Curious Places

Tamimi Giraffe Manor (near Nairobi/ Kenya)

2013-05-13T21:39:00.001-07:00

Located 20km from Nairobi city this luxury boutique hotel has maintained its 1930ies charm & is famous for its resident herd of Rothschild Giraffe.
"Giraffe Manor offers you an unparalleled experience of the giraffes, with them vying for your attention at the breakfast table, the front door and even your bedroom window."

It is also home to many other animals such as warthogs, bushbuck, dik dik, more than 180 species of birds while offering striking views of the Ngong hills.

Website: Link

Abandoned Russian Village (Niigata/ Japan)

2013-05-07T15:29:00.004-07:00

After the fall of the USSR a crowd of tourists consisting both of businessmen and those willing to sell old Japanese cars in Russia invaded Japan. The number of Russian citizens living next to eastern ports increased which lead to building an entertainment park next to Niigata city in 1993. It was called Niigata Russian Village and had a church, hotel, museums, restaurants, circus, etc... But after 10 years the village was abandoned following the collapse of the financing bank.

Source & more photos: Link

Hundertwasser-Kuchlbauer Tower (Abensberg/ Germany)

2013-05-01T03:06:00.003-07:00

The Kuchlbauer Tower is an observation tower designed by Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser - who died in the year 2000 during the tower's planning phase - and completed 10 years later under the direction of Leonhard Salleck, owner of the Kuchlbauer brewery.

Chapel in the Rock (Sedona/ Arizona)

2013-04-28T15:33:00.004-07:00

The Chapel of the Holy Cross also known as Chapel in the Rock was built into the mesas of Sedona, Arizona in 1956. It was inspired and commissioned by sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Nara Dreamland (near Nara/ Japan)

2013-04-24T15:12:00.004-07:00

Nara Dreamland is an abandoned theme park built in 1961,inspired by Disneyland California. In 2006 Nara Dreamland closed permanently but wasn't demolished. Urban explorers armed with cameras illegally entered the place and took photos for the rest of us to view.

More photos: Link

Striped houses of Costa Nova (Costa Nova do Prado/ Portugal)

2013-04-21T23:41:00.002-07:00

Once used by fishermen- who painted the houses in bright stripes to stand out against the pale tones of the sand - these single storey shacks have over time been converted into beach huts by holiday guests.

Fun to walk around in on google streetview:

View Larger Map

Upon closer inspection on google streetview I also found a different pattern that seems quite common there :)

Kubuswoningen - Cubic houses (Rotterdam/ Netherlands)

2013-04-18T23:50:00.002-07:00

"Kubuswoningen, or cube houses, are a set of innovative houses built in Rotterdam and Helmond in The Netherlands, designed by architect Piet Blom and based on the concept of 'living as an urban roof': high density housing with sufficient space on the ground level. Blom tilted the cube of a conventional house 45 degrees, and rested it upon a hexagon-shaped pylon. His design represents a village within a city, where each house represents a tree, and all the houses together, a forest."

Website: Link
Wikipedia: Link

Shell Grotto (Margate/ U.K.)

2013-04-02T02:01:00.001-07:00

Discovered in 1835 by James Newlove - who broke through into its roof while digging a duck-pond - the Shell Grotto is an ornate subterranean passageway in Margate, Kent. Almost all the surface area of the walls and roof is covered in mosaics created entirely of seashells, totalling about 2,000 square feet (190 m2) of mosaic, or 4.6 million shells. It was discovered in 1835 but its age & purpose remains unknown.

Website: Link
Wikipedia: Link

Air Force Academy Chapel (near Colorado Springs/ Colorado)

2013-03-12T17:35:00.001-07:00

The United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, built in 1962, reaches 150 feet into the sky. It's Colorado's #1 man-made tourist attraction & worship services are open to the public. It was named a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 2004.

Wikipedia: Link

Gardens of Marqueyssac (Vézac/ France)

2013-03-11T23:31:00.001-07:00

The stunningly sculptured landscapes of the Gardens of Marqueyssac wrap around a 17th century chateau that sits perched above the picturesque Dordogne valley. The bubbly, rounded forms of the garden are carefully manicured by active attendants, maintaining a design that was first developed over 300 years ago.

The Gardens of Marqueyssac are now available for public strolls, having been restored to their original glory for a public opening in 1996.

