The Globe and Mail

The troop of La Fura dels Baus company performs at the Toural square in Guimaraes, Portugal, January 21, 2012.

The performance marks the beginning of the city's tenure as European Capital of Culture for 2012.

Guimaraes, a former textile boom town, is turning its old, abandoned factories into galleries and other cultural stages.

Guimaraes will host a variety of artistic events throughout the year to promote Europe's cultural diversity.

Tourists walk on a footway of the step well of Nahargarh Fort in Jaipur, India, January 23, 2012. The fort, one of the major tourist attractions of the city, was built in 1734.

Thousands of birds fly during sunset in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Jan. 23, 2012.

An illuminated Presidential Palace is seen in the background during preparations for the Beating the Retreat ceremony in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012. The ceremony is held annually on January 29.

A tourist takes pictures through a window of the Amber Fort in Jaipur, January 23, 2012. The structure contains several spectacular buildings and is the palace built by conqueror Raja Man Singh I, who ruled from 1590-1614.

A boy sits on a hammock at a beach near the luxurious seaside resort of Jose Ignacio, 170 kIlometres east of Montevideo, Uruguay, January 18, 2012.

According to Uruguay's Minister of Tourism Hector Lescano, tourism was the country's most important source of foreign income for 2011.

Richard Tesore, the head of the S.O.S Rescate Fauna Marina charity, walks out of the sea with a 15-day-old male baby seal after feeding it near the seaside resort of Piriapolis, 90 kilometres east of Montevideo. January 18, 2012.

The beaches of Uruguay are popular vacation destinations for Argentines, Brazilians and Chileans.

Pedestrians walk next to the beach in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012.

Kitesurfers take to the air in Fort Lauderdale.

A kite flies near volleyball players in Delray Beach, Fla., on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012.

A woman holds up samples of mango smoothies in Miami Beach, Fla., on Friday, Jan. 20, 2012.