I love hearing about strange places and strange histories and just plain strange stuff. So here you go! Here's five things that suddenly fascinated me, and some of them for all the wrong reasons!
1. The Bra Fence, Iceland. I don't care how you look at this one, it's unusual. This fence is at a farmer's house along the Ring Road, Route 1 in Southern Iceland, between Seljalandfoss and Skogafoss Waterfalls. What is this all about? The short story is, no one is quite sure.
It started back in 2012. The farmer reportedly awoke one day to find several bras strewn along the fence. He left them there. Why? No one knows. Since then, it's become a thing, and now we have the bra fence. People stop by and leave bras and the area of fence that's covered has grown over the years. What's the draw? I don't know. It may be like stapling a dollar at a beach bar in the Caribbean or something else. It's hard to tell. Feel free to leave a bra, but don't leave underwear or gloves. The farmer will take those down.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/south-icelands-bra-fence
https://www.facebook.com/groups/422335988214633/posts/2549362845511926/
https://www.funiceland.is/news/posts/2018/september/the-bra-fence-is-gaining-popularity/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbcfk26AF2U
2. Ruterberg. If you like the obscure, this is it. Ruterberg is in Germany. That's the short version. The real story is really weird. Have you ever felt invisible? This place did.
Back in the day; I mean those days after WWII. Germany had issues. They'd just tried to commit genocide and pretty much pissed off most of the world, and after the war, they were divided. This fact doesn't escape pretty much anyone; however, Ruterberg was all but forgotten in the fray.
This village sits along the Elba River, which was a border between East and West for a long time. The village sat in a particular area that was just in the bend of the river, to the point that the borders were drawn all around it, but they weren't included in either side. There was even a fence around it for years. Were they the East or the West? Neither one made a point of claiming them. Years down the road in 1989 they declared their independence as their own republic on November 8th, 1989. Well, the next day a little thing happened and the Berlin Wall was felled. At this point, they are in Germany, but are they a republic or not? Interesting question, and I'm not sure anyone truly knows the answer to that.
https://www.visit-mv.com/destinations/a-heimatstube-rueterberg
https://www.militaryhistories.co.uk/locations/view/61
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQTJTpbTaco
3. Slope Cars of Japan. How do I describe these? Have you ever been out and needed to go up a hill but really didn't want to climb it? In Japan that's not a problem. The slope car is this one of a kind device that can be a monorail, funicular, or cog rail type car that takes you up and if you like, down a hill.
These cars are all over the country, although one of the most famous ones is in Nagasaki. Some have several seats, some have a single seat. Most are self operated and free to use. There are over 80 of these cars in the country. Weird, yes? They were created for people's convenience in the 1960's. So, if you have mobility issues and need to go up a hill in Japan; this could be for you.
https://www.discover-nagasaki.com/en/sightseeing/65004
https://enjoy-kyushu.com/column/fukuoka/usefulinformation/4260.html
https://web-japan.org/trends/11_tech-life/tec202403_vehicle.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgGQXEXVTrc
4. Gracie Mansion, Carl Schurz Park, New York City, NY. You might not have any idea why anyone would give a hoot about this house. Looking at it, I wondered about that too, but it's a special place.
Since 1942, every single mayor of New York City, except Michael Bloomberg, has lived in this house. It was originally built in 1799. It used to be Belleview Mansion and at one point it burned down. It went through being for many things, and at one point, became Gracie Mansion, and in 1942 it became the home of the mayor. How unusual is that?
That's not the best part. This house sits in Carl Schurz Park. If you know anything about this park, which I didn't until I visited it last week, it's a public park with amazing views of the East River, Roosevelt Island, Queens and beyond. It's amazing. It's a huge park with beautiful spots and facilities for playing and so on. In the middle of it lives the mayor. The house is accessed off the end of 88th Street, and the Astoria Ferry arrives just north of it at the end of 90th Street. It's a great spot.
There's just one thing. This park sits on top of FDR Drive. It makes a tunnel for the busy road and the entire park, mansion, and everything is on top of a tunnel. Wow.
https://www.graciemansion.org/
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/carl-schurz-park/highlights/12329
https://nylandmarks.org/explore-ny/gracie-mansion-yorkville-manhattan/
https://historichousetrust.org/houses/gracie-mansion/
5. The Ghostbusters Firehouse. This is the Hook & Ladder Company 8 in Manhattan. Yes, it's a real firehouse and it's in operation today. If you ever wondered, was it a real firehouse? Is it currently filled with firemen? Yes. It's also a very popular quick stop for tourists in New York City.
Face it, we've all seen Ghostbusters. We all loved it. It's one of the most beloved movie franchises in modern history. I don't even know how many people stop by here on their visit to New York, but it's a lot. I had never been there until recently, and the day I stopped by, it was crowded. The building has been there since 1903, even though it was refurbished a few years back. Don't worry; it still looks like the old Ghostbusters headquarters inside.
The firefighters at this company are thrilled to be so closely associated with Ghostbusters. They have a lot of fun with it. They are always cordial to the tourists and if they aren't busy fighting a fire, they might just take you on a tour. You can use the 1 subway to Franklin Street for your visit. Once you exit the subway just put it in your Google maps and it will guide you right to it.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ghostbusters-firehouse
https://www.thefilmtripper.com/blog/ghostbustersfirehouse
https://www.untappedcities.com/ghostbusters-1984-nyc-filming-locations/
I love strange stuff and I wanted to share some of it with you! If you like, check out a YouTube Channel called "What On Earth Is This?" He has good weird stuff. I also like "The Tim Traveller." If you'd like to see what I'm up to check out my YouTube Channel "Adventures for Anyone with Terri Dixon." That's Me!
https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresforanyone2026
Check in next week and see whatever I might come up with! I'm traveling this weekend, so you never know what I might find! Thanks for joining me! Enjoy!
