Wikivoyage:Discover/2015

December 2015

 * A popular alcoholic drink in Barranquilla is Aguardiente, an anise-flavoured liqueur derived from sugar cane which literally means "burning water", and it honors its name.
 * The Botanical Garden "Kolchuri" in Kutaisi features a chapel built inside a tree.
 * In the Da Fo Si hall (pictured) in Zhangye you can see the largest wooden reclining Buddha in China.
 * Undredal near Flåm is reportedly “inhabitated by 100 people and 500 goats”.
 * Marikina City is known as the shoe capital of the Philippines.
 * Rigged shell games on the street (pictured) is one of many Common scams travelers need to be aware of.
 * In Zagreb you can see the Grounded Sun and visit the Museum of Broken Relationships.
 * Chandigarh is India's first planned city, quite distinct from the rest of the country and considerably better organized.
 * The now abandoned Sewell mine (pictured) near Rancagua is the largest underground copper mine in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
 * Mytilene is one of the oldest cities in the world, probably inhabited since the 10th century BC.
 * Legend has it that Siquijor rose from the sea during a tremendous thunder storm and one can still see fossils and shells on Mount Bandila-an, Siquijor's highest point.
 * The Knap of Howar (pictured) on Papa Westray is the oldest standing domestic structure in northern Europe, dating from about 3500BC.
 * Although not well known internationally, Poland traditionally sports some of the best pilsner-type lagers worldwide.
 * Rochester, Minnesota hosts millions out-of-town visitors coming for treatment at the Mayo Medical Center (Mayo Clinic).
 * High speed rail in China (Shanghai station pictured) is the longest and most patronized high speed network in the world.
 * Kuching means cat in Malay, so you may not be surprised to find cat museum in this city.
 * Real vanilla is a steal in the markets of Grenada, sometimes it can be found for as little as $1US for a 1/2 litre bottle.
 * Ruta de transito (Ometepe pictured) was the preferred alternative for getting from New York to San Francisco prior to the transcontinental railroad.
 * Friends of bourbon may want to tour bourbon distilleries of Kentucky.
 * The community of Boring is twinned with Dull and its official slogan is "The most exciting place to live."
 * The Earth and Man Museum (pictured) in Sofia has the biggest collection of gigantic minerals in the world.
 * In Cu Chi you can explore the huge tunnel network used as a refuge during the Vietnam War.
 * Monrovia is one of the wettest capitals in the world with over 5100mm of annual rainfall.
 * The world's largest Lenin head (pictured) is located at the main city square of Ulan Ude.
 * Unlike other U.S. territories, traffic on the U.S. Virgin Islands moves on the left.
 * Bermuda’s airport has the world's highest landing/parking fee for airlines.
 * The Groot Spitzkoppe (pictured) is often referred to as the "Matterhorn of Namibia" because of the similarity in shape.
 * Batticaloa is known as “Land of Singing Fish”.
 * Sukhothai translates to the Dawn of Happiness.
 * The biggest snow castle in the world (pictured) is built yearly in Kemi since 1996.
 * In Rosario you can visit the house where Che Guevara was born.

