ChubbyWimbus: New page: ==December 2007== * The '''cobbles''' paving the ground in Moscow's famous '''Red Square''' are '''black''', not red. * If you visit the '''Seashore Trolley Museum''' in [[Kennebunkp...

2009-12-27T04:12:05Z

New page: ==December 2007== * The '''cobbles''' paving the ground in Moscow's famous '''Red Square''' are '''black''', not red. * If you visit the '''Seashore Trolley Museum''' in [[Kennebunkp...

New page

==December 2007==

* The '''cobbles''' paving the ground in [[Moscow]]'s famous '''Red Square''' are '''black''', not red.

* If you visit the '''Seashore Trolley Museum''' in [[Kennebunkport]], [[Maine]], you can learn to '''drive a streetcar'''.

* Among the attractions of the [[Argentina | Argentine]] city of [[Cordoba (Argentine city) | Cordoba]] is the '''Museo Paleontológico de la Universität Nacional de Córdoba''', featuring the '''largest fossilized spider in the world'''.

* [[Nanjing]], [[China]] had the '''world's longest city wall'''. Large parts of it are still standing, though much of the modern city is outside them.

* A '''dam''' in [[Switzerland]]'s [[Verzasca Valley]] was featured in the '''James Bond movie ''Goldeneye''''', and is used for what's claimed to be the '''longest bungee jump in the world'''.

* Where did that come from? [[Solvang]], [[California]] is best known for its '''[[Denmark | Danish]]''' theme (architecture, cuisine, etc.), but also included among its attractions is an '''ostrich farm'''.

* Competitors in the '''[[North Bay]] Triathlon''', in the [[Canada | Canadian]] town of the same name, are allowed to wear '''wet suits''' for the swimming part of the competition, because of the cold waters.

* '''[[Arkansas]]' state capitol''', in [[Little Rock]], is built on the former site of the '''state penitentiary'''.

* '''''Mr. Bean'' fans''' visiting [[Portsmouth]] in [[Hampshire]], [[England]] should stay at the '''Queen's Hotel''' - the episode ''Mr. Bean in Room 426'' '''was filmed there'''.

* The [[Bahama|Bahamian]] '''Junkanoo''' festival, celebrated on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, involves '''dancing in disposable crepe costumes''' while '''clanging cowbells'''.

* The '''Wheels O' Time''' museum in [[Peoria (Illinois)]] features a '''mechanical barbershop quartet''' in which all of the figures bear faces of '''former US presidents'''.

* The [[Bolivia]]n mountain [[Chacaltaya]] is the site of the '''world's highest-elevation [[Alpine skiing | Alpine ski]] area''', but it's threatened by '''global warming'''.

* The '''minor-league baseball team''' in [[Charleston (South Carolina)]] is known as the '''Riverdogs'''.

* '''Verftet USF''', a notable night spot in [[Bergen]], [[Norway]], is located in a '''former sardine factory'''.

* The '''castle''' in the small [[Japan]]ese city of [[Himeji]] was, for a time, the '''largest in all of Asia'''.

* If you're allergic to bee stings, be careful when visiting '''Parque Simón Bolivar''' in [[Guaranda]], [[Ecuador]]; the park's '''statue''' of the hero harbors a '''bee's nest''' in one of its '''armpits'''.

* It's possible to go '''[[scuba diving]]''' at [[Crater Lake National Park]], but only if you can carry your gear up and down the mile-long '''Cleetwood Trail''' to the eponymous lake.

* The '''[[Grenada]] Chocolate Factory''', on the island-nation of the same name, produces chocolates with machinery powered by '''solar energy'''.

* Several '''hotels''' in [[Salar de Uyuni]], [[Bolivia]] are '''built out of salt'''.

* '''Red Hook Ale Brewery''' in [[Portsmouth (New Hampshire)]] is located on the grounds of a '''former Air Force base'''.

* '''Local beers''' served in [[Moshi]], [[Tanzania]] have the labels '''Kilimanjaro''', '''Safari''' and '''Tusker''', among others.

* If you go '''[[scuba diving]]''' in Lake Atitlan near [[Panajachel]], [[Guatemala]], be careful: you can '''burn your hands''' on the lake's bottom, which is '''heated by volcanic activity'''.

