The city of Houghton sits on Keweenaw Peninsula in the heart of Michigan's Copper Country and provides direct access to the beauty of Lake Superior. You'll find plenty to do and see in this charming city, from an abundance of winter sports, to nature trails and parks, to the fascinating A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum, located on the Michigan Technological University campus.

Connemara National Park lies in County Galway in western Ireland, near the village of Letterfrack. The park protects a broad landscape of mountains, western blanket bog, heath, grassland, woodland, and lakes, covering more than 2,000 hectares. Several of its peaks form part of the Twelve Bens range, including Benbaun, the highest mountain in County Galway.

Graz, Austria's second-largest city, is a hidden gem that offers a perfect blend of history, culture, and modernity. Its well-preserved medieval old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, invites visitors to stroll through cobblestone streets lined with Renaissance courtyards and Baroque façades. At the heart of the city is the Schlossberg, a forested hill crowned by the iconic clock tower, Uhrturm.

Manaus, capital of Brazil’s Amazonas state, is a city that rises unexpectedly from the rainforest. Once the center of the global rubber boom in the late 1800s, Manaus still holds onto that legacy with surprising elegance. The Teatro Amazonas, an opulent opera house imported piece by piece from Europe, sits at the heart of the city, its pink façade and domed roof tiled in the colors of the Brazilian flag. Today, it hosts concerts, festivals, and curious visitors eager to step back in time.

Brønnøysund sits along the Helgeland coast in Norway, surrounded by islands, narrow straits, and open sea. The town serves as a natural gateway to this coastal landscape, where boats move between scattered islets and fishing communities. Its harbor remains central to daily life, with working vessels sharing space with coastal cruise ships that pass through on longer journeys. The setting offers constant change, as weather and light reshape the view from hour to hour.