November 2015

 * A popular event in Douz is the International festival of the Sahara, held towards the end of each year.
 * The size of the Super pit (pictured) in Kalgoorlie-Boulder makes everything else look small.
 * Sark still has a quite liberal smoking legislation.
 * Antigua and Barbuda are nicknamed "Land of 365 beaches" due to the many beaches that surround the two islands.
 * Iya Valley is famous for its vine bridges (pictured).
 * The James Bond beach is in Ocho Rios, close to the former home of author Ian Fleming who created the character.
 * Surat Thani has a monkey training college.
 * The Paper Dome (pictured) in Puli is a temporary church building constructed using paper tubes as structural elements.
 * Are you interested in violins? In Cremona you can visit the the Stradivarius Museum.
 * The Manitoba Children’s Museum in Winnipeg is home to several hands-on galleries, offering plenty of family fun.
 * Casinos (pictured) are Reno’s most common visitor attraction.
 * Cristalino State Park in Alta Floresta offers great opportunities to explore exceptional Amazon flora and fauna.
 * In Jinja you can see the source of the world’s longest river, the Nile.
 * Rotorua is known as the thermal wonderland of New Zealand. (boiling pool pictured)
 * The Barbados museum in Bridgetown is housed in the former British Military Prison.
 * The Gambia is a thin country, essentially consisting of the flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills.
 * Antwerp’s city hall (pictured) is built in a style combining Gothic and early Renaissance, almost exclusively found in this region of Europe.
 * With a population of around 310, Kulusuk is one of the largest towns in Eastern Greenland
 * Benin City is actually located in Nigeria.
 * Kiritimati (pictured) is the coral atoll with the largest land area in the world.
 * St. Joseph, Missouri, is famous as the place where Jesse James was gunned down.
 * The Pole of Cold is a region in Siberia where you can experience the world’s coldest temperatures outside Antarctica.
 * The Montauk Lighthouse (pictured) is a historical lighthouse with a beautiful view of "The End" of Long Island.
 * Nausori has been dubbed "the Paradise of the Green".
 * Gibraltar claims to have the southernmost pub in Europe.
 * The main attraction in Kanchanaburi is the Bridge over the River Kwai (pictured), famous from the eponymous novel.
 * The shops of Chihuahua have a great selection of cowboy boots.
 * Due to its agricultural wealth, Chengdu is sometimes called the "Land of Milk and Honey".
 * Mount Erebus (pictured) is the southernmost active volcano in the world.
 * Joliet Correctional Center has been used as a filming location for numerous TV shows and movies.

October 2015

 * Isle of Arran is also known as “Scotland in miniature”
 * In Stavanger you can visit an oil museum (pictured) and a museum of canning.
 * Kaliningrad Oblast produces about 90% of the world’s amber.
 * Over 500 years old, the city of Tokyo was once a modest fishing village named Edo (江戸).
 * Napier is the most consistently Art Deco city in the world (National Tobacco Company building pictured)
 * On the Isle of Man there is no overall speed limit for private vehicles.
 * When spoken correctly, Afrikaans is the most melodic Germanic language.


 * At Davao international airport you can find a monument dedicated to the durian fruit (pictured)
 * The Seniwati Gallery in Ubud features only art by female artists.
 * Fort Portal is famous for its high quality tea, made possible by its cool climate.
 * St. George's Cathedral (pictured) in Georgetown, Guyana is one of the world’s largest all-wooden buildings.
 * Holy Island just off the Scottish coast is home to a community of Buddhist monks.
 * From the summit of the volcano Baru near Boquete you can see both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.
 * Outside Doha you can visit the Singing Sand Dunes (pictured), “singing” when the wind blows.
 * Its temperate climate and colonial architecture has given Nuwara Eliya the nickname “Little England”.
 * Schengen, which also has given the name to the Schengen Agreement, is also home to the European Museum.
 * In Michigan, don't be surprised if a resident tells you where a city is by pointing at their hand (pictured).
 * At the Pacific Tsunami Museum in Hilo you can learn more about tsunamis.
 * Bouvet Island is thought to be the most remote island in the world.
 * The old town of Dresden, which was almost entirely destroyed in the Second World War, is now almost completely rebuilt in the original style (Semperoper pictured).
 * Copenhagen Airport is the only airport with year-round direct regular scheduled passenger service to Greenland.
 * In Ko Samui you can see the grandfather and grandmother stones that bear a striking resemblance to male and female genitalia.
 * Driving a car or even a bicycle on the island of Heligoland (bird's eye view pictured) is prohibited by federal law.
 * Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, has a cathedral that cannot be entered due to fear of it collapsing, since it was damaged in a 1972 earthquake.
 * When driving in the UK, be aware that side roads never have priority, overtaking on the left (so called undertaking) is illegal, and you may not turn left over a red light.
 * Tipaza is one of Algeria’s most popular destinations thanks to its world heritage listed Roman ruins (pictured).
 * Kristiansand in southern Norway bears the nickname "the coolest riviera".
 * Walvis Bay is the only commercial port of Namibia.
 * One major attraction of Kish Island is the Greek ship (pictured) that rests on one of its shores.
 * Due to the prevalence of waterways in its geography, Recife is known as Veneza Brasileira — the Brazilian Venice.
 * The average year-round temperature of Baku matches the average temperature of the landmass of Earth to within a tenth of degree.

