“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)

Spanish flamenco dancer Salome Ramirez performs in the show “Authentic Flamenco”, the show of the Teatro Real in Madrid, at the Sao Pedro theater in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 14 December 2022. After a successful tour in the United States and India, the show has arrived in the country of samba and carnivals, this time by the dancer Eduardo Guerrero and his work “Faro”. (Photo by Isaac Fontana/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Motorcycle fans dressed as Santa Claus ride near Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss Charlottenburg)during the 25th annual “Santa Claus On Road” Berlin Bike Tour, to deliver gifts to the needy on December 10, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. Some 200 riders with vehicles decorated with lights and mini-Christmas trees took part in the annual event on its 25 year. Anyone may ride along, whether on motorcycle, trike or quad, as long as the vehicle is decorated accordingly. (Photo by Omer Messinger/Getty Images)

Wayne McMahon from “The Wolfhound Experience” walking alongside four Irish Wolfhounds: Connell, Mac, Brendan, and Barra, accompanied by an Irish Terrier Lady MacBeth, at St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, Ireland, on May 16, 2024. The Wolfhound Experience offers a one-hour walking tour in Dublin's St. Stephens' Green, where visitors can meet and learn about Irish Wolfhounds, the gentle giants of the canine world. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Fans of US singer Taylor Swift, also known as a Swifties, queue to enter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the first of Swift's three shows in Melbourne on February 16, 2024. Swift is playing to 260,000 fans over three concerts in Melbourne starting February 16 as part of her Eras World Tour. (Photo by William West/AFP Photo)

Commuters hang off a local passenger train in the morning in Colombo, Sri Lanka September 8, 2016. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)

A local man looks at a church on top of the Katskhi Pillar, rock mass about 40 meters high, in the village of Katskhi, Georgia, November 27, 2015. The church, built in the ninth century, was later abandoned and it collapsed but was rebuilt in 2003, according to local media. (Photo by David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters)

A “nail house”, the last building in the area, sits in the middle of a road under construction in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region April 10, 2015. According to local media, the owner of the house didn't reach an agreement with the local authority about compensation of the demolition. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)