Author: Ms. R.

Ayia Napa, a bustling resort town on Cyprus’s southeastern coast renowned for its lively nightlife houses a hidden gem, the Ayia Napa Sculpture Park. Nestled on the outskirts, away from the town’s energetic buzz, this park serves as a tranquil oasis—providing a stark contrast to the party scene. Established in 2014, the Ayia Napa Sculpture Park is an open-air museum that undergoes annual expansions, featuring over 50 contemporary sculptures by both local and international artists. Among these artworks, visitors will……

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Built in 1891-1892 by local contractor Cornelius Sheehan, the Patterson Park Observatory was the brainchild of designer Charles H. Latrobe. This beloved structure is known to most locals simply as “The Pagoda.” The four-story tower stands 60 feet tall and is constructed of iron, glass, and wood. It stands on Hampstead Hill, a key battlement during the Battle for Baltimore in 1814. The uppermost deck offers breathtaking views in all directions, including the downtown skyline and inner harbor, the……

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On December 8, 2017, the Yicel was sailing north along Costa Rica‘s Caribbean coast when it began taking on water. Built in 1961, the 135-foot-long ship was headed for the port of Limón to pick up cargo, but a hull failure halted its progress. Water began to enter through the cracks and when the pumps failed, the crew could not remove the water. Rather than sink at sea, the captain made the decision to cross the reef and intentionally……

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Each week in October, University of Manchester Egyptologist Nicky Nielsen will share an intriguing aspect of ancient Egyptian beliefs and traditions surrounding death and the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians shared the world they inhabited with innumerable otherworldly entities: invisible, yet with immense power. Demons haunted the desert wastes and goddesses dwelled in the marshes of the Nile Delta, but the spirits of the dead were omnipresent. Ancestor worship was an important part of household religion and the belief that……

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Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we head to a remote region of Russia, to the epicenter of what would become known as the Tunguska Event. On June 30, 1908, at 7:17 in the morning, a firey blue light streaked across the sky above Siberia, followed by a blinding flash and a cacophony of noise that sounded like artillery firing. Today, scientists still debate……

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THIS ARTICLE IS ADAPTED FROM THE OCTOBER 7, 2023, EDITION OF GASTRO OBSCURA’S FAVORITE THINGS NEWSLETTER. YOU CAN SIGN UP HERE. It’s officially fall, but everyone I know is complaining about the lingering summery temperatures. My fashionable friends want to start wearing their big coats and scarves, while nature-lovers are watching vigilantly for any sign of browning leaves. I’m a summer person, but fall has its charms. I love any kind of seasonal celebration, especially when it involves food…….

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This artificially created footpath in the High Torr Gardens at Matlock Bath is recognized as one of the most dangerous footpaths in the world. With a 300-foot drop beside it, only the trickier sections are protected by the wrought iron handrails and there is nothing between you and the edge. The views into Matlock Dale are magnificent and well worth the effort for those brave enough to do it.  The path is in a garden/park for which there is……

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The Gräinskapell, or St Quirinus Chapel, stands at the bottom of the valley. The Gothic-style pilgrimage chapel was built in 1355. The roof and the spire with a bell were then added at the end of the 19th Century. The chapel however has much earlier origins. A shrine once stood here, which the Romans then converted into an early Christian place of worship. It’s likely the shrine developed because of a spring that was claimed to cure eye conditions. Since……

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For over 60 years, A.H. Heisey and Company made high-quality and artistic glass pieces before the factory closed in 1957. A club of collectors established this museum just 14 years later and donated many pieces to tell the story of the company. Augustus Henry Heisey founded the company that bore his name in 1895. Garnering a reputation for its quality and sharpness, the Heisey company also advertised his glass in national publications. Lines of colored glass popular during the……

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Constructed in 1400 to provide a burial place for the Bosnian nobleman Hrvoje Vukčić, who founded the small but historical city of Jajce, this little church has lost much of its original detail but holds many secrets.  The structure has two levels. The upper level can be accessed via a flight of stairs that takes visitors through the narthex of the chapel. On either side of the doorway, eagle-eyed visitors can make out the remains of two relief sculptures……

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One of the largest cave entrances in Arkansas opens at the end of a Beaver Lake inlet. A dramatic bluff, covered in trees and ferns, leads to two chambers. This living cave still forms as mild acid rainwater pushes through limestone planes. A stream cuts down the cavern, low waterfalls puncturing its flow throughout. Though the water is crystal clear, the heaps of bat guano gathered in the back of the cave make it undrinkable.  The bats are not……

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In the upscale resort town of Karuizawa, an otherworldly structure reigns supreme as one of its top wedding venues. A domino effect of stone arches and glass panels, the unique chapel lies in the forest like the ruins of an ancient advanced civilization, collecting moss on its firm surface. The Stone Church, as it is commonly known, was built in 1988 in honor of Uchimura Kanzō, the Japanese Christian evangelist who founded the Nonchurch Movement in 1901, promoting the philosophy……

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