September 2015

 * Jackson Square (pictured) is the historic heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans.
 * Halmstad is known as the "golf capital" of Sweden with 12 beautiful courses.
 * Weimar is regarded as one of the most historically important cities in Germany.
 * An iconic Maldivian accommodation is the overwater bungalow (pictured), built on stilts directly above a lagoon.
 * Tipping can be perceived as an insult in certain countries.
 * In Tortola and elsewhere on the British Virgin Islands, hallucinogenic mushrooms are legal.
 * An attraction around Waitomo are caves that are lit up (pictured) by glowworms.
 * Shengo Hall in Addis Ababa is the world’s largest building that was pre-fabricated elsewhere than where it now stands.
 * As the story goes, Bethlehem (Pennsylvania) was founded on Christmas Eve and named after Jesus’ birth town mentioned in Christmas carols.
 * Malaysia is regarded as a mix of the modern world and a developing nation (Petronas towers pictured).
 * Pyongyang boasts the world’s largest Arch of Triumph.
 * In Barnaul you can visit the Museum of Time.
 * The ceiling of Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Pilar (pictured) in Zaragoza features works by several Spanish famous painters.
 * Matanzas is known as the City of Bridges for its many bridges on the city's three rivers.
 * Manchester is the site of the world's oldest surviving passenger railway station.
 * In Colombo, getting around by Tri-shaw (pictured) is most convenient.
 * Valletta was named after its founder, the Grandmaster Jean Parisot de la Valette.
 * Rental houseboats are a good (if expensive) way of exploring the expanse of Shuswap Lake.
 * In Adelaide you can ride one of the historic trams from the CBD to the historic beachside (pictured) suburb of Glenelg.
 * The Magic Mountain theme park features 19 roller coasters, a world record.
 * Randengfo pagoda is the oldest and tallest pagoda in Beijing
 * Lake Assal (pictured) in Djibouti is the lowest point in Africa and the saltiest lake outside Antarctica.
 * Gatwick Airport is the world's busiest single runway airport.
 * A special memory from Samoa is a traditional tattoo.
 * On Saint Helena you can visit the Longwood House (pictured) where Napoleon died during his exile.
 * There are no traffic lights in Mombasa and the traffic will likely appear chaotic to a westerner.
 * Jaén is said to be the largest olive producing area in the world, producing 10% of the world’s olives.
 * Þingvellir National Park (pictured) was home to the world's longest running Parliament.
 * Benin is the birthplace of Vodun (Voodoo) and to this day Vodun remains the official religion of the country.
 * Jeongdongjin station in Gangwon is the world's closest train station to the ocean.

August 2015

 * The Bazaar of Tabriz (pictured) is one of the oldest bazaars of the Middle East and the largest covered bazaar in the world.
 * The name of ruins near Zeravshan, Sarazm, translates to “the beginning of the world”.
 * Lexington is home to hundreds of horse farms and nicknamed the Horse capital of America.
 * Grimeton VLF transmitter (pictured) near Varberg is the only workable machine transmitter in the world.
 * Preah Vihear is perched on a hilltop with a commanding view of its surroundings.
 * Pforzheim is known as "Goldstadt" (Gold town) for its jewelry and watch-making industries.
 * Built by the Romans, Torre de Hércules (pictured) in A Coruña is the oldest lighthouse in the world that is still in use.
 * At the craft centre in Ségou you can to try your hand at creating your own traditional Bogoan clothes.
 * The town of Horyuji has grown around the eponymous temple of Horyuji, the "Temple of the Flourishing Law”, which is also the oldest surviving wooden structure in the world.
 * Qingchengshan (front gate pictured) is one of the ancient cradles of Taoism in China.
 * Budva is often called the "Montenegrin Miami”.
 * People eat early in Bloemfontein - even by South African standards.
 * Thanks to the ferry (pictured) connection to the mainland, Devonport is nicknamed the Gateway to Tasmania.
 * The main street of Chuy is also the border between Uruguay and Brazil.
 * The Kolyma Highway is one of the most dangerous roads in the world.
 * Le Palais des Papes (pictured) in Avignon is the world's largest Gothic edifice.
 * Ein Gedi National Park is considered the biggest and the most important oasis in Israel.
 * The original capital of French Louisiana, Mobile is home to the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in the United States.
 * Rhodes City hosts the oldest inhabited medieval town (Avenue of the Knights pictured) in Europe.
 * Kumbakonam is full of temples — every street, road, locality has a prominent temple.
 * Due to the exceedingly scenic setting, and its architecture Budapest is nicknamed "Paris of the East".
 * Mammoth Cave National Park features over 392 miles of caves (pictured).
 * Haridwar translates to Gateway to God and has been a centre of Hindu religion and mysticism for centuries.
 * Fortaleza is known as the capital of hammocks.
 * St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kiev (pictured) has the world biggest ensemble of frescoes and mosaics dating from 11th century.
 * The Loire Valley is often referred to as "the Garden of France" and the Cradle of the French Language.
 * Mt. Angel recently built the largest glockenspiel in the United States. Also hosts a Bavarian-style "Oktoberfest" complete with traditional German bands every September
 * Originally built to fend off slave traders, the world heritage listed Tatas (pictured) in Nadoba now serve as home to farm animals and various materials.
 * Mohenjo-daro is depicted on the Rs. 20 currency note; fittingly, entry fees to the Mohenjo-daro complex are Rs. 20 for Pakistanis.
 * Caernarfon is one of the best places in the world to hear a living Celtic language, with over 80% of the local population speaking Welsh.
 * Mount Tai (pictured) is the most climbed mountain in China and a sacred Daoist site.

