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Unusual

Unusual

Georgia on my . . . mined

Europe is a well-known and well-traversed part of the world.  We love it and can't get enough of it.  But, there are some places that are still bubbling under, just waiting for (or hiding from) the crowds.  One such place is Georgia -  in particular, Vardzia. Vardzia-Khertvisi, comprising a vast territory in the upper reaches…

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Think pink, don’t drink pink

It's almost like a fairytale.  But don't get tipsy and mistake it for a piña colada.  Lake Retba is a true natural phenomenon located only 30 miles from Dakar.  The highly saline Pink Lake lives up to its name.   It is named for its pink waters caused by Dunaliella salina algae and is known for its high salt content, up to…

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ああ私の (Oh my)

If you feel like you have visited almost every place on earth, you might want to give this a try.  You can tour the Fukushima disaster zone - where the simultaneous, earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant melted down and devastated the Fukushima  area, and the ghost town Namie itself. It is safe enough for…

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God’s Own Junkyard

Art is always something that should be celebrated, especially if it breaks new ground, or reinvents itself.  Or maybe, in this case, it is art that accumulates purely from the artist's love of art. God's Own Junkyard is the baby of Chris Bracey, who has  been the Neon Man for 37 years creating iconic art…

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What does ʻOumuamua say?

There’s an iconic moment, filmed in the shadow of the Very Large Array in New Mexico, that many people who visit this giant telescope try to duplicate. A young astronomer sits cross-legged on the bonnet of her car, the towering line of radio dishes vanishing into the distance behind her. With her laptop in front…

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An Englishman, a Scotsman and an Irishman walk into a bar….

....The Englishman wanted to go so they all had to leave. Yes, we're talking about the UK's Brexit again.  As of this the time of this article, this week marks five years since the Brexit referendum shocked Europe. Despite forecasts that Britain’s withdrawal would trigger other departures by countries with similar Eurosceptic urges, the response from member…

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Antiquarian comics

You don't need to schmoke a pancake to enjoy this place.  (But it won't hurt.) Since its opening in 1968, the Amsterdam comics store Lambiek has played an important role in giving comics public attention and appreciation, not just in the Netherlands, but on an international scale. Historically important as the oldest comics store in…

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It’s literally Nauru . . . and you

Chances are good that you have never heard of Nauru.  That's not surprising, as only around 10,000 inhabitants live there, and the island country usually gets only a couple of hundred visitors each year.  It is the smallest country in the world. But, you might want to give the island nation a go, as its…

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You can leave your hat on

So a pickpocket went to a nudist beach... He hated it.... We would imagine that there are some people who, after being held captive in their homes due to the pandemic, are looking for a way to break free.  Even if it simply means walking outside without a mask. Likely though, there are those who want…

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Bridge of cries

Everyone knows it's windy. Somewhere in a wind tunnel on the south-western side of Ontario, a group of the world’s leading bridge aerodynamics and acoustics experts are puzzling over a full-scale model of the railing of the Golden Gate Bridge. The experts have been contracted to solve the mysterious problem of a strange humming sound that has…

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Yea, verily. Take thee food and drink at The King’s Jail

We jest . . . but only somewhat.  Is this a castle?  Perhaps not.  Is it a jail?  It once was. Now known as the Royal Crown Castle Bar and Grill, it's a rather nice pub in New Westminster on the outskirts of Vancouver, Canada.  With inspiring views over the Fraser River, a delightful staff, good…

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Find the hidden restaurant

Are you "in" with The In Crowd?  Do you know every latest dance?  When you're in with The In Crowd, it's easy to find a hidden restaurant.*  New York is the place that never sleeps, is sometimes confusing and maybe a bit too artsy, and is certainly in with The In Crowd.  We love it.…

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Jane, stop this crazy thing!

Plastics.  Carbon fibre. Airloys. Atomic layer deposition. Nano putty. Aerogel. Memory foam.  Metalized polyethylene terephthalate. Your travel future relies on the space-age materials listed above.  They play their part in making planes, trains and automobiles better, lighter, stronger and faster. Why  does this matter to you?  Both American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic recently signed deals…

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Rigi – don’t lose that number

Yodele hee hoo!  Now here is a wonderful, simple and unforgettable adventure for you - lovely Rigi mountain in Switzerland -  and its fabulous cog train. The residents of Rigi have not let their wonderful natural resource go to waste.  Above and beyond being a daily mode of transport (since 1871) for its residents, it…

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The flock says no, humans

As statistics show again and again, flying is the safest way to travel, by far.  Northwestern University's Ian Savage complied facts that back this up.  Savage aggregated fatality statistics from 2000 to 2009 and then expressed them for different transportation methods in terms of deaths per billion passenger miles traveled. The main finding: Automobiles are one…

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Can you Canfranc?

War is hell.  There have been too many.  But, humans always find a way to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start again. After the end of the First World War, during the euphoria following one of the most awful periods of world history, the Pau-Somport rail tunnel had been driven beneath the Pyrenees…

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Rumba rumbles

Emerging from the poor districts of Havana and Matanzas in the 19th century, today rumba is one of Cuba’s most popular art forms. Influenced by African and Spanish traditions of music and dance, its distinctive, syncopated sound requires masterful musicianship and fierce passion from its performers. But, despite being born of marginalisation and oppression, modern…

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