We all learned the same rainbow acronym, ROYGBIV, in grade school from that mysterious art teacher most of us wanted to be when we grew up. Thankfully, there are many more hues, tones and saturations than just red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet in nature and man-made. Sometimes we fall victim to living our days in constant repetition, unaware of what unbelievable picturesque harbor towns, blossoming fields or natural spirited landforms there are to gaze upon.
Take a break from your predictable color scheme with this gallery of bright travel photos.
Lauren Spiler is a freelance journalist based in Athens, Georgia, but most call her Spiler.
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Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, Netherlands
Also known as the Garden of Europe, Keukenhof Garden plants over 7 million flower bulbs annually consisting of tulips, hyacinths and more. It is the world's largest flower garden with a variety of different garden styles created by Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher.
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Burano Island in Venice, Italy
Eye-catching houses on the island of Burano are reflected in the green channels surrounding. It is said that many of these houses have been owned by the same families for many generations. Over the centuries, a color system of the houses was created. If a family wishes to paint their house they must send a request to the government which will respond with what bold hue or light pastel are permitted within that lot.
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Cinque Terre, Italy
Cinque Terre translates to "Five Lands" in Italian. These five car-free villages of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Manarola, Riomaggiore and Corniglia are no strangers to colored buildings along their coast. The people of the island in the Liguria region have built many terraces over the centuries in the elevated and rugged landscape to connect the bright towns that overlook the sea.
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Hitachi Seaside Park in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan
This public park has around 470 acres of exquisite blooming florets year-round. In late September and mid-October, the Kochia Carnival starts as kochias transforms the rolling hills from emerald to fiery red along with white, pink and red flowers in tow.
Photo courtesy of Flickr/Reginald Pentinio CC BY
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Cornwall, England
Cornwall is home to a diverse collection of terrain including rocky coasts, sandy beaches and high cliffs. On the southwest peninsula, the coastline is full of resistant sea rocks teaming with lush green vegetation coming out from the sea. The contrast of greens to against blue waves makes Cornwall a surprisingly photo-friendly destination.
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Lavender Field in Provence, France
France's Lavender Fields are home to rows and rows of fragrant lavender that blossoms from June to August in the regions of Valréas, Sault and around Mont-Ventoux. Not only are the lavender fields pleasing to the eye, but they also tempt the nose and tongue. The plant is used to make soap and as part of the Provençal cuisine to make lavender sorbets and honey.
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Zhangye Danxia, Gansu Province, China
The Zhangye Danxia landform has had over 24 million years to perfect its layered minerals and sand deposits. The variety of smooth and rocky surfaces of corals, dark greens and yellows give the Rainbow Mountain of China the ideal place for shadows of animals and shapes to be cast onto its ancient rocks.
Photo courtesy of Flickr/Kashif Pathan CC-SA BY
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Luoping in Yunnan, China
In this small county in eastern Yunnan, rapeseed flowers, also known as canola, are in their prime blooming time from February through March. As far as the eye can see, a sea of luminous canary flowers surrounds the region's mountains.
Photo courtesy of Flickr/Ronald Tagra BY CC 2.0
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Morning Glory Pool in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA
The Morning Glory Pool has not always been the vibrant collection of reds, oranges, blues and greens. It once was an ombre of blues before tourists began tossing coins and trash into the pool that clogged underwater heat sources. As the temperature lowered, photosynthetic microorganisms began to make their home presenting us with the dynamic glowing pool.
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The Wave in Coconino County, Arizona, USA
Thanks to rainwater from as far back as to the Jurassic period, U-shaped troughs have been eroded in the Navajo Sandstone forming the Wave, with its many burnt orange, red and coral hues. Since the popularity of the heart-stopping landform has risen, visitors must carefully trek on the soft sandstone to prevent breaking small ridges.