Source: Link
The Garden's Website: Link

Amaze Space (Kawakawa/ New Zealand)

2013-03-06T15:44:00.003-08:00

Located in Kawakawa, opposite the famous Hundertwasser Toilets, the Amaze Space is an artsy courtyard-park featuring a still growing array of mosaics, crazy mirrors, wall murals & much more. From the elevated center of the attraction guests can cill while reading about other artsy places in the "Fantasy Worlds" book and enjoy a view over said Hundertwasser Toilets.
Enter for a very modest contribution of $2. Suitable for all ages with disabled access.

Website: Link

10-storey slide in City Museum (St. Louis/ Missouri)

2013-02-24T23:03:00.001-08:00

St. Louis City Museum consists largely of repurposed architectural and industrial objects.
One of the most popular attractions are the Enchanted Caves and Shoe Shafts that run through the center of the Museum, all the way to the 10th floor.
In the Enchanted Caves, guests will find an elaborate cave system hand-sculpted by Bob Cassilly and his crew. From every direction, a different creature is staring back.

The Shoe Shafts were left over from when the building was the International Shoe distribution building. To get the shoes from floor to floor, staff would place the shoes on the spiral shafts that would lead down to the loading dock. When the caves originally opened up in 2003, there was only one spiral shoe slide that was three stories tall, but in 2008 a second one was opened, that starts at the roof and goes down to the caves' entrance.

City Museum Site: Link

The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel (Shanghai/ China)

2013-02-13T19:59:00.002-08:00

Originally planned to be a moving walkway, this tunnel turned into one of Shanghai's strangest tourist atrractions. Bizarre, trippy audio-visual effects play as you travel in an automated car under the Huangpu river.
‘The story is about going from space into the core of the Earth and out again. We couldn’t show the dirty Huangpu, which has no fish, so we went for something bigger and better. It’s the only tunnel like it in the world.’

It runs from The Bund to Lujiazui, close to the Pearl Tower and costs 55RMB for a round-trip. Open from 8am-10pm daily.

Watch a video of the trip:

Tenerife Concert Hall (Santa Cruz/ Spain)

2013-02-11T16:29:00.002-08:00

The Auditorio de Tenerife is located on the waterfront in the Los Llanos are of Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife. Situated between the Marine Park and the edge of the port, the auditorium connects the city to the ocean and creates a significant urban landmark.
The all-concrete building is characterized by the dramatic sweep of its roof. Rising off the base like a crashing wave, the roof soars to a height of 58 meters over the main auditorium before curving downward and narrowing to a point.

More info: Link

The Blur Building (Yverdon-les-Bains/ Switzerland)

2013-02-05T13:14:00.003-08:00

The Blur Building was constructed in 2002 for a Swiss Expo. The primary construction material is water, pumped up from the lake below and emitted into the air by over 30,000 high pressure nozzles. Once inside, the low hum of the nozzles emitting the water vapor into the air blocks out all sound from the outside and visitors are left with a sense of nothingness.

Homeless Experience Hotel (Göteborg/ Sweden)

2013-02-04T22:21:00.002-08:00

Faktum Hotels in Göteborg, Sweden has no rooms, but offers places to sleep that the city’s homeless might also use.

You can book a ‘room’ on their website and be led to a popular spot for the homeless somewhere in the city, such as under a bridge, in a derelict factory or on a public bench. Booking costs €10 a night and it's up to you to really stay in the booked ‘room’.
Proceeds go towards the Swedish charity magazine Faktum who wants to raise awareness for the large group of homeless people in Göteborg, many of which have to sleep under the sky even in scandinavian winters.

Hotel Faktum Website: Link
Source: Link

The Neverwas Haul (Vallejo/ California)

2013-01-31T13:44:00.002-08:00

The Neverwas Haul is a 3-storey Victorian House on wheels, built in 2006 by Major Catastrophe (Shannon O’Hare) and a crew of 12, made from 75% recycled materials. “After building the Clocktower in ’05, we were sitting in camp at Burning Man talking about our adventure so far. I thought how much we looked like some explorer’s club from some Victorian sci-fi, then I went further and drew the first Neverwas Haul concept sketch of an explorer’s club that really explores. I also got inspired by the book Snowcrash – there is a brief note about a Victorian house on tank treads in it.”

Every year for the Burning Man Festival the Neverhaul leaves the San Francisco Bay Area on a trailer for Black Rock City, Nevada. Once out on the desert lake bed which locals call the “playa,” the Neverwas Haul roams freely, a steampunk masterpiece brought to life with a diesel engine and a wooden ship’s wheel.

