Travel & Tourism

Things to Do in Cappadocia: 6 Must-Do Outings and Activities

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Summary


  • 1. Hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia


  • 2. Visit to Göreme Open Air Museum and its village


  • 3. Exploration of the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli


  • 4. Hiking in the valleys: Love Valley, Rose Valley and Pigeon Valley


  • 5. Visit to Uchisar Castle


  • Discovering crafts in Avanos


  • Cappadocia landscape: a land sculpted by nature and inhabited by history


  • Is Cappadocia worth it? A unique region in the heart of Turkey worthy of its reputation


  • How many days to visit Cappadocia: crafting a balanced itinerary according to your priorities


  • Getting around Cappadocia: choosing the right means to explore a dispersed territory


  • What to do in Cappadocia when it rains: cultural activities and underground visits to favor


  • Cappadocia travel: how to organize a coherent and enriching discovery?

Nestled in the heart of Turkey, Cappadocia is a region that evokes surreal landscapes and a millennial history. Renowned for its intriguing rock formations called fairy chimneys, its mysterious underground cities, and its spectacular panoramas, Cappadocia attracts thousands of visitors each year in search of exploration. If you wonder “what to do in Cappadocia?”, this article provides a detailed guide to magnify your experience through the activities and sites it offers.

1. Hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia

Discovering Cappadocia from the air on a hot-air balloon ride is one of the highlights of a trip to Turkey, both for reading the landscapes and for understanding how the region is geologically organized.

At dawn, the open sky over Göreme and that over Zelve reveal themselves in a gradually brightening light that highlights the Göreme Valley, the Love Valley, the Rose Valley, and the mushroom-shaped rock formations. This experience, included in many Turkish stay itineraries, requires a ticket, sometimes separate from the valley entrance pass, with prices varying by season.

Easily accessible thanks to internal domestic flights in Turkey to Kayseri Airport, then by rental car or car from the airport, this activity stands as a true appointment to observe major points of interest from a beautiful panoramic view, revealing the coherence between troglodyte villages, valleys, and plateaus.

2. Visit to Göreme Open Air Museum and its village

The Göreme Open Air Museum visit allows a structured approach to the religious and architectural history of the region, in a classified and protected environment. This open-air museum, located in the heart of the Göreme Valley, brings together rock-cut buildings dating from the late Roman Empire and the Byzantine period, accessible thanks to a specific entry ticket and to cathedral access reserved for certain chapels.

The site is set in a Göreme open-air environment that is particularly readable, where frescoes dialogue with the volcanic rock. Access for visitors is arranged, although some portions require special attention. This visit fits easily into an itinerary including Ürgüp, Mustafapaşa, or Zelve, offering a comprehensive reading of the troglodyte village and its evolution over time.

3. Exploration of the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli

Exploring the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli completes the understanding of the region by revealing a Cappadocia carved meters underground, designed for collective protection. These impressive complexes unveil an organized network of rooms, corridors, deep wells, and storage areas, illustrating a remarkable adaptation to historical and climatic constraints.

Connected to the main roads by car, these visits are often included in tours with a guide, helping interpret the defensive and domestic functions of these spaces. They naturally fit into Cappadocian housing plans and itineraries, where one also discovers the logic of rock-cut rooms and the troglodyte chamber at Jerveni, still used today as remarkable lodging for travelers.

4. Hiking in the valleys: Love Valley, Rose Valley and Pigeon Valley

Hiking in Cappadocia offers a complementary and accessible approach to exploring the region’s landscape diversity, especially in Love Valley, Rose Valley, and Pigeon Valley, whose names often reflect a natural or historical feature, sometimes linked to the era of pigeons.

These itineraries, usually free or requiring a simple valley pass, provide direct valley access from Göreme, Ürgüp, or the town of Mustafapaşa. The marked paths allow you to observe cliffs, former dwellings, and open panoramas, sometimes linking Zelve, its Open-Air Zelve, and the Pasabag crossing.

These routes are suitable for all levels and rank among the best ways to explore the region without logistical constraints.

5. Visit to Uchisar Castle

Visiting Uchisar Castle offers a strategic reading of the territory from one of the region’s highest points, overlooking the valleys and surrounding villages. Accessible by town car or local transport, this site provides a structured panorama of the Göreme Valley, Zelve, and the surrounding plateaus.

