Socks with sandals? Blame the Romans

by Sean McLachlan on

Last month we reported on a survey of the worst fashion violations men commit while on vacation. Speedos, of course, came in first, and while the banana hammock is certainly the worst of all fashion sins, wearing socks with sandals got high marks too.

Now it turns out we may owe this particular form of geekiness to one of the greatest of all ancient civilizations–the Romans. According to a new excavation in Yorkshire, England, the culture that gave us much of our law, language, and architecture may have also given us this travesty.

Archaeologists excavating a Roman site discovered a rusty nail from a 2,000 year-old Roman sandal that had impressions of fiber on it. Evidence of more socks comes from several Roman graves also found on the site. While Romans often wore boots in bad weather, it appears they didn’t mind using their sandals as long as they had some socks to keep their tootsies toasty.

Yorkshire is full of Roman remains to visit. The Aldborough villa has some wonderfully preserved mosaics, and there are the remnants of a Roman fort near Richmond. Plus local museums are full of Roman artifacts. While exploring England’s rugged north, it’s easy to imagine tough Roman legionaries marching through the moors. Now we have to imagine them with socks on.

Hey, at least the Romans didn’t invent Speedos. Imagine a bunch of greased-up gladiators fighting to the death dressed only in banana hammocks. Um. . .actually don’t think about that.


Image courtesy user Hebrides via Wikimedia Commons.

Riders stuck hanging upside down on U.K. coaster

by Leigh Caldwell on

Most roller coaster fans will tell you that the best part is the adrenaline rush you get when the ride ends. But what happens when a ride leaves you hanging?

That’s what happened to five people riding the Mumbo Jumbo coaster at Flamingo Land theme park in Yorkshire, England, on Tuesday.

London’s Daily Mail reports that the thrill seekers were riding the coaster when their ride car came to a stop, leaving them dangling upside down about 50 feet off the ground.

They were stuck there for about 20 minutes before being freed from the ride by theme park workers.

Flamingo Land officials say mechanical problems weren’t to blame for the incident. Apparently a rain poncho dropped by a park guests got stuck under the ride car, and that brought the fun to an end.

The Mumbo Jumbo opened in July 2009. Guinness says the coaster holds the world record for having the steepest drop.


Hiker trampled to death by cattle

by Sean McLachlan on

While the English countryside is generally a safe and relaxing place to hike, tragically a woman has died after being trampled by stampeding cattle. The incident occurred along the popular Pennine Way in Yorkshire on Sunday. The victim was crossing a field in which there was a herd of cattle, a common enough occurrence on English country walks. The cattle apparently panicked at the sight of her two dogs and attacked.

This is the second such death in as many years. Last year a woman was killed in Suffolk in the same manner, and two weeks ago former Home Secretary David Blunkett was injured by a cow after it was startled by Blunkett’s seeing eye dog.

Late spring and early summer are popular times for hiking in England, but it is also the time of year that cattle give birth to calves and will become aggressive if they think their young are threatened. As I continue my series on English country walks, keep in mind that hiking always has its dangers and check out these safety precautions from the Ramblers, England’s premiere hiking organization. For cattle, it recommends that you should never get between a cow and her calf, and if they go after your dog, to let it off the leash. The dog can generally get away and the cows will go after the animal, allowing you a chance to escape.

Photo of the Day (8/14/08)

by Kent Wien on

Today’s photo of the day comes from Flickr user fiznatty who shot this in Yorkshire, in the U.K. I love how the sun lights up the landscape while the sky above begins to turn dark. Throw in a single tree and a house and you have a piece of art.

Way to go fiznatty for capturing a moment that most people would have rushed past.

Are you a Flickr user who’d like to share a travel related picture or two for our daily consideration? Submit it to Gadling’s Flickr group right now! We just might use it for our Photo of the Day!