Hello Viatorians, Viatorites, and Viatorinians!

Sorry for the long delay, but I am happy to announce that the next installment of Atlas Obscura’s wonder-inspiring, off-the-beaten-path places that don’t make it into traditional guidebooks is here! This week’s theme is appropriately halloweeny, three Cemeteries, each bizarre and creepy in its own way!

Highgate Cemetery, London

The Merry Cemetery, Romania

The merry cemetery in Săpânţa, Romania is unusual in the candor of its gravestones. Displayed on the wooden crosses in bright pictures and annotated with limericks, are the illustrated lives and deaths of almost everyone who has passed away in the town of Sapanta.

Illustrated crosses depict soldiers being beheaded, a townsperson being hit by a truck, and a man drinking himself to death. The epigraphs reveal a surprising level of frankness. “Underneath this heavy cross. Lies my mother in law poor…Try not to wake her up. For if she comes back home. She’ll bite my head off.”

Merry Cemetery, Sapanta - Romania

Another reads “Ioan Toaderu loved horses. One more thing he loved very much. To sit at a table in a bar. Next to someone else’s wife.”

Highgate Cemetery, London

The story of Highgate Cemetery in London is so outlandish, you couldn’t make it up if you tried. Once one of London’s nicest Victorian burial grounds, by the 1960s it was a dilapidated mess. Used as a location for the infamous Hammer horror films, the site became the focus of a modern “vampire hunt” after witnesses claimed to have seen one.

Two magicians led a battle of one-upmanship to find and kill the supposed vampire. Though no vampire was found the hunters dug up real tombs, staked actual dead bodies and left beheaded (already dead to begin with) corpses strewn throughout 1970s London. It culminated on Friday the 13th in 1973 when a mob of ‘hunters’ from all over London swarmed over gates and walls into the locked cemetery, despite police efforts to control them.”

St. Sebastian’s Cemetery, Salzburg

St. Sebastian’s Cemetery, Salzburg

Medieval Europe had a thing for death. Called “memento mori” and meaning “Remember that you are mortal,” it was a standard theme for churches, paintings, and most of all cemeteries. The St. Sebastian’s Cemetery in Salzburg, Austria has memento mori in spades, covered in skulls with snakes coming from their eyes, bony figures holding hourglasses, and winged skulls, it is a true treat for anyone with a morbid streak.

Among the luminaries buried in this macabre cemetery are Mozart’s wife and father, Archbishop Wolf Dietrich who was disgraced by the church, denied burial in the Cathedral crypt and so is buried here, and Theophrastus Paracelsus alchemist, mystic, scientist and sometimes called “the father of modern medicine.”

-The Atlas Obscura Team

Fortunately, we’re in Edinburgh. Now this is a city which has (it seems) more than its fair share of rogues and gruesome tales. So Simon and I take a deep breath and head up to the Royal Mile for the start of the Ghost Hunter tour (“A 5-Star Scare Factor”).

Edinburgh Castle At Night - Spooky!

The Royal Mile: Queensberry Rules

The Royal Mile is the heart of the Old Town, stretching from the Castle to Holyrood Park. Today it is home to the Law Courts, to shops and restaurants and (during August) to Festival venues. But back in 1707, it was the scene of the terrible tale of our first ghost.

The Royal Mile

On May 1st 1707, the Act of Union was signed, uniting the Parliaments of England and Scotland. In Scotland, the driving force behind the Act was James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry. Fêted in London, Queensberry was much less popular in Edinburgh.

But Queensberry had greater worries than unpopularity. Queensberry House, his mansion opposite Holyrood Park, held a dark secret. His heir, the young Marquess, was widely rumoured to be insane. He lived at Queensberry House under lock and key.

Legend has it that on the day that the Act was signed, the Marquess broke free from his rooms. He escaped into the kitchens and killed a young lad who worked there. Some Scottish critics described this act as “judgement on the Duke for his odious share in the Union”. The young boy’s ghost haunted Queensberry House and the buildings that replaced it.

What, even up to the 21st Century? Well, if any ghost haunts the site today, it may well be Queensberry himself turning in his grave. 300 years after the Union, in a neat twist of fate, the site is now occupied by the Scottish Parliament.

Wynding Down

Edinburgh Old Town isn’t just grand houses, royalty and aristocracy. Middle and working-class families lived here too, in the lanes and alleys (wynds) that lead off the Royal Mile. By the 18th Century, this was one of Europe’s most densely populated areas. The back streets were so narrow that the only way to build was up – as much as 14 storeys. People lived in very close quarters, and more than a few ghost stories emerged from these back streets.

Edinburgh Old Town

We are taken to Borthwick Close (because neighbouring Bell’s Wynd is “too haunted”). We hear a story of middle-class folk: a pair of lovers murdered in their bed by a jealous husband. The house was haunted by a pair of burning red eyes, but it was a decade before a curious neighbour discovered the bodies.

