A city can be shaped by many things—its food scene, for example, or abundance of shopping options. But perhaps nothing can define a place quite as distinctly as its architecture. Whether it's through thoughtful urban planning or adapting to cultural movements, the visual design of a city can transport you through time, while planting you firmly in a very specific place.

St. Petersburg, Russia: Rococo

The Rococo movement came about in the 18th century in France as a way to fight against the strict, symmetrical Baroque style that came before it. While both movements are known for their richly decorated architecture styles, Rococo has elements all of its own: think curves, pale colors, and secular, light-hearted themes.

The style made its way across Europe, where it found favor with the female rulers in St. Petersburg. The Catherine Palace (commissioned by Catherine I and expanded by her daughter, Empress Elizabeth) is by far the most famous example in the area.

Brasília, Brazil: Futurism

When Juscelino Kubitschek became President of Brazil in 1956, he set forth a plan to build a new capital city in the barren center of the country—and thus, Brasília was born. He commissioned architect Oscar Niemeyer to help with the project; within a matter months, Niemeyer designed residential, commercial, and government buildings for the new town. Chief among them were the National Congress of Brazil, the Cathedral of Brasília, the residence of the President, and the Attorney General's office (pictured).

The buildings—defined by the dynamic lines, use of materials like concrete and glass, and sharp contrasts typical of Futurism (a branch of Modernism)—give Brazil's capital a true sense of aesthetic unity.

Athens, Greece: Classical

Visiting the architecture and world-renowned ruins in Athens is like taking a step back in time to ancient Greece, where stonework dates back to 400 BC, temples are held up by centuries-old columns, and sculptures of deities are a common sighting.

For perfect examples of Classical architecture, turn to the Temple of Hephaestus, Temple of Olympian Zeus, or the iconic Parthenon (pictured).

Need convincing? These are the world's 20 best cities for architecture, from Brasília to Budapest. This gallery was originally published in 2013. It has been updated with new information.

Each year, fine diners, restaurateurs and food writers—I’m in the last group—try to read the annual World’s 50 Best Restaurant list like tea leaves, searching for trends, or at the very least, a coherent theme. But as in previous years, the 2014 edition, which was announced in London late last month, defies unifying logic. The restaurants that made the full list of 100 range from David Chang’s decidedly informal and unsedate Momofuku Ssam Bar, to Alain Ducasse’s paragon of plushness, Louis XIV, in Monaco.

1. Noma, (Copenhagen, Denmark). Cost of a meal for two, without wine: $600.

After losing the top ranking in 2013 (it had held the No. spot for the three previous years), Noma is firing on all cylinders these days. Located in an old whaling warehouse, the restaurant is the birthplace of “new Nordic” cuisine, which relies solely on ingredients available in region. But today, the restaurant is pushing far beyond its early days of foraged sea buckthorn and reindeer lichen. Dinner these days might start with a whole kohlrabi, filled with its fermented juice and bored with a straw, so that it looks and tastes like a coconut drink. The meal might then proceed through aebleskivers –a traditional Danish kind of fritter—brushed with a sauce made from fermented grasshopper, and end with a dessert of potato, almond, and plum purée. It sounds wacky, but somehow Redzepi and his crew manage to make it all delicious. As well as deeply pleasurable: Noma continues to offer what may well be the most engaged—and engaging—service in the world.

2. Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain. Cost of a meal for two, without wine: $390-480.

Celler de Can Roca is run by three brothers — head chef Joan, sommelier Josep, and pastry chef Jordi — who came by their trade honestly: they learned it from their parents. But it’s hard to imagine anything further from your average mom and pop cooking. In what may very well be the most beautiful dining room in Europe, a Roca meal dazzles with its wizardry (a starter called Eat The World that encapsulates, in five distinct bites, the tastes of the five different cuisines; a dessert called Messi’s Goal, that recreates, with a candied pitch, flying white chocolate balls, and a plateside iPod playing the roars of the crowd, what it feels like when Barcelona’s soccer hero Lionel Messi scores), while remaining firmly rooted in the flavors of the Mediterranean. Josep brings lucky guests on a tour of his cellar, where favorite wines have been singled out for multi-sensory treatments.

3. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy. Cost of a meal for two, without wine: $360-525.

Behind a stately exterior, the world’s most emotive chef, Massimo Bottura, cooks flights of fantasy and memory. The first sign that this is not your ordinary upscale Italian restaurant comes from the abstract contemporary paintings on the wall, but the art continues on the plate. The mortadella sandwich of every Italian child’s memory is turned into an impossibly light mousse, a Magnum ice cream bar becomes a sophisticated, foie-gras stuffed bite. And like his spectacular lacquered eel, which Bottura serves with saba and polenta to represent the apples and corn the eel would encounter on its way up the nearby Po river, his dishes are made more evocative by the stories that accompany them.