The ascent gradually reveals defensive caverns, storage areas, and rochedwelling integrated into the rock, testifying to a continuous occupation. This high point makes an excellent reference for understanding the spatial organization of Cappadocia and naturally fits into a route linking Ürgüp, the Ürgüp Hammam, or a night in Ürgüp, often sought for its good addresses and troglodyte accommodations.

6. Discovery of crafts in Avanos

The discovery of crafts in Avanos adds a human and economic dimension to a stay in Turkey, highlighting skills handed down since antiquity. Located along the Kızılırmak River, the town is renowned for its pottery workshops, accessible freely or through organized demonstrations. This stop harmoniously complements an itinerary including Göreme, Mustafapasa — and its Mustafapasa options often cited among the best Mustafapasa deals — or Ürgüp. Avanos accommodations, often more traditional, offer comfortable rooms, sometimes a private room with a bathroom, ideal for a quieter pause. Integrated into a coherent circuit, Avanos illustrates the balance between heritage, local life, and tourism organization in this emblematic region of Turkey.

This survey of Cappadocia’s activities and sites plunges us into a universe where nature, history, and culture intertwine. The region offers a myriad of experiences for every traveler, whether history enthusiasts, outdoor lovers, or those curious about art and tradition. It is a destination to visit and revisit, with each season presenting a unique show on its memorable landscapes. One thing is certain: Cappadocia will astonish you with its richness and extraordinary diversity.

Cappadocia landscape: a land sculpted by nature and inhabited by history

A journey to Turkey takes on a distinctive dimension in Cappadocia, where erosion-sculpted landscapes offer an open-air reading of human and natural history. This territory, shaped by the Roman Empire, presents a mosaic of troglodyte villages, iconic valleys such as Love Valley, Göreme Valley, and Rose Valley, and remarkable formations like mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys.

Beyond the postcard image, these landscapes tell of a constant adaptation of habitation to the constraints of the terrain, visible in rock-cut rooms, Cappadocian dwellings, and cities dug meters underground. Cappadocia is worth it for the richness of its open-air museum, for the experience of a flight over Göreme Open Air, but also for its subterranean points of interest, its hikes, its good addresses in Ürgüp or Mustafapaşa, and the stunning view from Uçhisar.

This region of Turkey, accessible via domestic Turkish flights to Kayseri Airport, delights with the density of its cultural and natural offerings.

Is Cappadocia worth it? A unique region in the heart of Turkey worthy of its reputation

Asking whether Cappadocia is worth it means questioning the relevance of a place that has become emblematic of travel in Turkey. Located in central Anatolia, this region stands out for its unique geological formations, rock-cut churches, and underground cities, witnesses to ancient human occupation. The Cappadocia landscapes, shaped by erosion, offer a rare visual experience, especially in the Göreme Valley or the Üçhisar region.

In addition to the postcard image, there are singular experiences such as a dawn hot-air balloon flight. For travelers seeking history, nature, and unusual perspectives, Cappadocia is a destination that fully justifies the detour.

How many days to visit Cappadocia: crafting a balanced itinerary according to your priorities

The number of days to visit Cappadocia depends on the level of immersion you seek. A three to five-day stay in this region allows you to cover the must-see sites, from the Zelve Valley to the Göreme Open Air Museum, while taking time to stop in the town of Mustafapaşa or enjoy a hammam in Ürgüp on a Saturday.

It makes sense to plan for fantastical accommodations spread across different villages to facilitate excursions. The housing plans often include private rooms with a bathroom, sometimes troglodyte, such as the cave room at Jerveni, and they allow you to live a local experience. Structuring the itinerary with realistic travel times, whether by rental car or shuttle, is essential to keep sight of the region’s diversity.

Getting around Cappadocia: choosing the right means to explore a dispersed territory

Getting around Cappadocia requires some foresight, given the extent of the territory and the dispersion of points of interest. The car from the airport or a hotel-based car remains the most flexible means, especially to reach places like Zelve, the Zelve Open Air, or more remote villages such as Ortahisar.

Some travelers opt for a guide or a local driver, particularly for tours linking the valleys, the deep wells, or the troglodyte accommodations. The Göreme Open Air area can also be explored on foot via marked Cappadocia hikes. Transportation becomes a genuine element of exploration here, revealing the alternation of landscapes and the variation in scale between towns, valleys, and troglodyte villages.