Borthwick Close is now restored and the buildings are clean and tidy. But the close is steep and narrow. In a space this small, there can still be few secrets. Even on a summer’s night, with sounds of street performers coming from the Royal Mile, the wynds are dark, damp and not a little spooky.

What Lies Beneath

We carry on down the cobbled streets towards the South Bridge, passing the über-hip Missoni Hotel on the way. The guide bravely leads us down a dark flight of steps into the Edinburgh Vaults. This is a cold, damp network of rooms, 4 storeys below ground level.

Once inside the vaults, there is no noise apart from the sound of our group and no light apart from that afforded by flickering candles. I’m a stalwart realist and even I think that this place is creepy!

Edinburgh Castle

The Vaults have an odd history. Dug out in the late 18th Century to support the new shopping centres on the South Bridge, they provided storage and workshops for the businesses above. But they flooded regularly and were abandoned by their legitimate occupants. It wasn’t long before they were occupied by a new set of people: the homeless, the destitute and the downright illegal. For nearly 100 years, the Vaults were a byword for horror. By the end of the 19th Century, they were sealed up and not rediscovered until the 1980s.

It isn’t too hard to imagine ghosts in these vaults. Our lady guide tells us tales of a few benign spirits: a young boy who appears to latch onto blonde women, a crouching figure by the entrance to one of the rooms.

The less benign ghouls are here too: the Hellfire Club, who used the Vaults as a location for gambling, drinking and other nefarious activities. Then there’s Mr Boots who follows groups around and has told many visitors to “GET OUT!”.

Oddly, for such a dark venue, photography is encouraged. As she explains:

“Unexpected things sometimes turn up in photographs”.

Tonight, I’m relieved to say that we have no appearances. Or so I think. When we leave the Vaults at the end of the tour, Simon turns to me and says:

“I’m sure I felt somebody blowing on the back of my neck when we were down there”.

Yikes.

Princes Street Gardens: Good and Evil

The next morning, we take a stroll through the neatly trimmed lawns and well-kept flower beds of the Princes Street Gardens. Princes Street is on one side, with shops and road works (soon to be a tram network, but don’t ask an Edinburgh resident about THAT unless you’ve got a spare hour). On the other side, cliffs rise straight up to the castle and the Old Town.

Firth of Forth and Fife

So are the gardens all that they seem? Well, not quite. They used to be home to the Nor’ Loch, a “filthy and offensive bog” which was a repository for rubbish, detritus and much, much worse.

17th Century Europe had something of a witch obsession. Witches were hunted down, tried and then burned at the stake. Edinburgh took its part in this witch hunt: potential candidates were subjected to trial by ducking in the Nor’ Loch and, if they floated, were found guilty and sentenced to death. If they drowned, they were found not guilty (but, obviously, were also dead).

A century passed, and the Nor’ Loch was drained as the area was converted to gardens. Hundreds of human bones were found –those poor unfortunate non-witches. By the 19th Century, Robert Louis Stephenson described the gardens as “full of girls and idle men, steeping themselves in sunshine”.

We stroll idly through the gardens ourselves, enjoying the sunshine. Then we walk up to St Andrew Square to the twin temples of the Royal Bank of Scotland (finance) and Harvey Nichols (retail). We carry on down towards Queen Street, admiring the views up to the Firth of Forth and the Kingdom of Fife. Now we’re walking amongst the neat Georgian terraces of Edinburgh New Town. Nothing untoward could possibly happen behind these tall front doors.

Could it?

-Louise Heal

Planning a trip to Edinburgh? Browse Viator’s Edinburgh Tours, Sightseeing & Things to do, from walking & biking tours to Loch Ness and Stirling Castle day trips from Edinburgh and more, or enjoy multi-day trips to the Scottish Highlands and Isle of Skye to further discover the beautiful countryside. Want more scary tours? Check our Edinburgh Dungeon and our Murder and Mystery Walking Tour of Edinburgh for further thrills. If you are a Dan Brown’s fan, our Da Vinci Code and Scottish Borders tour is for you!

Before I describe this wonderful tour, a word about the 2CV, or as it is more commonly known the deux chevaux. Driving around Paris in a “dedeuche” — as passers-by will call out when they see you — is an experience in itself. The French have a great love of this car, and you will notice the reverence with which it is treated by pedestrians, traffic policemen and certainly other drivers, who seem happy to always give way to this iconic French auto!

This gives your driver a little more license to act with bravado, as you issue instructions to stop immediately for a photo opportunity, or to give you a moment to pop into the Robert Clergerie store to check if they have your size in those impossibly gorgeous boots you spotted in the window a moment ago.