* '''Walkie-talkie''', a dish from [[Cape Town]]'s impoverished townships, is made from '''chicken beaks and feet'''.

* Arachnophobic? Just wait until you see the holographic projection of a '''3-foot-long, crawling tarantula''' at the '''Museum of Holography''' on [[Chicago]]'s [[Chicago/Near West Side| Near West Side]].

* [[Bandung]]'s '''prison''' has been turned into a '''shopping mall''' — except the '''one cell''' where Indonesian independence leader Sukarno was held.

* In [[Honolulu]], escape from the hot weather to the last place you'd expect to find - an '''ice rink'''.

* The''' holes''' in Swiss Cheese - known locally as Emmentaler in its native [[Switzerland]] - are made by gas-excreting '''bacteria'''.

* The '''replica of Independence Hall''' in [[Buena Park]], [[California]] is so accurate that the original structure in Philadelphia '''borrowed the blueprints''' for its restoration.

* The '''$50,000 honeymoon suite''' package at the '''Peninsula [[Hong Kong]]''', a hotel in the [[Kowloon]] district, includes a '''helicopter tour of the city'''.

* A '''''Salzspeicher''''' (salt warehouse) in [[Lübeck]], [[Germany]] was the lair of the title villain in two movies featuring the '''vampiric Count Nosferatu'''.

* The '''Biltmore Estate''' in [[Asheville]], [[North Carolina]] is the '''largest single-family home in the [[United States of America | United States]]'''.

* Among the exhibits at '''Egri Vár''', a castle-museum at [[Eger]], [[Hungary]], is an ancient, makeshift '''motion detector that uses peas'''.

* A memorial in [[Sioux Falls]], [[South Dakota]], [[United States of America | USA]] honors '''World War II's most decorated battleship''' (the '''USS South Dakota'''), even though the town is hundreds of miles from any ocean.

* The '''[[volcanoes | volcano]]''' on the eponymous island of [[Vulcano]] is hiker-friendly, and is one of the few places in the world where you can view '''droplets of molten sulfur'''.

* [[Laos]] derives its roots and its name from a 14th-century kingdom with the name '''Lane Xang''' -- meaning '''"Million Elephants"'''.

==November 2007==

* The [[England | English]] town of [[Woking]] was the landing place for the '''aliens''' in H. G. Wells' original '''"War of the Worlds"''' fiction, a fact commemorated by '''art work''' around the town.

* The '''Aloft Loft''' on [[Chicago]]'s [[Chicago/Far West Side | Far West Side]] is home to a '''theater group''' composed entirely of '''trapeze artists'''.

* [[Ketchikan]], [[Alaska]] is one of the '''rainiest cities in North America''', with just over '''150 inches of average annual precipitation'''.

* The '''Nongae Shrine''' in [[Jinju]], [[South Korea]] memorializes a '''courtesan''' who '''seduced an invading general''' and then killed him (and herself).

* The '''Liberty Hotel''' in [[Boston]] occupies a former '''prison'''.

* Town names on the [[Malaysia]]n island of [[Langkawi]] include '''"Gravy"''', '''"Broken Crockery"''' and '''"Seeping"'''.

* The '''[[Thai phrasebook | written language]]''' of [[Thailand]] is notoriously difficult to read because of a '''complete absence of space between words'''.

* A move is afoot to rename [[Volusia County]], [[Florida]] to '''NASCAR County''' (note the caps) because of its main attraction, the '''Daytona International Speedway'''.

* In [[Bangladesh]], don't miss the chance to have a '''bony bite''' of ''hilsa'', the '''officially designated national fish'''.

* Access to [[White Sands National Monument]] in [[New Mexico]], [[United States of America | USA]] is occasionally interrupted by '''missile tests''' launched from a nearby Air Force base.

* The '''beach''' at Pantai Sabak in [[Kota Bharu]], [[Malaysia]] doesn't have much sand any more due to erosion, but it still features '''pillboxes''' left over from '''World War II'''.

