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8 Unusual Things To See On Mallorca

Mallorca (also known as Majorca) is the largest of the Balearic Islands off the east coast of Spain in the Mediterranean. It’s better known for its beaches and nightlife with party destination Magaluf and the home of the TV show, Love Island.

But beneath the tourist surface lies another Mallorca. Gothic cathedrals, medieval architecture, quiet coves, fascinating museums and a history that impacts the founding of modern USA.

If you’d like to explore this Mallorca, add these unusual things to your bucket list.

Northumberland: Ancient Lindisfarne, Modern Newcastle With L.J.Ross

Unusual Places

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The north-east of England combines the ancient history of Viking raids and English castles, with the stark beauty of Lindisfarne island cut off by the tides, and the vibrant city of Newcastle linked by its seven bridges.

In today’s episode, mystery author, LJ Ross talks about love of home, why she sets her books in the area, and tips for visiting.

LJ Ross is the internationally bestselling author of the DCI Ryan mystery series set in the north east of England including UK number one bestseller, Holy Island.

Why Louise feels that Northumberland will always be home, even as she and her family travel away and back again. The emotional resonance of where we have memory and family.
Are there geographic personalities? On the possible differences between the north and south of England
Lindisfarne, the Holy Island, and tips for visiting so you don’t get stranded by the tide as well as nearby Bamburgh Castle
Cragside and Victorian history
The city of Newcastle, seven bridges and the Victorian tunnels
How Louise is entwining her international travels into the upcoming Dr Alexander Gregory series, whose work as a psychological profiler takes him around the world
Recommended books set in Northumberland

You can find Louise at www.LJRossAuthor.com and on Twitter @ljross_author

Lindisfarne, Holy Island features in my travel memoir/solo walking book, Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways.

Pilgrimage Kickstarter Banner4 — My book, Pilgrimage, Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways, is out now

13 Unusual Things To See In New York City

Unusual Places

New York might be most famous for Wall Street, Broadway, the Statue of Liberty, and being a multi-cultural melting pot, but the city also has its stranger side.

Abandoned subway lines, marble cemeteries, mass graves, and a cheese house are just some of the weirdest examples. It seemed a logical place to set One Day in New York where ARKANE agent Jake Timber joins the hunt for a secret buried under the city.

If you’d like your trip to be a little darker, a little more ‘ARKANE’, then pay a visit to some of these weird and wonderful locations.

14 Unusual Things To See In Prague

Unusual Places

If you’re planning a trip to Prague, you might think first of the Christmas markets, the fascinating mix of architecture and its celebrated café culture (plus cheap beer!).

But the city has so much more to offer the intrepid traveler with a taste for the arcane and unusual. Here are 14 of the more offbeat things to see in Prague.

1. Sedlec Ossuary

This jaw-dropping ‘bone church’ lies an hour’s train ride to the east of Prague, in Kutná Hora. It’s well worth the trip for the incredible sculptures made from skulls and the intricate chandelier.

Sedlec Ossuary, Kutna Hora. Photo by JFPenn

Overcrowding in Sedlec cemetery forced the authorities to move bodies into a crypt to make space. In 1870, woodcarver František Rint took on the task of organizing jumbled skeletons. He turned them into the famous artistic arrangement visible today. You can even spot his name spelled in bones on the wall.

Its stunning chandelier plays a key role in the climax of Crypt of Bone, which was inspired by the Ossuary.

Berlin: Dark History And Modern Art with Rebecca Cantrell

Unusual Places

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Berlin is a modern city with vibrant street art, a growing tech scene and world-renowned museums and galleries — but it also has the dark history of the Nazi Third Reich and the Berlin Wall. In today’s episode, American thriller author Rebecca Cantrell talks about her love of the city and how it features in her historical mysteries.

In the intro, I mention my own trip to the city when I visited the murals on the ruins of the Berlin Wall, and the Ishtar Gate at the Pergamon Museum, once an entrance to the ancient city of Babylon, erected by King Nebuchadnezzar in 575 BCE, and now in full splendor in Berlin.

Rebecca Cantrell is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning thriller and mystery author. Her books include the supernatural Sanguine series co-written with James Rollins, the Joe Tesla technothrillers, and the Malibu Mysteries co-written with Sean Black. Today we’re talking about Berlin, the setting for her Hannah Vogel historical crime thrillers.

How Rebecca fell in love with Berlin as a young American from Alaska
Where the past and present collide in modern Berlin — Nazi Germany and the Berlin Wall
Street art, murals and modern, arty Berlin
Fascinating museums
Recommended food
Books about the history of Berlin
Why Becky loves to travel

Find Becky at www.RebeccaCantrell.com or on Twitter @rebeccacantrell

12 Unusual Things To See In Vienna

Unusual Places

Vienna is popularly known as das Schöne Wien (Beautiful Vienna). It might not strike you as a weird or Gothic destination since the city gave us the Viennese waltz, the Viennese whirl and of course, that catchy 1980s pop song by Ultravox.

But Vienna’s fascination for death and the macabre makes it one of the most Gothic cities in Europe. And as the former home of Sigmund Freud, it enjoys its fair share of weird.

If cemeteries, crime museums, and anatomy centers are your idea of top tourist sites, then Vienna is the city for you.

Let’s check out 12 unusual things you must see in the Austrian capital.

1. Sedlec Ossuary

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