That example really sums up the difference between this very, very personal experience and the albeit lower-priced but nonetheless group experience of the Paris hop-on hop-off bus. Your driver, inevitably Pierre and naturally wearing a beret, picks you up at your hotel door. By the time you arrive at the car he is in conversation with your concierge, who is relating his own dedeuche-owning experience back in the ’70s, and marveling at how well this particular model has stood the test of time. Pierre will now quiz you about your special desires as he prepares to tailor a tour just for you. The best hot-chocolate in Paris? Vinyl stores that specialize in ’60s jazz? Hidden architectural treasures? Little-known museums and galleries? Or just a leisurely drive to get you acquainted with this city that he loves…

Paris 2CV Tour - My guide, sans beret

And his knowledge of Paris, it turns out, is immense. All the company’s drivers are young and quite suitably enthusiastic about their city. Their English is perfect and many speak Spanish and German, too. My Pierre described each of his personal Paris highlights in terms of his girlfriend: “This is where my girlfriend and I buy the best ice cream in Paris,” and “This is where my girlfriend and I like to eat our ice cream.”

Pierre’s girlfriend is indeed a lucky young woman, as each of these recommendations turned out to match their billing. And Pierre’s advice helped on the negative side too: “Oh, yes, this restaurant certainly has a good reputation, but they didn’t lower their prices as Michelin took away two of their stars!”

So whether you’re coming to Paris for the first time, or have been before but wish to get a little further under the surface than your guidebook will take you, I can’t recommend this tour enough. You’ll love the open-top 2CV, marvel at the stick-shift and how anyone could possibly determine the difference between first and fourth gear, and delight at your guide’s intense knowledge and very personal connection to Paris. A maximum of three passengers per vehicle, but the fleet is quite large so don’t hesitate to book a whole convoy if you have a group!

-Rod Cuthbert

Planning a trip to Paris? Browse Viator’s Paris tours and, d’accord, our private Paris tours including by 2CV Citroen.For German travelers, check out Viator’s Paris Sehenswürdigkeiten, Paris Touren, Paris Aktivitäten. For French travelers browse our Activités à Paris, visites à Paris, tours à Paris. For Spanish travelers: Paris tours, Paris actividades, que hacer y ver en Paris.

What is Viator’s Traveler of the Month?

Recently we started publishing photos over on the viator.com website. These are photos taken by actual Viator travelers, photos of themselves on elephant treks, helicopter tours, desert safaris, private tours of the Vatican — and on hundreds of the other 5,000+ tours and things to do available on Viator.

So we’ve started giving props each month to an individual Viator traveler who makes us laugh, makes us smile, or who inspires us to make that next trip. It might be the prettiest traveler photo, or the funniest, or most inspirational, or just most plain weird.

What do you win? A $100 gift certificate (or the equivalent in pounds or euros) to use on Viator.com! So get traveling, take photos and submit them to viator.com when you return. If you want to participate, simply submit your travel photos (see below for how this works) and you are eligible. Each month we will chose a new winner.

This month we’re pleased to honor Danielle and her family for their Tuscan Cooking Class and Dinner photos.

September’s Traveler of the Month - Danielle B, USA

While Danielle was traveling with her parents to Florence, they took the Tuscan Cooking Class and Dinner Tour. She submitted some enjoyable pictures of them making crepes and showing off their “flipping” skills during their Tuscan cooking class.

June’s Traveler of the Month - Theresa N, USA

Theresa traveled with her family to London and took her kids on the Harry Potter Black Taxi Private Tour. Theresa submitted some fun photos of her kids dressed up like Harry Potter and visiting the sites that were made famous by the series on the Harry Potter Black Taxi Private Tour. Yes, Theresa put a spell on us, so we’re crowning her the traveler of the month in June.

May’s Traveler of the Month - Alviera N, Australia

Alveira traveled with her family to Singapore and enjoyed the Imperial Cheng Ho Singapore Harbour Dinner Cruise during their travels. Alveira submitted some neat photos of them in front of the famous replica of the Imperior vessel of the Ming Dynasty on the Imperial Cheng Ho Singapore Harbour Dinner Cruise.

April’s Travelers of the Month - James & Michelle, United Kingdom

Michelle and James went on a trip to Cairo, Egypt and had a wonderful time exploring the different pyramids on their private tour to the Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis and Sakkara. James submitted some really fun photos of their trip to the Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis and Sakkara in Cairo. This is a great tour to get the full pyramid experience in Egypt.

James said, “This was a great day out. We had a few laughs along the way. The guide was brilliant.”

March’s Traveler of the Month - Alexandra S, Australia

Alexandra S and her family recently went on a trip to Fiji and based on her photos and captions, they had a blast. The photo above is from the South Sea Island Day Cruise where they snorkeled and relaxed by the pool. Alexandra submitted some great photos of the South Sea Island Day Cruise in Fiji. If you’re looking to relax and have a fun trip with the kids in Fiji, Alexandra recommends this tour.