* The '''"living ghost town"''' of [[Chloride]], [[Arizona]] is named after the ore '''silver chloride''', formerly mined nearby.

* Hotel 1929, a '''boutique hotel''' in [[Singapore]], is famous for its '''collection of chairs'''.

* In [[Kemi]], [[Finland]], you can go for a spin on ''Sampo'', the world's only '''cruise icebreaker'''.

* [[Seattle]] used to have a district called '''Sodo -- "South of the Dome"''' -- but the term is now largely obsolete because the '''Kingdome''' has been '''demolished'''.

* Sculptures in [[Sligo]] commemorate the town's importance as a '''port of embarkation''' during the '''[[Ireland | Irish]] potato famine''' of the mid-19th century.

* '''Place Maréchal-Foch''', in [[Nantes]], contains one of the few existing '''statues of Louis XVI''' left in [[France]].

* Traveling through [[Chicago]]'s [[O'Hare International Airport]] with time to kill? Spend it staring at the complete '''fossil skeleton''' of one of the world's largest '''dinosaurs'''.

* '''Trapizza''' in [[Singapore/Sentosa|Singapore]] is simultaneously a '''pizzeria''' and a '''trapeze school'''.

* A part of the table service at the '''Wuji Rib House''' in [[Harbin]], [[China]] is '''plastic gloves''' to keep the rib eater's hands clean.

* The '''Druid Hills''' district of [[Decatur (Georgia)]], [[United States of America]] provided the scenic setting for the movie '''''Driving Miss Daisy'''''.

* [[Malaysia]] may be an '''Islamic''' country, but its [[Genting Highlands]] '''casino''' is so popular, it has the '''world's largest hotel'''.

* ''Funazushi'', the traditional '''sushi''' of [[Shiga]], [[Japan]], uses '''fermented''', not raw, fish.

* Don't worry too much about the morality of '''The Annual Hookers Ball''' in [[Chatham]], [[Massachusetts]]; it's by, for and about '''fishermen''' -- rather than other kinds of hookers.

* [[Brasilia]], capital of [[Brazil]], is a '''[[UNESCO World Heritage List | UNESCO World Heritage Site]]''' even though it's '''less than 50 years old'''.

* [[Valles Caldera National Preserve]] in [[New Mexico]], [[United States of America | USA]] features not only the '''remnants of a supervolcano''' but also scenic, abandoned '''movie sets'''.

* Now there's one less reason to get caned in [[Singapore]] — on October 26, 2007, '''oral sex''' was legalized. (Unless you're gay, that is.)

* The '''largest lizards''' in [[Japan]], reaching a '''length of two feet''', are found on [[Iriomote]] Island.

* The '''[[Little Rock]] Zoo''' is home to the world's only '''waving carousel'''.

==October 2007==

* The town of '''[[Pontianak]]''', [[Indonesia]] is named after a mythical '''baby-eating undead female vampire'''.

* The two distinct sections of the '''Old Town''' district of [[Quebec City]] are connected by the '''Escalier Casse-Cou -- "Breakneck Stairs"'''.

* [[Nha Trang]], [[Vietnam]] contains a '''museum''' dedicated to the memory of '''Alexandre Yersin''', who discovered the bacterium that causes '''bubonic plague'''.

* '''Fort Denison''', a complex at [[Sydney]] Harbour that tourists can visit, was originally built to guard the city against '''[[Russia]]n attack'''.

* [[Parkersburg]], [[West Virginia]], [[United States of America | USA]] holds an annual '''Volcano Days Festival''', even though there has been no volcano (apart from an '''extinct town''' by that name) nearby for millions of years.

* The theoretical '''net worth''' of every citizen of [[Abu Dhabi]] is '''$17 million'''.

* [[Singleton]], [[Australia]] is home to the Southern Hemisphere's '''largest sundial'''.

* On historic '''[[Route 66]]''', look for the '''world's largest cross''' and a '''leaning water tower''' in the small Texas town of Groom.

* The '''house''' from the film '''''A Christmas Story''''' is in [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]], and is now a '''museum''' dedicated to the film.

* The name of [[Mexico|Mexican]] city [[Guanajuato]] means '''place of the frogs''', but it's also a place of '''tunnels''', with many roads running '''under its sloping surface'''.

