Europe

A beautiful day brings a crowd to the Palazzo Madama in Turin. (Wally Skalij / LAT)

Fresh produce and a colorful ambience are on offer at Turin’s Porta Palazzo market. (Wally Skalij / LAT)

The moon rises over the ancient Porta Palatina in Turin, Italy. (Wally Skalij / LAT)

Like other venues on Turin’s Piazza San Carlo, the Caffè San Carlo has an old-world sensibility. (Wally Skalij / LAT)

The modern, angular Atrium Torino on Piazza Solferino was part of the construction boom in advance of the Turin Winter Olympics of 2006. (Wally Skalij / LAT)

A worshiper lights a candle at the Baroque Corpus Domini church in Turin, Italy. (Wally Skalij / LAT)

The moon rises over a church in Turin. (Wally Skalij / LAT)

A woman makes her way across a street in Turin. (Wally Skalij / LAT)

A statue and the Palazzo Madama stand in silhouette against the setting sun in Turin, Italy. (Wally Skalij / LAT)

Saturday shoppers outside Selfridges department store on Oxford Street, London. (Dario Mitidieri / For The Times)

Patrons enjoy a variety of tonics at the Champagne bar inside Selfridges department store in London. (Dario Mitidier / For The Times)

The high-fashion Mulberry shop is on New Bond Street in London’s Mayfair district. (Dario Mitidieri / For The Times)

On London’s Regent Street, Liberty displays accessories designed by Tamara Salman. (Dario Mitidieri / For The Times)

Liberty brings a distinctive presence to London’s Regent Street. (Dario Mitidieri / For The Times)

Topshop draws a hip crowd to Oxford Street, London. (Dario Mitidieri / For The Times)

The Acuascutum shop in Regent Street, London. (Dario Mitidieri / for the Times)

A solitary boater enjoys the green and blue beauty of the Danube Delta Reserve in Romania. (Susan Spano / LAT)

Welcome to the Delta Nature Resort in Romania. (Susan Spano / LAT)

In Romania, shepherds move their flocks to an age-old rhythm. (Susan Spano / LAT)

Swans and goslings in the Danube Delta Reserve in Romania. (Susan Spano / LAT)

A horse-drawn hay cart modified with auto tires constitutes traffic in Romania’s Danube River Delta in northern Dobrogea. (Susan Spano / LAT)

A performance of “Slam” is produced in a Warsaw alley that’s both a stage and a prop for the contemporary piece. (Piotr Malecki / For The Times)

Michalina Rudek rehearses in Bytom, Poland, where the critically well-received Silesian Dance Theatre performs two or three times a month. (Piotr Malecki / For The Times)

Reduced to rubble in World War II, the Royal Castle in central Warsaw was home to kings and queens in the 17th and 18th centuries, followed by Polish presidents. It has been meticulously rebuilt, restoring a sense of continuity to the capital city. (Piotr Malecki / For The Times)

Dancers Beata Chren, left, Emanuel Zolkowska and Agnieszka Bura of the Silesian Dance Theatre relax in a cafe after workshops in Bytom, Poland. (Piotr Malecki / For The Times)

Bretoncaffe dancers Anna Godowska and Janusz Skubaszewski perform in a Warsaw alley where the audience watches for free. (Piotr Malecki / For The Times)

Nowy Swiat street in central Warsaw is part of the historical Royal Road from the Old Town to the Wilanow royal residence. The Polish capital nearly was destroyed in World War II, but, rebuilt, has emerged as a bold and lively cultural center. (Piotr Malecki / For The Times)

This sculpture is one of many populating a park in Oslo, Norway, named for the artist, Gustav Vigeland. (Beverly Beyette / LAT)

Centuries ago, the Oseberg plied the northern seas. Today, the reconstructed dragon boat is the centerpiece of Oslos Viking Ship Museum. (Beverly Beyette / LAT)

Bordered by shops and cafes, the street scene near the Karl Johans Gate in Oslo is alive with artists, busking musicians and balloon vendors. (Beverly Beyette / LAT)

Trolls are legendary in Norway; this specimen presents the country’s flag. (Beverly Beyette / LAT)

A parade from the Royal Palace in Olso (Beverly Beyette / LAT)

Amsterdam’s maze of canals creates 90 small islands In the Netherlands’ capital. (Gail Fisher / LAT)

Souvenir clogs add even more color to Amsterdam’s floating Flower Market, also known as the Bloemenmarkt. (Gail Fisher / LAT)

Hans Van Aanholt amid a field of daffodils near Lisse, southwest of Amsterdam. (Gail Fisher / LAT)

Country roads, like this one near Lisse, in Netherlands’ bulb-growing region, are favored by cyclists when the tulips, hyacinths and daffodils are in bloom. (Gail Fisher / LAT)

Amsterdam’s network of integrated bike lanes, dedicated traffic lights and signs and routes link disparate parts of the city. (Gail Fisher / LAT)

Trees are reflected in a canal outside Alkmaar, Netherlands, where flat terrain and beautiful scenery are particularly well-suited for cycling. (Gail Fisher / LAT)

Ninety minutes by train from Amsterdam lies Enkhuizen, a quaint coastal town unafraid to air its clean laundry. (Gail Fisher / LAT)

A cat monitors pedestrians from her home in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, once a notable herring port and now a favorite stop for visitors. (Gail Fisher / LAT)

A woman takes in the view from Amsterdam’s Central Station, where sailing ships once unloaded cargo. (Gail Fisher / LAT)

Amsterdam’s15-mile network of canals offers alternative transportation for visiting the major museums. (Gail Fisher / LAT)

Of the thousands of windmills that once dotted the Dutch countryside, only about 95 survive, many in working order. Because most of the Netherlands lies below sea level, the windmills main function was to drain lakes and marshes. (Gail Fisher / LAT)

About 3.5 billion cut flowers and 400 million potted plants are sold each year at the world’s largest flower auction in Bloemenveiling, Aalsmeer. Visitors can watch the frantic activity from a viewing gallery suspended above the floor. (Gail Fisher / LAT)

Italy’s mystical Castel del Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an eight-sided castle built by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the 13th century. (Susan Spano / LAT)