Alexandra says: “Kris has given his thumbs up for this experience. This is definitely a trip to take especially if you have kids.”

February’s Traveler of the Month - James A, UK

Here’s a shot taken by James A in Rome, on the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Rome Walking Tour. James submitted some great photos of Rome and the inside of the Vatican. And, according to James’ review he’s glad he booked ahead because the line to get into the Vatican was over 2.5 hours long!

James says: “We were enjoying our tour within 15 minutes, and the guide brought the Vatican alive. There is so much to see you simply would not enjoy any other way as it would not mean much without being explained. The headsets you are given for the tour are fab, and you can hear loud and clear what your guide is saying. We normally do our own thing on holiday; however, this is one of the rare places which the tour works very well.”

January’s Traveler of the Month - Sumit B, USA

Sumit B seems to be having a good time at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Las Vegas, which he visited after purchasing the Las Vegas Power Pass. Sumit, his wife and his two embarrassed children met Beyonce, the Terminator, Johnny Depp, George Bush and Jenna Jameson, among others. Hopefully his wife forgives him for all of the photos with other women.

–The Viator Travel Team

Editor’s Note: We’ve posted the photos submitted by our Travelers of the Month over on the Viator Flickr site. Hop on over for some inspiration for your next trip.

How can you submit photos to Viator’s Traveler of the Month contest? It’s simple: book a tour with Viator and, when you return, you will receive a “Welcome Back” email. This email will invite you to submit reviews and photos of the tours and things to do on your trip. Tell other travelers what you loved, what you hated and show them in a photo. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Viator Travelers toasting champagne in Champagne.

1. Oktoberfest in Munich Germany - Need I say more about where (or when) one should be hoisting up a stein of German beer? Prost!
2. Napa Valley Wineries, California, USA - California’s premier wine country, if you’re going to have a glass of Chardonnay or Cabernet this is the place to do it. Overlook a gorgeous vineyard awash in the California sun and enjoy a day of wine tasting.
3. Guinness Storehouse, Dublin, Ireland - If you enjoy a pint of the black stuff, you’ll enjoy a perfect pour of the freshest Guinness around at its Dublin home. Cheers!
4. The Raffles Hotel, Singapore - Step up to the quaintly preserved Long Bar and order its most famous invention, the Singapore Sling.
5. The Champagne Region, France -The only real champagne is from Champagne (everything else is just sparkling wine). Toast a glass of bubbly near its true home in the French countryside (a stone’s throw from Paris on the TGV train). À la santé!
6. Grosvenor House, London, UK - Perhaps you are a teetotaller, in which case, you should definitely experience high tea, preferably at one of the posher venues in London, like Grosvenor House (or the Ritz). Do not pass up the double Devonshire clotted cream on your scones, that is a must.
7. The Blue Mountains, Jamaica - Tea not your cup of tea? If you prefer a cup of Joe some of the most expensive in the world comes from Jamaica’s Blue Mountains. Never fear, you can have a piping hot mug for cheap at the source.

Heather, a Viator traveler, enjoying a Guinness at the Storehouse.

I lift my glass to all intrepid travelers who seek libations at their source, cheers!

– Kelly G

PS - Viator offers all sorts activities for drink lovers, from a shot of Jack Daniels to a light and peppery New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Search for your favorite poison and find the perfect place to have a glass.

We had two elephants come to the village recently for a game of elephant soccer (”football” to those people with funny accents). Now I thought that would mean the two elephants playing soccer against each other. But oh no. In typical Thai style, this turned out to be two elephants playing soccer against the local 12-year-old team.

Apparently everyone thought this was a great idea! So full-tackle soccer with eight 12-year-olds versus two elephants.

Turned out to be marvellous fun; they roped an area off and charged 30 cents for spectators. The elephants were powerful and hard to tackle, but the kids were quick and nimble, a 2-all draw in the end. And no kids got squashed.

Don’t believe me? Well here’s a short video montage I made of kids scoring a goal, and then of the elephants scoring. Gooooooooal! Stick around to the end - the live footage of the elephant goal is a keeper.

–Jordan Digby

Check out Jordan’s earlier post on Life Lessons in Thailand. Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s things to do in Thailand, Bangkok tours and activities in Phuket.

I appreciate supermarket shenanigans as much as the next person. But the article left me a little hungry for more (pun only partially intended). The concept is great — travel souvenirs and mementos from foreign lands — but why limit it to foreign supermarkets?

No, let’s go big here. Let’s open this concept up to any and all travel shwag. I’m hungry for a list of the world’s most quirky, oddest, funniest (both strange & ha ha) and downright weird travel mementos. Did you bring home a shrunken head? A jar of pickled feet? A felt painting of Jesus driving a monster truck?

