Turf tradition: For centuries, the traditional home used by the people of Iceland was the turf house. These houses had roofs and thick walls made of a top layer of sod with grass growing out of it. People used turf because trees were not as available for building material.Turf also has good insulating qualities against the winter cold.In the early 1900s, many people still lived in turf houses, but now few remain. However, some have been preserved and maintained by the National Museum of Iceland, allowing visitors to view these traditional abodes.

Peaceful people: A street in Vienna, Austria, is a monument to peace. The winding, dead-end street is called Blutgasse and is one of the oldest in the city. On the street is Peace Museum Vienna, which has a mission to educate visitors toward achieving world peace. The museum is free for anyone who wants to visit the exhibits or attend a discussion. One of the displays, called Windows for Peace, is intriguing.In the museum’s street-facing windows are images of peace heroes, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Bertha von Suttner, author of the novel Lay Down Your Arms.

Sticky stuff: A certain type of glue made by an industrial adhesives company in Germany really sticks. DELO went to great lengths to show the strength of its brand of strong glue. Company representatives arranged to suspend a truck, which weighed over 17.20 metric tonnes (37,919 lbs.), one metre above the ground by attaching it to a crane using a small amount of their glue. The stunt worked. The glue held the truck off the ground for an hour. Because this adhesive is used in the automotive industry and is not commercially available, it’s not possible to get it at a local hardware store!

Waterlogged: Television reporters will do lots of things to get their stories to viewers, but Azadar Hussain of Pakistan did something unique to bring the plight of his country into the limelight. Kot Chatta, in Pakistan’s Punjab region had experienced damaging flooding, so Hussain decided to stand in flood-waters, with only his head, hand, and microphone above water. From there, he proceeded to do his report of the repercussions of the flooding. Although what he did could be perceived as dangerous, the reporter was able to attract worldwide attention from his on-location newscast.

Colourful town: The town of Guatapé, Antioquia, Colombia, is said to be the most colourful in the country. That’s because everyone decorates their homes and businesses with brightly coloured paint in many different designs. A home might have a background of red with orange and green flowers, while a bakery might have images of bread loaves. Known as zocalos, these paintings can even tell a story of a journey or a historical figure. Guatapé is located 82 kilometres (51 mi.) east of the big city of Medellín and is a tourist attraction for bothColombians and visitors.

Illegal bean: A bean that is native to South America is illegal in the United States. It’s called the tonka bean and is known for its many scents. Looking a bit like a raisin, the tonka bean smells like a combination of vanilla, cherry, almond, and cinnamon. The bean’s shavings are used in such things as ice cream, beverages, and pastries. The ban in the United States stems from the fact that the bean contains coumarin, which can cause health problems. However, aficionados say it would take a large amount of beans to cause a problem. Cooks around the world use a small amount in a variety of dishes.

Going home: Dogs are loyal creatures, and Maru the bullmastiff is no exception. Born in a kennel in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, she moved to Krasnoyarsk, 800 kilometres (500 mi.) to the east, when she was purchased by a woman. Unfortunately, the woman had allergies, and she called the kennel’s owner, Alla Morozova, who arranged accompaniment for Maru to come back to the kennel by train. But Maru had other ideas. She jumped from the train when it was 200 kilometres (125 mi.) from her owner’s home and tried to walk back. Maru was found in an industrial section of Krasnoyarsk, close to the house where she had lived.

Sea of rock: When sailing a catamaran in the open ocean, sailors expect to see nothing but vast stretches of water. So a couple from Australia, Michael Hoult and Larissa Brill, were surprised to find themselves in a sea of rock during their trip to Fiji. The rock was pumice, which most likely had floated up to the surface after an underwater volcano erupted. When they discovered it, the expanse of rock was a few inches thick and covered the ocean as far as they could see. Their catamaran slowed down considerably while navigating through this “island” of porous rock.

Walking backwards: Medi Bastoni, an Indonesian man from Dono, a small village in East Java, was so passionate about a cause that he walked backwards for over 700 kilometres (430 mi.). Bastoni was raising awareness about rainforest preservation. His backwards walk took him to his country’s capital of Jakarta, where he planned to meet with President Joko Widodo. What he wanted from the President was simple: a symbolic seed for a tree, which he would then plant near his village. Bastoni outfitted himself with a backpack full of supplies and a frame that held a rear-view mirror so he could see where he was going.

Petal power: A building in Venezuela can open and close like a flower. The Flor de Venezuela is also known as the Flor de Hanover because it was built for Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany. The architect, Fruto Vivas, wanted the building to reflect flowers, so he designed a building that has 16 enormous petals attached to a central stem. Using a hydraulic system, the petals can open and close, which is not only visually appealing, but also convenient if it rains. Once the Expo was over, the building was moved, piece-by-piece, to Barquisimeto in the western part of the country.

Quiet park: Vancouver, British Columbia, on Canada’s west coast, is home to Stanley Park, which covers an area of about 400 hectares (1,000 acres). Cyclists and walkers love pedalling on 27 kilometres (16.7 mi.) of trails that wind through and around the park. Stanley Park includes a variety of vegetation, including centuries-old red cedars, towering Douglas firs, and Pacific dogwoods, making it a quiet forest retreat in the middle of a big city. Walkers and cyclists who stick to the peripheral trail can watch float planes come and go on Vancouver Harbour and enjoy views of the surrounding mountains.  

Iconic sculpture: The red phone booth is an iconic sight in London, England, and there is a sculpture to recognize this symbol of English heritage. Called “Out of Order,” it was made by Scottish sculptor David Mach and installed in 1989 on Old London Road. “Out of Order” consists of 12 red phone booths that look like they have fallen into each other. Some viewers think that it symbolizes the death of the phone booth in this age of mobile phones, but the sculpture was installed before the use of those devices were as common as they are today. The sculpture is a great backdrop for tourists snapping selfies!