Once someone mentions Switzerland, our brains instantly show us images of picturesque Alpine peaks, fresh cheese, and, of course, bank billboards. But these are only attributes of a façade that hides many curious things that even tour guides won’t tell you about.
For several years, Switzerland has been considered to be the best country to live in. It’s not surprising: this is a country of comfort and stunning nature. You can finish working at the office and in 15 minutes, you can be swimming in a lake. But, aside from the famous breathtaking landscapes, tasty chocolate, and reliable banks, the country has something else to surprise its visitors with.
Despite their noticeable age gap, Lionel Richie and Lisa Parigi’s relationship has thrived and endured over time. Their love has been an inspiration to many, and Richie often expresses how much joy and happiness his girlfriend brings into his life.
After battling 4 decades of high blood pressure, intestinal cancer, and undergoing a kidney transplant, Tina Turner passed away from natural causes at the age of 83. And even though the legendary singer is not among us anymore, she’ll forever live through the legacy she left behind — her music.
Pssst! I have something special for you — it’s a golden ticket. You’re invited to visit the most unique Chocolate Factory in the world. What? You’re a bit scared because you don’t feel comfortable sailing in a chocolate river or turning into a giant blueberry? I hear ya — here’s an alternative treat. By the way, stay tuned until the end, we’re giving away a date with Veruca Salt, if we can find anybody interested....
Whenever this Nobel Prize winner entered a lab, equipment would break, electrical systems would malfunction and go out of control, and beakers would crack. Sometimes even fires would break out. The name of the scientist was Dr. Wolfgand Pauli, and even his colleagues believed all those incidents weren’t just a matter of bad luck. They called this phenomenon “the Pauli Effect.” No one can say the exact year and day when it came into force, but the effect would haunt the scientist forever.
On July 30, 1930, thousands of fans were watching the first ever FIFA World Cup final in Montevideo, Uruguay. 13 nations participated in the championship. Finally, the hosts defeated its neighbors, Argentina, with a score of 4-2. That day, team Uruguay lifted the FIFA main trophy for the first time in history.
Now, how about some surreal hidden places to check out? Grab a flashlight and your backpack... and bon voyage! The trip starts in the mountainous country of Switzerland. You travel to the town of Waltensburg in the eastern part of the country. It’s raining, and it’s very cold, but you still make your way to the bottom part of a mountain, where your first adventure awaits. After climbing high up in the mountains, you see a strangely shaped castle. To get there, you must walk up an extremely narrow pathway. “Don’t look down!” you think to yourself. You tighten the straps of your backpack and manage to walk along the pass.
Let me continue my world tour, and now we’re heading straight to Europe. Let’s start our journey in Greece, a place with thousands of years of history. Even in modern days, there are still ancient ruins there that are being carefully preserved, and it’s an interesting ride.The airport of Athens has a built-in museum with ancient artifacts. And here’s how ancient and modern coexist there: there’s the view of the Acropolis from the street. A Spartan roaming the streets of Greece. A Redditor shared a photo of a modern building built right over the ancient ruins. The visitors can see the ruins through the glass.Greece is also very well known for its cats roaming the streets everywhere. This Redditor spotted a cat guarding the National Bank of Greece. These days, everyone is trying to reduce the usage of plastic. Some use paper straws, and some go with glass straws... but this café in Greece offered to use macaroni as straws.
A baker from Switzerland has set a world record by creating the world’s largest wearable cake dress. Natasha Coline Kim Fah Lee Fokas demonstrated her creation at an exhibition in Bern. Her Instagram video has received 1.3 million views. And when one of the users wrote, “Where’s the cake?” The answer was, “She’s wearing it.”
Common items in our lives have strange and perhaps eye-opening stories. Whether it’s about how they are used or where they came from, the hidden stories behind these items can either inspire you or spark your curiosity even more.
It might seem that since European countries are part of Western culture, travelers are unlikely to encounter anything surprising there. However, some moments of their everyday lives or certain customs can be quite astonishing. We found stories from people who visited some of these countries or moved there permanently, compared them with our own experience, and came to the conclusion that this part of the world can be even more puzzling than an exotic country.