What to do in Cappadocia when it rains: cultural activities and underground visits to prioritize

When the weather is uncertain, knowing what to do in Cappadocia when it rains allows turning constraints into cultural opportunities. The underground cities, dug several meters underground, provide shelter while giving access to a crucial part of the territory’s history. The museums, troglodyte houses, or Avanos craft workshops welcome visitors in covered and informative settings.

Exploring these spaces, often accessible with an entry ticket or included in a valley pass, reveals how residents used stone to build a protected everyday life. In Cappadocia, the subterranean heritage offers a millennia-old response to the whims of the weather.

Cappadocia travel: how to organize a coherent and enriching discovery?

Organizing a coherent Cappadocia trip means balancing a program between landscapes, culture, and lodging. The valley name, the village, or the troglodyte site often provides the key to understanding the place. Travelers can set their starting point in Göreme, easily connected by domestic Turkish flights via Kayseri Airport, before radiating to places like Mustafapaşa, known for its best Mustafapaşa options, or Ürgüp, appreciated for its overnights and its local atmosphere.

A well-prepared stay in Cappadocia relies as much on logistics — car, access tickets, accommodations — as on the ability to grasp the multiple layers of this territory: an open-air museum, a land inhabited since the era of pigeons, a living architecture, between sky, rock, and memory.

This article was drafted with the help of artificial intelligence, then corrected, expanded, and validated by the newsroom journalists.

Living with Peacocks? A Small Italian Village Split on the Issue

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In a quirky take on Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, dozens of peacocks promenade through the streets of a small Italian village, driving residents crazy with their mating calls. We can see these birds, with their long iridescent tails, perched on roofs and fences in Punta Marina, a seaside village in the Emilia-Romagna region near Ravenna.

The city’s prestigious mosaics from the ancient era bear witness to the birds’ presence in the region for centuries. Although there has been no official census in the village, these birds are believed to number around 120 in Punta Marina, where no predator seems to bother them.

But for Marco Manzoli, 81, a retired bus driver, it is mainly troublemakers that produce a lot of droppings. “Their population has exploded over 30 years and is now too large: they disrupt sleep, hinder traffic and soil the ground with droppings that resemble ice cream, in which people end up walking.”, he told AFP TV.

Not far away, six peacocks stroll nonchalantly at a crossroads, admiring their reflection in parked cars and shop windows. “The peacocks climb onto cars… and scratch them,” adds Mr. Manzoli, fearing that “tourists will stop vacationing unless they have a garage to park their car”.

The baker Claudio Ianiero, 64, told AFP TV that the peacocks had long lived in a pine grove behind the village, but they had begun seeking shelter from predators by nesting in the gardens of abandoned houses. “There they have many natural enemies, such as wolves and foxes. Here, however, they have none, and they are proliferating at a pace that’s difficult to control”, he said.

The Formation of Two Camps

As a peacock approached the bakery window, eyeing the butter croissants on display inside, Ianiero dismissed alarmist reports in the media about an invasion, a health emergency, or a forced exodus of residents.

The baker, who specializes in peacock-shaped cookies among other specialties, says that residents have lived in harmony with these birds for years. These crest-bearing birds, with their countless shades of blue, are “something magical” for Punta Marina, he believes.

But for Mara Capasso, a 57-year-old supermarket cashier, the issue of peacocks “has split the town into two camps”. She notes that some neighbors are awakened every night by the birds’ mating cries. The peacocks should be “taken to pine forests, woods, places where they can live in their natural habitat, because they should never live on concrete”, she continues.

Over the years, the Ravenna city hall, which oversees Punta Marina, has considered various strategies for managing the bird population. A relocation attempt in 2022 failed, largely due to opposition from animal-rights groups. This initiative could well bear fruit today, as “we are receiving adoption offers from all over Italy”, assures Mr. Ianiero.

Although the municipality launched a 2024 campaign to raise awareness among residents and visitors about coexisting with peacocks, including a request not to feed them, Emanuele Crescentini, a local resident, thinks more needs to be done.

Mr. Crescentini, 50, has dubbed himself the “forest ranger” of the peacocks, roaming the streets to shield the birds from inhabitants’ anger. “There is plenty of space in Punta Marina, they could spread out everywhere without causing any trouble”, he notes. “We could set an example of smart and mature coexistence. It’s entirely possible”, he adds.

