Author: Ms. R.

The Eysturoyartunnilin (Eysturoy Tunnel) connects Streymoy and Eysturoy, the two largest of the Faroe Islands.  The tunnel, which opened to traffic at the end of 2020, is over 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) long and its deepest point is 189 meters (613.5 feet) below the seabed. The most interesting part of this eagerly anticipated project, though, is the colorful intersection at its center—the first undersea roundabout in the world. The roundabout links the capital city of Tórshavn to both sides of……

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In landlocked Vermont, rising out of a field on the side of the highway, stand two granite whale tails. No trip through Burlington has ever been complete without competing to be the first person to yell “Whale Tails” as they come into view. The sculpture, created by Jim Sardonis in 1989, is aptly named Reverance—the tails invoke a sort of awe as they stand starkly against the sky in a place where no one would ever expect to see a……

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Envision an autumn afternoon spent apple-picking in Benton County, Arkansas. While wandering through the orchard, your gaze lands on apples so deeply hued that they seem to have emerged from a fairy tale. You reach out reflexively and pluck an enchanting orb, pressing its waxy, smooth skin against your palm. On taking a bite, you discover a rock-hard, sour piece of fruit. It’s terrible. Arkansas Black apples aren’t meant to be eaten straight off the tree. In fact, the……

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The monumental 17th-century Fontana del Gigante (Fountain of the Giant) is a fine piece of Mannerist art featuring a trio of arches. Adorned with heraldic symbols and marine animals, it stands on the seafront near Castel dell’Ovo. It’s the fourth location for the fountain, which has moved all over Naples in its lifetime. In the early 17th century, the newly built Fontana del Gigante occupied a spot in Naples’ main square (today’s Piazza del Plebiscito), near the Royal Palace…….

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The Victorian goldfields between Ballarat and Bendigo are a true sight to behold. When visiting this location, visitors are transported back in time to when the Victorian Gold Rush was at its peak around the mid-1800s. It is amazing to imagine the hive of activity that existed throughout the fields during its heyday. However, there are still artifacts strewn around the fields that provide insight into the location’s past. Slag heaps and old mine sites litter the land. One……

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In 1084 AD, St. Bruno of Cologne formed an order of silent monks called the Carthusians. They resided in a valley of the Chartreuse Mountains, a region of the French Alps, near Voiron. By 1605, they were a large, well-respected order, and King Henri IV’s Marshal of Artillery presented the Carthusians with an ancient alchemical manuscript. It contained a recipe for an elixir that would prolong life. But after looking over the document, even the most learned of monks……

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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 visit Haiti‘s Citadelle Laferriere, which was built to ensure the island remained free after Haitians defeated French colonizers. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you to an incredible site, and along the way you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Join us……

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As with many formerly walled cities throughout Britain, Bristol has its fair share of tiny congested streets where space is at a premium. Many of these narrow lanes contain hidden surprises that are off the beaten track. Take for instance Tailors Street near St. John’s Church, which conceals a grade-listed building complete with an elaborate entrance with an ancient history. Entering this cobble-stoned courtyard, visitors are greeted by a domed archway that contains the crest of The Guild of……

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Eating a meal of nagashi somen requires a nimble hand with chopsticks. Otherwise your dinner could flow right past you. Somen are white wheat noodles, which Japanese cooks serve cold or over ice during the summer. Typically, they’re boiled and cooled, then eaten with tsuyu, a sauce made from dashi soup stock and soy sauce. Common toppings include cucumber and sliced mushrooms. The Japanese have eaten somen since the eighth century, but they didn’t start floating the noodles down artificial rivers……

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The Eritrean railway once connected the seaside port city of Massawa to the inland city of Agordot, spanning about 190 miles in total. After falling into disrepair over decades of conflict, sections of the railway are running again with much of the original equipment. Constructed between 1887 and 1932 during Italian colonial occupation, the railroad was meant to extend to the Sudanese border, but construction plans were halted by the Italo-Ethiopian War. The years of the Italian war effort……

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Endangered turtles, sharks, and manta rays now have more room to roam in the pristine waters of the Galápagos Islands. In January 2022, Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso decreed a new marine reserve called Hermandad—“Brotherhood”—in the volcanic island chain famous for its impressive, unusual biodiversity. The newly declared reserve will be free of fishing, and adds more than 23,000 square miles to the existing 53,000 of the Galápagos Marine Reserve. The expansion will help protect a vital underwater corridor or……

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