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Offbeat Europe – 8 Unique and Lesser Known Attractions

Calli Duncan — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 17:14:59 +0000

Europe is a timeless travel destination. Full of historic charm and large modern metropolises, the continent is home to crumbling stone buildings, cobblestone streets, walled cities, and charming rural villages where fishing and farming are still the main economic drivers. However Europe is also strikingly modern, with some of the largest and most important financial hubs in the world – cities of glass skyscrapers with free public wi-fi connected by efficient high-speed train services.

And despite it’s well-trodden tourist trail, Europe is also scattered with unique, odd, and extremely obscure sites and attractions that visitors often overlook. Museums dedicated to currywurst in Germany or phallic objects in Iceland; odd sculptures and street art installations in Sarajevo, Prague, and Paris; and the uniqueness of Antoni Gaudi’s works in Barcelona offer visitors respite from admiring yet another baroque church or breathtaking vista.

While the Eiffel Tower or Colosseum are at little risk of losing their prestige to many these lesser-known sites, visitors seeking offbeat attractions will find plenty to marvel at in Europe. During our time exploring this continent we stumbled onto our fair share of unique, obscure, and sometimes plain weird sites. Here are a few of our favorites.

Gnome Sculptures – Wroclaw, Poland

Hundreds of small bronze gnome sculpture, about a foot in height, are scattered through the historic core of Wroclaw, Poland and surrounding neighbourhoods. “Cool” gnomes riding motorcycles, wizard gnomes in tall pointy hats, and environmentally conscious gnomes pushing recycling bins are tucked into corners, suspended form lampposts, and hidden in plain sight for those that know where to look. Anyone want to play I spy?

Comic Strip Murals – Brussels, Belgium

“Yoko Tsuno” – You can really see the size

Much like Gdansk’s gnomes, the city of Brussels is dotted with epic murals depicting a range of famous and obscure comic book characters. Tintin (and his little dog Snowy) is likely the most famous characters to appear in these murals, however even non-comic book reading visitors are sure to spot a few other familiar faces while exploring the city. They murals even have a Wikipedia page.

Pregnant Lady Street Art Installation – Prague, Czech Republic

image via

A contender for the strangest piece of public art we’ve seen to date, this sculpture depicts a pregnant lady, kneeling on the ground with her legs spread and her hands firmly clasped behind her head. Still not obscure enough for Prague, the sculpture is created out of shiny aluminum and is very reminiscent of a lego sculpture. Overtly sexual, somehow the sculpture works in Prague, even if passing school children look up at it with puzzled expressions.

Carmo Convent – Lisbon, Portugal

Rows of large arches

Ruined by earthquake in 1755, today all that remains of Carmo Convent are the beautiful Gothic pillars of the former church and a small museum. These exterior elements of Carmo Convent are quite stunning, especially on a sunny day, and the site’s museum houses two Peruvian mummies from the 16th century – an off-putting display that only gets creepier upon closer inspection. A real contender for oldest human hair we’ve ever seen in person.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery – Paris, France

The presence of graffiti shows we are in the right place

As far as cemeteries go, Pere Lachaise is far from the strangest we’ve had the chance to explore. What makes Pere Lachaise so unique is that it is the final resting place for The Doors frontman Jim Morrison, whose headstone has grown into something of a shrine. Forty plus years since his death, fans still leave flowers, graffiti, and the odd joint in tribute to Morrison, while a security guard watches to ensure no one jumps the guard rails surrounding his headstone.

Museum of Broken Relationships – Zagreb, Croatia

Rage and Fury Room (via)

It’s always a good sign when you first hear about a quirky museum like this while washing your laundry in an equally quirky laundromat in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and as promised, the Museum of Broken Relationships did not disappoint. The museum’s premise is quite simple – helping people emotionally overcome a failed relationship by contributing to their collection. In under an hour we browsed the personal belongings of hundreds of contributors from around the world. Some of these displays were funny, others angering, touching, or the equivalent of emotional napalm, but all were wonderfully quirky.

Abandoned Beelitz Sanitorium – Berlin, Germany

Delving deeper into Berlin and it’s tumultuous history, I signed up for a tour of the abandoned Beelitz Sanitorium just outside the city limits. A short walk from the primitive train station, in a small clearing, three buildings sit in a horseshoe shape. Constructed in 1902, these buildings first served as a tuberculosis clinic before becoming a hospital during both World Wars, even treating then soldier Adolf Hitler during the first World War. During the Cold War, this site was the largest Soviet hospital outside of Russia before being deserted in the early nineties. Many a rave have been held here since, and while the crumbling buildings are beginning to show their age, their original beauty is still evident.