That said, in the past several years, the highest-ranking positions have tended to go to restaurants that balance at least a degree of luxury (although not always formal, none of them are cheap) with an embrace of innovation.

Here’s a quick look at the top ten on this year’s 50 Best List. In most cases, the descriptions are based on my personal experience, but research and—the reports of colleagues—have filled in the details for the restaurants I haven’t visited.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Fondly known as the "Venice of the North", the capital of Netherlands is one of the most unique destinations on earth, with its picturesque canals, 17th-century buildings and rich cultural scene. Cycling is a way of life here and, quite frankly, is the best way to explore the city’s many charming neighbourhoods, museums and art exhibitions.

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is a city of contrasts; while the city is loud and fast-paced, its network of canals and serene shrines offer a peaceful getaway. A sprawling metropolis, it’s famed for delicious street food, ornate temples, and more shopping options than you can explore in a lifetime. The food is bold, the locals are friendly and the shopping is dirt cheap - it’s no wonder Bangkok is must-see.

Q. What are the must-have experiences in Venice?

A. Venice, is a city where water fills the ground and love fills the air. On your visit, some of the most exuberant experiences await you. Just wander in Venice and take a gondola ride through the city. Climb the sky-scarping bell tower – Campanile Di San Marco and get a breathtaking view of the city from the Railto Bridge. Take a ride to the Grand Canal in the Vaporetto water bus for a local Venetian experience. The view of the Grand Canal from the Ponte dell’Accademia is something you must not miss. These are some experiences that you will remember for years to come.

Now that you have a pretty sorted list of all the tourist attractions in Venice, it’s time to choose an Italy tour package that’s the best value for your vacation!

Spain is home to some of the most stunning architecture in Europe, known throughout the world for its distinguishable form and famous historical monuments. With influences from the Romans to the Moors, you’ll find each city has a unique architectural style. From the classic Andalusian architecture of Seville and Córdoba, to the Moorish style of Granada, the elegant Baroque and Renaissance details in Salamanca, and the mix of Gothic and Modernista styles in Barcelona – here are five Spanish cities that will have you falling for their beautiful architecture.

Seville

A medieval city, Seville is one of the most beautiful and most romantic in the country, largely due to its impressive architecture. Think tiny alleyways with whitewashed buildings, cobbled streets with overhanging, intricate wrought iron balconies, and charming boulevards with mansions painted orange and lemon. Begin your architectural tour in the old Jewish quarter of Barrio de Santa Cruz, walk along the Guadalquivir River and across the bridge to the old gypsy district of Triana, known for its ceramic and tile workshops. Some of Seville’s standout buildings include La Giralda, a Gothic cathedral with an Islamic minaret; the Plaza de España, created for the Ibero-American Expo of 1929 and flanked by sophisticated towers and small pavilions; the Moorish palace of the Real Alcázar; and the Plaza de Toros (bullring), one of the oldest in Spain, dating back to 1765.

One of Rome's four patriarchal basilicas, this monumental 5th-century church stands on Esquiline Hill's summit, on the spot where snow is said to have miraculously fallen in the summer of AD 358. To commemorate the event, every year on 5 August thousands of white petals are released from the basilica’s coffered ceiling. Much altered over the centuries, it's an architectural hybrid with 14th-century Romanesque belfry, 18th-century baroque facade, largely baroque interior and a series of glorious 5th-century mosaics.

Outside, the exterior is decorated with glimmering 13th-century mosaics, protected by Ferdinand Fuga's baroque loggia (1741). Rising behind, the belfry – Rome's tallest – tops out at 75m.

The vast interior retains its original structure, despite the basilica's many overhauls. Particularly spectacular are the 5th-century mosaics in the triumphal arch and nave, depicting Old Testament scenes. The central image in the apse, signed by Jacopo Torriti, dates from the 13th century and represents the coronation of the Virgin Mary. Beneath your feet, the nave floor is a fine example of 12th-century Cosmati paving.

The baldachin over the high altar is heavy with gilt cherubs; the altar itself is a porphyry sarcophagus, which is said to contain the relics of St Matthew and other martyrs. A plaque embedded in the floor to the right of the altar marks the spot where Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his father Pietro are buried. Steps lead down to the confessio (a crypt in which relics are placed), where a statue of Pope Pius IX kneels before a reliquary containing a fragment of Jesus' manger.

Hey there! Welcome to the new Ghost editor - affectionately known as Koenig.

Koenig is a brand new writing experience within Ghost, and follows more of a rich writing experience which you've come to expect from the best publishing platforms. Don't worry though! You can still use Markdown too, if that's what you prefer.

Because there are some changes to how Ghost outputs content using its new editor, we dropped this draft post into your latest update to tell you a bit about it – and simultaneously give you a chance to preview how well your theme handles these changes. So after reading this post you should both understand how everything works, and also be able to see if there are any changes you need to make to your theme in order to upgrade to Ghost 2.0.

