These stunning sand sculptures are being used to encourage youngsters to explore their surroundings and play in the dirt. (Photo by OMO Lowe)

The Slauerhoffbrug (English: Slauerhoff Bridge) is a fully automatic bascule bridge (aka tail bridge) in the city of Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. It uses two arms to swing a section of road in and out of place within the road itself. It is also known as the “Slauerhoffbrug ‘Flying’ Drawbridge”. A tail bridge can quickly and efficiently be raised and lowered from one pylon (instead of hinges). This quickly allows water traffic to pass while only briefly stalling road traffic. The deck is 15 m by 15 m. It is painted in yellow and blue, representative of Leeuwarden's flag and seal.

Water vapour cascades down the Gold Buddha Mountain after a rainfall, drawing large crowds of visitors, on May 13, 2024 in Chongqing, China. (Photo by Qu Mingbin/VCG via Getty Images)

Divers wearing mermaid costumes take part in the first Chinese Mermaid Performance Contest at Atlantis resort on December 21, 2021 in Sanya, Hainan Province of China. (Photo by Luo Yunfei/China News Service via Getty Images)

A demonstrator wears a feather headdress during the “No on APEC” protest on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting in San Francisco, California, on November 12, 2023. (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP Photo)

People wearing face masks pose for a photo holding the flag of the Communist Party of China the Museum of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing, China, 14 October 2022. The CPC museum is a site devoted to permanent and comprehensive exhibitions of the party's history. (Photo by Wu Hao/EPA/EFE)

People pass by the floating restaurant “Silver Whale” which partially sank during ice drift on the Neva River in St. Petersburg, Russia, 27 March 2023. Rescuers try to secure it with ropes so that the restaurant is not swept away by the river. The temperatures have reached zero degrees Celsius in the second largest city of Russia. (Photo by Anatoly Maltsev/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)