Museum of Art Fakes – Vienna, Austria

Small space, big art (fakes)

Incorrectly reading the hours of operation for this tiny museum, Travis and I returned three times before we finally got our timing right, however all this back and forth was completely worth it to delve into the world of art fakes. In addition to learning about the immense level of effort that goes into creating an art fake, from the aged paper used to specific hardening processes, brush strokes, and in one case egg yolk washes, we were able to come face to face with fakes so good that they were verified as authentic and sold for millions of dollars.

Europe offers visitors so many different types of attractions, it really is a mixed bag of so many wonderful things. Have you had a chance to visit Europe? What’s the most off-beat or quirky attraction you’ve seen there?

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Getting to know Belgian Beer at the Cantillon Brewery

Travis — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 15:25:00 +0000

A visit to Belgium isn’t complete without a tour of a local brewery – or two. For Brussels, this means a trip to the Cantillon Brewery, the only remaining brewery within the walls of Brussels. However if you’re expecting a traditional ale or hoppy lager you’re in for a surprise, as the Cantillon Brewery is one of only a handful of traditional Lambic breweries still in operation.

An old crate for bottles of Gueze

Lambic is a flat beer produces from barley and wheat and fermented with naturally occurring airborne yeasts. In fact, the Cantillon Brewery is one of the only places you can actually see the brewing process, and taste the results from all their hard work. Relying on age old recipes handed down through generations, and original equipment dating back over one hundred years, the Cantillon Brewery produces thousands of barrels this centuries old beverage and its wonderful derivatives each year.

The whole brewery is a blending of original and new

Each area has a description of its use

However, while the Lambic is unique on its own, it’s also only the beginning, because what the Cantillon Brewery does with it next is truly special.Using fresh fruit, and the sugars produced through further fermentation, the Cantillon Brewery also produces many varieties of a sweeter, sparkling, beverage called Gueze. Often called the champagne of beer (as it’s produced using the same techniques, only using beer instead of wine), Gueze is a sparking beer with a wonderful combination of sweet and sour flavours. In addition to the Gueze, which is aged in former wine and champagne barrels for three years, the brewery also makes fruit-flavoured Guezes using tons of real, fresh raspberries, cherries, and apricots.

Barrels of Cantillon beers aging for perfect flavour

More original equipment – still used today

As we entered the doors to the Brewery, only a short walk from our hotel, we instantly felt part of the family. The brewery is now on its 4th generation of brew masters from the same family, and everyone is warm and welcoming (not to mention eager to talk about beer). After a thorough introduction to the brewery by one of the employees, emphasizing what sets them apart from their contemporary counterparts, we were allowed to wander through the process using an amazingly descriptive brochure and corresponding numbers.

Bottles awaiting a fill

Bottles age for a long time even after coming out of the barrels

Nearly one hour later, after wrapping up our self-guided tour of oak barrel filled cellars, hundred year old copper canisters, and creaky wooden staircases, it was time for everyone’s favorite part – sampling the goods! Included in the 6 Euro entry fee was a glass of one of their wonderful beers to be enjoyed in their cozy lounge area complete with wood burning fire. The only hard part was choosing between the four different varieties currently available.

Our choices – Rose on the left and Gueze on the right

After careful consideration, we opted for the Gueze and the Rose, a raspberry infused Gueze. The fact that they use 150 kilograms of fresh fruit with just 500 litres of beer is evident once you put it to your lips – this stuff is fantastic.

For more information on the Cantillon Brewery or their selection of beers (including where you can get them across the world), check out their website here. Brewery tours are carried out throughout the day, or you can just stop by for a drink or two.

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A Brussels Photo Essay

Travis — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:03:00 +0000

Brussels is a hard city to nail down. Elegant at times, with its beautiful Grand Place and modern European Union headquarters, it also has an unmistakable edge, evident immediately upon deviating from the well trampled tourist path.

Some typically Belgian architecture

The home of the EU

At least they are creative with their graffiti

Although Brussels serves as a gateway to many picturesque towns and villages, including Brugge and its jaw dropping canals, like any large city, Brussels doesn’t share their intimate atmosphere. However what it lacks for in romanticism it makes up for with flavour.

Snow on our last day

A bit rundown, but still beautiful old building

One of many comic walls in a typical neighbourhood

The elegant Grand Place

Brussels is home to a wide variety of tasty treats, including waffles, fries, chocolate and beer, the traditional Belgian delicacies, as well as some surprisingly delicious ethnic restaurants. During our five days we were able to sample some amazing Falafel and Indian curries, which provided a healthy break from our daily dose of waffles for breakfast and fries for dinner.

Splurging on an amazing waffle

Hot mulled wine…still a no for us

Surprisingly, the Belgian people don’t appear to be plagued with obesity the way we are in North America – if they are, they are doing a great job of hiding it. However we seemed immune to this phenomenon and took leave after five days for the good of our waistbands.

