Sometimes I just want to see if y'all are paying attention to some of the stranger little things around the world!
1. Did you know about Seborga, Italy? It's a town that thinks it should be a country. What? Well, it's all about a technicality. apparently, the village of now 300 people was sold in 1729, but the sale to then royalty was never officially recorded. Somehow, that led a local resident named Giorgio Carbone to campaign for the village's independence in 1963.
The little village is only 35 km from Monaco along that southern coast along the Mediterranean Sea, and is a great little stop along the way. They've printed and minted their own money and they have their own flag. They are not recognized as a country, but they are determined. Is it a vacation spot? No. Just a stop along the way.
https://instantlyitaly.com/discover-seborga-an-old-village-in-liguria-unique-character/
https://www.italia.it/en/liguria/seborga
https://www.principatodiseborga.com/history
2. Did you know that there's an island called Pheasant Island, in France or Spain? Actually, it's both. This strange island which is uninhabited, needed a home. France is on one side of the Bidasoa River and Spain is on the other. Ironically, no one ever included this little island in any treaties or anything, so it's not clear whom it belongs to.
How to sort that out? Well, the two countries decided to be fair. Or what seems fair to Spain and France, which was to each claim responsibility for the island for half the year every year. And, it's not like they set up the schedule using new year's which most people would do. No. That would be too easy.
From February 1st to July 31st each year, France is responsible for the island. From August 1st to the next year's January 31st, it is governed by Spain. Does this make any difference to the island? No. But rules are rules. My favorite part is that it's not even open the public, so you couldn't visit other than to look at it if you tried.
https://www.basquecountry-tourism.com/directory/pheasant-island/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pheasant-island
https://www.defactoborders.org/places/pheasant-island
3. Did you know that the time zone in Newfoundland is weird? We've probably all heard of Newfoundland. Although it sits on the east coast of Canada, it's very remote. St. John's, Newfoundland is the first place the sunrise is visible in all the Americas every day. It's an interesting country with very few people living in it for its size. There are two islands just off its southern shore that are a province of France. You can sit on the beach in Newfoundland and watch icebergs float by.
There's not doubt that it's an interesting country, famous for Vikings having lived there and their fishing industry, and very cold winters. My father was stationed there with the Navy in the 1950's and he told some crazy stories about the winters there.
However, did you know that they have one of the strangest time zones on Earth? In a world where times zones are separated by an hour, Newfoundland decided that none of that suited them. Here's the story.
When the world decided to standardize time zones, Newfoundland was a British Dominion and not a part of Canada. They fall precisely in the middle of two of the time zones that were established back then. So, they split the difference. They became part of Canada in 1949, and at that point it was assumed that they'd adopt a time zone. However, it's been a cantankerous political topic to this very day. The Newfoundlanders like their unusual time zone. They feel it's part of their history and they aim to preserve it. There have been votes, campaigns, referendums and on and on, but as of right now, they are still 3.5 hours west of Greenwich Mean Time.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/newfoundland-half-hour-time-zone-1.7001193
https://www.britannica.com/story/why-are-some-time-zones-30-minutes-off-instead-of-an-hour
https://www.productofnewfoundland.ca/articles/5-facts-about-the-newfoundland-time-zone
https://www.citymonitor.ai/analysis/the-worlds-weirdest-time-zones/
https://www.canadainfolink.ca/time-zones-canada/
4. Did you know that the Giant Ferris Wheel at Der Prater, Vienna is special? Why? Well, it's the oldest Ferris Wheel in the world. I wondered about this. I was always told that the Ferris Wheel was created in Chicago, Illinois, USA for the Columbian Exhibition in 1893. Turns out that also is true.
The things are named after the creator; George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. That's a mouthful; pretty happy they shortened it to Ferris. But, alas, that first wheel went away. It was refurbished a few times for events in Chicago but was officially demolished in 1906.
The Giant Ferris Wheel in Der Prater in Vienna came along in 1897 to celebrate the 50th Jubilee of Franz Joseph I. Unlike Chicago, Vienna has preserved that very wheel to this day. It's 65 meters high and takes about 15 minutes to make a revolution. It does give a great view of the city and comes with its own museum. It costs 13.5 Euros for a ride and is well worth it!
https://www.wien.info/en/see-do/prater/giant-ferris-wheel-346994
https://wienerriesenrad.com/en/home/
https://www.praterwien.com/en/attractions/details/platform-9-giant-wheel
https://www.austria.info/nl-nl/bestemmingen/giant-ferris-wheel/
https://viennawelcomecard.at/attraction/giant-ferris-wheel
5. Did you know that Napoleon blew up Devin Castle, Slovakia? I had no idea. But, this medieval behemoth, which sits on top of a fantastic hill overlooking the Danube and also the Morava Rivers was just a bit much for Napoleon to deal with back in 1809.
This castle was originally an area inhabited in prehistoric times. It was a piece of land used by Romans, Celts, Hungarians and many others over the years. Fast forward to the years of Napoleon. He put a siege on Pressburg (modern day capital, Bratislava). While that was kind of working out, the castle was being used as a stronghold station against him. When the whole thing was over, Napoleon simply decided, in his paranoid mind, that he should blow it up so no one could use it as a stronghold against him in the future. Now, we all visit the ruins.
The castle is a deeply embedded piece of Slovak history. It holds deep meaning for the people there. The castle is a popular site to visit and it only costs 8 Euros to enter. You can reach it by boat or bus and it's open daily until 6 pm.
https://www.visitbratislava.com/places/devin-castle/
https://muzeumbratislava.sk/en/devin-castle
https://slovakia.travel/en/devin-castle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIx80SMa3qI
I do cover a lot of these topics on my YouTube Channel, "Adventures for Anyone with Terri Dixon." You can learn more there about several of the topics here.
https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresforanyone2026
There you have it. Just a few little things that I didn't know if y'all knew about. There are a lot of little tidbits around the world. I've mentioned just a few. If you're curious about what goes on out in the world, go out and check it out. You only live once and there's a whole world to see! Enjoy!
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