By Maureen O'Hare, CNN

(CNN) — It’s a solstice Saturday in the Northern Hemisphere as December 21 is the shortest day of the year and the official first day of winter. Yes, that’s right. It’s only just begun. Cheer yourself up with our last travel news roundup of 2024.

Switzerland aims high

A spectacular new cable car has opened in Switzerland’s Bernese Alps. The Schilthorn Cableway takes riders up to the mountaintop revolving restaurant made famous in the James Bond movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.”

Its makers say it’s the steepest in the world, climbing 775 meters (2,543 feet) in just four minutes at a gradient of 159.4%. It connects the village of Stechelberg with the car-free village of Mürren, some 1,650 meters (5,413 feet) above sea level.

The cableway hasn’t been recognized by Guinness World Records yet, but Switzerland is no stranger to high-altitude record-breakers.

The world’s steepest funicular railway opened in the alpine village of Stoos in 2017, rising 743 meters (2,438 feet) along gradients as steep as 110%.

If that’s not fearsome enough, there’s the Stanserhorn Cabrio in Lucerne. It’s the world’s first cable car to feature a roofless upper deck. Breezy.

Love and friendship

Four teenagers posed in miniskirts and flip-flops for a photo on a seaside vacation in England in 1972. More than 50 years later, this group of lifelong friends recreated it. Take a look here.

A Polish girl and a Balkans boy met as teenagers in Greece in 2005. A mutual summer crush developed, but it never moved beyond friendship. Then he unexpectedly came back into her life.

A French man and a Canadian woman had a vacation romance in Cuba in 2016. He told her they’d “stay in touch.” She assumed she’d never hear from him again — then the Facebook request popped up.

Seasonal sounds and cheer

This month, a delayed flight stuck at Atlanta’s airport got unexpectedly festive when a US Army vet got his saxophone out and played Christmas songs. Wayne Hoey, who played in the Army Band for two decades, even did a rendition of “Baby Shark” to soothe the toddlers on board.

Holiday travel is often stressful, with or without a reed instrument on hand. CNN Travel asked flight attendants to share their secrets for getting from A to B through the season.

There are plenty of European towns and cities that are magical at Christmas — here’s our pick of 11 of them — but one in particular is on top of many people’s wishlist. Tourism is booming in Rovaniemi, Lapland, home to Santa Claus village, but not everyone is happy about the deluge of visitors.

The Unlocking the World newsletter is taking a little holiday break next week, too. We’ll be back with more travel news for you in 2025.

‘Best in Italy’

Locals say this generations-old restaurant in the foothills of Mount Vesuvius makes the best pasta puttanesca in the world. The owner, Teresa Izzo, showed CNN the secret.

If you’re looking for last-minute presents for the foodies in your life, our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have this roundup of 63 food gifts for every budget.

In case you missed it

There’ll be no festive dairy shortage on CNN Travel’s watch. Meet a woman who invents cheeses at her mountain hideaway.

You can ski right across international borders on these mountains.

These are the tourist attractions you won’t be able to visit in 2025.

Why we can’t have nice things.

The world’s busiest flight routes for 2024 have been revealed.

Asia and the Gulf region are top of the list.

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