* One of the '''exhibits''' of the pint-sized museum in [[Hydra]], [[Greece]] is the '''embalmed heart''' of Admiral Andreas Miaoulis.

* The '''ivory-billed woodpecker, long believed extinct''', might still exist near[[ Buffalo National River]] in [[Arkansas]], [[United States of America | USA]].

* Built at a cost of over '''$3 billion''', the Emirates Palace in [[Abu Dhabi]] is probably the '''most expensive hotel in the world'''.

[[Image:EmiratesPalace Lamps.JPG|100px|right|Emirates Palace]]
* The luxury '''Volkswagen Phaeton''' car is contructed in [[Dresden]]'s '''Gläserne Manufaktur''', a '''transparent factory'''.

* The most visited grave in [[Buenos Aires]]'s '''Cementerio de la Recoleta''' is that of '''Eva Perón'''.

* The [[Singapore]]an district of [[Singapore/Bugis|Bugis]], named after '''pirates''' and once infamous for '''transvestite prostitutes''', is now a '''shopping mall'''.

[[Image:BugisJunction_Fountain.JPG|100px|right|Bugis Junction]]
* '''Kalimotxo''', trademark drink of the [[Basque Country]] town of [[San Sebastian]], is made of equal parts '''wine and Coca-Cola'''.

* The '''Lincoln Park Zoo''' in [[Chicago/Lincoln Park-Old Town|Chicago]] was founded in 1874 with the '''$10 purchase of a single bear cub'''.

* The '''false morel''' mushroom is considered a delicacy in [[Finland]], but it's so poisonous that eating a single one raw '''can kill you'''.

* Much of [[New Zealand]]'s capital city [[Wellington]] is built on '''reclaimed land''' raised up by '''a major earthquake in 1855'''.

* The 110,000 people that crowd into Beaver Stadium during Penn State football games are claimed to (temporarily) make [[State College]] the '''third largest city by population''' in [[Pennsylvania]].

* The [[Maldives]] forbid '''importing pork''' and '''exporting sand'''.

* The '''fur seal colony''' that lives on [[Montague Island]], [[Australia]] during spring months is an '''all male colony''': the seals that live there have been unable to assemble a harem.

* '''The Parthenon''' in [[Nashville]], [[Tennessee]], is a '''full-scale replica of the original structure''' in Athens.

* The site housing the '''Mu-dom Bar''' in [[Freiburg]], [[Germany]] once served as a '''morgue'''.

==September 2007==

* '''Coca-Cola was first bottled''' in the '''Biedenharn Candy Store''' in [[Vicksburg]], [[Mississippi]].

* [[Waterloo (Ontario)|Waterloo]], [[Ontario]] has the '''second largest Oktoberfest celebrations''' in the world, after those in [[Munich]].

* If you venture out from [[Iriomote]], [[Japan]] to nearby '''Yubu Island''', you'll ride in an '''amphibious cart''' pulled by a '''water buffalo'''.

* ''Sahti'', a traditional [[Finland|Finnish]] type of '''beer''', is flavored with '''juniper berries'''.

* '''The USS ''Razorback'' submarine''' in [[Little Rock]], [[Arkansas]], '''is named after a whale, not the University of Arkansas mascot.'''

* The '''Hotel Grand Canal''' in the [[Dutch]] city of [[Delft]] occupies a former '''prison'''.

* Despite its name, '''Casa de las Chimeneas''', a B&B in [[Taos]], [[New Mexico]], offers '''non-smoking rooms only'''.

* According to local legend, the '''''bauru'' sandwich''', a trademark food item in [[São Paulo]], was invented by a '''law student'''.

* '''The classic photo of Harry Truman with the incorrect "Dewey Defeats Truman" newspaper''' was taken at '''[[St. Louis]] Union Station.'''

* Nostalgic for Cold War days for some odd reason? Then visit the [[Poland | Polish]] city of [[Szczecin]], and go on a tour of Poland's largest '''fallout shelter'''.

* There are five million people in [[Finland]]... and '''two million saunas'''.