A video about the Neverwas Haus & its crew:

An article about it: Link
The Neverwas Haul website: Link

Stockholm Metro (Stockholm/ Sweden)

2013-01-30T01:51:00.004-08:00

Stockholm Metro is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. Metro in Sweden called Tunnelbana. It consists of 100 stations, 47 of which are underground, and 53 are ground and above ground. It was opened in 1950. Underground station cut into the rocks.

Source: Link

Dog Bark Park Inn (Cottonwood/ Idaho)

2013-01-28T21:29:00.005-08:00

The Dog Bark Park Inn is a B&B built in the shape of a beagle, making it a famous landmark in the state of Idaho.
Sweet Willy - as the big beagle is called by locals - stands 30 feet tall. Apart from the the bed & breakfast inn it also features a gift shop & visitors center, and the gallery of chainsaw artists, Dennis Sullivan & Frances Conklin. Many breeds of dog carvings are prominently featured.

Website: Link

Bubble Tent Hotel (near Marseille/ France)

2013-01-20T00:16:00.000-08:00

At Hotel Attrap’Rêves you can find a collection of bubble tents scattered in the forests of Bouches-du-Rhone. The bubbles are small and cozy - some are fully transparent, while others allow a little more privacy and are half opaque.

These eco-friendly space bubble tents also offer a very unique way to travel (at only about 13 feet in diameter they're relatively easy to pack up) & provide a vision of the night sky as you lounge in your shelter. The concept came from french designer Pierre Stéphane.

Bubble Hotel Attrap’Rêves website: Link
Source: Link

Castello di Sammezzano (Reggello/ Italy)

2012-12-07T16:07:00.000-08:00

The extravagant residence Castello di Sammezzano sits on top of a hill in Tuscany, Northern Italy. Originally it was built in the Moorish style in 1605 for Ximenes d'Aragona and then re-designed between 1853 and 1889. After the war the castello was used as a luxury hotel until closure in the mid to late 1990's. It was abandoned until April 2012 when the FPXA committee was formed, aiming to promote and enhance the castle.

Photo source: Link
Wikipedia (italian only atm): Link

The Swallows Nest (Gaspra/ Ukraine)

2012-11-13T21:42:00.002-08:00

The Swallows Nest on the top of the 40m Aurora cliff overlooks the sea outside of the town of Gaspra, Ukraine. The original structure on the property was a small wooden cottage constructed around 1895. Later, in 1911, the cottage changed hands, got demolished and replaced it with the Neo-Gothic manor that still stands to this day.

Wikipedia: Link

Kelburn Castle (Fairlie/ U.K.)

2012-11-11T16:23:00.001-08:00

Kelburn Castle is the seat of the Earl of Glasgow. In 2007 experts told the owners of Kelburn Castle that its concrete facing would eventually need to be replaced to avoid further damage to the stonework. At the suggestion of his children, Lord Glasgow invited four Brazilian graffiti artists to paint the walls. Historic Scotland agreed to the project, on the basis that the graffiti would be removed when the castle was re-harled.

Watch a time-lapse video of how the castle got painted:

Website: Link

Storybook Cottage (Rhinebeck/ New York)

2012-11-05T21:00:00.002-08:00

Storybook Cottage is a privately sited romantic gem nestled on 8.76 acres of mature forest, 90 miles North of the city, a ten minute drive from Rhinebeck.
It features Gaudi-inspired stonework in and out and wooden floors of cherry, ash, and Brazilian slate.

Source: Link

The Hardy Tree (London/ U.K.)

2012-11-04T21:49:00.004-08:00

In the churchyard of St Pancras Old Church in London, an ash tree is circled by gravestones.
Thomas Hardy (before turning to writing full time) studied architecture in London under Mr. Arlhur Blomfield, an architect based in Covent Garden. During the 1860s the Midland Railwayline was being built over part of the original St. Pancras Churchyard. Blomfield was commissioned to supervise the proper exhumation of human remains and dismantling of tombs. He passed this unenviable task to his protegé Thomas Hardy in. c.l865. Hardy would have spent many hours in St. Pancras Churchyard . . . overseeing the careful removal of bodies and tombs from the land on which the railway was being built. The headstones around this ash tree would have been placed here about that time. The tree has since grown in amongst the stones.