What's new

The new editor is designed to allow you have a more rich editing experience, so it's no longer limited to just text and formatting options – but it can also handle rich media objects, called cards. You can insert a card either by clicking on the + button on a new line, or typing / on a new line to search for a particular card.

Here's one now:

Cards are rich objects which contain content which is more than just text. To start with there are cards for things like images, markdown, html and embeds — but over time we'll introduce more cards and integrations, as well as allowing you to create your own!

Some examples of possible future cards

• A chart card to display dynamic data visualisations
• A recipe card to show a pre-formatted list of ingredients and instructions
• A Mailchimp card to capture new subscribers with a web form
• A recommended reading card to display a dynamic suggested story based on the current user's reading history

For now, though, we're just getting started with the basics.

New ways to work with images

Perhaps the most notable change to how you're used to interacting with Ghost is in the images. In Koenig, they're both more powerful and easier to work with in the editor itself - and in the theme, they're output slightly differently with different size options.

For instance, here's your plain ol' regular image:

But perhaps you've got a striking panorama that you really want to stand out as your readers scroll down the page. In that case, you could use the new full-bleed image size which stretches right out to the edges of the screen:

Or maybe you're looking for something in between, which will give you just a little more size to break up the vertical rhythm of the post without dominating the entire screen. If that's the case, you might like the breakout size:

Each of these sizes can be selected from within the editor, and each will output a number of HTML classes for the theme to do styling with.

Chances are your theme will need a few small updates to take advantage of the new editor functionality. Some people might also find they need to tweak their theme layout, as the editor canvas previously output a wrapper div around its content – but no longer does. If you rely on that div for styling, you can always add it back again in your theme.

Oh, we have some nice new image captions, too :)

What else?

Well, you can still write Markdown, as mentioned. In fact you'll find the entire previous Ghost editor inside this editor. If you want to use it then just go ahead and add a Markdown card and start writing like nothing changed at all:

Markdown content works just the way it always did, simply and beautifully.

of course you can embed code blocks

.new-editor {
	display: bock;
}

or embed things from external services like YouTube...

and yeah you can do full HTML if you need to, as well!

So everything works, hopefully, just about how you would expect. It's like the old editor, but faster, cleaner, prettier, and a whole lot more powerful.

What do I do with this information?

Preview this post on your site to see if it causes any issues with your theme. Click on the settings cog in the top right 👉🏼 corner of the editor, then click on 'Preview' next to the 'Post URL' input.

If everything looks good to you then there's nothing you need to do, you're all set! If you spot any issues with your design, or there are some funky display issues, then you might need to make some updates to your theme based on the new editor classes being output.

Head over to the Ghost 2.0 Theme Compatibility forum topic to discuss any changes and get help if needed.

That's it!

We're looking forward to sharing more about the new editor soon

Gallery Support

When I think of architecture in Spain, I immediately think of Antoni Gaudí, perhaps the most famous Spanish architect dead or alive. But then I remember Santiago Calatrava, designer of the Transportation Hub in Lower Manhattan and the Alamillo Bridge in Seville. And what about the Pritzker Laureate, José Rafael Moneo? Oh, and then there was the Roman Empire in Spain....

Architecture in Spain is an exotic mix of early Moorish influences, European trends, and surreal modernism. These selected sites link to resources that will help you plan your architecture tour through Spain.

Visiting Barcelona

This northeast coastal city, capital of the Catalonia region, has become synonymous with Antoni Gaudí. You can't miss his architecture, or the "new" modern buildings going up every year.

• La Sagrada Familia, the great unfinished cathedral begun by Gaudi in 1882, and La Sagrada Familia school, for the children of the construction workers
• Casa Vicens, Gaudi's Gothic/Moorish house designed for a Spanish businessman
• Guell Palace and Guell Park, Gaudi commissions from patron Eusebi Güell
• Colegio Teresiano, one of Antoni Gaudí's first commissions
• Casa Calvet, a rather traditional design for Gaudi
• Gaudi-designed wall around Finca Miralles, as wavy and abstract as Frank Gehry's work
• Casa Batlló, a very colorful remodeling job by Gaudi, is located in Illa de la Discordia or the Block of Discord. This street displays the architecture of Catalan architects Josep Puig (1867-1956), Lluís Domènech i Montaner (1850-1923), and Gaudi (1852-1926).
• Gaudi's La Pedrera, one of the most famous apartment buildings in the world
• Montjuic Communications Tower, design by Spanish-born Santiago Calatrava for the 1992 Summer Olympics
• Agbar Tower, French architect Jean Nouvel transformed Gaudi's catenary curve
• Barcelona Cathedral, the city's Gothic cathedral
• The Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and Palau de la Música Catalana, both UNESCO world heritage sites, are designs of the art nouveau architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner
• Hotel Porta Fira, a 2010 hotel designed by Pritzker Laureate Toyo Ito
• The Forum Building (Edificio Fórum) designed by Herzog and de Meuron