Staubbach Falls at Lauterbrunnen, Canton of Bern, Switzerland (© pongnathee kluaythong/Getty Images)

Our picture of the day takes us to the Swiss village of Lauterbrunnen, where the Staubbach Falls shimmers in the distance beyond a quiet alpine valley. This is the landscape a young traveller, JRR Tolkien, crossed during a hiking trip in 1911, long before he became the storyteller behind 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit.' Its soaring cliffs, silver waterfalls and crisp mountain air left a lasting impression and are believed to have inspired his vision of Rivendell, the elven refuge hidden deep in Middle-earth.