DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life…
• We love coming across different sorts of food on StrangeSights and it seems there’s currently a plethora to choose from, whether it’s blue algae lattes in Melbourne or bone broth icypoles in New York City. And then there’s the current craze for combination foods – sure, we’ve all heard of the cronut (a croissant/donut cross) but what about the cruffin (croissant/muffin) or the croggle (we’re yet to work out what this even is!)?
• We’ve all heard of the expression ‘a picture is worth a 1,000 words’ but what about an emoji? Research released to mark World Emoji Day (17th July) found that 31 per cent of Australians have used an emoji to try and make-up after falling out with a loved one while 67 per cent of women and 52 per cent of men say emojis enable them to express themselves better. Twitter, meanwhile, marked the day by releasing a tranche of data which revealed, among other things, that ‘face with tears of joy’ (pictured_ was the most popular emoji used in Australia followed by ‘face with love heart eyes’.
• If zipping down a ski jump isn’t challenging enough, running up it may be just the sport for you (besides, when there’s no snow, how else can you make a ski jump fun?). More than 600 runners from 28 countries took part in Red Bull’s 400 event in Germany’s Black Forest last weekend, running up a 140 metre long ski slope. The winner, Ahmet Arslan from Turkey, reportedly took just three minutes, 40 seconds to do so. The event is just part of a series ski slope running events being held across Europe this summer.
• And, resuming our series on odd churches, this week we head to Ethiopia where we find the medieval Church of St George. Often referred to as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’, it was one of 11 churches carved out of solid rock in the 12th century apparently in a bid by King Lalibela to construct a ‘New Jerusalem’ in the region after Muslim conquests put an end to Holy Land pilgrimages. Created in the shape of a cross, the Biete Ghiorgis (the House of St George) stands apart from the other churches but is connected by a series of trenches. The church – and the 10 others – continue to be a place of pilgrimage. You can find out more about it on its World Heritage List entry.