* The '''Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run''', starting in [[Silverton (Colorado)]], is often called the '''toughest endurance race in the world''', yet is so popular that would-be runners must enter a '''lottery''' to register for it.

* In a bit of national one-upmanship, the '''Parliament''' building in [[Budapest/Pest | Budapest]] is claimed to be '''one meter longer and wider''' than its [[England | English]] counterpart.

* '''The Sink''', a bar in [[Boulder]], [[Colorado]], [[United States of America | USA]], once employed a '''janitor''' named '''Robert Redford''' -- yes, '''that''' Robert Redford.

* There used to be a '''nutmeg orchard''' owned and run by a '''Mr Orchard''' on [[Singapore]]'s [[Singapore/Orchard|Orchard Road]].

* ''Salmiakki'', a popular [[Finland|Finnish]] '''candy''', is flavored with '''ammonium chloride'''.

* The '''Unsichtbar''', a bar/restaurant in [[Cologne]], is designed to let guests experience '''blindness'''; patrons get a private butler, who is a blind person, and '''eat in total darkness'''.

* '''Hot Doug's''', an eatery in the [[Chicago/Far Northwest Side | Far Northwest Side]] of [[Chicago]], specializes in sausages, with '''ostrich sausage''' among its offerings.

* The '''Atlantis''' resort on [[Paradise Island]] in the [[Bahamas]] is responsible for '''over one tenth''' of the country's '''gross national product'''.

* The [[San Fernando Valley]] in [[California]] is home to over a thousand '''exotic wild parrots''' descended from pet-store and theme-park escapees.

* The shrine at '''Phra Nang Beach''' in [[Rai Leh]], [[Thailand]] holds offerings to a legendary '''princess''' claimed to have drowned there: carved, red-tipped '''phalluses'''.

* The city of [[Tenney]], [[Minnesota]] bills itself as the '''smallest statutory city''' in the [[United States of America | United States]], with a fully functioning government and '''six full-time residents'''.

* Atolls in the [[Maldives]] all have handy '''code names''': instead of ''Maalhosmadulu Dhekunuburi'', you can just say '''Baa'''.

* Most of the animals at '''Star Eco Station''', a rescue center/teaching zoo in [[Culver City]], [[California]], are '''illegal animal immigrants''' seized during Customs operations.

* Among the events of the '''Indy Irish Fest''', a September festival in [[Indianapolis]], is a '''mile race''' in which all contestants must wear '''kilts'''.

* A centerpiece of the September '''Fiesta de [[Santa Fe (New Mexico)]]''' is the ceremonial burning of '''Zozobra''', a huge animated figure also known as '''Old Man Gloom'''.

* The original church at the '''Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary''' in [[Dubrovnik]], [[Croatia]] was said to have been built using funds donated by '''Richard the Lionhearted'''.

* The city of [[Kagoshima]] in [[Kyushu]], [[Japan]] was recently given a grant of several billion yen for the purpose of '''covering its streetcar tracks with grass'''.

* The old '''hangar''' at the '''Pearson Air Museum''' in [[Vancouver (Washington)]] once housed not only airplanes but '''prisoners of war'''.

