Riding the Icy Waves of Nova Scotia

by Neil Woodburn on

Surfing, it seems, is no longer tied down to warm weather climates.

Long the sport of the South Pacific and other tropical locations, surfing is popping up in the strangest of places. In the last year here at Gadling, we’ve posted about surfing in Ireland, England, Germany, Cleveland, New Jersey, and Alaska. And today, I run across an article in The Toronto Star about a group of die-hard surf fanatics who ride the waves in the frosty waters off Halifax, Nova Scotia. Brrr…..

Are these people crazy? Well, apparently the waves are world-class and the breaks are yours to own–there’s usually not another surfer for miles. Of course, according to journalist Kelly Toughill, this is all impossible without the advent of super wet suits which keep surfers alive in water temperatures which can dip below freezing. And then, there is the post-surfing dash through the snow back to your car–something which needs to be done quickly or you may just freeze up like a statue and die.

So what’s it like? Toughill points us to two resources to see for ourselves: Magicseaweed.com and the Red Bull Ice Break Surf Competition. Check it out.

Berlin to Irkutsk Direct: Rail Route to Possibly Open

by Neil Woodburn on

Long train journeys are one of the simple joys in life. I don’t mean a three-day journey through Europe where one has to switch trains every 6 hours. No, I mean a continuous train journey where you board at point A and don’t have to get off again until point B, many days later.

The Trans-Siberian is one such classic journey. To do it without switching trains, however, involves starting the journey in Moscow–not an easy task.

There are some alternatives, however. Currently the longest journey from Western Europe itself travels from Berlin to Novosibirsk–a very long, four-day trip.

Russian Railways, however, is floating the idea of extending the journey an additional day, all the way to Irkutsk. This would be a far more attractive end station than Novosibirsk and very much worth the journey on its own. Travelers can then catch an onwards train to China (another two days) or turn around and do it all over again back to Berlin. Whatever their choice, they can still brag they rode Western Europe’s longest rail route without changing trains.

Where on Earth (Week 2): Berlin!

by Neil Woodburn on

So, Week 2 of our Where on Earth contest was slightly easier than last week’s location, Mt. Abu, India. John was the first to guess it, followed by Jim Rennie, unclejerru, eurotransient, and tmorga1. Good job, guys.

The answer is Berlin. More specifically, the blocks are part of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. I was there a couple of years ago when it first opened and found the memorial an odd mix of somberness and playfulness. As adults wandered about in respectful silence, kids ran amuck playing tag and hide-and-go-seek amongst the 2,711 enormous blocks. All I could think of was doing so myself; the thought of the horror of what the blocks symbolize all but lost.

The memorial has had a mixed reception. Many people hate it and the rest seem ambivalent. I don’t think anyone truly feels it accomplished the difficult task of hammering home the horror as well as it could have done. Nonetheless, I still recommend checking it out if you happen to be in Berlin.

Erotic Art: A Museum Quest

by Jamie Rhein on

When I read Willy Volk’s post about the erotic images of Khajuraho in India, it got me thinking about erotic art and where to find it. Not that I’m planning on taking a world tour or anything, but it’s interesting to see how various cultures display erotica in museums and the place erotica has had in the arts throughout history. There are several places to visit where the aim is not to titillate specifically, but learn more about the human response to sexuality, beauty and, yes, of course, sex.

One place I came across is the Erotic Art Museum in Hamburg, Germany. I remember Hamburg to be more of an industrial looking place built back up after World War II. The museum looks as if the exhibits are superb. The website is entirely in German, but you can get an idea of what’s there. In one of the small photos across the top, it looks like they’ve acquired one of the wooden penises from that Japanese Penis Festival–or perhaps from the time of the Trojans? Just kidding about that. I would like to know what the origins are, though. If you click through the website you’ll find the virtual gallery that has larger images. Informative and slick.

For some odd reason, there is a cartoon figure of Santa Claus on the museum’s homepage. Since I can’t read German, I have no idea what that’s about. Is there secret side to Santa? Here’s a link to a rundown of erotic art museums in Europe.

Rent a Country For Your Next Company Event

by Justin Glow on

Sick of the boring company picnics at your local park? Try renting an entire country.

Along with a hand full of small villages in Austria and Germany, Liechtenstein — a small, landlocked country between Switzerland and Austria — can be rented from RentaVillage.com. Aimed at luring in large corporations, the company promises to “turn your events into an unforgettable experience.”

How do you even go about putting an entire country up for rent? Does the public get to vote on it? I don’t know that I’d want my entire country over run by Google or Sprint or whoever for an entire weekend.