Monsanto – A Portuguese Town Built between Giant Boulders
The charming town of Monsanto, an ancient settlement perched on the side of a mountain in the Portuguese countryside, boasts some of the most incredible sights on Earth. Featuring tiny streets carved from rock and granite houses squeezed between giant boulders, it looks like a real life Bedrock. In 1938, Monsanto was named ‘the most […]
Britain’s Mysterious Coin-Covered Wishing Trees
Sticking hundreds of small denomination coins into tree trunks is apparently a popular way of getting rid of illnesses. At least that’s what the staff at a holiday attraction in Gwynedd discovered after investigating the story behind several coin-covered tree trunks in the vicinity of Italianate village Portmeirion. The first tree was cut down four […]
Computerspielemuseum – Berlin’s Computer Game Museum
If you thought the Video Card Museum of Kharkov was a geek paradise, than the Video Game Museum in Berlin is really gonna blow your mind. It features vintage hardware, interactive installations, and over 300 video games, including the first ever arcade game, Computer Space, released in 1971, which by the way was a total […]
Japan’s First Reptile Cafe Opens in Yokohama
The Subtropical Teahouse, a “reptile cafe” offering customers the chance to observe and pet dozens of species of reptiles, has recently opened in Yokohama, Japan. The Land of the Rising Sun is notorious for a variety of wacky venues, like the relaxing cat cafes, or the Vampire Cafe in Ginza, but it didn’t have a […]
World’s First Pig Fat Museum Opens in Ukraine
Pig fat is considered a tasty treat in central and eastern European countries like Belarus, Russia or the Czech Republic, and the Ukraine has even opened a museum dedicated to it. Known as salo in the Ukraine, this traditional food is often translated as ‘lard’ or ‘bacon’ in English, but there are some subtle differences […]
Summer Night Horror – Japan’s Creepy Yokai Monster Train
The Yokai Train is a somewhat scary summer attraction in Kyoto, Japan. One of the electrical trains is boarded by creepy monsters that try to scare children out of their wits. If you were looking for a way to scare a spoiled brat into submission, look no further that the monster train of Kyoto, an […]
Real-Life Hobbit Shire Exists in the Hillsides of Montana
The Hobbit House of Monatana, located in a man-made shire built by LOTR enthusiast Steve Michaels and his wife Christine, is a must-see attraction for any self-respecting Tolkien fan. This isn’t the first time someone builds a real-life hobbit house, but this particular house situated in the hillsides of northwest Montana is actually a tourist […]
China Converts Aircraft Carrier into Luxury Hotel
Just days after the Varyag, China’s first aircraft carrier was taken out for sea trials, a second carrier, the Kiev is stirring up interest as the first aircraft carrier hotel in China. The Kiev, a retired former Soviet aircraft carrier was sold to a Chinese company back in 1996, and was used as part of […]
Video Card Museum Opens in Kharkov, Ukraine
It all started with a small private exhibition, but now the Video Card Museum in Kharkov is open to the public, and growing larger every day, thanks to donations made by video card enthusiasts. I stumbled across some photos of this museum while searching for writing material on an obscure Russian site, and after doing […]
The Incredible Flower and Sand Carpets of La Otorava
In the Spanish town of La Otorava, Tenerife, the festival of Corpus Christi Festival is celebrated by lining the streets with beautiful themed carpets made from flower petals and colored volcanic sand. Featuring some of the most fragrant art displays in the world, the feast of Corpus Christi attracts thousands of visitors from all around […]
The Haro Wine Battle – A Water Fight for Grown-Ups
Every year, the small town of Haro, one of the biggest wine producers in Spain, hosts the traditional “Batalla del Vino”, the Wine Battle, where participants throw tons of red wine at each other. Part of the Haro Wine Festival, the annual Wine Battle takes place on June 29, the day of the patron saint […]
CosquilleArte – The World’s First Tickle Spa Opens in Spain
Relaxing is probably one of the last words people use to describe tickling, but at the CosquilleArte Spa, in Madrid, Spain, they actually use delicate tickling techniques to relieve clients’ stress. I’ve seen some pretty bizarre spas since I began writing for OC, from resorts treating guests to wine, tea and sake baths, to clinics […]
Entrepreneur Turns Atomic Reactor into Popular Amusement Park
Wunderland Kalkar is a unique amusement park built on the site of a never-used power plant, complete with a fast breeder reactor, in Kalkar, Germany. Construction of the Kalkar nuclear plant began in 1972, but was constantly delayed due to technical difficulties and protests from those concerned about the safety of nuclear power. When it […]
Entire Village Painted Blue for Smurfs Movie Launch
The small village of Juzcar, in Spain’s Malaga region, has recently been painted blue as part of a global promotion for the Sony Pictures film “The Smurfs 3D”. Juzcar is a peaceful, traditional “pueblo blanco” village, located in the Genel Valley region of Andalucia. It boasts a population of just 250, and yet Sony has […]
China Inaugurates Park Made Entirely Out of Clay
A unique cultural park made entirely out of clay has recently been open to the public, in Tangshan City, China. Featuring rows of houses, busy streets filled with vendors and their carts, high ranking officials and horse-pulled carriages, the park is a reproduction of Zhang Zerui famous scroll painting Riverside Scene during the Qingming Festival. […]