July 2015

 * The name of the Japanese town of Shiojiri means "Salt Butt".
 * Hebron in Northern Kentucky is home to the Creation Museum, which teaches the Book of Genesis as literal truth.
 * The Palmeral in Elche (pictured) is one of the world's largest palm groves and the only one in Europe.
 * Opened in 1770, Ouro Preto’s Teatro Municipal is the oldest functioning theater in South America.
 * Tanzania is probably one of the oldest known continuously inhabited areas on Earth.
 * Temperatures in Eilat can be very high, but there’s still an ice rink (pictured) in the Ice Park Mall.
 * Devanagari writing is often likened to a washing line: a line is drawn above the words, and the letters are hung out to dry below the line.
 * Tennant Creek is known as the Territory’s heart of gold mainly due to the people, but also in reference to the gold mining history.
 * In Miyajima you can gaze upon the World's Largest Spatula (pictured) and eat a chocolate called “deer shit”.
 * The town of Kristinestad, Finland has a road called Kattpiskargränden, which means Cat Spanker Alley.
 * The anchor of Christopher Columbus' ship, the Santa Maria, is on display at the Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien in Port-au-Prince.
 * The D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station (pictured) in Lemmer is the largest steam-powered pumping station in the world that is still in operation.
 * Coiba used to be a penal colony for the Panama’s most dangerous criminals, nowadays it’s part of a national marine park.
 * Dilijan is called the "Armenian Switzerland" due to the densely forested valleys and mountains with alpine meadows around.
 * The centrepiece of the Hiri Moale festival in Port Moresby is a race of up to 100 traditional Lakatoi canoes (pictured).
 * Devon Island, in Nunavut, Canada, is the largest uninhabited island in the world although it does have a cemetery...the world's northernmost.
 * The small principality of Andorra is probably the only country in the world ruled by two princes: the Bishop of Urgell and the President of France.
 * Huanggoushu Waterfall (pictured) in Guizhou is the largest waterfall in China.
 * Delhi consists of more than 8 cities and also houses 174 monuments.
 * The Diamond Tooth Gertie's Gambling Hall in Dawson City is a touristy relic of the old Gold Rush days
 * The Livonian Order Castle (pictured) in Ventspils is one of best preserved medieval fortresses in the world.
 * Fez is the medieval capital of Morocco, and a great city of high Islamic civilization.
 * At London’s South Bank you can visit the first museum in the world dedicated to the history of gardening.
 * The local train (pictured) network in Hyderabad known as the Multi-Modal Transport System.
 * The two-minute flight between Papa Westray and Westray is the shortest scheduled flight in the world.
 * Urban decay and abandonment has given Gary the name “Pompeii of the Midwest”.
 * The fort (pictured) at Ilha de Mozambique is likely the oldest surviving European building in the Southern Hemisphere.
 * As the centre of a large pistachio-growing region, fresh pistachio is readily available in Gaziantep.
 * Colorado is split down the middle north to south by the Rocky Mountains.
 * Estonia’s most famous ghost – the White Lady — supposedly haunts Haapsalu Castle (pictured).
 * Chongqing boasts the world's largest public restroom.