Don’t be shy. You are not alone in your appreciation of weird & wonderful travel souvenirs. I’ve added a few of my personal favorites, but please send us yours! Simply email your photo (jpeg preferably) with a short explanation at feedback@viator.com and we will add the best ones to the list below.

Best Travel Souvenirs & Mementos: It’s Unbelizeable

When I was 22 years old I went to Romania to write a travel guide for other 22-year-olds. Strangely enough, nobody was interested in Romania at the time, especially not the 22 year olds. My mom felt bad, so she bought me an “I Luv Romania” T-shirt. The shirt makes me laugh about a difficult time in my life (you go spend 8 weeks in post-revolution Romania and tell me how you like it). To this day I still know how to say, in Romanian, “No! I do not like pork liver.”

At the other end of the emotional spectrum is my shirt from Belize. It says “You Better Belize It!” Which pretty much sums up the wonderfulness that is Belize (read about the wonderfulness here).

Best Travel Souvenirs & Mementos: Monkey Madness

I ran out of toothpaste once when I was in Kenya. After much fruitless searching I was informed that in Kenya it’s more common to use tooth powder. Fair enough. So I picked up this — tub? jar? bottle? — of Monkey Brand Black Tooth Powder, imported from India. No, it did not turn my teeth black. Yes, I was worried about that.

Best Travel Souvenirs & Mementos: Allahu Akbar

I bought this mosque clock after taking a trip to Istanbul (read about that trip here), where I became completely enamored with the call to prayer. This clock is perhaps the best travel souvenir I have ever purchased. Every time the alarm goes off I think fondly back on my time in Istanbul and Turkey. If you’re curious to experience the clock’s call-to-prayer alarm firsthand, click here (warning - this is loud).

Best Travel Souvenirs & Mementos: Hutt River Freestate

This T-shirt is from the largely unrecognised Principality of the Hutt River Province, which ’seceded’ from Australia in 1970. It’s located in Western Australia, about 5 hours from absolutely nowhere. Prince Leonard and Princess Shirley run a gift shop, as well as guided tours most days. The photo was submitted by John Ryan, author of a superb book on Micronations.

Best Travel Souvenirs & Mementos: The Red Detachment of Women

Another entry from John, this time of a female soldier-ballerina statuette with a pistol, from the balllet The Red Detachment of Women. It was a Cultural Revolution favourite in Mao’s China. Richard Nixon saw it in ‘72 and it’s still performed on high rotation. The statue is just over a foot high and was purchased at a market in Beijing in 1998.

Best Travel Souvenirs & Mementos: Singapore Surrender Monkeys

Another one from John Ryan, who says: “This is a tiny little souvenir fan I picked up in a gift shop on Sentosa in Singapore in 2000. Friends have looked but not seen these since - I wonder if they’re still on sale? Only 7cm (or just under 3 inches) wide, the fan depicts the Fall of Singapore to the Japanese in World War II, with British soldiers signing the surrender papers. Ahhh, the memories!”

Best Travel Souvenirs & Mementos: I Love Minding the Gap

Here’s an entry from David McLagan, who says: “I bought these stickers recently in London and they made laugh - as I’m sure it would anyone that’s travelled by Tube in London for any length of time. (Apologies for my dodgy photo, but I hope you get the idea.) It’s all the excuses London Underground feed you when there are delays. Hilarious.”

Do you have a travel souvenir you’d like to share? If so simply email your photo (jpeg preferably) with a short explanation to feedback@viator.com. We’ll add the best travel shwag to this list.

–Scott McNeely

Anzac Bridge

The idea originally came while studying sculpture at art school in Sydney in the mid-1990s. One of the lecturers for a course in public art had given us the exercise to come up with an idea for an artwork in public space which had absolutely no constraints, wasn’t limited by feasibility, practicality or any other real-world concern.

The first recording I made while the Anzac Bridge was still under construction, taking a team of radio producers and sound engineers from the ABC National Radio with me to best capture the industrial yet ethereal voice of the cables. Looking up at the new Glebe Island (Anzac) Bridge as it was being built over Blackwattle Bay on my way to art school everyday, the particular mix of public sculpture, sound art, and deconstructive theory swirling in my sleepy brain led me to wonder, in an idle moment of curiosity; how would that big harp-like structure of cables and concrete sound? Could I link together bridge cables around the world as instruments in a global symphony?Freedom of imagination is a gift not to be taken lightly. It is open to everyone equally, and in the end, your life is expanded and limited in accord with your capacity for imagination and corresponding courage.

The cables of suspension and stay-cabled bridges vibrate with unexpected sounds. I am always thrilled to hear a new bridge, as each one has a unique texture, rhythm and sonic signature. Tuning in to the sound in the cables gives voice to the spirit of each bridge, in which we hear the moans, sighs and singing of the bridge. Every structure is a new sonic adventure. On the bridge you are suspended in space, neither here nor there, lifted above the everyday world in a moment of pure presence, and the possibility of transformation. No wonder seeking bridge music has now become a lifelong quest.