The Heart of America Attracts Tourists

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The United States, a vast North American nation formed by 50 states, today counts more than 348 million inhabitants and has Washington, D.C. as its capital. Each year, millions of travelers from around the world embark on legendary road trips here, whether in New York to admire the Statue of Liberty, in San Francisco to marvel at the famed Golden Gate Bridge, or in New Orleans to soak up its festive atmosphere.

Yet the country also hides quieter destinations where unforgettable experiences await, such as Nashville, Eureka Springs, or Portland. According to CNN Travel experts, the heartland state of the United States also deserves a substantial detour. To reach it, you must cover long stretches by car along immense highways that run to the horizon across vast arable lands. Likewise, small towns, akin to simple stopovers, surface beneath a boundless sky.

The geographic center of the United States lies in northern Kansas

Determining the center of the United States has sparked disagreements for many years. “There is no universally accepted definition of the geographic center, nor any method entirely satisfactory for determining it,” stated the U.S. Department of the Interior in a 1964 report. In an attempt to resolve this issue, experts from the U.S. Coast Survey and Geodetic Service employed a precise scientific approach.

They cut a cardboard map of the country and balanced it on the point of a pin to identify its center of gravity. Subsequently, the position was shifted slightly by a few hundred meters to avoid landing on private property. This experiment revealed that the central point lies in the northern part of Kansas, near the town of Lebanon. Following this discovery, the site experienced an unexpected tourist boom.

If you wish to explore the center of the United States, you’ll take I-70 into the rural Kansas road network, winding through farming country and past the river town of Manhattan, then Clay Center, which marks the halfway point between Los Angeles and New York.

Along your journey, you’ll glimpse grain silos, water towers, red-brick barns, Texaco stations that have closed their doors, and endless fields. In Cawker, about 25 minutes from the center, a roadside kiosk on Route 24 houses a quirky spectacle that has made this tiny town famous: the world’s largest ball of twine.

What can one find at the center of the United States?

As CNN Travel notes, the geographic center near Lebanon sits in a very quiet rural area. There you’ll discover a small single-room white chapel, a pine grove, covered picnic tables, and a spring-mounted playground for children. A few signs also indicate the significance of the place.

Additionally, a marker lists the coordinates (39° 50′ N, 93° 35′ W) of what is today called the “historic center,” and a mast flies the flags of Kansas and the United States. On the opposite side of the road, beyond a barbed-wire fence, three large wooden crosses stand sentinel. The interior of this tiny chapel exudes an unexpected serenity, flooded with a soft light filtered through sheer drapes, making it a place conducive to contemplating the world around us.

This is a plaque that indicates the exact coordinates of the geographic center of the United States.

Sri Lanka: Dignity Restored for Highlands Tea Pickers

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Tea leaf rolling is her specialty. Every day, Dhananjani Madhumathi, 40, settles into the workshop at Amba Estate (“the Amba estate”), an organic plantation in the Ceylon designation perched in the Highlands, in the center of Sri Lanka. “Madhu,” as close relatives call her, sits at a long wooden table. Above a wicker basket, she delicately, with the tips of her fingers, rolls the morning-picked shoots. “Here, we only pluck the bud and the very first leaf, which appear every ten or eleven days at the tip of the stems, she explains. That is how we obtain the best aromas.” Quality teas typically consist of the bud and the first two leaves of the shoot, the freshest and most tender. Here, we are therefore one notch above. The rolled tea is then dried on large sieves, packed, sent by truck to Colombo, the capital, and then exported.

A Century-Old Plantation

Top 10 Must-Visit Places in Arles

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Table of Contents


  • Discover the Arles Arenas

  • Stroll through the historic center

  • Explore the Réattu Museum

  • Discover the Camargue Natural Park

  • Visit the Ancient Theatre of Arles

  • Discover the Alyscamps district

  • Marvel at the Van Gogh Space

  • Taste Gardianne de Taureau

  • Visit Montmajour Abbey

  • Discover the Arles Antique Departmental Museum

Located in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region, Arles is the largest commune in France by area, spanning over more than 75,893 hectares. A city of history, culture and natural landscapes, Arles has no shortage of assets to charm its visitors.

Discover the Arles Arenas

Situated in the heart of Arles’ city center, the arenas are the city’s must-see attraction. Built around 80 CE, these arenas now host numerous performances throughout the year, including Easter ferias. Surrounding shops and restaurants know how to delight visitors.