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Fun and Photos in Brugge

Travis — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 18:36:00 +0000

During our stay in Brussels we set a day aside to explore the picturesque city of Brugge, only an hour away by train. Being that the city is quite beautiful, we decided to tag along on a photo walking tour during the morning hours, hoping it would not only help us get acquainted with Brugge, but also provide a glimpse at some of the less-touristy areas of the city and add to my (limited) knowledge base of all things photography related.

Brugge in the sunshine

The morning of our visit we arrived to cool temperatures and drizzling rain. However, as they say in Brugge, “if you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes”, which proved to be true as we experienced the entire gamut of weather conditions in just one day. From bone chilling rain and gray skies to glimpses of sunshine and a break in the wind just long enough to capture some great reflection shots, the weather in Brugge is truly unpredictable.

Reflections along the canals

Just one of many bridges

Another thing I could not have predicted is that our tour guide Andy would turn out to be a fellow Canadian (although he is from Montreal which many Canadians may argue is like being on a different planet). In addition to his roots, Andy quickly won us over with his easy going approach to photography and the tour guide role.

Some of the many canal-side homes in Brugge

Brugge’s windmills offer a fun photo opportunity

Unfortunately the sky wasn’t too helpful this particular day

Fall colours (and rain) in Brugge

iPad in hand, Andy started the tour by asking about how comfortable I was with my camera, my knowledge level, equipment, experience, etc… and then continually provided advice specific to my needs, instead of advanced knowledge I won’t be able to use for a few years. He also gave me suggestions on interesting ways to compose shots, and was always willing to provide very kind critiques on shots that I had taken.

We couldn’t leave without sampling a few chocolates

Beautiful champagne display in a store window

While I snapped some photos of Brugge’s lovely canals, historic buildings, and hidden details, Andy and Travis were able to cover every topic under the sun from travel and our trip to real estate, work, and life in general. Andy was also willing to give insights into his experiences with different cameras, lenses, software, and other photography related topics.

Andy said to look out for lions…

… as Brugge is covered with them.

Wait, that’s not a lion. I only wish I could remember this guys name.

When the timing works out…

Although I was the only one “shooting” that day, it was great that Travis and I were both able to participate in the tour, and for a very reasonable 20 Euros total (which I think we made back in following some of Andy’s advice for cheap places to eat and buy chocolates). Especially considering we had just the one day in Brugge, it was great to be able to experience it together and, when I’m struggling to remember some of the pointers Andy gave me, Travis can help me out!

Although this photo tour was just 10 days ago, I feel like the stuff I learned during it has been easy to put into practice, and most importantly, I have seen a noticeable improvement in the quality of my photos. The website for Photo Tour Brugge can be found here, and Andy’s photography site (which has some great photos from around the world) can be found here.

Oh, and as with the Berlin Photo Tour, these are just the jpeg’s without any real editing. We will let you know when those go up.

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The Great Brussels Comic Walk

Travis — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:29:00 +0000

After arriving in Brussels, via our overnight bus from Berlin, at around 7 in the morning (which thankfully was a few hours late), we were again saddled with having to find something to entertain us (and keep us awake) until we could check into our hotel. After a good experience with a walking tour in Berlin, we figured that doing something active was our best bet, and eventually settled on a self-guided walking tour of the comic murals of Brussels.

If you’ve ever been to Brussels (or anywhere in Belgium or France for that matter) you know that comics are a big deal. Bandes dessinées (literally “drawn strips”) are an integral part of book culture in these regions, accounting for nearly 20% of book sales in some areas. Throughout our trip, we’ve seen people reading comics in coffee shops, on the train, and even while walking down the street, as well as large outdoor markets catering solely to book and comic fans.

“Monsieur Jean” – one of the few French comics represented in the murals

“Lucky Luke” – faster than his shadow.

Brussels, perhaps more than any other city, has embraced this comic-crazed culture and proudly offers comic themed goods in book stores, tourist shops, museums, and, as we quickly discovered, even on their walls. With almost 50 wall murals now, anyone can experience this culture with just a map and a good sens of direction.

“Caroline Baldwin” comic wall

“XIII” – Inspiration for Jason Bourne?

Relying on the accuracy of this map, provided by a local tourism website, we started weaving our way through the city seeking out these large paintings. The entire walk quickly escalated into a sort of treasure hunt, as we speculated which comic may be revealed around the next corner. To our frustration at times, the murals actually blend into the surrounding buildings quite well. Who would have thought a forty foot painting could be so hard to find?

“Yoko Tsuno” – You can really see the size

“Ric Hochet” – some murals interact with the city

“Tintin” – probably the most famous mural

Not only was this walk enjoyable, and a bit exciting at times, it also provided a great introduction to the city, covering the major tourist sights as well as some outlying areas. We both agree that it was a wonderful way to see Brussels and we happened to stumble onto both the Mannequin Pis and Zinneke Pis statues as well (the first being the famous bronze statue of a small boy peeing, while the later is the lesser known bronze of a dog, also urinating).

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