The dress is blue or white and gold. The mystery of the blue dress has shocked the whole world

If you like silence and solitude, you are unlikely to choose a metropolis when going on vacation. Especially when there are places in the world where nature and people’s lives seem to be a continuation of each other, where the city itself seems to be imprinted into the majestic landscape and is perceived as part of it. They are so harmonious that today I want to exchange our frantic rhythm of life for the calmness of one of them.

We have compiled a list of 25 cities that every introvert would dream of visiting.

1. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a charming town on Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze. Situated at an altitude of 3,000 meters, it once represented two settlements, one founded by the Romans and the other by the Teutons. They were united only in 1936 on the eve of the Winter Olympic Games.

2. Settlement in the Himalayas, Tibet

This is one of those villages lost in the Himalayas that were built to serve the needs of numerous monasteries. You can only get there on foot or by horse.

3. Reine, Norway

Reine is a fishing village on the picturesque Arctic peninsula of Moskenes. Only 329 people live here, but this place is rightfully recognized as the most beautiful village in all of Norway.

4. Gasadalur, Faroe Islands

The mysterious Faroe chain north of Scotland is hardly known to a wide range of tourists. For many years, the islands with their steep cliffs remained difficult to access. For example, there is only one staircase leading to the village of Gasadalur, built during the British occupation of the islands during the Second World War. The 18 lucky people who now live there are reliably sheltered from all adversity by two mountains 2,300 feet high.

5. Colmar, France

Colmar is one of the most beautiful towns in Alsace. Ancient streets and pavements, half-timbered houses, ancient stone buildings - all this creates an indelible impression. In addition, Colmar is the capital of Alsatian wines, and it is not for nothing that the Route du Vin - Wine Road - originates from here.

6. Camden, Maine, USA

Camden, inhabited by Indians, was colonized by the British in the 70s of the 18th century. During the Civil War, it served as something of a “negotiation point” for the Americans. Now this clean and cozy town is home to 5,000 residents, and in the summer the ratio of tourists to the city’s indigenous population is 2 to 1.

7. Bled, Slovenia

Covered by picturesque mountains, Bled was first mentioned in 1004. It seemed so beautiful to the Holy Roman Emperor that it was presented as the greatest reward to the Bishop of Brixen. The church in Bled is located on an island in the middle of the lake of the same name. The city itself, with a population of 5,000 people, is now one of the most beautiful Slovenian resorts.

8. Manarola, Italy

Manarola is a small fishing town in Liguria, northern Italy. A rainbow of colorful houses sits on a cliff overlooking the wild coastline of the Ligurian Sea. The city's church dates back to 1338, making Manarola one of the oldest cities in the region.

Bibury is often called the most beautiful town in England, and for good reason. It was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, and since then the town has seemed frozen in time. Most of the houses look the same as they did hundreds of years ago, and the river still flows its gray waters along the shady streets of Bibury.

Annecy is probably even more picturesque than the French Alps that surround it. Built around a 14th-century castle, the town is divided by small canals and streams that flow into the beautiful blue Lake Annecy.

Now Goreme is an open-air museum. From the 6th century until the end of the 9th century. Goreme was one of the largest Christian centers and there were more than 400 churches in its surroundings. Saint Paul found Goreme the most suitable place for raising the righteous.

The city's name roughly translates from Welsh as “little fish fortress.” This naturally sheltered town with access to the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean was founded back in 900 AD. After the Norman conquest of England, the city was fortified with a massive wall to prevent Welsh uprisings. Today it is known more for its beauty than for its defenses.

This American town looks as if it was transported here straight from Central Europe. It is designed on the model of a Bavarian village - this was done mainly to attract tourists.

Vestmannaeyjar is a small archipelago south of Iceland with a population of about 4,000 people. The exact date of discovery of the islands is unknown, but it is assumed that the archipelago was discovered by Irish sailors and Vikings at the same time as Iceland. The islands are also famous for being captured by the Ottoman fleet and Barbary pirates in 1627, who took the people into slavery.

Queenstown is located in the southwestern part of New Zealand's South Island. Located on the shores of Queenstown Bay, a small lake of glacial origin, Wakatipu. The city is surrounded by picturesque mountains. In the 60s of the 19th century, gold was found here, and the city experienced a real gold rush.

Not much is known about these villages, scattered throughout China, which once served as strongholds for the military. Nowadays you can only get there by horseback and get a unique insight into the culture of classical China.

Shirakawa-go is a small traditional settlement known for its peaked roofs, designed to withstand heavy snowfalls. The dense, mysterious forests and hills surrounding the village made the area difficult to live in - except for the small plain where Shirakawa-go is located.

Far beyond the borders of its country, Pucon has become known as the capital of active tourism in Chile. This small town has gained its popularity in the travel world thanks to its lake, volcano and the wide variety of outdoor activities you can imagine.

Morro de Sao Paulo is one of the quietest island cities in the world. The only way to the island is by boat or small-engine planes, which regularly fly from El Salvador. Motor vehicles are prohibited on the island. The only way traveling long distances there is a tractor that carries passengers to the beach, hotels or to the airport.