You’re strapped in a Spaceship that’ll take you all the way to Pluto for your galaxy backpacking trip. It’s the longest journey from Earth and without any shortcuts, so you’ll have to get quite comfy. It’s recommended for everyone aboard to have at least 8 hours of sleep at night.Astronauts in the International Space Station have little rooms suitable for 1 person with special sleeping bags and enough room for personal belongings. If they don’t, they’ll float, bumping into each other.
Have you ever wondered why mountains seem so still and silent? Well, prepare to be amazed, because these majestic landforms have some hidden talents. You see, mountains are actually quite the performers! They have their own unique songs and dance routines. What does it mean and how does it work? Well, let’s see.
Various types of cheese have holes for a reason. For example, Swiss cheese is made with special bacteria that produce carbon dioxide. As the CO2 is emitted, it blows like bubble gum, leaving tiny craters, also known as cheese eyes. Then the cheese is cooled down, but the holes stay in place.
One of the best emotions a person can have is love, which has the power to completely upend our lives. However, not all love stories are without challenges, and you might need to go past a few hurdles before reaching your soulmate. Some have traveled back and forth to spend their entire lives with the people they love, proving that nothing can stand in the way of 2 people who are madly in love.
Celebrities have a whole past that marked them. They had overcome many obstacles to fulfill their dreams, but people often forget that. Tina Turner is no exception. She went through many ups and downs before, during, and after achieving fame. Despite such situations, she could pull herself together and find the love of her life, with whom she would marry after more than 20 years of relationship, and, in addition, save her life at the most delicate moment of her health.
As someone living in a time when information travels faster than ever, I’m constantly bombarded with news from all over the world. It’s very easy to get discouraged by this flood of information, but sometimes I come across some welcome news, like, for example, new laws aimed at positive changes from all around the world that I often wish my country would adopt.
Coincidences occur pretty often in our lives, proving that we do indeed live in a pretty small world. Actually, Cambridge University has a whole collection of them, which can make you wonder, “What were the chances?” For example, one family from Florida ran into their nextdoor neighbor when they were on a train station in Zurich, Switzerland, basically across the world.
Countries and their cultures are diverse, as are the myths surrounding them. We still tend to believe that we can meet Count Dracula roaming through the hallways of Romanian castles or that French women prefer hairy armpits. However, a thread on Reddit where people were discussing such myths has completely debunked all of these.
A baker from Switzerland named Kim-Delia came up with an unusual kind of art — she turns the macarons that so many of us love into amazing pieces of art. Each of them is so thoughtful and intricate that all we are left with is to wonder how much time and effort this kind of art requires. Kim-Delia posts her newest works on her Instagram account, which has continued to grow bigger and bigger, and now we know exactly why!
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People from different countries have very different ideas about what true happiness is. More than that, for different nations, happiness may even be in opposite things.
Around the world, the Easter Bunny has many friends who help him deliver candy and presents to children on his namesake holiday. In Germany, children once had a fox or stork serve as their Easter mascot. Swiss children might get chocolate from a cuckoo. In Australia, there is a campaign to make the Easter Bilby the local hero. Regardless of who’s bringing you holiday cheer, we can all agree that bunnies are still adorable.
Sometimes parents really want to give their child a rare name, but they aren’t always able to do it. Governments of different countries try to save babies from having awkward situations in the future and even make lists of banned names. However, the criteria vary by country, so for example, in France, you are not allowed to use a curse word to name a child, and in Saudi Arabia, you can’t name a child Queen even though the word itself is okay.
There are 197 recognized countries in the world and each of them has its national flag. Just like clothes say a lot about a person, the national flag can say a lot about the country it represents.
Every city and town on Earth is unique, but some specimens are so extraordinary that it’s hard to believe they really exist. Bright Side found the weirdest towns on our planet. Some of them are worthy of a long weekend visit.
