The Electric Brae is located on the coastal road from Girvan to Ayr, just 1m south of Dunure in rural Scotland. Also sometimes known as Croy Brae, it is a well known scenic stretch of road where the configuration of the land gives the impression that a vehicle can freewheel uphill. The land on either side of the road creates an optical illusion so it looks as if the slope is going the other way. There is a past belief that an electric or magnetic forcefield was the cause of this bizarre phenomenon.
Valencia, Spain La Despertà the beginning of Fallas 2009 -The last Sunday in February boasts one amazingly loud display making this one of the most dramatic festivals in the world. Firecrackers in the hands of thousands of people 7:30 am on a Sunday morning. The aftermath is a cloud of smoke and ringing ears.
“The last Sunday in February is a huge, busy day in the city. Not all Sundays are like this. And in Valencia, the last Sunday in February manages to achieve the polar opposite. It’s 7:30 in the morning, and you’re on the streets, in the middle of World War III.
The Despertà is Valencia’s annual wake-up call for Fallas — the region’s most important festival and one of the biggest in the world. At 7am, thousands of people belonging to organized groups (Fallas Commissions) gather at Parterre Park (location) to collect their ammunition bags for an assault on the city’s sleeping populace. And at 7:30am sharp, all hell breaks loose.” continue reading…
The Battle of the Oranges, Ivrea, Italy
Italy stages its biggest food fight each February in the Piedmont town of Ivrea, where thousands gather each year before Lent to re-enact a medieval battle by hurling oranges at each other. By the end of it the entire town is awash with Vitamin C.
In Riga, Latvia, a truly cool and bizarre themed restaurant, accented with all things medical. Once you arrive at Hospitalis, patrons check in as patients, and are served by nurses, as doctors prepare the dishes. Doctors will also prepare your drinks in beakers and test tubes. continue reading…
Located in Brussels, Belgium, NEMO33 is officially the Deepest Pool in the World with a depth of 108 feet. The complex was designed by Belgian diving expert John Beernaerts as a multi-purpose diving instruction, recreational, and film production facility, and opened in 2004.
The pool is filled with 660,430 gallons of non-chlorinated, highly filtered spring water.
Imagine jumping in to a pool minus the chlorine smell. The temperature is maintained at 86°F and contains several simulated underwater caves at the 32 foot depth level. At this level there underwater windows that allow outside visitors to peer into the pools at various depths. The pool is a big hit with recreational scuba divers who are able to enjoy the constant controlled atmosphere and water temperature for varying levels of instruction. The pool has two large basin areas at depth levels of 16 ft and 32 ft, and a large circular shaft descending to a depth of 33m (108 ft). There are three permanent bells of air under pressure where air is renewed constantly, this aids instructors to spend more time with students at depth.
The sport of shin kicking has been around since the 17th Century. First established by Robert Dover in 1612. Shin kicking unfortunately died out in the early 1900’s, although I can’t imagine why? It was reborn in 1951 at Chipping Camden, England. Although the games are not quite as brutal as the earlier versions, I’m sure players are secretly rejoicing that they now prohibit iron capped boots. Players use to prepare for the games by smashing hammers into their shins.
“According to the rule book, only in mid-kick can a player attempt to bring his opposition to the ground, with a ‘stickler’ on hand to make sure a shin is hit before a fall can be scored. Each round features a best of three battle before winners go on to fight other winners – until only two remain.”
The games are held every year on May 31st in Chipping Camden.
Even though the games have safer guidelines, the video outlines a barbaric ritual that appears to have many spectators. Congratulations to this years Barbarian, Steve ‘The Bull Dog’ Williams the British Shin Kicking Champion of 2008.
“Rather than a conventional opening bridge mechanism, consisting of a single rigid element that lifts to let boats pass, the Rolling Bridge gets out of the way by curling up until its two ends touch. While in its horizontal position, the bridge is a normal, inconspicuous steel and timber footbridge; fully open, it forms a circle on one bank of the water that bears little resemblance to its former self.
Twelve metres long, the bridge is made in eight steel and timber sections, and is made to curl by hydraulic rams set into the handrail between each section.
TheRapa das bestasis an ancient festival in Galicia, Spain.
The Rapa das bestas is an old practice of ‘Taming the Beasts’ and is thought to date back to the Bronze Age. Men and women alike would wrestle the untamed horses to the ground with their hands and arms to cut their manes and tails.
“People gather all the untamed horses in a corral, where men and women of all ages wrestle them to the ground with their bare hands to cut their manes and tales out and brand them. continue reading…
21 of your closest friends can have dinner with you 150 feet above the ground. According to the company, based out of Brussels, the restaurant can be available for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails. A crane hoist the table, guests and waiters up in the air for two hour sessions, over destinations around the world.continue reading…
