A pair of flamingos and tropical lightning – readers' best photographs
'The passion flower in my front garden has been covered in blooms. This is a close-up photograph of one.' Photograph: Tom Frost
'Probably the best picture I have ever taken. Indigenous people were praying on the island to protect Jasper national park and for those who suffered in the fires last year.' Photograph: Simon Favell
Photograph: Adem Agus
'A child checking crab pots as the sun sets.' Photograph: Charlotte Thompson
'A beautifully colourful hillside.' Photograph: Alan Wright
'Tropic thunder (and lightning).' Photograph: Jon Nakkerud
'A mural depicting the importance of water in this beautiful port town.' Photograph: Robert Boon
'As our third heatwave came to an end, I stopped a while to watch the soft refreshing rain through the kitchen window.' Photograph: Lynne Falconer
'Fulani refugees who fled violence in neighbouring Burkina Faso seek asylum. When reporting, some moments leave a lasting impression. The blank stare of these quiet men was one of them.' Photograph: Hadrien Degiorgi
Photograph: Doğan Evsan
'Fox and buttercups in my garden.' Photograph: Dave Foker
'A touring cyclist on the beach, with Dunluce Castle in the background.' Photograph: James Hamill
'Cable reels in the harbour.' Photograph: Sue Norton
'European squid in the Green Bay dive spot.'
Photograph: Mark Obstfeld
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Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I visited the European city where ‘fairytales began' with beautiful mountain parks and cheap Ryanair flights
The city marks the start of the German Fairytale Route, stretching 600km through the country to the maritime city of Bremen FAIRYTALE ROUTE I visited the European city where 'fairytales began' with beautiful mountain parks and cheap Ryanair flights Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WE all know our Disney fairytales and their happily ever afters, right? Well, the original versions of favourites such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood and Rumpelstiltskin were a lot darker, as I found out on my visit to Hanau, Germany, the birthplace of the Brothers Grimm. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 The magical medieval castle in Kassel Credit: Getty 5 A nod to Cinderella at Marburg Castle Credit: Alamy 5 The Grimms path in Marburg Credit: Alamy The city marks the start of the German Fairytale Route, stretching 372 miles through the country to the maritime city of Bremen. Along the way you can explore quaint towns, medieval castles and ancient forests — and imagine you, too, are in the middle of a fairytale. The main focus for my adventure was the life of the Grimm Brothers, credited with devising the opening line 'Once upon a time' and the concluding 'lived happily ever after'. In Hanau, I learned that in their early years, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm scoured the surrounding countryside for authentic folk tales that had been handed down over generations. Then, in 1812, they decided to publish a compilation of all they had heard on their travels, including Cinderella and Rapunzel. But the violence in some of the stories meant that the book was not particularly well received, so the brothers had to rely on their creative skills to tone down the explicit elements. And with that, the modern day fairytale was born. But it's not this collection of stories I'm here to uncover on my four-day trip, it's the story behind the Brothers Grimm themselves. Strolling through the main square of Hanau, I could not miss the huge statue of the pair which commemorates the fact they were born here. This city is understandably proud and has erected a trail of artworks depicting various characters from their stories, including King Thrushbeard, Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood. Martin Lewis warns about strict passport rule that could see you board your flight - only to get sent home on arrival About 30 minutes from here by car sits my favourite stop on the trail, Steinau an der Strasse. With higgledy-piggledy houses surrounded by lush trees, I immediately fell in love with the beautiful little village, which is as chocolate box as something from a fairytale. And it turns out the brothers loved it, too. This is the place where they are said to have spent the happiest part of their childhood. And you can get a sense for that in their former home. Now open to the public, the house-turned-museum hosts interesting exhibits about their work, as well as the works of their younger brother, Ludwig Emil, a talented artist who created the illustrations in the brothers' book. Cascading water Their grandfather had been the priest in the local church in the marketplace for 47 years and their father was born here. After a brief stint in Hanau, he returned to the village in the early years of his marriage to become a magistrate. While here, check out Die Holzkoeppe, a theatre that puts on regular puppet shows. And for a flavour of traditional Germany, head to Cafe Restaurant Rosengarten, which serves classic schnitzels in various forms, including a Little Red Riding Hood version that comes topped with tomatoes and mozzarella. The following day, my journey continued a little over an hour north to the hilly and historic market town of Marburg, where the Brothers studied. It is a charming destination full of beautiful half-timbered houses. 5 Unicorns on the Grimms Path Credit: Alamy 5 Jane Keightley reading by a statue Credit: Supplied The brothers have certainly left their mark on the town, with visitors now able to follow the 'Grimms Path', which takes you on a mile-long fairytale-themed walk through the old town. The final stop on my fairytale adventure took me even further north to Kassel, where the Brothers eventually became librarians so that they could support their family while they searched for fairytales. Today, the city is home to the largest museum dedicated entirely to the Grimms. Called Grimmwelt, it has a trail of original exhibits as well as state-of-the-art installations and hands-on activities. The city is also a great place for ramblers as it is home to a Unesco World Heritage park and Europe's largest mountain park, filled with cascading water features. With gorgeous green and woodland landscapes like this around, I can see how the brothers found the inspiration to adapt their fairytale stories. And, certainly, no Disney princess would look out of place here.