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Despite the best efforts of my friends and family to convince me that a stable job and small apartment would be a more logical path, I decided to follow my dream of creating a symphony of bridges, and set out to capture and record the sounds of these urban instruments wherever I could.

My Thuan Bridge, Vietnam

The first leg of the journey took me to Vietnam, where I jumped out of a tour van to walk across the My Thuan Bridge over the steamy Mekong Delta. One of the guides came with me, and helped by banging on the steel casing of the cable when I found to my dismay that the contact microphones didn’t pick up any sound from their vibration. Having come this far, I wasn’t going to walk away, so while cursing myself for not having tested the equipment on a bridge at home before leaving, we managed to create some interesting sounds in the otherwise silent cables. This is the only bridge where I have been offered mango by the street vendors, and taken a wild ride on the back of a motorcycle, dodging trucks through crazy traffic.

Next stop Rotterdam, where the newly built Erasmus Bridge gave us a wonderful cacophony of sound through the railings and pylons… but still not much vibration in those cables. The bridge opened for a ship to pass by, and I captured the grinding mechanism inside, followed by wonderful trams rattling and bicycles squeaking past as the traffic started up.

It wasn’t until my third bridge, the Maatinkaari in Helsinki, that I actually heard anything like the sound I was hoping for in the cables, a low laser popping, similar to that first bridge. This one is far smaller than the previous two, and was built to resonate at a frequency of 1.3 Hz, to ensure a pleasant journey for pedestrians. The Finnish engineers did a great job, a drummer friend who climbed up into the cables and tapped out some rhythms set off the low pows and tremulous resonance. I started to hear a subtle range of sounds when the bridge responded to bicycles and people walking across.

Novy Most Bridge, Slovakia

The ‘Glienicke (Spy) Bridge’ in Potsdam, just outside Berlin, is where intelligence agents were exchanged between the US and Russian forces, and contains a surprisingly code-like series of clicks, squeaks and scratches through the structure. Exploring further East, I chose to record the Novy Most Bridge in Bratislava, Slovakia, based on the fantastical shape, as though a UFO had landed on top of the pylon. The cables were sadly mute, not actually being high-tensile steel which carries vibrations, but the mechanical shudder of the lift in the pylon gave the bridge a gritty industrial voice. I enjoyed the view of a 14th-century castle juxtaposed by monstrous 1960s concrete apartments on either side of the Danube, while sampling the local fizzy grape drink. The tiny stooped old man operating the lift has been replaced by hipsters taking cocktails with names like ‘Violet Sarcasm’ in the minimalist refurbishment of the bar.

The Millennium Bridge in London had only just been reopened when I arrived to take its sonic pulse, as the bridge suffered ‘synchronous lateral excitation’ on the opening day, a condition of noticeable and potentially dangerous swaying when hundreds of people fell into step walking across it. This is different to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, where the wind picked up the resonant frequency of the materials, causing the bridge to be known as Galloping Gertie, and it eventually buckled and collapsed in 1932. I could hear a high-pitched chattering in the Millennium Bridge, a sound that was uneasy and spoke, if not of collapse, at least of the tension in the structure.

Brooklyn Bridge, New York

In contrast, the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City has a gentle murmuring tone; the exposed steel is easily accessible from the pedestrian walkway. Although signs declare that it is illegal to attach anything to the bridge, no one stopped me fixing the contact microphones onto a number of cables, late one evening. The soothing burble is prophesized in Waldo Frank’s 1917 novel, The Unwelcome Man: “The bridge that reeled beyond him seemed an arbiter. It bound the city. It must know the city’s soul since it was so close to the city’s breath. In its throbbing cables there must be a message.”Artist Joseph Stella’s response to the bridge was even more heightened: “Many nights I stood on the bridge—I felt deeply moved, as if on the threshold of a new religion or in the presence of a new Divinity.”

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco has a far more urgent sound, almost violent in the twang of cables popping and constant undertones that speak of mayhem, disorder and panic. I guess those noir films picked up on the secret voice of the bridge, casting her as a femme fatale and site of spooky visitations or dangerous power struggles. The beauty of the setting almost lets you forget that this is one of the most popular places for suicide attempts in the world, one survivor described crossing a mystical golden threshold after jumping.

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Bridge in Bangkok, under construction

An invitation arrives out of the blue from a Swedish engineer building the new mega-bridge in Bangkok, who asks me to record the cables during the construction process, and wanted to hear the bridge ‘played like Jimi Hendrix’. My intrepid companion team of documentary filmmakers climb into a tiny metal cage with me, and are suspended 200 metres above the Chao Praya River, then dropped at the top of the pylon to clamber down ladders inside the structure and record the workers who installed and tensioned the cables.