June 2015

 * In Cairns you can see a replica of Duyfken, the first recorded European ship to visit Australia.
 * Edinburgh Royal Botanical Garden boasts the tallest palm house (pictured) in the UK.
 * Adventurous culinarists visiting Hanoi can try dog meat, various cobra foodstuffs and ca cuong, an extract from the giant water bug.
 * Route 62 can be regarded as the South African twin of the more famous Route 66.
 * The mosque of Chinguetti (pictured) includes what is believed to be the second oldest continuously used minaret in all of the Muslim world.
 * The Wire Tour is a grand tour of Baltimore, taking you past various important filming locations for the highly acclaimed HBO TV series, The Wire.
 * Bernardo O'Higgins National Park is one of the last refuges for the Chilean Huemul.
 * The old warehouse district Bricktown (pictured) in Oklahoma City is nowadays a restaurant and night club hot spot adjacent to downtown.
 * Europe’s largest wild reindeer herds live in Hardangervidda.
 * The Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover (Delaware) is one of the only museums that is dedicated to airlift and air refueling.
 * The three Tang Dynasty pagodas (pictured) in Dali are some of the best preserved Buddhist structures in China.
 * A rare, but still occuring pheonomenon in Mexico are mountain road stretches with left-hand traffic.
 * One foot of St.Peter’s statue in the Vatican City has been largely worn away by pilgrims kissing it over the centuries.
 * At the mud volcano (pictured) near Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk you can see fumaroles bubbling through the mud.
 * Cody Nite Rodeo runs every evening in the summer months.
 * The Bacardi Rum factory in San Juan is known as the “Catedral of Rum”.
 * Louages (shared taxis, pictured) are ubiquitous in Tunisia.
 * ATOW1996 in Northern Greenland is currently considered the northernmost piece of permanent land on Earth.
 * With an average annual temperature of -1.3°C, Ulaanbaatar is the world’s coldest national capital.
 * Liverpool Cathedral (pictured) is one of the finest examples in the world of Gothic revival architecture.
 * Hyderabad was once the seat of the Nizam, the ruler of the largest and the most opulent "princely state”.
 * Hobart is one of the most easily accessible places to view the Southern Lights or Aurora Australis.
 * Oregon’s state beaches are all public, allowing unfettered access to the shore with beautiful views (pictured).
 * Maó harbour on Minorca, is the second largest natural deep water port in the world.
 * The archaeological site Joya de Ceren in La Libertad features a pre-Columbian Maya farming village preserved under volcanic ash and is known as the “Pompeii of the Americas”.


 * The Taoist Temple (pictured) reflects the Chinese heritage of Cebu.
 * Grand Cache hosts the yearly Canadian death race.
 * Pinsk in Belarus has throughout the history been of great religious importance both for Christians and Jews.
 * There are good views (pictured) of Caracas from the nearby mountain Avila.
 * The name of the city of Nouadhibou translates to the place of the Jackal