==August 2007==
* Festivals in the Finnish city of [[Oulu]] include '''Garlic Night''' and the '''International Air Guitar Festival'''.
* The '''City of Ten Thousand Buddhas''' in [[Ukiah]], [[California]] is the largest Buddhist temple in the Western Hemisphere, measuring over 2,000 acres, and has a hall filled with 10,000 golden Buddhas.
* The Matsuyama '''youth hostel''' in [[Matsuyama]], [[Japan]] runs courses in '''spoon-bending''' and '''aura imaging'''.
* The figures of angels and saints that once adorned the '''Astronomical Clock''' in the [[Czech Republic | Czech]] town of [[Olomouc]] were replaced during Warsaw Pact days by depictions of '''scientists, laborers and athletes'''.
* A '''jewelry store''' in the arts-and-crafts district of [[Santa Fe (New Mexico)]], one of the world's great art centers, recently suffered a '''midnight break-in''' -- by a '''mountain lion'''.
* The '''Crowne Plaza Hotel''' in [[Akron]], [[Ohio]], [[United States of America | USA]] is constructed from old '''grain storage silos''' from a former cereal factory.
* The '''surface area''' of [[Saint Martins Island]] in [[Bangladesh]] '''varies''' from 5 to 8 square kilometers, depending on the '''tides'''.
* The river running through [[Hue]], [[Vietnam]] is named '''Huong Giang''' -- translating into English as '''Perfume River'''.
* '''Casa Peralta''' in [[San Leandro]], [[California]] is a former adobe built by the Spanish during the state's '''missionary''' times.
* [[Sado Island]] drummers Kodo once performed in [[Boston]] — '''immediately after running the Marathon'''.
* The Rustic Nirvana spa in [[Singapore]]'s [[Singapore/Chinatown|Chinatown]] offers a '''Kung Fu Bouncing Herbs''' treatment.
* The '''House on the Rock''' in [[Spring Green]], [[Wisconsin]] features the largest carousel in the world, with '''239 carousel animals''' — not one of which is a horse.
* '''Cafe 100''', an eatery in [[Hilo]], [[Hawaii]] popular with locals, has been '''destroyed twice by tsunamis'''.
* The first of the '''[[Big things in Australia]]''' was the '''Big Banana''', which you can still see today near the city of [[Coffs Harbour]].
* Novelist Natsume Soseki and haiku poet Masaoka Shiki lived together in a [[Matsuyama]] house called ''Gudabutsuan'', or '''Stupid Buddha Hermitage'''.

==July 2007==

* '''Zeche Zollverein''' in [[Essen]], [[Germany]] has been called '''the most beautiful coal mine in the world''', and in fact, it's a '''[[UNESCO World Heritage Sites | UNESCO World Heritage Site]]'''.
* The statue of '''Will Rogers''' and his horse '''Soapsuds''' at Texas Tech, a university in [[Lubbock]], [[Texas]], is oriented so that the '''horse's rear end''' points at Tech's collegiate rival, '''Texas A&M University'''.
* The name of '''Tōge-no-Yu Bihoro''' (峠の湯びほろ), a [[Hot springs | hot spring]] in [[Bihoro]], [[Japan]], translates as '''"Pass Hot Water Bihoro"'''.
* The '''average annual temperature''' in [[Baku]], capital of [[Azerbaijan]], exactly '''matches the world average temperature''' to within a tenth of a degree Centigrade.
* Part of the cuisine of [[Huaraz]], [[Peru]] and vicinity is '''''cuy''''', better known in English as '''guinea pig'''.
* The '''authentic Sopwith Camel''' aircraft in [[Little Rock]], [[Arkansas]] is the only one in the [[United States of America | United States]].
* The '''women''' of [[Kochi (prefecture)|Kochi]], [[Japan]] are known as ''hachikin'', or '''Eight Testicles''', as they reputedly hold their liquor better than four men.
* Every floor of '''The Basin Park Hotel''' in [[Eureka Springs]], [[Arkansas]] is a "ground" floor.
* By tradition, members of the crews that '''finish last''' in the annual '''Punt Boat Race''' in [[Tübingen]], [[Germany]] must drink a '''half liter of cod liver oil'''.
* [[Los Alamos]], the "Atomic City," is sited on the slopes of a slumbering '''supervolcano'''.
*'''The Cube''', a sculpture by Tony Rosenthal in [[Ann Arbor]], [[Michigan]], [[United States of America | USA]], is a 15-foot-tall, 2400-lb '''glossy black cube''' that '''spins on its axis''' when pushed.
* '''Redwood Empire Ice Arena''' in [[Santa Rosa (California) | Santa Rosa]], [[California]] is also known as '''"Snoopy's Home Ice"''', because it was once owned by cartoonist '''Charles Schulz'''.
* '''Okhotsk Ryūhō Museum''' in [[Abashiri]], [[Japan]] is devoted to the meteorological phenomenon of '''pack ice'''.

