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National Geographic announces 2024 ‘cool list’
National Geographic Traveller has published a roster of 30 places and experiences comprising its 2024 ‘cool list.’
About half the list is in Europe, including areas as diverse as the ruins of Pompeii and the mountains of Albania, which the magazine dubs “Europe’s rising star.”
But whether you prefer exploring a major world city, traveling for a sporting event or getting away from it all in a remote paradise, there’s a nice mix here for just about every kind of explorer.
City breaks
For great food, museums and nightlife, head to some of the cities featured on National Geographic’s list.
Among those getting recognition are Xi’an, China, which is best known for the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Terracotta Warriors and Lima, Peru, which has become one of the world’s most acclaimed food destinations.
Meanwhile, Tainan, Taiwan’s original capital, will be marking its 400th anniversary in 2024, which provides a good excuse to check out its eel noodles, turkey rice, tofu pudding and other street food classics.
States of being
In several cases, National Geographic highlighted entire states. There were two in the US, Texas and New York – each of which is about the size of an entire country in Europe.
National Geographic advises not only visiting New York City – the Empire State is also home to some natural beauty at Lake Placid and Niagara Falls. Meanwhile, Texas has several great spots for admiring 2024’s total solar eclipse.
In Victoria, the Australian state home to Melbourne, a new “Great Victorian Bathing Trail” was credited with highlighting the area’s lesser-recognized thermal springs.
Meanwhile, National Geographic also lauded the northern Indian state of Sikkim, which is nestled in the Himalayas near the country’s borders with Bhutan and Nepal. Its crown jewel is Kangchenjunga, the world’s third-tallest mountain.
And Nova Scotia, Canada – which is a province, not a state – was recognized for its Acadian culture. This ethnic group is made up of descendants of Canada’s original French settlers, and their cultural heritage is reflected in Nova Scotia’s delicious seafood dishes.
Natural wonders
The National Geographic list is heavy on beautiful natural destinations.
Places getting the nod include the Atacama Desert in Chile (the world’s driest place), the lush Caribbean island of Dominica and the Andrefana Dry Forests of Madagascar, which are famed for baobab trees.
Scotland has expanded its UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve in Galloway and Southern Ayrshire, hooking them up to a nationwide circuit linking all 13 of Scotland’s UNESCO sites.
See the full list below.
The ‘cool list’ 2024
• Albanian Alps, Albania
• Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Emilia-Romagna, Italy
• Europe by train
• Galloway and Southern Ayrshire, Scotland
• Nordland, Norway
• North Yorkshire, England
• Pompeii, Italy
• Saimaa, Finland
• Tartu, Estonia
• The Euros, Germany
• Valletta, Malta
• Whisky in Wales
• Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland
• Atacama Desert, Chile
• Lima, Peru
• New York State
• Miami, Florida
• Dominica
• Nova Scotia, Canada
• Texas
• Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
• Ibera Wetlands, Argentina
• Akagera, Rwanda
• Andrefana Dry Forests, Madagascar
• Sierra Leone
• Sikkim, India
• Tainan, Taiwan
• Xi’an, China
• Victoria, Australia
注释：
dub: v
表示" 配音;授予称号"，means ""，如：Is the film dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部影片是经过配音的还是配上字幕的？The papers dubbed them The Fab Four'. 报刊给他们起了个绰号叫｀四绝＇.
eclipse: n
表示" 日或月食"，means "the disappearance, complete or in part, of the sun's light when the moon passes between it and the Earth, or of the moon's light when the Earth passes between it and the sun"，如：It will take an hour to reach full eclipse stage. 从月食到全食历时一个小时。
laud: v
表示" 赞美"，means "praise, glorify, or honor;"，如：He was lauded for his courage. 他的勇敢受到了人们的称赞。
Acadian: adj
表示" 阿卡迪亚的；阿卡迪亚人的"，means "an early French settler in the Maritimes"，如：Acadian, I've fought countless times. 阿卡迪亚人，我战斗过无数次。
baobab: n
表示" 猴面包树(非洲产的一种巨树)"，means "African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread"，如：Nelson always had baobab leaves for breakfast.
纳尔逊的早餐是猴面包树叶子。
中文简要说明：
2023年只剩不到2个月就过完了。展望明年，想好去哪里旅游了没？《国家地理旅人》杂志评选出30个「2024年最酷去处」，大自然、大都会兼具，几近半数都在欧洲，中国西安是亚太仅占4席亮点之一。
美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）6日报导，《国家地理旅人》（National Geographic Traveller）杂志英国版日前评选出30个最令旅人期待的旅游目的地「最酷榜单」（The Cool List 2024），指标饭店开业、自然生态、火车旅行、体育赛事、登山、美食等亮点，都成了这份榜单的诱人元素。30处之中，印度东北部锡金省（Sikkim）、台湾台南、中国西安、澳洲维多利亚省位于亚太。
《国家地理旅人》评论，台南是台湾最古老的城市，曾是台湾的首府，明年建城400年，1624年起由荷兰人治理始奠定城市基础，历经汉族、西班牙、日本不同文化统治，长达好几个世纪，武德殿、神农街、堡垒塔楼、寺庙等历史建筑与遗迹丰富。除了历史风情，担仔面、棺材板等多采多姿的台南小吃也非常吸引人，CNN提及的台南小吃则有豆花、鳝鱼面。此外，台南以丰富多样的传统活动出名，元宵节盐水蜂炮喧嚣激烈最是令人难忘，不过不太适合胆小的人。
《国家地理旅人》形容，8000多尊秦始皇兵马俑默默埋在西安田野底下长达2200年，直到50年前才因为农人凿井发现1只塑像人头终于出土，后来由联合国列为世界文化遗产。2022年中国新成立的382间博物馆，位于西安的陕西考古博物馆就是其中之一。
入榜的欧洲14个亮点包括：阿尔巴尼亚阿尔卑斯山（Albanian Alps）、北爱尔兰贝尔发斯特、意大利北部艾米利-罗马那大区（Emilia-Romagna）、搭卧铺火车游欧洲、苏格兰西南角加洛韦与南艾尔郡（Galloway and Southern Ayrshire）、挪威北部诺德兰（Nordland）、英格兰北约克郡、意大利庞贝、芬兰塞马湖（Saimaa）、爱沙尼亚塔图（Tartu）、德国主办2024欧洲国家杯足球赛、马耳他首都法勒他（Valletta）、韦尔斯的威士忌酒厂、爱尔兰野性大西洋公路之旅（Wild Atlantic Way）。
美洲有9地入榜：智利阿塔卡玛沙漠（Atacama desert）、秘鲁首都利马、阿根廷伊贝拉湿地（Ibera Wetlands）、岛国多米尼克、墨西哥尤加丹半岛（Yucatan Peninsula）、美国纽约州、美国德州、美国佛州迈阿密、加拿大诺瓦斯科细亚省。非洲则有塞拉利昂共和国、卢旺达野生动物阿卡盖拉（Akagera）国家公园、马达加斯加安德雷法纳旱生林（Andrefana Dry Forests）3地获选。
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