The beguinages of Flanders and the Netherlands are always oases of calm and stillness, where you might still expect to see an old beguine mumbling her prayers in a doorway. Two of Ghent’s three beguinages have been included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Although the Old St Elizabeth Beguinage, in Begijnhofdries in Ghent, is no longer enclosed by a wall, making it simply part of the city, it still has a unique atmosphere. Today the Old St Elizabeth Beguinage is known as ‘holy corner’, a place of religious tolerance, because it has no less than three different churches: one is Roman Catholic, one is Orthodox and the other is Protestant. From bleachfield to orchard This open beguinage grew into something of a ‘beguine city’ in the 13th century, with a church, the ‘Grootjuffer’s House’, an infirmary, a chapel, more than a hundred houses for beguines, a bleachfield (a field where linen was laid out to bleach) and an orchard. After the French Revolution, with increasing industrialisation, the inhabitants moved to their new beguinage in Sint-Amandsberg in 1873.

Sea creatures can be seen in their natural setting at the Bergen Aquarium–Norway's largest aquarium as well as one of the city's biggest tourist attractions. It is home to Europe's largest collection of fish species and primitive marine creatures together with basins for seals, penguins, and sea birds.

Located in Charleston Harbor, Castle Pinckney is one of the oldest forts still intact. Visit Castle Pinckney to discover a piece of America's history. Walk among the cannons, cobblestone paths and thick, fortified walls. Experience what it must have felt for one to sense the heat of the sun against their neck, carry a musket, and patrol up and down 24/7.

This is Gdansk’s most famous landmark, a crane that was used to lift heavy goods and place masts onto ships’ decks. Today, it houses a branch of the city’s maritime museum in the crane.