> Discover the artisanal activities of our partner in Montpellier

Stroll through the historic center

In Arles, enjoy the historic center and don’t hesitate to wander the cobbled streets. Shops and restaurants enliven the downtown area where life is pleasant and where Camargue specialties are to be tasted.

> If you want to discover in pictures the 10 things to do in Arles, head to our slideshow!

Explore the Réattu Museum

As the Fine Arts Museum of the city of Arles, the Réattu Museum will appeal to lovers of architecture and artworks. Built along the bend of the Grand Rhône, the Réattu Museum offers a unique view to contemplate. The museum houses a beautiful collection by painter Jacques Réattu, but also works by Vincent van Gogh, as well as various photography and sculpture exhibitions.

Discover the Camargue Natural Park

Created on September 25, 1970, the Camargue Natural Park is a site of European importance where one can discover nearly 276 species of birds. A natural space welcoming migratory birds, the park sees around 122,000 birds each year. Within the Camargue Natural Park, visitors can also discover the numerous pink flamingos, the Camargue salt flats, not to mention the Vaccarès pond, covering 13,117 hectares and classified as a protected area.

Visit the Ancient Theatre of Arles

Built under the reign of Emperor Augustus, the Ancient Theatre of Arles is among the earliest theatres of the Roman world. Classified as a historical monument since 1840, the Ancient Theatre of Arles draws visitors, though only two columns have survived out of the initial hundred, not to mention the splendor of the cavea ruins. Today, the theatre is open for visits and hosts numerous festivities during the summer.

Discover the Alyscamps district

Meaning Champs-Elysées in Provençal, the Alyscamps district is full of Gallo-Roman remains including Saint-Honorat Church and the Chapel of the Porcelets. The Alyscamps stroll is equally pleasant. The district has even been immortalized several times by painters Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin.

Marvel at the Van Gogh Space

This expansive quadrilateral, formerly the Hôtel-Dieu, will become one of your favorite places in Arles. You will especially enjoy its flowering gardens and its cultural space that hosts exhibitions and other events through the Vincent Van Gogh Foundation. The Van Gogh Space also welcomes students from Aix-Marseille University and hosts numerous exhibitions, particularly during the Rencontres de la Photographie held this year from July 4 to September 26.

Taste Gardianne de Taureau

While visiting Arles, don’t miss sampling the local specialties. Take advantage of the many restaurants in the historic center to savor the famous Gardianne de Taureau. Among other Arles culinary specialties are fougasse, the Arlesian soup, Camargue rice, and raïto sauce.

Visit Montmajour Abbey

On the outskirts of the city of Arles, Montmajour Abbey bears nearly eight centuries of history and Provençal architecture thanks to its monuments from various eras. Visitors appreciate the charms of Hermitage Saint-Pierre, the Chapel Sainte-Croix in a clover shape, the Pons de l’Orme tower from the 14th century, not forgetting the Saint-Maur Monastery, dating from the 18th century.

Discover the Arles Antique Departmental Museum

Founded in 1995, the Arles Antique Departmental Museum aims to bring together all of Arles’ archaeological collections. From Prehistory to late Antiquity, this museum holds a diverse and history-rich collection. At the heart of the museum, also discover the Hortus garden, Roman-inspired, which delights children. A perfect family outing.

Discover the activities of our partner :

What is the difference between a city, a village, and a municipality?

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What differentiates a large village from a small town? What exactly are their definitions? A few answers.

What is the origin and definition of the word “ville”?

It is not always easy to distinguish a town from a village… especially since the word ville derives from the Latin villa, which means a farm! In the past, the villa indeed referred to an agricultural estate or a house located in the countryside.

This term then took two parallel directions, giving rise to the words :

  • villagium, then designating the farm as we know it;
  • ville, which referred to a “group of houses”.

Thus, the city is far from being a recent notion, and it covers indeed different realities depending on where in the world one lives. In France, the city is understood as a place where populations gather to carry out certain activities: commerce, craft trades, and service provision.

Agricultural activities, for their part, are the domain of villages. Moreover, the city is characterized by a concentration of housing organized along streets, which can be numerous depending on the size of the cities.

What is meant by village?

But this definition is also tending to disappear… For in many villages, one also finds concentrations of housing and various activities related to commerce, crafts, and services. Just like in cities.

Yet a village remains linked to the countryside and to the agricultural activities that are overrepresented there. But again, this distinction is far from being sufficient. In general, it is the number of inhabitants that is taken into account to distinguish a village from a city.