==June 2007==
* '''The Church''', a popular '''bar and dance club''' in [[Denver]], is housed in a '''former Episcopalian church'''.
* The '''Grand Mosque''' in [[Muscat]], [[Oman]] claims to house the '''largest hand-made Persian carpet in the world'''.
* It is said that there are '''365 ponds''' in [[Plymouth (Massachusetts) | Plymouth]], [[Massachusetts]] -- one for each day of the year.
* You can take a land-and-sea tour of [[Dublin]], [[Ireland]] in World-War-II-vintage '''amphibious landing craft'''.
* Where did they get that name? Travelers flying to [[Dehradun]], [[India]] land at '''Jolly Grant Airport'''.
* Ever felt like joining the circus? You can come close at the '''¡Explora! Science Center and Children's Museum''' in [[Albuquerque]], where one of the "hands-on" exhibits is a '''high-wire bike'''.
* The water from '''Devi Falls''', one of the scenic attractions of [[Pokhara]], [[Nepal]], drops into a '''cave''' and is lost from sight.
* Ichiran, a famous '''noodle restaurant''' in [[Fukuoka]], [[Japan]], forbids '''cellphones, children and conversation'''.
* [[Juneau]], capital of [[Alaska]], is '''not connected by road''' to the state's other major cities ([[Anchorage]], [[Fairbanks]], etc.), even though they're all on the mainland.
* Visiting [[Montreux]], [[Switzerland]]? Make sure to see '''Marmots' Paradise''', with specimens of the little squirrel-like animals from '''all around the world'''.
* '''Kugleralm''', a beer garden in [[Munich]], was the birthplace of '''''Radler'' -- beer diluted with lemonade'''.
* One of the '''thermal areas''' at [[Lassen Volcanic National Park]] in [[California]] bears the curious name '''Bumpass Hell'''.
* The Brew Kettle, a '''microbrewery''' in [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]], allows some customers to '''brew their own beer'''.
* If you're capable of some acrobatics, when visiting the Öpfelchammere (Apple Chamber) bar in Zurich, you may win a glass of wine and the chance to drink it while hanging upside down.
* The Marzipan Museum in Szentendre, Hungary has a life-sized statue of Michael Jackson made of marzipan.
* In the Bahamas, you can get three-dollar bills and 15-cent coins.

==May 2007==
* Miss Tiffany's Universe Pageant, held every May in '''[[Pattaya]]''', [[Thailand]], is a beauty queen competition with a difference - '''all the contestants were born as men'''.
* The '''[[Kowloon]]''' district of [[Hong Kong]] is the '''most densely populated place in the world'''.
* One of the events in the '''Yankee Homecoming Festival''' in [[Newburyport]], [[Massachusetts]] is a '''bed race''', where beds with occupants are pushed along a main street.
* '''May 5th''' is Coronation Day in [[Thailand]], in tribute to the '''world's longest-serving current Head of State'''.
* In [[Singapore]], '''chewing gum''' is available only in pharmacies -- and you need to '''show ID to make a purchase'''.
* The visitor center that welcomes newcomers to [[Fort Smith]], [[Arkansas]], [[United States of America | USA]] is located in a former '''bordello'''.
* '''Popular nightspots''' in [[Turku]], [[Finland]] include a '''former nursery''' and a '''former public lavatory'''.

==April 2007==
* At Karim's Restaurant in '''Kebab Lane''', Old [[Delhi]], the most famous dish is ''Tandoori Bakra'' — an '''entire stuffed goat'''.
* One of the attractions of [[Bilbao]], [[Spain]] is the '''Museo de Reproducciones Artísticas''' -- dedicated to '''copies''' of the world's great art.
* In [[South Korea]], '''roasted silkworm larvae''' are a popular streetside snack.
* One of the many museums in and around [[Tucson]], [[Arizona]] features a disarmed but formerly nuclear-tipped '''intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)'''.
* Up until the 1980s, [[Singapore]]'s '''anti-hippie policies''' required that all male visitors '''get a haircut and a shave''' before entering the country.
* '''Songkran''', the [[Thailand|Thai]] New Year, is celebrated in '''mid-April''' with a three-day nationwide '''water fight'''.
* The remote [[Shimokita Peninsula]] of Japan is famous for '''squid ink noodles'''.
* '''Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem''', a pub in [[Nottingham]], claims to have been founded in '''1189''', making it the '''oldest inn in [[England]]'''.
* [[New Zealand]]'s [[Bay of Islands]] has fine natural scenery, but it also boasts not-so-natural but scenic(?) '''public toilets''' designed by '''architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser'''.
* In [[Turkmenistan]], the month of '''April''' and the word '''bread''' were renamed after the '''mother of former President-for-Life Saparmurat Niyazov'''.
* The '''Cooper Skull''', a 10,000-year-old bison skull on display in a museum in [[Norman (Oklahoma) | Norman]], [[Oklahoma]], is the '''oldest known painted artifact in [[North America]]'''.
* [[Namibia]] isn't a dictatorship, but its capital, [[Windhoek]], contains streets with names like '''Fidel Castro St.''' and '''Robert Mugabe Ave.'''