May 2015

 * Thiruvananthapuram is one of the oldest cities in India, there are even references to the city in ancient Greek and Roman texts.
 * The Zimbabwe museum of Human Sciences (pictured) in Harare was formerly known as the Queen Victoria Museum.
 * The WW2 German U-boat base Dora 1 in Trondheim is today used as the city archive.
 * The Research Triangle in North Carolina is named after the multitude of research universities and high tech firms in the area.
 * Barbary Macaques (pictured) can be regarded as the signature animals of Gibraltar.
 * The Ginza district is considered the high fashion center of Tokyo.
 * Tuareg sabres and knives are typical souvenirs to buy in Timbuktu.
 * Tampere is (in)famous for its black sausage — mustamakkara (pictured) — a sausage made of blood.
 * A specialty of Mongolia is home made vodka distilled from yoghurt or milk.
 * Guadeloupe is sometimes known as the Butterfly Island.
 * Jal Mahal (pictured) in Jaipur translates to Water Palace and is indeed located in the middle of a lake.
 * San Marino is the sole survivor of the independent city states that used to make up the Italian peninsula.
 * A Chinese proverb says: Heaven has paradise; Earth has Hangzhou and Suzhou.
 * Portland Head Light (pictured) is regarded as one of the most scenic lighthouses in the U.S.
 * For its population of just under a million people, Hamamatsu is a uniquely international city.
 * Bamako has only a few paved main roads despite being one of West Africa’s largest cities.
 * Dolomite, windmills (pictured) and the famous local home-brewed beer are the symbols of Saaremaa.
 * GR20 is often referred to as "the toughest long distance trail in Europe”.
 * Jermuk is full of Soviet hotels and sanatoriums, some of which have been renovated to high standards.
 * Niue is dotted with many caves (Avaiki cave pictured) and limestone arches.
 * In Torshavn riding public buses is free.
 * Patmos is one of the most religiously significant Greek Islands because it is where Saint John the Divine had its revelation and wrote the Apocalypse.
 * Songthaew means "two rows" in Thai, and is the local name for vehicles (pictured) used both as minibuses and taxis in Thailand.
 * Tolbooth Street in Falkirk is the shortest street in the UK.
 * Baleyara is known across West Africa for having one of the largest animal markets.
 * Palmyra (New York) claims to be the only community in the U.S. that has a four-corner intersection with a church at each one. (pictured)
 * Although not particularly high, the Blue Mountains are renowned for their majestic scenery of a unique kind.
 * Few caverns in the world approach the astounding wealth or the extent of those of Jeita.
 * Mount Pico (pictured) in the Azores is Portugal’s tallest mountain.
 * The 1940's neighborhood of Balhura in Belo Horizonte features some of the highlights of Brazil’s modern architecture.
 * Nanjing is officially the safest city in China.

April 2015

 * Northumberland National Park (The Schil pictured) is the most northerly national park in England.
 * The Binghamton area is also the Carousel Capital of America, home to 6 of the remaining 150 antique carousels in the nation.
 * Umeå’s nickname is the "Town of Silver Birches".
 * Issyk Kul lake (pictured) is the second largest alpine lake in the world.
 * Eupen is the capital of the German-speaking community of Belgium.
 * In Sudan visitors are technically required to obtain a permit for photography of any kind.
 * The impressive 2nd century Roman theater (pictured) in Amman could seat up to 6,000 people.
 * Ecuador’s currency is the U.S. dollar, though they still mint their own coins.
 * Greek has changed less in the last two thousand years than English has in the last five hundred.
 * No visit to Dublin would be complete without a visit to one of its many pubs (pictured).
 * Oaxaca is famous for at least two drinks: Mezcal and hot chocolate.
 * Reunion was originally known as the Isle de Bourbon.
 * Vatnajökull National Park is the largest national park in Europe, home to Iceland's highest mountain, largest glacier, and Europe's most powerful waterfall (pictured).
 * Many minority tribes live in the area surrounding Cao Bang, and their village markets make fascinating places to visit.
 * Richman is a local street food specialty of Bratislava.
 * Visitors to the Alamo (pictured) in San Antonio are often surprised by its small size.
 * Udaipur is referred to as the "Venice of the East", the "Most Romantic City of India" and the "Kashmir of Rajasthan".
 * York is famous for giving its name to the city and state of New York in the United States.
 * Kazan (Kremlin pictured) holds the title of "The Third Capital of Russia”.
 * Saba is so safe that some hotels do not have locks on their doors.
 * The capital of Japan for over a millennium, Kyoto carries a reputation as its most beautiful city.
 * The Temple Square (pictured) in Salt Lake City, including the headquarters of the LDS church is the most visited tourist site in Utah.
 * Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa and the second-oldest official Christian nation in the world.
 * The Monument of Bulgarian-Soviet friendship is a concrete behemoth that overlooks Varna from Turna hill, mostly abandoned nowadays.
 * If you take the Jambo Kenya Deluxe train (pictured) from Nairobi to Mombasa you may see wildlife up close.
 * According to the World Meteorological Organization, Bangkok is the world's hottest city.
 * Orson Welles filmed part of his Othello in Essaouira; west of the medina there's a square named after him.
 * The small farming town of Hyden is justifiably overshadowed by its better known attraction, Wave Rock (pictured).
 * Traverse City is known as the Cherry Capital of the World.
 * Freak street is a street in central Kathmandu, formerly popular among western hippies.