Metro
8 hours ago
- Metro
Man picks 'dirt from under his partner's toenails' during easyJet flight
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A holidaymaker saw a fellow passenger 'pick dirt from under his partner's toenails' during an EasyJet flight. Erin Butcher, 27, had been enjoying a seven-day family holiday in Tenerife, Spain, when her return journey home took a nasty twist. When looking around in the packed plane, she saw a woman's bare feet splayed out on a tray table. The fashion merchandiser from Southwark, London, said she felt 'disgusted' when noticing a man then appeared to be giving her a makeshift pedicure. Footage shows how he used his bare hands to flick bits of dirt off her manicured toenails. The couple continued the bizarre grooming activity for around 20 minutes, Erin claimed, and were unfazed by other passengers' confused reactions. The holidaymaker said the toenail incident was a 'depressing' way to end her week-long holiday. She said: 'I felt so disgusted and I couldn't believe it. 'The partner was sprawled across the seats with her feet on the tray table, which was shocking enough. 'Her partner then started picking at her toenails and flicking little bits [of dirt] everywhere. It was disgusting. 'I was absolutely horrified. I was with my family and none of us could actually believe what was happening.' Erin described the activity as 'questionable' but felt relieved she was not sat next to them on the over the four-hour trip home. She continued: 'Even to do that in the privacy of your own home is questionable but to put them on a tray table where people are eating off all day. 'I was relieved I wasn't sitting next to them. I had the perfect view from my aisle seat which is horrifying. I couldn't really take my eyes off even though I wanted to.' She labelled the couple's toenail session as 'unhygenic' and said most passengers laughed at the pair, while others seemed horrified. Erin said: 'As if things aren't depressing enough when your week in the sun has just ended and you're faced with toe picking the whole way home.' When the Londoner shared the video on TikTok, many users expressed their disgust in the comments. More Trending One user simply wrote, 'totally gross', while another said, 'save it for later'. Another commenter suggested toenail picking should not be tolerated in any situation, adding: 'That's disgusting anywhere'. A different user simply asked the question: 'Why on earth?' Metro has approached EasyJet for a comment. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: British holidaymakers terrified after plane tyre explodes on take-off MORE: Billionaire hotel tycoon reveals £25,000,000,000 Heathrow expansion plan MORE: Ryanair axes all flights to three European destinations — including a winter break hotspot
Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Tourists book 'hotel' for Italian holiday but arrive to something totally different
Matt Hey was excited to spend a few days of his European holiday relaxing at a resort in Sorrento, but he was in for a big surprise when he arrived at the accommodation A tourist was left baffled after arriving at what he believed was a luxury resort in Sorrento, Italy, only to find that his party were the only guests there. Matt Hey, from Sydney, Australia, had been travelling across Europe for four weeks, living in cheap accommodation in cities like London, Rome and Pisa to make the most of the experience travellling with friends. However, the party then decided to splash out on their next accommodation. As they were heading towards the Italian coastal town Sorrento, they decided to book in to what they believed was a luxurious resort by the sea. However, they soon realised their mishap when they arrived at their holiday destination. Taking to TikTok, Matt was seen recounting the moment they realised their "hotel resort" ended up coming with a lot more than they'd expected. "I'm just baffled, I'm honestly baffled," Matt said at the start of the video as he looked out over the view of the nearby sea. "This is bizarre." "So we got here, we walk through the gates up there," Matt said pointing to the gates in question. "We walk down here because Google Maps just said it was at the end there. We walk all the way down here and I'm saying 'wow, isn't this nice and peaceful and quiet.'" He went onto say he started to think it was weird that they hadn't seen another person on the premises. As they get to the main building, he goes onto explain that he first thought it looked like someone's house before assuming it's the reception area where they could check in, or possibly one of the rooms. "Anyway, so then I'm like, let's go around looking this way and we'll have a look," he said before the video cut to them arriving at a different area. "And we get down here and this is what I see." Warning: Below video may contain offensive language He went onto show a big patio with a view of the sea. There were also some tables and chairs to sit down at, but again not a single other person could be seen. He then turned the camera once again towards the house, which has a balcony with a big glass door on the first floor. "There's like a little wedding reception area sort of thing," he said before turning the camera to a different door of the house with white curtains hanging from it. They then walked closer to the end of the patio, which showed that the "hotel" was located right on a cliff which looked down onto the bright blue water, with a beach right below them. "Looks amazing, right? So I'm thinking, 'why haven't I seen anyone yet?'" he questioned, before revealing that a woman suddenly walked up to them asking if they needed help. Matt went onto say that he'd told the woman that they were in the wrong place, but said they were looking to check in to their room, to which she replied she'd call the concierge. They then continued to explore the area, finding another area that looked like a "wedding dance floor" according to Matt, who said he believed there must be smaller villas for them to stay in. The concierge then met them, and they proceeded to do the check in at one of the sitting areas by the dancefloor, before he handed them the key. He then took them to the house, which also looked like it'd been decorated for a wedding. "And to be clear, we thought we were getting a hotel," he said. "Don't get me know, I'm not complaining, we're going to have a beautiful time here. But we didn't need an entire wedding venue. I'm rattled, actually. Like, genuinely rattled." In the caption of the video, Matt revealed that they'd paid $600AUD (£292) per night to stay at Villa Antiche Mura Relais in Sorrento, which describes themselves as "villas for weddings" on their website. Taking to the comments, people were shocked when they realised just how much they'd gotten for their money. But some were also baffled as to how they'd managed to make this "mistake." "Is this Sorrento?? How is this 600 dollars?????" one baffled person asked. Another suggested: "Invite some locals round for a party not like you don't have set-up haha." "Send the details I've found my wedding venue," a third viewer said. Another person shared: "I got married in Tuscany because we got the wedding plus a full week's accommodations for 30 people for less than we would have paid for a single-day sit-down dinner wedding for 150 people at a major US city."