Amediya is a small colorful village located on top of a hill in the Iraqi province of Dahuk. Amedia is 1000 meters long and 500 meters wide, while being 1400 meters above sea level. According to legend, Persian magicians and priests lived in the vicinity of the village, who were famous for the art of sorcery. It was from here, according to some researchers, that the biblical three wise men went to Bethlehem to worship and present gifts to the baby Jesus.

The small Australian resort town of Byron Bay is a heavenly place with stunning panoramas of sunrise and sunset. You just need to not be lazy, get up early, and such a “sacrifice” will be rewarded. This is the easternmost point of the continent. Here, near the cape itself, in late summer and early autumn you can watch the games of humpback whales and dolphins.

The magnificent Mont Aiguil mountain rises 2,000 meters above the French community of Chichillan, where only about 200 people live. Mont Aiguil is known as the “Unattainable Mountain” - its slopes are equally steep on all sides. The peak was not conquered until 1492 and became the first mountain that people decided to climb just like that, out of pure curiosity. It is believed that mountaineering was born with its conquest.

Eze is a medieval village that hangs like an eagle's nest over the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula. The clifftop location at 427 meters above sea level offers a breathtaking panorama. Narrow stepped streets, low massive doors, and rough stonework of houses transport you into the atmosphere of the Middle Ages.

The small Portuguese town of Ericeira, with a population of less than 10 thousand people, is located 35 km northwest of the country's capital, Lisbon. It is now known for its sandy beaches and is one of the famous surfing centers in Europe.

Pucišča is a small village with a pier on the northern coast of the island of Brac. Its name comes from the Latin word puteus - “well”, which meant local springs with brackish water for livestock. The area is famous for its stone-working tradition, and material from local quarries was even used to build the White House in Washington.

Thousands of people around the world are arguing about the color of a dress posted by a user on the social network Tumblr. His photo was posted a day ago by Scottish singer Kathleen McNeil.

“Two of my close friends are getting married. And the bride's mother sent her a photo of this dress. When the bride showed the dress to the groom, they argued about its color,” McNeil explained the reason for the appearance of the dress on her account. And I asked users for advice to figure it out.

And thereby “broke” the Internet, writes the website www.kp.by. Some say the dress is black and blue, others see white and gold. Even show business stars got involved in this strange game.

“I don’t understand why this strange dress gets so much attention, and I feel like there’s some kind of trick here. I'm scared and confused. P.S. It’s blue and black,” writes singer and actress Taylor Swift.

“How do you see blue and black???” - asks actress and model Kim Kardashian.

Lady Gaga also did not stand aside: “The dress is white and sand.”

“Guys, what’s wrong with you! It’s white and blue,” says Oscar winner Julianne Moore.

People were divided into teams with the hashtags “white and gold” and “blue and black.” The hashtag #thedress topped the top trends in the States. And everyone gets scared. Voting began on various sites. For example, on buzzfeed.com, which first wrote about this story, 72% voted for white and gold. 28% - for the second option. On telegraph.co.uk, 42% of voters see the blue-black color scheme.

It has already become clear that the original dress is really blue and black. But why do some users see it as white and gold?

Ophthalmologists tried to explain why people see the dress differently

Your retina is made up of rods and cones, which convert light stimuli into nerve stimulation. They transform the signal differently. Rods are more sensitive to light, see shadows and work more efficiently in the dark. Cones are sensitive to color, but less sensitive to light. That is, in low light conditions you see more with rods than with cones.

The dress appears blue-black or white-gold depending on whether your eye has more rods or cones and the lighting conditions in the room. U different people different ratio of rods and cones.

It should take about 45 minutes for your vision to adjust (just as your eyes will need time to adapt to the dark). If you look at a dress in bright light and see one color, it will probably change if you go into a dark room for half an hour and then come back.

Also, different dress colors for different people are associated with individual differences in the perception of color. If you've ever tried to work with photography, you've probably encountered white balance: the camera tries to balance it in inappropriate lighting conditions. Your brain does its own white balance, which means you're either not paying attention to blue tint, see a white and gold image, or, ignoring yellow tint, see a blue-black photograph.

Ophthalmologists say that different perceptions of the color of a dress do not mean that you have vision or mental problems. Every person - individual characteristics vision. The brain processes light waves that hit the retina in a unique way, which is why some people see certain colors and others see different colors.

There is another explanation for why people see different colors in the same picture. This is an optical illusion. Objects reflect light at different wavelengths or colors, and the human brain determines color from the reflected light. Objects around you can also reflect color and influence your perception. In this photo there are many colors around and they are mixed - the brain cannot immediately determine the color of the dress. People who see dark ambient light see white instead of blue. Washington University professor Jay Neitz says he has been studying color differences for 30 years and this case is one of the most striking. By the way, the dress seemed white to him.

A new explanation of American scientists who conducted research on this phenomenon is possible.

What colors do you see?

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