==March 2007==
[[Image:Ishizuchi Chains Down.JPG|right|100px|Mount Ishizuchi]]
* The pilgrimage route to the summit of [[Mount Ishizuchi]], [[Japan]] involves '''climbing up 166 meters of metal chains'''.
* Exhibits in the '''Lao National Museum''', [[Vientiane]] include '''socks worn by Politburo members during a prison escape'''.
* The dome of '''Mills Observatory''', a free, public astronomical observatory in [[Dundee]], [[Scotland]], is '''made of papier-mâché'''.
* '''Chateau Louis Liquor Store''' in [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]], [[Canada]] was the scene of a '''whiskey kidnapping''', as a bottle of rare malt was '''stolen and held for ransom'''.
* A '''church''' in [[Almaty]], former capital of [[Kazakhstan]], was '''built''' in 1870 '''without using nails'''.
[[Image:BerjayaTimeSq_ThemePark_Large.JPG|right|75px]]
* The Berjaya Time Square shopping mall in [[Kuala Lumpur]] has a '''five-story indoor rollercoaster'''.
* Driving a '''dirty car''' in [[Oman]] is illegal and may render you a fine.
* '''Ice fishing''' is a popular winter pastime in '''[[Sudbury (Ontario)|Sudbury]]''', [[Ontario]] - but ice fishing huts must be off the ice by '''March 1st'''

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	* Driving a '''dirty car''' in [[Oman]] is illegal and may render you a fine.		* Driving a '''dirty car''' in [[Oman]] is illegal and may render you a fine.
	* '''Ice fishing''' is a popular winter pastime in '''[[Sudbury (Ontario)\|Sudbury]]''', [[Ontario]] - but ice fishing huts must be off the ice by '''March 1st'''		* '''Ice fishing''' is a popular winter pastime in '''[[Sudbury (Ontario)\|Sudbury]]''', [[Ontario]] - but ice fishing huts must be off the ice by '''March 1st'''
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 * One of the '''thermal areas''' at [[Lassen Volcanic National Park]] in [[California]] bears the curious name '''Bumpass Hell'''.
 * The Brew Kettle, a '''microbrewery''' in [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]], allows some customers to '''brew their own beer'''.
-* If you're capable of some acrobatics, when visiting the Öpfelchammere (Apple Chamber) bar in Zurich, you may win a glass of wine and the chance to drink it while hanging upside down.
+* If you're capable of some acrobatics, when visiting the Öpfelchammere (Apple Chamber) bar in [[Zurich]], you may win a glass of wine and the chance to drink it while hanging upside down.
 * The Marzipan Museum in [[Szentendre]], Hungary has a life-sized statue of Michael Jackson made of marzipan.
 * In the [[Bahamas]], you can get three-dollar bills and 15-cent coins.

Wikitravel:Discover/Archive/2007 - Revision history

Wrh2: -->collaboration/archive

Wrh2: +WikitravelDoc|nominations/archive

ChubbyWimbus: /* June 2007 */

ChubbyWimbus: /* June 2007 */

ChubbyWimbus: Discover Archive/2007 moved to Wikitravel:Discover/Archive/2007

ChubbyWimbus: New page: ==December 2007== * The '''cobbles''' paving the ground in Moscow's famous '''Red Square''' are '''black''', not red. * If you visit the '''Seashore Trolley Museum''' in [[Kennebunkp...