22# Black Cake: a Caribbean tradition
If you’re among people who can’t wait to plan (well in advance) Christmas every year, it’s never too early to start preparing the Caribbean holiday treat! Known as black cake […]
20# An Australian white Christmas…
A dessert called White Christmas is an Australian holiday classic. It’s easy to make and a delicious kid’s treat (but not only). It keeps really well, making it a tasty […]
17# Lussekatter – Swedish saffron buns
Julbord, a three course meal, is served come Christmas in Sweden. The first dish is usually fish, often pickled herring. As second, cold cuts (including Christmas ham) along with sausages […]
15# Kūčios: traditional Christmas Eve Dinner in Lithuania
Kūčios, the traditional Lithuanian Christmas dinner, is held on December 24th every year. And hosting kūčios is no small feat: this meal can take up to a week to prepare. […]
The true story of Trim, the adventurous cat belonging to navigator Matthew Flinders
Outside Sydney’s Mitchell Library stands a statue of Matthew Flinders, the celebrated English navigator and cartographer who helped map Australia, declared it a continent, and was influential in giving it […]
11# Chicken Bones: the story behind an uniquely Canadian holiday treat
In the riverside town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, sweet tooth still speak with reverence about an almost 140-year-old candy known as Chicken Bones, a vibrant pink candy made of […]
An alternative side of Brooklyn: Gravesend’s Accidental Park
It seems like every square inch of New York City has been categorized, labeled, and put in more or less probable tourist guides. But if you know where to look […]
3# From the bathtub to the table: Christmas Eve Carp!
There are many ways to ensure your meal is fresh: first, you can grow it yourself, or you can buy it directly from the farm. Or you can take it […]
1# Christmas Risengrød, the Danish rice pudding that appeases wicked elves!
In Denmark, the tradition of eating rice pudding, or risengrød, on Christmas starts with a mischievous elf. In many European countries, traditions linked to Christmastime feature magical creatures who are […]
Port Arthur Penal Colony – the Australian “prison of Silence”
Port Arthur is a small town and former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula, Australia. Port Arthur is one of most significant heritage areas of the country and now an […]
Humberstone: A Chilean ghost town with an english name
Once a bustling mining and progressive town in the Atacama Desert, a few hundred kilometres from Chile’s borders with Peru and Bolivia, Humberstone has now become a disturbingly silent ghost […]
Fengdu: the Chinese Ghost City
High on the Ming Hill, Fengdu, or the “City of Ghosts,” is situated at the northern end of the Yangtze River, China. It attracts tourists from all over the world, […]
In the Footsteps of wizard Merlin: Tintagel castle and underneath cave
High on the jagged cliffs of England’s southwestern coastline lies not only the remains of an abandoned castle but the mythical birthplace as well of one of most popular legends: […]
Jane Greengold and the Impaled Pumpkins of Kane Street – Brooklyn
Halloween is a tradition in Cobble Hill, and Jane’s 274 spike fence is a tradition at the neighborhood. It was October 1998 when artist and public interest lawyer Jane Greengold […]
God, Science and Philanthropy: the strange story of Sir John Templeton and his library
Sir John Templeton was a bright, vigorous guy, born in Winchester, TN, with no indication that he would be someday become the sort of man to stumble out of a […]
Greyfriars Bobby: the most loyal of little dogs, or a Victorian era publicity stunt?
An adorable scruffy dog looks out over Edinburgh, atop a granite fountain built in his honor. Popular stories said that this little skye terrier known as Greyfriars Bobby kept vigil […]
The sad story of Mieszko the Stone Bear in Warsaw – Poland
When walking past Warsaw’s Old Town and the Church of Our Lady of Grace, there is a small statue that does seem a bit out of place. It’s a bear, […]
The charm of the SS Ayrfield, the ship-wreck transformed into a floating mangrove forest
Once cargo freighter and now a floating forest, the SS Ayrfield is a beautifully broken-down wreck, locked in Australia’s Homebush Bay probably for eternity. Once a center of industry, Homebush […]
Steilneset Memorial: a suggestive monument to the victims of the 17th century Norwegian witch trials
On the stark, barren coast of the Barents Sea in Vardø, Norway, there are pair of modern but impact structures known collectively as the Steilneset Memorial which honors the memories […]
A curfew has been introduced in Australia for “nuisance” cats.
Mount Barker council in Adelaide, Australia, says it will curb “delinquent” behaviour by the region’s cats and they need to stop roaming the streets by night. The council has vowed […]
It’s Great To Be Alive! An unintentionally funny safety booklet from the 1950s
According to this 1950s Police Safety League booklet there is life threatening danger at every corner for the teen and pre-teen! Looking at these scanned images from the guide It’s […]
Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse, Massachusetts
Minot’s Ledge is a rocky coastal area located one mile off the coast of Scituate, Massachusetts, to the southeast of Boston Harbor. It’s estimated that here dozens of ships have […]
Travel by rail across 14 countries around the world? Now is possible!
For travellers who want to explore the world by train, there is a fantastic new: a newly-launched trip that may be a dream come true! The English website Railbookers has […]
Newman’s Nursery Ruins
Nestled in a valley on top of a hill there are the suggestive ruins of a 19th-century plant nursery. Founded by Carl and Margaretha Newman in 1854, Newman’s Nursery was […]
Olgoi-Khorkhoi: the Mongolian Death Worm of the Gobi Desert
Deep within the shifting sands of the Gobi Desert, an area already popular due its unsolved mysteries and its legends, lives the elusive Olgoi-Khorkhoi, the Mongolian Death Worm. Or so […]
The Library of Water
In the sleepy little town of Stykkishólmur, Iceland, is a very interesting long-term project known in the native Icelandic as “Vatnasafn” or “Library of Water”. It is a very interesting […]
Farina: South Australian ghost town
Lost in the vast land of outback South Australia, 650 kilometres (400 miles) to the north of Adelaide on the edge of the desert and along the old route of […]
Akureyri Heart-Shaped Traffic Lights
All we know that Icelandic winters can be very cold. With six months of darkness and icy storms that close roads and bridges, much of the country becomes inaccessible from […]
Los Angeles: The Museum of Death
The Museum of Death, a showcase of just that, was originally founded in San Diego in June, 1995, when James Healy and Cathee Shultz decided to fill the void in […]
A revolutionary war Sugar House prison window in downtown Manhattan
Hidden away on a wall of the New York City Police Department Headquarters there is a mysterious window. It is embedded in the wall, and made of an ancient brick […]