The figure used by INSEE for this criterion is 2,000. Beyond 2,000 inhabitants, therefore, the commune is considered a (small) city. However, there is also a nuance here.

Indeed, some municipalities with more than 2,000 inhabitants can keep the designation of village if the residents are dispersed around the center, and not concentrated in the heart of the commune.

In summary, city and village, what distinction?

The number of inhabitants and their distribution thus provide a consensus for clearly identifying a city from a village. Another criterion also enters into this distinction: housing density.

If the housing in the center of a commune exceeds 2,000 occupants, it means there is a dense housing stock capable of housing a significant number of people. As mentioned earlier, a densely built-up population of fewer than 2,000 souls constitutes a village; beyond that, we speak of a city.

What about the distinction between village and bourg? INSEE introduces here the criterion of the distance between two dwellings. When there are fewer than 200 meters between two homes, we speak of a bourg. Beyond that, we speak of a village, provided the other criteria mentioned are also met.

City, village and commune: what are the differences?

The commune is in fact the smallest administrative subdivision that exists in France. A commune can thus be either a city or a village, and it is necessarily administered by a mayor.

Today, to distinguish the different typologies of urban areas, INSEE refers to the notions of rural communes and urban communes, based on a density grid.

Low-density communes are described as rural, and communes with intermediate or high population density are called urban.

A New Embarrassing Trend Spreading Across Airports

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Fortunately, ridicule isn’t fatal! If you spot someone wearing a T-shirt that catches your eye at the airport, it’s because they’ve fallen for this new concept making the rounds on social media. It’s a challenge that involves wearing a shirt chosen by a friend, often quite conspicuous and hard to ignore. The Washington Post recently interviewed several people who took part in this trend.

Take Kate Swenson, a 43-year-old mother who, while traveling with friends, had to wear a T-shirt reading: “posez-moi des questions sur ma diarrhée explosive”. The only rule was to wear it for the entire first day, even if it made her uncomfortable. “I just remember the laughter, then regrets, then more laughter.” Some of her friends had to wear T-shirts proclaiming that they “transpiraient à des endroits inhabituels”, that they “arboraient des piercings corporels insolites”, or that they “avaient besoin d’un énorme cocktail”.

Following that, they recounted being tapped on the hand by flight attendants and laughing from strangers. Their social media post has racked up more than 83 million views on Instagram to date, and the friends said they felt “like celebrities” after being recognized on their Florida-departing cruise.

A Fun Challenge, but with Boundaries to Respect

Aarya Patel, who also took on the challenge by wearing a T-shirt that read “j’ai fait caca aujourd’hui”, said it was “a way to set the tone for the trip.” “We were finishing finals at that time. It helped us forget all that and focus on the trip”, she claimed. However, one should not forget that some airlines may refuse to transport passengers wearing clothing deemed indecent or offensive, in accordance with their terms of carriage.

That’s why one shouldn’t stretch their imagination too far. Paul Davis, a social-media and online-safety trainer based in Toronto, warned on his professional Facebook page against the “hypersexualized, aggressive and degrading” versions of this airport-shirt exchange and spoke to parents about them. He finds it cute, but only “within the bounds of good taste.”

He feared that compromising videos could harm some people and prevent them from obtaining a scholarship or a job, or that problematic clothing could trigger real-life conflicts. He also stressed that jokes about shirts referencing weapons are never a good idea. “I’d rather be cautious,” Davis said. “I remind kids every day that the Internet never forgets, and that, since it never forgets, it can be merciless”, he concluded.

Visiting Museums Every Week Could Slow Human Aging, Science Says

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What if visit prescriptions were about to become standard practice? For a year now, Yvelines has been testing a scheme that allows caregivers to offer patients a free museum visit. A model already adopted in Canada for several years.

And for good reason, in 2019 the WHO confirmed in a report that art has positive effects on mental and physical health. While several research studies have corroborated this report, a new British study suggests that art could influence biomarkers of aging.

This study conducted by scientists at University College London (UCL) and published Monday, May 11, 2026 in the journal Innovation in Aging asserts that a weekly artistic or cultural activity could slow the pace of aging, and as much as a weekly physical activity.

“Our study provides the first evidence that engaging in an artistic or cultural activity is linked to a slowing of biological aging”, declares Feifei Bu, an epidemiologist at UCL and senior author of the study, as reported by Science Alert.

