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(CNN) This week, the moon and sun briefly aligned over a remote part of Western Australia.
This hybrid solar eclipse has brought people from all over the world to the small town of Exmouth, one of the few places that has had a vision of complete wholeness.
As one stargazer put it: “It’s the three planetary bodies most significant to our existence that go in perfect alignment, like three notes on a guitar.”
Such celestial happenings remind us of why we travel in the first place: to experience as much of the world’s wealth as possible.
New and remarkable
It wasn’t just the skyward event that was making travel news this week. In Vietnam, the country’s tallest hotel has opened, fittingly, inside the country’s tallest skyscraper. Vinpearl hotel rooms all feature floor-to-ceiling windows for stunning views of Ho Chi Minh City and the Saigon River.
View this interactive content on CNN.com
From above to below the ground: The longest purpose-built cycle tunnel in the world opened this week in Bergen, Norway. The three-kilometre (1.86 mi) tunnel’s name is Fyllingsdalstunnelen, and it was cut into the rock of the mountains surrounding the city.
No need to take our word for it for its magnificence, though.
“We Norwegians are usually modest people,” Camilla Einarsen Heggernes, a spokeswoman for the Bybanen Utbygging railway company, told CNN, “But in this case, we would say that the tunnel is 100 percent state-of-the-art.”
South America is also not excluded from the party.
Off the Galapagos Islands, scientists have discovered a “pristine” coral reef 400 meters (1,310 feet) deep in the sea. The coral is at least several thousand years old and over 50% of it is live coral, which is great news for the sustainability work in the area.
Honoring an aviation legend
The unique Lockheed Electra 10-E aircraft on display at the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum.
Amelia Earhart was not only the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. She has also inspired generations of aviators and has earned a permanent place in American popular culture.
Now, there’s another place to honor her legacy: the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum, which opened April 14 in her hometown of Atchison, Kansas.
The museum was a passionate project spearheaded by the late Ladd Seaburg, whose widow Karen continued the mission to completion after her death. The star attraction of him is what is said to be the world’s only remaining Lockheed Electra 10-E aircraft, a twin to the one Earhart famously flew.
While Earhart’s name is the most recognizable, other pioneering flying women have earned their own endorsements in recent years.
Black actress Bessie Coleman was awarded a Barbie doll, and granddaughter of Jerrie “The Flying Housewife” Mock is working on a book about her grandmother’s life story.
What happens when the fun ends?
Theme parks closed forever
Berliner Spreepark (Germany): Named for the nearby River Spree, the Berlin park operated from 1969 to 2001. The grounds are now a large public park with pedestrian paths leading to many of the disused rides.
Nara Dreamland (Japan): Located on the northern outskirts of the historic Japanese city of Nara, the park opened in 1961. The park lasted until 2006 and was a popular destination for urban explorers until it was demolished.
Cypress Gardens (Florida): Members of the Cypress Gardens ski show perform a pyramid as they pass the grandstands in 2003. The park closed in 2009 and was later absorbed by LEGOLAND Florida.
Amusement park in Pripyat (Ukraine): This theme park was orphaned in 1986 following the Chernobyl meltdown just five kilometers (three miles) away. The construction of the park had just finished and Pripyat never got its grand opening due to the disaster.
Tivoli Garden (France): One of the world’s original theme parks, Tivoli Gardens in Paris was transformed into a public amusement park in the late 18th century. The park closed in 1842, an early casualty of urban subdivision.
H Thy Tin (Vietnam): A giant concrete dragon that once housed an aquarium continues to stand guard over a lake that was once the centerpiece of H Thy Tin water park near Hue. The park only opened intermittently between 2004 and 2011.
Mimaland (Malaysia): Located on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, In Miniature Land (Mimaland) ran from 1975 to 1994. Billed as Southeast Asia’s first theme park, it featured a man-made lake, a huge swimming pool with giant water slides, and a prehistoric animal kingdom.
Six Flags New Orleans (Louisiana): An enduring victim of Hurricane Katrina, this Louisiana theme park was open for just five years (2000-2005) before the grounds were inundated with six feet of water. In March of this year, the City of New Orleans announced plans to renovate the site into a multi-use entertainment complex.
Yongma Land (South Korea): Yongma Land in Seoul, which operated from 1980 to 2011, is one of the few abandoned theme parks where visitors have to pay a small admission fee (10,000 won) rather than sneak inside.
That’s the question asked by these no longer operating theme parks around the world.
Six Flags New Orleans was a victim of Hurricane Katrina, but it could be given new life thanks to a development deal that pledges to transform the space into a family entertainment hub.
And the Berliner Spreepark, which went down in history together with East Germany, has become a popular place for “ruin tourism”. The area is still open to the public, with walking trails and boat rides past some of the more famous ruined attractions.
However, none have a more eerie legacy than Pripyat Amusement Park, which had the misfortune of being completed just before the nearby Chernobyl nuclear reactor melted down in 1986.
Hometown detectives crack the case
It sounds like the premise for a TV show: A group of Michigan residents decided they were going to try to locate several sunken ships in Lake Superior in 1914. But this isn’t fiction – this is real life.
And you know what? It worked. Twice.
Members of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society have now found two of the three ships sunk during the same storm.
They spotted one in 2021 and the second, the Selden E. Marvin, last year. Watch the video to see the exact moment they realized their detective work had paid off.
The best of the great
Bataizi village is located just inside the Motianling section of the Great Wall.
Now that China has reopened to tourism, the Great Wall is high on many travellers’ wish lists.
However, if you want to skip the busier photo spots, check out our picks for the prettiest sections of the wall, from the garrison fortress in Turtle City to the Gothic church in the small town of Bataizi.
Most Great Wall visitors walk along the summit as part of their experience. To make sure you’re in the best position to do just that, our friends at CNN Underscored, a guide to product reviews and recommendations owned by CNN, rounded up the best walking shoes for men and women, from sneakers to flats. Browse the entire list here.
In case you missed it
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This rival destination has taken the crown.
What is a shillelagh?
The answer is “something you can’t put in your hand luggage”.
Vintage isn’t just for fashion.
These burgers are cooked in 100 year old grease.
