Since this is an international site ... I was just wondering if posters could tell us little about interesting things in their respective countries or even in their own backyard ... it may be world famous or it maybe obscure , but worth knowing !!! Things that people just may not know ......

Just found out that the biggest bicycle parking lot in the world , is in the Netherlands... hmmm !!!

The place where they filmed 'Sometimes a Great Notion' is just
up the river.

Then lighthouse ending for 'Forever Young" was filmed in Newport.

The shortest river in the world is in the center of town here.

The smallest harbor in the world is in Depoe Bay.

Other than that, I am jsut on a wee piece of nowhere- )

Every time I see someone on a European TV show riding a bike, they just park it anywhere and never put a lock on it. Is there no bike thievery in Europe?

Guessing more people ride bicycles than drive cars ....

I live in the town where the Native American, Sacajawea was born. She was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Hell yes! And if you don't lock it, it's going to be stolen for sure! Worse in cities too.
In Amsterdam a lot of bicycles end up in the canals. An unbelievable amount! I believe they clean them regularly.

I always lock my bicycle, but not with one of them long chain locks. Not necessary and too much of a hassle. Now if I'd lived in Amsterdam I likely would, a real solid one too that cannot easily be cut open.
But I just use the default lock on the bicycle.

We are a cycling nation, hihi. Kids to go to school, people to go to work, recreational... for me it's just to go to the supermarket and back.
But in the past I had to cycle to school too, some 12-14km at times.

I don't go many places anymore.
There's "nawlins" (New Orleans) and a bunch of bayous and fishing spots not to mention gulf coast beaches.

I've lived nears some very interesting places.

In SouthEastern Missouri:
Pink Rock (Castor River Shut-Ins) where we used to go 4 wheeling, swimming and camping. Its a park but its an undeveloped park and the interesting parts usually take an hour or two to hike there. So worth it tho!





Here's a drone video of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj8VN4nMYRg

About a 2 hr drive from there you can find Johnson Shutins State Park, Another river rocks/waterfall tourist destination not many people know about.
After the dam broke and flooded the park they completely rebuilt it. There are paved paths to the shutins now. There's camping, playgrounds and day use areas with grills and picnic tables.
Roughly 2 hours from St Louis it sits down a long winding, hilly country road. The Black River feeds the natural attraction and from time to time, they need to limit the guests at the gate there are so many people there anymore. When I found it, the path was a dirt path and only bikers and hikers went there.
Still, even with the modern additions it a favorite destination for all my family.
The water, crystal clear, falls over granite rocks cutting deep but narrow pools. You can dive from some of the rocks into these pools. You can sit in the waterfalls and let them massage you. You do need some balance to navigate to the best spots.





Johnson's Shut-Ins, Missouri Drone Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj1Q6nsRDfo

On your way to Johnson's Shutins you can stop by at Elephant Rocks State Park in Belleview, MO.
Elephant Rocks State Park is a state-owned geologic reserve and public recreation area encompassing an outcropping of Precambrian granite in the Saint Francois Mountains in the U.S. state of Missouri. The state park is named for a string of large granite boulders which resemble a train of pink circus elephants.
So yes, you really can see Pink Elephants.


We used to go there to swim in the old quarry. They closed that so now there's a hiking path to the rocks and picnic spots near the parking area.
Its a park, set up for tourists. Still pretty cool tho. Plus, its on the way to Johnson's shutins.





Drone footage. Elephant Rocks State Park
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAv-uUs6A90

There's also Taum Sauk Mountain to hike.



Take a float trip to Current River Springs



Lake Wappapello, Trail of Tears State Park and Cohokia Mounds in Illinios.

Every weekend I took my family someplace for picnics and swimming in the summer. Purina Farms, Forrest Park (zoo, science center, amphitheater and stables) Suson Park, Grant's Farm (Budweiser Clydesdale stables), Mark Twain Lake and seriously way too many cool places to name.

Back in 1865, the town I reside was known for their lumbering, milling, and shipbuilding.

I live near Edgar Allen Poe’s gravesite and for 75 years a mystery person would visit his grave on January 19, Poe’s birthday. They would toast to Poe with a bottle of cognac and leave the remaining cognac and 3 red roses. Their last toast was in 2009, never appearing beyond that and to this day no one knows the identify of the person.

The River of No Return.

Did you know there was two Taj Mahals ... yup ! One was completed and the other on the opposite side started , but not completed due to death of the Emperor!!

That is so interesting .
Could they not get fingerprints of the bottle left behind and search for a match ?? Just a thought !!!

I live close to the Dark Sky Observatory or I should say lived close to because it burnt down last month sadly.

It was one of Scotland’s top tourist spots too due to our exceptionally dark night skies. The pic below is before it burnt to the ground. The source of the fire is still unknown and the Scottish authorities are currently treating the blaze as suspicious. Investigations are ongoing.

Well OMG that was certainly in the line of fire!
What started that fire?

No one knows yet but as it happened after midnight my guess it was arson probably started by youths. Police are appealing for dashcam videos but I don’t think many will have dashcam footage due to how isolated the area is.

I visited it last year too.

This is how it looks now

Given the PG13 nature of this site...
It might be best, if I don't post my
descriptive opinions of those who would
destroy another's property.

It’s sad that the perps had no consideration and to spoil what many enjoyed.

To get to this place you have to travel many miles on a single dirt track road with many bumps and turns along the way. Your vehicle had to have good suspension haha. I’m thinking the fire had time to get a hold due to how long it would have taken the fire department to get there in the dead of night and that’s why it was razed to the ground.

I hope a recovery can be made.