A study conducted on 3,500 people

To reach their conclusions, the researchers analyzed health data from more than 3,500 adults in the United Kingdom, while measuring how often they participated in artistic or cultural activities. The scientists included visits to a museum or library, attending an art exhibition, crafts, singing or painting.

They then used epigenetic clocks (a biochemical test that measures the accumulation of methyl groups on DNA), thereby measuring the biological age of these individuals. In general, study participants who practiced at least once a week one of the activities mentioned above showed less pronounced signs of aging than those with a less varied cultural life.

According to the PhenoAge clock, their biological ages were on average one year younger than those who did not engage in artistic activities. The DunedinPACE clock, which measures the pace of aging, indicates a 4% slowdown for weekly practice.

Is art as effective as exercise for health?

Their findings indicate that artistic activities reduce stress, inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, i.e., benefits similar to those of physical activity.

“These results prove that engaging in artistic and cultural practice should be recognized as a health-beneficial behavior, on par with physical exercise,” says Daisy Fancourt, an epidemiologist and lead author of the study, who has been studying the health benefits of art at UCL for nearly ten years.

AI Is Entrusted with Power on a Philippine Island, and It Could Backfire

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What if an entire territory were steered not by elected officials, but by artificial intelligences inspired by the great figures of history? This is the captivating and unsettling bet proposed by British entrepreneur Dan Thomson, founder of Sensay, who asserts that he has acquired an island in Palawan province, Philippines, to establish a micronation governed by bots.

A year after the announcement, the project continues to provoke curiosity, skepticism and questions that go far beyond the tech world. Between the promise of supposedly objective governance and fears of AI missteps, this real-life experiment raises questions that could, tomorrow, extend beyond the borders of this small tropical island.

Hecate Temple in Turkey Still Attracts Witches

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The rolling hills of Muğla Province in southwestern Turkey cradle the ruins of the ancient city of Lagina. Far from being a local tourist draw like the coastal villages of Akyaka, Marmaris, or Bodrum, the site nonetheless attracts a modest yearly stream of visitors who come specifically to pay homage to Hecate.

There, dating to the Late Hellenistic period and the early Roman Empire, a temple was erected in honor of this powerful Greek goddess, traditionally associated with magic and the Moon, but also with passages between worlds and communication with the dead.

While the worship of most other Greek deities, or even Roman ones, faded with Antiquity, Hecate remains a steadfast object of veneration. Followers from all over the world crowd into the complex to leave offerings or call upon her services.

At the End of a Sacred Road

It must be said that the Lagina sanctuary is a unique case in the ancient world. It is not merely a building, but a genuine religious center in its own image. Curious visitors wandering among its ruins, still scattered with columns, feel as if they are crossing the threshold into a parallel world, or at least stepping through a place as charged with history as it is with spirit. “It is the only temple of this scale in the world built exclusively for the goddess Hecate”, explains Professor Bilal Söğüt, who directs the excavations of Lagina and the neighboring ancient city of Stratonikeia, on CNN, the American network.

In the past, the two sites were linked by the Sacred Way, a stone-paved road a little over eight kilometers long. Lined with fountains, wells, or other small villages, this path once served major religious processions to the temple dedicated to Hecate. Already, crowds from across the region traveled to commemorate her.

Still a Pilgrimage Site

The most important ritual of the era was the so-called key-bearer rite, during which a young girl, a “kleidouchos” (literally “key-bearer”), carried the sacred token to and from along this route between Stratonikeia and Lagina. Throughout the journey, she was accompanied by a choir. “This key not only opens physical doors. It symbolizes the ability to move from life to death, from the conscious to the unconscious, from the old to the new”, notes researcher and author Hüma Zeybek, a specialist in Hecate, to CNN.

Since its construction, the site has experienced fierce political upheavals. After 88 BCE, the region was swept by conflicts between Rome and the kingdoms of Asia Minor. Stratonikeia chose the side of the legionaries, an alliance that earned it favors. From then on, Lagina took on renewed importance. In return, the Romans heavily invested in the temple and organized the festival Hekatesia-Romaia in honor of the goddess.

For these adherents of old times as well as those of today, Hecate, archetype of the wise old woman, serves as a guide in moments of crisis or transformation. Today, witches and wizards of a different kind continue to make the journey to greet her, to embrace her legacy, or to absorb her energy. “There is no other cult where material traces and traditions have been preserved so intact.” notes researcher Emrah Urtekin.

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