On a vacation in Hong Kong in January, I kept noticing terrific signs that you’d never see in the U.S. I took pictures of a bunch of them, and here are some of my favorites.

I’ve seen “Caution: Wet Floor” signs, but never one warning me about a garden hose. Speaking of watering…

I thought it was [...]

In Western Christian traditions, the period of Lent begins 40 days before Easter, starting with Ash Wednesday. The day before Ash Wednesday is known by a variety of names, and is frequently marked by celebrations, such as the famous Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro, and the Carnevale of Venice.

Mardi [...]

Traditional British food typically gets a bad rap in other countries for being either too bland or too greasy, but as with any food, it might simply be an acquired taste. We all have a soft spot for comfort foods we’ve grown up with, and if nothing else, the Brits do comfort food extremely well. [...]

Lowest (People per square kilometer)

Mongolia (2) Namibia (2) Australia (3) Botswana (3) Iceland (3) Surinam (3) Libya (3) Mauritania (3) Canada (3) Guyana (4)

Highest (People per square kilometer)

Monaco (16,205) Singapore (6,386) Malta (1,261) Maldives (1,164) Bahrain (1,035) Bangladesh (1,002) Vatican City (920) Barbados (648) Nauru (621) Mauritius (603)

Source: WorldAtlas.com

The Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye (or Y Gelli in Welsh) was the starting point for the international “book towns” movement, now made up of about 20 towns around the world. Boasting 41 bookstores for only 1500 inhabitants (that’s about one bookstore for every 37 residents), Hay-on-Wye also plays host to the annual Hay Festival, a [...]

When I was a kid, I remember passing through the town of Vegreville, Alberta on a family trip and seeing the giant “Pysanka” that is the town’s claim to fame. I found this enormous replica of the highly decorated eggs that are a Ukrainian Easter tradition impressive not only for its size, but also for [...]

King Ludwig II, ruler of Bavaria from 1864 until 1886, is one of Germany’s more colorful characters. His reign coincided with huge political changes in Germany, including the push for unification of the German territories led by Prussia. However, Ludwig preferred designing and building elaborate castles to political maneuvering, and had a special fondness for [...]

Humans have been fascinated with creating tall structures for most of their history; from the Tower of Babel to the Pyramids of Egypt, these grand scale building projects are symbols of power and achievement. It is no different today, as builders around the world vie to construct the tallest structures possible. But towers are not just [...]

To the best of my recollection, I’ve never been lost in the woods (or elsewhere away from civilization)—or at least not sufficiently lost that I didn’t have a general sense of which direction I needed to go. But if I were, I’d have many options for getting my bearings. I recall learning, as a kid, [...]

Taking as a starting point my short list in Museums of Interesting Things at Interesting Thing of the Day, I set out to discover other small museums that specialize in just one specific (and typically rather odd) subject matter. I thought I’d find a few more; it turns out there are dozens. Here’s a mere [...]