March 2015

 * Ljubljana (pictured) is noted as one of the greenest capitals in Europe.
 * The Sundbåt ferry in Kristiansund is the world's oldest public transport line in continuous operation.
 * Okayama is known as the "Land of Sunshine".
 * No visit to Montreal is complete without at least one plate of poutine (pictured).
 * The most westernly and remote McDonald's in the world can be found in central Apia.
 * Zhuhai is known as a tourist destination for Chinese nationals, and as playground for Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan businessmen.
 * Paarl is famous for having one of the world's largest rock outcrops, the Paarl Rock (pictured).
 * Want to visit a French fries museum? Head to Bruges!
 * Jacksonville is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States.
 * The geographic South Pole marker (pictured) is moved every year to account for the shifting ice.
 * It is said that St. Louis is second only to Washington, D.C. in the number of free activities available in an American city.
 * One thing not to miss while in Çanakkale is bomba, which is the usual döner in half a bread plus an omelette added in.
 * An island in the Ao Phang Nga National Park is known as the James Bond Island (pictured).
 * Bolzano’s archaeology museum is famous worldwide as the home of the alpine iceman "Ötzi".
 * The Marine Tower in Yokohama is the largest onland lighthouse in the world.
 * Bishnupur is famous for its terracotta temples (pictured).
 * Because of the first downtown pedestrian mall in America, Kalamazoo got the nickname "the Mall City" in 1959.
 * Wells is the smallest city in England, with a population of around 10,000.
 * The urban rail network of Seoul (subway car pictured) is huge with a combined track length of almost 1,000 km and it also boasts the highest ridership number.
 * Due to its country music image, Nashville is sometimes called “"Music City, USA”.
 * Chile is among the longest countries in the world with several climate zones and types of nature.
 * Central Yerevan (pictured) is a true jewel of early Soviet architecture.
 * Borås used to be the centre of the Swedish textile industry, and is still well known for having many shops that sell high-quality textiles at low prices.
 * A hideaway from pirate attacks, Corfu’s Old Perithia has views to, but cannot be seen, from the sea.
 * Newcastle has Australia’s oldest sea port (pictured).
 * A local delicacy in Matabeleland are sundried mopani worms.
 * Port Augusta is known as the crossroads of Australia, as it is situated where the country's main north-south and east-west roads cross.
 * Burj Khalifa (pictured) in Dubai is the world's tallest building by far.
 * Newquay is known as the surf capital of Great Britain.
 * Hornindal Lake near Stryn is believed to be the deepest lake in Europe.
 * The Stuart Highway (pictured) known as "the Explorer's Way" is a highway running north to south through the middle of Australia.