The range of sounds from the machinery to the cables stretching into place is extraordinary. I can’t wait to make more music with it!

The next step is bringing together the goodwill and networks of engineers, architects and musicians who have responded to the project and create the Global Bridge Symphony. I look forward to that moment of hearing an orchestrated concert of bridge voices, soaring through space and across the world together in global harmony.

-Jodi Rose

Rumour has it that some years ago, deep under the cover of the EU night, I snuck (that’s right, snuck, not sneaked, snook or sneakered) across the border from Central Europe into the deep dark East. Poland to be precise. Like a secret double agent, only single and not so secret, I made straight for the nearest front of the old frontier between glorious communist past and triumphant capitalist future. Things are a little blurrier these days, and the Poland of old has also snuck under the charm of the consumer future, but little pockets of gold still sit in tidy deposits when you care to gaze dreamily beneath the surface.

Since coming under the curtain of the EU in 2003 its been a little easier to move between its eastern neighbor, Germany, and Poland. A mate with a business that had to drive between the Poland’s south over to Frankfurt for regular deliveries regaled me with tales of waiting in the car in a queue at the border checkpoints for up to 18 hours, slowly inching towards Germany with no chance to sleep or pause lest he lose his place in the wait to drive west. Now its as easy as driving straight through and should you be lucky enough to be a dinky-di Aussie like me, you can have your passport passed around the border guards as the laugh and point at the kangaroos on the cover. Ain’t life sweet.

If it’s not the slow rolling landscape that gets you it’ll be the language and its beautiful soft zzssshhhhs and washes of tongue against places in the mouth unknown to western palates. And if it’s not language that you fall in love with fellas, it’ll be the strongly spoken yet gentle on the eyes ladies that live in a country as friendly as it is foreign. There’s many ways to endear yourself to these lovely people and learning a few words of the local lingo will have them tripping over themselves to hear you say “dziekuje” (thank you - pronounced jin koy a) just once more.

Poland, like Australia with its kangaroos hopping down every street, is full of bison. These bison either work freelance or in huge factories manufacturing vodka (and sometimes beer) which is then exported to other countries or drunk on the spot. I don’t know this for sure or not, but judging from the signs I saw in most places in the cities, bison also run most of the banks and some of the local businesses. Although there are dangerous animals like bears, lynxes and beavers in Poland, the bison, while tame and often domesticated (having their own housing tenements and social services) will attack especially when they are drunk. So unless you have your official Crocodile Hunter certificate of “Braveness without Forethought” with you, it’s probably best to just to lay low any time you see a sign with a bison on it.

On the subject of vodka, Poland has been strong in embracing this delicious and refreshing drink, with or without the help of the bison. It’s said that if you share a bottle of vodka with a man then you are brothers, or friends of some sort. This being the case, its also been said that the entirety of Poland is like one big family as vodka has been shared been all and sundry much to the benefit of local relations.

Andy Warhol Statue in Poland

A fact you may not know is Andy Warhol is from Poland. Born deep down in the most southeasterly corner, in a little place called Wetlina (not Pittsburgh, don’t believe everything you read on Wikipedia, if you did then they have you thinking that it doesn’t get down to -22 Celsius in winter sometimes, which it can). Wetlina is at the edge of the Polish, Slovak and Ukraine borders and if you are good at climbing mountains you could visit all three places in an afternoon. Australia’s tallest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko (prounced Kozsh oosh ko) is named after a Polish insurgent that did lots of stuff in Poland down these parts too…

Other natural stuff in Poland includes the mighty Wisla River (the little “l” there has a slopey line through it and is prounced as a double-u, while the W is pronounced as a V - got it?). The Wisla winds its way across and around Poland, starting from a stream in the Carpathian Mountains in the south and then making its windy way up through towns like Krakow, Sandomierz, Warchau and on to Gdansk. Sort of like a drunken tourist trying to take in as many towns as possible, except this is a river and full of water. More importantly it used to be one of the most important trade routes through the country until they invented and made available on a massive scale things like trucks and cars and boats too big to fit down little rivers, but I’ll tell you more about those machines another time.

Should you be traveling by canoe and find yourself in Krakow you will notice that like a river there are not very many right-angles going on there. It’s a bit of a mad-woman’s breakfast of acutely stationed buildings climaxing in roads best not taken at speed for the sake of their angular meanderings, Krakow has a vibrant underground scene boasting many great clubs, nice Polish beers plus more authentically friendly Polish people.

