“Touring the Koko-en Gardens adjacent to the Himeji castle was an unexpected highlight of our visit”, wrote Jeff Solar, 64, of Silver Spring, Md., about his trip to Japan. “The fall colors were outstanding and the gardens were both amazing and a bargain (just a few Yen added to the cost of the Himeji Castle admission)”. (Photo by Jeff Solar/2017 Washington Post Travel Photo Contest)

A volcanic eruption at Mount Etna’s Vorgaine crater in Sicily, Italy on December 3, 2015. (Photo by Marco Restivo/Barcroft Media)

Traffic enforcer Ramiro Hinojas, 51, wears a Santa Claus costume while directing motorists through traffic at an intersection in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines on November 28, 2017. (Photo by Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)

To mark the occasion of International Women' s Day on March 8, 2018 AFP presents a series of photos depicting women performing roles or working in professions more traditionally held by men. Here: Professional wrestler Cristal (Crystal) poses for a photograph in her trainig place on February 09, 2018 in Mexico city, Mexico. (Photo by Omar Torres/AFP Photo)

A regional train passes fog-covered fields in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, early Friday, October 7, 2022. (Photo by Michael Probst/AP Photo)

Children carrying guns and flags or wearing Soviet-style uniforms have become a common sight at Victory Day parades and other events in Russian-controlled Crimea. Russian and Ukrainian human rights activists have warned that such displays point to a growing trend of promoting Russian patriotism among kids on the Crimean peninsula, annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Here: A young Crimean girl wears military-type clothes during a Victory Day celebration in Sevastopol on May 9, 2018. (Photo by Oleksandra Surgan/Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Horizontal lightning was captured in this picture taken over an hour in Ensenada, Mexico on October 28, 2021. (Photo by Edgar Lima/Animal News Agency)

Two horses appear to burst into laughter before a sweet embrace. The horses both turn their head to look at the camera and flash their teeth, treating the lucky photographer to a rare shot. Moments later the pair show their affectionate side by coming together and “hugging”. Photographer Nir Amos, 34, said he was “amazed” to capture the horses “laughing” in a field near Skógar, in the south east of Iceland on July 31, 2018. (Photo by Nir Amos/Solent News & Photo Agency)