February 2015

 * The Italian town of Bra is home to the Slow Food movement and the University of Gastronomic Sciences.
 * Each Friday morning a historical event is re-enacted in the Moro Naaba palace in Ouagadougou.
 * Nidaros cathedral (pictured) in Trondheim was supposedly built over the grave of St Olav, Norway's patron saint and "eternal king".
 * Polish is unique in that it retains the nasal sounds lost in other Slavic languages and uses an unique diacritic mark.
 * The names Uluru (pictured) and Kata Tjuta come from the local Anangu people and respectively mean "Earth Mother" and "Many Heads".
 * Eight places in the old Japanese capital Nara have been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including five Buddhist temples, one Shinto shrine, an imperial palace and a primeval forest.
 * Svalbard is bound to a treaty that stipulates that any sign of human presence from before 1946 must remain untouched, including loose objects.
 * Baiyoke Tower II (pictured) in Pratunam in Bangkok is the tallest tower in Thailand.
 * The Dutch are among the largest coffee drinkers in the world.
 * In rural British Columbia you can still hear slang terms from the Chinook Jargon pidgin language.
 * Xijiang (pictured) bears the title "thousand household village" and is known as the largest Miao village in China.
 * Kourou used to be part of a penal colony for the worst criminals in France.
 * Owensboro is known for burgoo, a traditional stew originally made with squirrel or venison, but now made with mutton, chicken, beef and vegetables.
 * The striking cone-shaped peaks Large and Small Piton (pictured) on Saint Lucia constitute one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean.
 * There are around 200 million Portuguese native speakers, the vast majority in Brazil.
 * In Karratha you can sleep in the local mining accommodation villages.
 * The Hurtigruten ferry line (M/S Polarlys pictured) along Norway's jagged coastline is sometimes called the world's most beautiful sea voyage.
 * In Frankfort (Kentucky) you can take a tour in the Rebecca Ruth candy factory where the Bourbon ball candy was invented.
 * Kolkata is called the City of Joy.
 * There are 174 ASI Protected monuments in the Indian capital of Delhi.
 * In the winter when the ice is strong enough it is possible to drive to the island (pictured) of Hailuoto without taking the ferry.
 * Akaroa was the only French settlement in New Zealand and the French heritage remains in form of names of streets and businesses.
 * Samarkand literally means “stone fort” or “rock town”.
 * With a façade from around the year 1700, the city hall (pictured) is one of the most prominent buildings on the market square of Roermond.
 * Bangalore is the major centre of India's IT industry popularly known as the Silicon Valley of India.
 * Hokkaido is home to Japan's native Ainu people.
 * Meteora consists of a number of rock pinnacles topped with a total of 24 monasteries (Megalou Meterou pictured).
 * A certain rum made on Grenada has an alcohol content of 75%, making it illegal to take home to many countries, at least on flights.

January 2015

 * Venice is the world's only pedestrian city.
 * In Baalbek you can visit great ancient temples (pictured) built by the Phoenicians, the Romans, and other civilisations.
 * Possibly the premier zoo in North America, the San Diego Zoo encompasses over 100 acres of displays and habitats.
 * The Forbidden Island near Saipan was allegedly once occupied by evil spirits but is now a bird sanctuary.
 * German architecture (pictured) and the world’s second largest Oktoberfest are examples of the strong German heritage of Blumenau in Brazil.
 * Kansas derives from the Sioux language meaning "People of the South Wind".
 * Ko Tao was once a detention site for political prisoners, but today it is a great place for divers.
 * In Ushuaia you can ride the train to the end of the world (pictured).
 * The name of the city of Kotka translates to “eagle”.
 * Saint Martin is one of the smallest land masses that is divided between two countries.
 * Roskilde hosts a viking museum with several original viking ships (pictured).
 * In 2004, Edinburgh became the first member of the UNESCO Creative Cities initiative when it was designated a City of Literature.
 * Nuclear tourism is travel to places connected with nuclear research and technology.
 * Mt. Warning (pictured) is the world's largest extinct shield volcano.
 * Labrador is home to the largest herds of Caribou in the world.
 * Though it never was buried by a volcano, Jerash is sometimes misleadingly referred to as the "Pompeii of the Middle East”.
 * Saint-Denis (pictured) is the largest city in all of the French Overseas Departments.
 * The Bavarian village of Aufsess holds the record for most beer breweries per capita.
 * Calico museum of textiles in Ahmedabad is regarded as one of the finest textile museums in the world.
 * The Gateway Arch (pictured) in St. Louis is the world’s tallest national monument.
 * Because of numerous festivals, the Philippines is dubbed "The Fiesta Islands".
 * The New World Afro-Diasporic customs of Vodou are widely practiced in Haiti.
 * Jakarta has a large number of giant, glittering malls (Grand Indonesia pictured), well above expectations for newcomers.
 * Boat building traditions are kept alive at the Maritime Quarter in Mariehamn's eastern harbour.
 * Uliastai used to be a provincial capital of the Manchu Empire and is one of the three oldest settlements in Mongolia.
 * Cimetière du Père Lachaise (pictured) in Paris is probably the most visited graveyard in any Western city.
 * Capurganá is surrounded on three sides by dense jungle and no roads lead to it.
 * The islands of the Indian Ocean are a varied collection, including many of the smallest territories and one of the largest island nations (Madagascar).
 * The world's first grain elevator was built at Buffalo Harbor (marker sign pictured) in 1842.
 * Saariselkä boasts Europe’s northernmost Spa.
 * New Orleans Mardi Gras is known as the biggest free party on earth.