Wisla by Boat

If you had the cunning and the strength to paddle down the Wisla River from Krakow you’d be in for unscheduled appointments so many towns that time forgot. Like a throwback to an era passed-by, witness villages with chickens running the streets, old ladies with the traditional triangular scarf folded upon their stoic heads and old men in horse-drawn carts travelling across the river on ferries driven by little more than the flow of the river’s current. The wide green open spaces will have you believing that it’s not all internet, ipods and mobiles all over the world – that some small places have survived the mainstream flow of change for its own sake. Up a few rungs on the sophistication scale but no less old and well preserved, the town of Sandomierz, with its 1600 year old city walls and open town squares, makes it clear the hare and tortoise race is still played joyfully across the eastern Europe’s far-flung borders.

Way down deep in the south by the Tatras and Carpathians (mountains not football teams) lies more quiet little gems like Jelenia Gora and Mirsk. Marvel at Jelenia Gora’s wacky stilted architecture (like on stilts, not a building with a speech impediment) and as you’d expect from a Catholic nation, as you roll through the green to the smaller towns, you can always see the church spire peeking from a distance. Why not tarry a while at one of the top-notch cabins out by the forests in little villages of 40 houses, like in Gajowka. And in the winter months these quiet retreats are not more than an hour from the mountains for some skiing and snowball throwing if you’re not instantly addicted to the round-the-town fun of fifteen sleds with kids pulled round behind a van bringing wintry squeals to the chill night air. Nothing quite like being on a sled trailed by twenty kids as you whirl round snow-covered and frozen street corners – and the fun only starts there…

-Jack Brown

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Poland tours and things to do in Poland, from tours in Krakow to Warsaw tours and activities.

Las Vegas is known for many things - gambling, neon, mega-resorts and, of course, the infamous “quickie wedding.”

Obviously not all weddings in Vegas are last-minute drunken and debauched events! In fact, almost 50% of weddings that are booked in Las Vegas are carefully planned in advance, right down to the last dance. However, that also means that the other 50% are booked within 48 hours of the ceremony date. Regardless of whether you’re a planner or a procrastinator, weddings in Vegas are just plain fun, and a great option if you want something a little different or memorable.

Las Vegas Weddings: The 08/08/08 factor

This year there’s even more of a reason to get married in Las Vegas: the popular date is almost upon us, August 8, 2008. Or more to the point: 08/08/08.

Why are triple digit wedding dates so popular?

The most obvious reason is so that the groom (never the bride, let’s be honest - it’s never the bride) has an easier time remembering anniversaries. I know my husband would be in deep trouble if he forgot an anniversary date like 08/08/08, it’s just too easy to remember.

Another reason is that so-called “triple digit” wedding dates hold special significance. Last year’s triple digit date - 07/07/07 - was a no-brainer for Vegas, with over 300 eager couples testing their luck on marriage (and probably at the tables and slots too). Similarly, this year’s number has special meaning in Chinese culture, with the number 8 thought to bring ‘prosperity’ and ‘wealth’, and 88 signifying ‘double joy’. (Perhaps 888 means ‘triple the fun’?)

And when you add in the times of the ceremonies, 8:00am or 8:00pm, you have the potential for piling even more prosperity in the pot! (A word to the wise: If you want to get that crazy with your 8s, you’ll need to plan ahead—this is one day of the year chapels are actually open 24 hours, just to try and fit the estimated 250-350 couples who plan to wed at each chapel.)

Las Vegas weddings gone wrong & gone right

If you’re a Vegas local, there are plenty of famous (and infamous) wedding stories. Of course there are the celebrities who get married in Vegas, including Bette Midler, Britney Spears, Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere, and Clayton Moore (better known as “The Lone Ranger”) who actually yelled “Hi ho silver!” as he left the chapel.

But the best stories aren’t always about the rich and famous. There is the one where the bride & groom switched outfits. And the one where the groom tried to run out of the door to escape impending wedded bliss, except the doors were locked and didn’t open as he thought they would, so he knocked himself out! The couple came back twice to try to get married, but never managed to actually say “I do!”

On a happier note, there is the wedding of the high-school sweethearts that married other partners, met up again after both partners died, and married at the ripe age of 88 and 85. But before actually saying ‘I Do’, the groom asked his bride if she really wanted to go through with the ceremony, because marriage is “for life”.

And one of the best parts about weddings in Vegas is that the possibilities are endless. While classic weddings are definitely on the menu, it’s the quirky and unique ones that get talked about. You want an Elvis wedding to get you and your guests all shook up? Sure.

Drive-through wedding? No problem. In fact, the sky’s the limit—and so is the Canyon floor—with everything from helicopter weddings to ceremonies in the bottom of the Grand Canyon! No matter what your style, from classic to cheesy, Las Vegas offers a wedding to suit every budget! (And if you’re ready to say “I Do”, we’re is ready to help you do it.)

Las Vegas wedding - the Grand Canyon helicopter version

-Jenny C & Jessica K

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Las Vegas tours & things to do. If you want to get married in Las Vegas, too, so much the better.