Often, when I’m travelling, I will unsuspectingly turn a corner and find something that, quite frankly, if you had told me earlier that I was going to see I may have thought you a little unusual.
I don’t mean things you see when you have gone somewhere off the beaten track and are anticipating the sight of weird and wonderful things. But rather when it seems completely random and out of place, but in a good way of course.
This is one of my very favourite things about travel; the random discoveries, the corners hiding susprises that, upon discovery strike the question – who on earth put that there? What is the meaning behind that? This place is a little weird and wonderful – what else am I going to find?
Walking down a street and seeing something that stops you in your tracks, causing you to whip out your camera and consider the purpose and meaning of this unusual thing means that, when travelling – depending on your taste and interests of course – you will never get bored. There is always something new to see, however curious. An ordinary street can be transformed into a piece of art.
It may be obvious by now, if you have perused my blog, that I have a passion for unusual things and quirky places. This post is here to celebrate that.
Here is a selection of some of the unusual things I have come across whilst on my travels that made me stop in my tracks.
A Lamb Banana Hybrid in Liverpool
Photo by Ulysse
This was a complete surprise. I mean, when would you ever expect to come across a statue of a gigantic lamb, coloured and shaped like a banana? After a visit to the Museum of Liverpool more can be discovered about these gregarious and gargantuan statues – including their name. Down a standard street in Liverpool centre this bright yellow Superlambanana can be found. As you can imagine, it is very hard to miss.
We found a few more outside the Museum and actually learnt a little bit about why they are a mascot of the city. It is similar to the Berlin Bear – artistic additions to the city that are striking, a bit of fun and help to make the city unique. After the initial surpirse of seeing this yellow one, I grew very accustomed to these quirky fellows and they made me keen to return to the City of Liverpool one day to see how many more I can find.
A Bench with Socks on in Vilnius
Ok, so apparently Vilnius, the Capital of Lithuania is so cold even the benches need socks on. This made me laugh when I saw it, there were about three benches that all had different pairs of socks on. It was November so absolutely freezing as you can imagine with it being Eastern Europe but still, does that warrant putting socks on the benches? I do not know who did this or the reason behind it, perhaps just for a bit of fun to make people laugh, but I loved it. I admired the design of these particular socks too – they have claws, and it is bizarre and fantastic, and if the idea simply is to stop you in your tracks and make you laugh – it certainly worked.
A Village for Ducks in Sliema
Whilst wandering around the beautiful twinkling harbour in Sliema, Malta one doesn’t necessarily expect to stumble across a mini village especially for ducks and other animals – but this is exactly what can be found – and it is absolutely adorable. Ducks, cats, pigeons and guinea pigs can all be found living in harmony here and you can make donations to support the happy lives of these special creatures. A surprising find but one that makes you happy to your very core. Read my full post on this curious little island to find out more!
Scarier-than-usual Gargoyles in Salisbury
Now, I know that gargoyles on cathedrals, churches and other various forms of architecture can often be a little disconcerting; peculiar statues peering at you with a look of warning when you are just going past minding your own business. But these faces that can be seen upon looking upwards at Salisbury Cathedral are in another realm of their own. They are like something I would expect to see in a House of Horrors at a theme park, not on a city cathedral. Architects apparently included sinister and scary faces on their buildings in order to ward off demons and evil spirits, but the only thing I’m seeing here is two evil faces that may scare off tourists!
An Unusual Maintenance Sign in London
Down a random London street, I once came upon this maintenance sign warning of Risotto Balls. I can not remember which part of London I saw this in and have no idea whether it was even pointing to an Italian resaurant but hey, does it matter? The point is, it was weird and it made me stop and chuckle. I considered myself warned that Risotto Balls could be found nearby, although the dustbin and litter bags were less than appetising.
A Giant Lobster Sculpture in Barcelona
Although Barcelona is known for its unusual sculptures that can be found all around the city, already making it a leading contender in the quirky and artistic, this giant lobster sculpture still makes quite a statement. Originally designed to be part of the decor at a seafood restaurant, it now graces the beachside Passeig Colom walkway after the restaurant closed down. This lovely fella makes adults and children alike smile as they walk past. It is very hard to resist that cheeky smile and many people opt to have photographs taken with him.
A Giant in Vilnius Train Station
Another entry for the Capital of Lithuania. This is definitely one of the most unusual things I’ve come across. A giant statue of the character Tony Soprano from the television show The Sopranos just plonked on a platform at Vilnius Train Station. It is 5 metres tall and you can see how big it is from this picture if you compare my travel partner with it. Not only is this a giant but they decided to dress it in a dressing gown and underwear. This is certainly something you don’t expect to stumble across when you are just innocently waiting for your train, but once you’ve seen it, you never forget it.
A Quirky Sticker on a Reykjavík Park Bench
Whoever J.Regant is, they wanted to get their voice heard. And they did. This public admission of insanity was not something I was expecting to see on a standard street bench whilst exploring Reykjavík but I loved how it made me stop and laugh. It made me think about why it was there – was it just a joke or did it have a purpose? I was not on Twitter or Instagram at the time of taking this but I have since looked up the hashtag from the bottom of the sticker #HappyReykjavik and it appears there are actually many more of these stickers to be found around the city and people have posted them on social media as they have found them. They just spread humour and messages of joy to make people smile and that is something quirky and intriguing that you certainly will not find in a brochure as to why you should visit Reykjavík. For me now though, it is one of the many reasons I would return.
A Frank Zappa Head in a Vilnius Car Park
Another entry for Vilnius – it really is a quirky city! Even more so when you discover that apparently legendary rock musician Frank Zappa had absolutely no connection with Vilnius or even Lithuania in general for that matter. So, what is a tall, poker-thin monument with the musician’s head on top doing in a car park there? Well, this isn’t immediately clear without indulging in some further research upon which you discover that the monument marks the beginning of post-Soviet Lithuania, as initiated by the proud Frank Zappa fan club that resides in Vilnius, particularly the bohemian micro-state of Užupis.
A Protest House in Jersey, Channel Islands
This house that can be found in St Mary, Jersey is owned by a man that was fined thousands of pounds for removing rotting wood from the historically important house as it breached the planning rules. Now, the house stands unlived in and desolate – merely there to make a political statement. As you can see, the house is covered in banners directing anger towards the Jersey government, and understandably so because as the argument ensues, it appears that the man can no longer afford to do anything at all with the property. It is quite shocking to come upon this protest house – perhaps in other parts of the world it wouldn’t be. However, Jersey is a very small and peaceful island with not many signs of angry residents or unhappy people. There is next to no litter around the island and everywhere looks well kept and idyllic, so to see this makes you really stop and think.
A Husband Crèche Sign in Middlesbrough
I was out doing some work one day in Middlesbrough in the North East of England when I came across this sign in a café that made me stop, chuckle and take a photo. I had never heard of a Husband Crèche before and I thought the idea of it was great – if not a little cheeky – as most husbands/boyfriends don’t really enjoy shopping with their wives/girlfriends in clothes shops. This suggests that they are even a little childish as they are dragged around the shops. It is a free crèche with the only catch being that you must pay for his coffee…
So there were a few examples of the unusual things you see whilst travelling, I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and I would in turn love to hear about some of the unusual things you have come across on your own travels!
