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Most travellers’ itineraries include a museum or gallery, perhaps even two or three, but sometimes there are only so many ancient pieces of pottery or deftly crafted eighteenth-century landscapes one can view before going cross-eyed with boredom. In a celebration of the truly absurd, we bring you six of the strangest museums you’ll ever have the opportunity to visit.
region: Europe
Pop-up glamping in the Welsh countryside
There are some amazing sights to be seen in the UK, however Wales often gets overlooked. It shouldn’t. One of the best ways to immerse yourself in Wales’s dramatic landscapes and fascinating Celtic culture is with a stay at Epic Retreats, a new pop-up glamping experience in the country’s northern wilds.
Appearing in two locations – deep within the valley of Llanfihangel y Pennant in the heart of Southern Snowdonia and along the fringes of golden beaches in Llŷn Peninsula – you’ll find eight unique abodes, complete with a luxe bed, ensuite and wood burner or stove. Each one is a winning design created by architects from around the globe, and each features a unique backstory inspired by the ancient mythology and natural beauty of Wales.
There’s the Animated Forest, which draws on the Welsh Poem Cad Goddeu; The Battle of the Trees, with its design resembling a creature making its way through the woodland; and the wide and glassy Dragon’s Eye, offering outstanding views from its circular rotating bed and, when lit up at night, the very image of an eye peering out through the darkness. For stargazers, the Sky Hut, with a ceiling that cracks open to reveal the heavens above – based on the tale of Cadair Idris, a mountain created by a giant warrior poet to best view the stars. There’s also a breakfast tent, communal area and staff on site 24-hours a day.
Depending on your length of stay you can choose to explore the surrounding area at your leisure, or take part in a stack of adventure-filled activities crafted by Cambria Tours that will take you deep into the pages of Welsh history, including learning how to forage in the wilderness, local wine and beer tastings, hiking through Snowdonia National Park and discovering archaeological wonders.
In the evenings settle in around a crackling campfire and tuck into a hot, fresh meal crafted from local produce while being serenaded by your live entertainment as the sun sinks down below the mountains, reminiscing on myths and legends. Now that’s epic.
Paris’s Mexican-themed speakeasy
If you want to impress travel pals with your local know-how then
this is the place to be. A drinking den that’s hidden behind an unmarked door at the back of a matchstick-box-sized Mexican restaurant, Candelaria basically ticks every box on the hip hit list: the front is a sparsely decorated taco stand, the back a candlelit clandestine bar.
Try authentic tacos and quesadillas, and affordable cocktails from a menu that favours agave spirits, such as mezcal and tequila; wannabe connoisseurs can even dabble in a flight of four for US$35. Those feeling less intrepid should give Al Son de la Batanga (made with Olmeca Altos Tequila Blanco, Amaro Montenegro, fresh lime juice and Chinotto) a whirl, or perhaps La Guèpe Verte (chilli-infused tequila blanco, fresh lime juice, agave syrup, coriander leaves and cucumber). There are even special brunch cocktails on offer at weekends between 12pm and 4pm.
Located in Paris’ quiet 3rd arrondissement it’s perfect for a quick nightcap, but also plenty close to the bustling Latin Quarter and the more suave Le Marais.
Monstrosity or marvel? 6 wild structures
Garish or great? You decide. Here are six of the globe’s most outlandish designs for your viewing pleasure.
Amsterdam’s avant-garde glamping hub
Indulge in an unusual sleepover at Amsterdam’s pop-up Urban Campsite. In its third incarnation, this weird and wonderful take on tenting has sprouted at Amsterdam’s Science Park. This year’s event (on until 1 September) explores the “the art of tech living”, while past iterations include the “art-sleep-experience” set on an artificial island, and a far simpler event at the Vliegenbos campsite back in 2013. Take your pick of 14 unique sleeping quarters, from a dumpster dubbed Dakloos (homeless) complete with sliding roof, to Tubalow (sewer-cum-bungalow), and even a Leonardo da Vinci-inspired tent covered in giant pick-up-sticks.
Relax in your own biodegradable B&B Foam Home, or live out your space exploration fantasies in Universe 9, a 360-degree rotating research ship. For a night in the slow lane opt for the Slow Camper – a refurbished 70s-era electric van and turn your world upside down in the Big Box.
Bed down in Berlin’s anti-hotel
Set in a former vacuum factory in the arty district of Neukölln, this urban campsite offers all the charm of a night under canvas without the bugs and other beasts that go bump in the night. The site’s ‘creative playground’ is scattered with revamped caravans and quirky wooden cottages, each individually styled for a unique stay. There are also regular rooms with ensuites for a more mainstream getaway and an on-site cafe for a hearty slice of city sustenance.
With a garden complete with a hammock and swing strung up between wildflowers, tumbling beans and corn, the Hüettenpalast is so chill it’s easy to forget the big smoke is just metres from this hillbilly haven. Thankfully the friendly hosts have made life easy on weary travellers by compiling a list of the local shops and cafes that most merit exploring. And word on the street is a sauna will even be added to the fold in the not too distant future… watch this space.
