A municipal worker sits on a bench, next to a statue, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, during the 2018 soccer World Cup, Thursday, June 28, 2018. Nizhny Novgorod was a “closed city” during the Soviet era. It was known as Gorky until 1990 and it was here that dissident scientist Andrei Sakharov was held under house arrest. Now the city hosts six World Cup matches and is teeming with tourists. That was unthinkable in the Soviet era and even rare now in a city that is seldom visited by outsiders. (Photo by Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)

“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)

Nurse's Home, North Brother Island, New York. Photographer Christopher Payne specializes in the documentation of America’s vanishing architecture and industrial landscape. His new book, North Brother Island: The Last Unknown Place in New York City, explores an uninhabited island of ruins in the East River of New York City. (Photo by Christopher Payne)

Indonesian students go to school via a makeshift suspension bridge in Ngemplak, Boyolali regency, Indonesia on November 15, 2017. The lack of access to roads makes students every day to cross the dangerous waterways to go to school. (Photo by Arief Setiadi/Pacific Press/Barcroft Images)

Firefighters work to put out flames during a wildfire in Sokcho, South Korea, April 5, 2019. South Korea grappled with the massive blaze that roared through forests and cities along the eastern coast, declaring a national emergency and mobilizing all available resources to bring the inferno under control. (Photo by Yonhap via Reuters)

Ariel Almiron and Alumine Deluchi compete in the final round of the Tango World Championship stage category, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, September 25, 2021. (Photo by Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo)

People take pictures with cherry blossoms in a park on March 23, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images)

A person suspected of looting is beaten by protesters during demonstrations to mark the first anniversary of the deadly 2024 anti-government protests that drew widespread condemnation over the use of force by security agencies, in Nakuru, Kenya on June 25, 2025. (Photo by Suleiman Mbatiah/Reuters)