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It's a Solstice Saturday In the Northern Hemisphere, December 21 is the shortest day of the year and the first official day of winter. Yes, it's true. It's only just beginning. Encourage yourself with our latest journey overview of the news of 2024.
Switzerland aims high
A spectacular new cable car has opened in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. The Schilthorn Cable Car takes passengers up to the mountaintop revolving restaurant made famous by the James Bond film “On Her Majesty's Secret Service.”
Its creators say that it is the the steepest in the worldclimbing 775 meters (2,543 feet) in just four minutes with a gradient of 159.4%. It connects the village of Stechelberg with the car-free village of Mürren, approximately 1,650 meters (5,413 ft) above sea level.
The cable car has not yet been recognized by Guinness World Records, but Switzerland is no stranger to high altitude records.
The world steepest funicular opened in the alpine village of Stoos in 2017, rising to 743 meters (2,438 feet) along slopes as steep as 110%.
If that's not scary enough, there's the Stanserhorn Cabrio in Lucerne. It is the first cable car in the world to have a upper deck without roof. Costs.
Love and friendship
Four teenagers posed in miniskirts and flip-flops for a photo during a seaside holiday in England in 1972. More than 50 years later, this group of lifelong friends recreated it. Take a look here.
A Polish girl and a Balkan boy met as teenagers in Greece in 2005. A mutual summer crush developed, but it never progressed beyond friendship. Then it came unexpectedly back in his life.
A French man and a Canadian woman had a holiday romance in Cuba in 2016. He told her they would “keep in touch”. She thought she would never hear from him again. Facebook request appeared.
Sounds and joy of the season
This month, a delayed flight stuck at the Atlanta airport turned surprisingly festive when a U.S. Army veteran took out his saxophone and played Christmas songs. Wayne Hoey, who played in the Army Band for two decades, even performed “Baby Shark” to soothe the little ones on board.
Vacation travel is often stressful, with or without a reed instrument on hand. CNN Travel asked flight attendants to share their secrets to get from point A to point B throughout the season.
There are many European cities that are magical at Christmas – here are our choice out of 11 of them – but one in particular is at the top of many people's wish lists. Tourism is booming in Rovaniemi, Lapland, home to Santa Claus Villagebut not everyone is happy with the deluge of visitors.
The Unlocking the World newsletter is also taking a little break for the holidays next week. We will be back with more travel news for you in 2025.
Olives, capers, anchovies. Here's the technique that makes puttanesca pasta so delicious
Locals say this generations-old restaurant, located at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, makes the best puttanesca pasta in the world. The owner, Teresa Izzo, showed CNN the secret.
If you're looking for last-minute gifts for the foodies in your life, our partners at CNN Underscored, a CNN-owned product ratings and recommendations guide, offer this roundup of 63 food gifts for every budget.
There will be no festive shortage of dairy products on CNN Travel's watch. Meet a woman who invents cheeses in his refuge in the mountains.
You can ski across international borders on these mountains.
These are the tourist attractions you won't be able to visit in 2025.
Why can't we have beautiful things.
The world's busiest air routes for 2024 have been revealed.
Asia and the Gulf region are at the top of the list.