Take a tour of Paris’s sewer system
Beneath the enchanting scenes of the Seine and Paris’s cobblestone footpaths lies the route for one of the city’s oldest tours. Since the latter part of the nineteenth century, the Paris Sewer Museum has guided tourists and locals alike through the pungent labyrinth of its underground system.
It’s a true feat of early engineering and design – construction began in the 1300s – but this museum isn’t for those with a delicate disposition. With fully dressed mannequins posed as workers and thoroughly entertaining information about the city and its catacombs on offer, this is a tour that neither you nor your nostrils will be able to forget.
Marvel at the giant balls once used to clean the sewers, which look like they could have been plucked from the set of an Indiana Jones movie. Paris’s sewer network spans some 2, 100 kilometres, and tours were once conducted by locomotive-drawn carriages and also by boat. Guided tours are available, or go it alone.
The sculpture that formed a micronation
Who would have thought a Swedish national park could attract so much controversy? Hidden in the Kullaberg Nature Reserve in Skåne in the country’s south, is the giant sculpture Nimis (Latin for ‘too much’), constructed by controversial Swedish artist Lars Vilks. Built entirely from driftwood – at least so it’s believed – Vilks started crafting the structure in 1980, and it took two years before anybody even noticed.
Once it was uncovered, a series of convoluted court battles between Vilks and the local council led to the artist to declare one square kilometre of the nature reserve as autonomous from Sweden. And so the Royal Republic of Ladonia was born in 1996.
The micronation has a flag, a motto, two unnamed anthems, a capital, several official languages, a government, a queen, a president, a vice-president, a state secretary and almost 18,000 citizens worldwide. You can apply to become a citizen via the website for free, or even opt for a noble title for a small fee. Despite all this, nobody actually lives there.
The sculpture itself is impressively large, and as you climb down through it you feel as though you’re entering Netherland. The driftwood has been intricately cobbled together using nails and whatever else Vilks could get his hands on, to create an epic wooden labyrinth with tunnels you can climb through, and towers you can climb on. It’s awesome in both scale and concept.
All hail Vilks, the founder of Ladonia.
Loop around Amsterdam’s best buildings
Its most familiar calling cards might be coffeeshops and the Red Light district, but Amsterdam offers plenty beyond these less than salubrious features. A city founded some 800 years ago, there is a wealth of history hiding in its canal-side cobblestone streets. And with a little research you can uncover it all in one fell swoop by foot or on one of the capital’s ubiquitous bicycles.
Most conveniently, a KLM flight attendant has done all the hard work for you and come up with a handy pre-plotted route that includes 37 of Amsterdam’s most impressive edifices and takes in the vast bulk of the city’s thoroughfares.
Visitors begin (and finish) the 13-kilometre walk at the palace-like Amsterdam Central Station – a rijksmonuments, or national heritage site, built in 1889. After that you’ll mosey along one of the oldest canals in Amsterdam, delving straight into the tangle of tiny alleys that is De Wallen, the Dutch capital’s largest Red Light District.
Next up is Zeedijk, the home of the the city’s Chinatown, where you’ll stop to eye the 15th century De Waag, or Weigh House. It’s said to be the oldest remaining non-religious building in all of Amsterdam. This turreted structure was even depicted by Rembrandt in his 1632 painting The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp.
Then you’ll whizz over countless bridges, through numerous stone squares and past several museums, galleries, breweries and historic warehouses before landing on Prinsengracht, or Prince’s Canal, often called one of the city’s most beautiful stretches.
Some three hours later you’ll wind up at the final stop, and the most Dutch of all institutions: the gin bar. Neck more than 70 different liqueurs and genevers in tulip glasses, all produced in-house using traditional 17th century craft methods.
If you want to get your mitts on a tangible replica of these historic houses you’ll need to fly business class with KLM, where each passenger is presented with their own miniature delft house. Every year on the date of KLM’s anniversary, 7 October, a new house is added to the collection. There are 97 models now.
Walk among fire and ice
Waterfalls, vast glaciers and volcanoes. Need we say more? Covering 13 per cent of Iceland’s landscape, Vatnajökull National Park is as versatile as it is large. And although this natural playground of fire and ice was designated a national park as recently as 2008, its attractions formed eons ago. In the north, you’ll uncover Dettifoss, considered to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe; the iconic horseshoe-curved cliffs of Ásbyrgi; and volcanoes erupting from the earth between threads of glacial rivers. Among these volcanoes are Kverkfjöll and Snæfell, the colourful craters of Askja, and the Queen of the Mountains – otherwise known as the volcanic table mountain Herðubreið.
Transitioning to the south you’ll encounter part of the park known for its towering mountain ridges. Here the central volcano of Öræfajökull and Iceland’s highest peak, Hvannadalshnjúkur, scrape at the sky. Witnessing it all from afar is breathtaking, but there’s nothing quite like setting off on a true adventure. Pull on your explorer’s hat and join an ice walking or climbing tour, try your hand at snowmobiling across the glacier or descend between the glassy walls of an ice cave. Though the Vatnajökull glacier’s icecap covers a large portion of the park (it’s the largest icecap in Europe), the variety of geological curiosities that inhabit the national park make for an incredible visit.
