritage property known as the Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid Region and is recognized for its exceptional freshwater biodiversity.

The River Nile, most often associated with Egypt and its ancient civilizations, actually flows through eight other countries including Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Kenya. It is formed by two major tributaries, the White Nile and Blue Nile, and is considered by many to be the longest river in the world when measured from its source waters in Rwanda and Burundi.

Vienna has a long memory. Once the capital of the Habsburg Empire, the city still carries signs of its imperial past in its palaces, concert halls, and wide boulevards. Visitors can walk through the Hofburg complex, where emperors once ruled, or tour the opulent rooms of Schönbrunn Palace, which features 1,441 rooms and a maze in its gardens. But Vienna’s many historic buildings now house contemporary art museums, cafés, and institutions that reflect the city’s modern identity.