History

Photographed during a January 2013 cruise up the Mekong River, the Independence Monument (the structure seen in our February mystery photo) stands in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. An Angkorian-style tower, it was erected in 1958 and commemorates the country's independence from France five years earlier.

Considered one of the most beautiful castles in Czechia, Hluboká Castle was the building pictured in our January mystery photo. The architectural style of the original castle, built in the second half of the 13th century, was Gothic, but the style changed with later reconstructions.

10 days, 9 nights. Departures May-October 2021. Highlights: In ENGLAND, Windsor Castle, Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, walking tour of medieval city of York, village of Grasmere in Cumbria (Lake District), Liverpool, London, Roman baths in Bath, Stonehenge/in Edinburgh, SCOTLAND, Georgian houses in “New Town,” Edinburgh Castle for Scottish Crown Jewels, Stone of Destiny/in WALES, Tintern Abbey on the River Wye, Cardiff Castle. $2,595-$2,890 ppdo (per dates). Single supp., $775.

One hundred and twenty years after the founding of the city of Novosibirsk in Siberia, Russia, a bronze statue of a mouse appeared in front of the city's Institute of Cytology & Genetics. At first glance, the spectacled mouse might be mistaken for a cartoon character, but the sculpture is actually a monument to all animals who have given their lives in the name of science.

The “knitting project” in the 28-inch-tall mouse's hands is a double helix strand of DNA. Including the pedestal on which the sculpture stands, the monument stands slightly over 8 feet tall.

11 days, 10 nights. Monthly departures May-Sept. 2021. Highlights: By coach from Zagreb, Croatia, to Bled, Slovenia, for cruise to Bled Island/in Ljubljana, Old Town, 11th-century castle/return to Croatia for coastal city of Pula, walled island of Trogir, Plitvice Nat’l Park/in Split, 4th-century Diocletian’s Palace/in Dubrovnik, Rector’s Palace, 15th-century Onofrio’s fountains. From $2,093 ppdo. Trafalgar (Cypress, CA; 866/513-1995, www.trafalgar.com).