A Strong and Silent Husband – Australian Woman Marries a Bridge in Southern France
For the last 10 years Australian artist Jodi Rose has traveled the world recording the vibrations in bridge cables with contact microphones and using them to create experimental music. You could say she has an almost intimate relationship with bridges, and recently she decided to make it official by marrying a mysterious bridge in the south of […]
French Haunted House Auctioned Off on eBay for Just 1 Euro
A listing on the French version of eBay recently went viral after being picked up by major news outlets. Apparently, someone is selling a haunted house in Arbresle, Rhône-Alpes region, for just 1 euro. It’s true that the place doesn’t look like much, if the photos are anything to go by, but still 1 euro for […]
French Company Offers Thrill-Seekers the Chance to Be Kidnapped
A basic abduction package in France will cost you about $1,300. No, not the ransom, but actually getting yourself kidnapped. If you’re looking for an experience straight out of a Hollywood movie, Eastern France is the place you need to be, where a small company called Ultime Realite provides the unique service. The basic package […]
French Artist Buries Himself in a Tiny Hole for Seven Days, to Read
How far would you go to find some peace and quiet for a nice read? French artist Abraham Poincheval stayed buried for a whole week in a tiny underground hole in the underpinning of a Marseille bookstore, with books as the only company. On September 20, Abraham Poincheval began his unique performance, aptly entitled 604,800 seconds. […]
Utopix – French Family Turn Barren Field into Outsider Art
Jo and Dominique Pillet’s home ‘Utopix’ is like something right out of a fairy tale. They started work on it about 30 years ago, and although it was completed as of 2010, it continues to evolve. The beauty of the house is not just in the construction, but the patience and perseverance put in by […]
Hamster Villa Lets You Experience Life as a Small Rodent
According to French scenographer Yann Falquerho, sometimes people really do want to live like their caged pets. I’m not sure I do, but Falquerho must be right, because his creation – the Villa Hamster – is immensely popular. The hotel allows you to experience exactly what the life of a caged hamster is like. 42-year-old […]
La Maison a Vaisselle Cassee – Outsider Art in Louviers, France
La Maison a Vaisselle Cassée or The Broken Crockery House, is a very special place located in Louviers, France. I took a look at a few pictures and couldn’t help being reminded of the gingerbread house from Hansel and Gretel. Of course, you can’t eat this one and there’s no evil witch living there. This […]
Who Needs Privacy: 5 People Live in Paris Subway Station Apartment
Here’s another example of a bizarre business promotional strategy. This time it’s by IKEA and they actually took over a Paris subway station. In a bid to prove that with IKEA furnishing you can make any living space comfortable, the company erected an apartment right in the middle of the Auber station in Paris. It […]
Chateau Guédelon – A 13th Century Castle in the Making
It is sometimes unbelievable how beautiful architecture was created in ancient times, without the use of modern technology. A medieval construction project in Treigny, France, aims at understanding exactly how this was possible. Guédelon Castle is a project that is being completed with only the materials and techniques that were available to man in the […]
The Amazing Oak Chapel of Allouville Bellefosse
The French village of Allouville-Bellefosse is famous for the Chêne Chapelle (Oak Chapel), which is literally a chapel built into an oak tree. The amazing architecture consists of a wooden staircase spiraling around the ancient tree, leading up to a couple of chambers. These rooms have always been used as places of worship, by the village locals. […]
La Pourcailhade – Becoming a Pig in France
La Pourcailhade is a festival dedicated to one of the most popularly eaten animal around the world, the pig. I’d like to mention that the Festival isn’t dedicated to pork as much as it is to the pig. There’s the usual “eat the most… to win” contest and a few barbecues go on but they’re far […]
French Coffee House Owner Refuses to Sell His Life’s Work – A Story of Courage
Although his is the only standing building in what used to be an old neighborhood of Roubaix, in Northern France, Salah Oudjani refuses to sell the coffee house he has worked in for the last 46 years. The title doesn’t sound like anything special, after all, many people refuse to have their property demolished, at […]
French Town Inaugurates Bubble Hotel Rooms in Local Park
The French town of Roubaix, has recently opened a series of portable hotel rooms in a local park. They can be rented by people who want to feel close to nature in the middle of the urban jungle. The bubble concept thought up by French designer Pierre Stephane Dumas aims to redefine the term temporary […]
Controversial Rent-a-Girlfriend Website Proves Big Hit in France
Spoil yourself, rent a girlfriend! This is the line French site Loueunepetiteamie.com uses to convince male visitors to legally rent a female friend, for an hour, an evening, a night or for a weekend. Tired of being alone? Are you looking for a female companion who can spoil you and make you feel relaxed? Have […]
French Aristocrats Launch Luxury Condoms
The ingenious idea of creating luxury condoms belongs to French aristocrats Prince Charles Emmanuel de Burbon Parme and Count Gil de Bizmont. Inspired by a trip through the French town of Condom the pair decided to create a sophisticated, chic, useful and eco-friendly product that wouldn’t make its users embarrassed to carry it around or […]