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Atlas Obscura

  • Check out the Nordic island that has its own little cloud

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    1 min read

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    The cute little island is called Lítla Dímun. It’s part of the Faroe Islands, which is a self-governing archipelago about 450km southeast of Iceland. Despite the proximity, the islands are actually owned by Denmark.

    Supposedly, visitors can visit most of the islands, but Lítla Dímun is off limits due to wildlife preservation and pretty frequent has inclement weather which obstructs the view of the island. Atlas Obscura recommends getting a glimpse of the island from the villages of Hvalba or Sandvík, on the island of Suðuroy. But, looking at maps, it appears you can likely trek from Trongisvágur to Hvannhagi, a spot the overlooks the bay, from what looks like the remnants of ancient caldera:

    Standing at Hvannhagi looking toward Lítla Dímun
    Múlafossur Waterfall, another tourist favorite on the Faroe Islands.

  • A mystery settled — Homo erectus remains are confirmed to be youngest link to the past

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    1 min read

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    A century has passed since the legendary skull fragment was unearthed. Recently, archaeologists confirmed our youngest ancestor. The bones Unearthed back in 1931 have been confirmed to be the youngest Homo erectus remains ever found. It could be the last tangible (or measurable) youngest connection to our human ancestors. These remains aren’t to be confused with Java Man, which was also unearthed on the Indonesian island of Java (Java Man was excavated back in 1892).

    It’s a remarkable confirmation considering it almost didn’t even happen. Isaac Schultz at Atlas Obscura reports:

    “When you think about it, out of the 25,000 some fossils on the site, only 14 were a Homo erectus,” says Russel Ciochon, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and lead author of the study, published recently in the journal Nature. “They lucked out. Had they not found the skull, they may not have put such time into it.”

    A skull fragment of H. erectus found nearly a century ago in Java. Source: Macquarie University

  • Word on the Water, a Floating Bookshop in London Kings Cross, Regent’s Canal

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    1 min read

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    The whole idea of a floating bookstore is just so quaint and charming. The interior of Word on the Water is probably exactly what you are imagining. Bobbing up-and-down in London, England at Regent’s Canal, is the utterly unique Word on the Water bookshop.

    It’s has cozy corners, thick carpets and a complimentary hardwood interior. The dimly lit hull interior is stuffed with tall stacks of books for reading. My idyllic nap decor if we’re being completely honest. The exterior features planks that over-extend over the canal sidewalk for laid-out books for passerby customers. I wonder if the unique bookstore has a book on boat speak?

    You can read more about Word on the Water at Atlas Obscura, here.

  • Ancient Greece, Funerals Rites and the Evolution of Celery

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    2 min read

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    Anne Ewbank at Atlas Obscura writes:

    Back then, it was a very different celery. Native to the Mediterranean and Middle East, wild celery has thin stalks and a bitter flavor. It was only later that farmers bred celery to have sturdy ribs and a sweeter profile. Its strong smell and dark color struck ancient Greeks as positively chthonic: that is, associated with the Underworld and death.

    As a result, celery became an essential part of burials. In ancient Greece, celery covered graves, and the dead were often crowned with it. We know this, writes classicist Robert Garland, because the first-century Greek writer Plutarch referred to celery as the most common plant used for the purpose. Historians have floated various theories as to why the dead needed to be garlanded. Perhaps they had faced life with courage, and deserved to be buried as heroes. Garland rejects this in favor of another theory: that the dead were given heroic crowns “to add dignity and lustre to the proceedings.” Other writers, such as the Roman Pliny the Elder, considered celery off-limits as an everyday food, since it was prominent at funeral banquets.

    Wow! Who would’ve thunk? Now I have an elevated level of respect for the unfortunate celery stem that swims in my next Bloody Mary. Here’s to life, death, and to celery 🌱