The Republic of San Marino

The unique thing about visiting an enclave is that no matter where you’re coming from, you must travel through another country first, in this case Italy. San Marino is one of the smallest countries in the world, only 60 sq km (23.5 sq mi) in total area, ranking it number 221 out of 233 countries (and outlying territories) in total size.

The Kingdom of Lesotho

An enclave within the country of South Africa, Lesotho’s other most interesting geographical feature is that its lowest point is the highest of any country in the world! Lesotho also produces one of the most striking visual borders we’ve seen on Google’s satellite images, due to the change in vegetation as you pass from Lesotho’s west side to South Africa.

Vatican City

The smallest sovereign state in the world, Vatican City is an enclave not just inside Italy, but also inside the city of Rome. This is also the world’s only walled enclave, since its small border is marked almost entirely with a city wall.

Of course it’s also home to the Pope and the governing body of the Roman Catholic Church, and although not commonly known as its own country, Vatican City offers clergy, guard members and other workers optional citizenship; they generate their own income from tourist sales; and they even issue their own Euro coins.

Be sure to check out other enclave/exclave GSS articles like Point Roberts, USA, Complicated borders featuring the split personality town of Baarle-Hertog/Baarle-Nassau, and Interesting Exclaves of the United States.

Also check out Wikipedia for more information about landlocked countries, San Marino, Lesotho, and Vatican City!

Locations: Italy, South Africa / Categories: Weirdness, World Heritage Sites

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While some are making objections to the passing car in their own special way, others aren’t really understanding the nature of the technology.

This woman was inside when she spotted the Google car, and leapt up to expose her bra through a window at the passing car.

However she probably failed to realise that – while the existence an anonymised picture of you flashing your underwear isn’t a particularly risky thing in itself – having a picture of you posted on Google Maps while flashing your underwear at work is probably another matter.

Update: We’ve been contacted by the business owner, and it turns out this is indeed a farm nursery after all. In fact, they think it’s as funny as we do, and the woman involved will not be disciplined in any way.

For all the very latest funny and shocking Street View sightings, you should follow us on Twitter!

Locations: England / Categories: Street Views

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The images cover roads from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, and actually extend all the way beyond, right up into Shetland.

Google have recorded images of a further 210,000 miles of roads, bringing the total to approximately 246,985 miles of coverage.

We expect lots of new fascinating and probably scandalous sights to be discovered in the next couple of days, so be sure to leave a comment with a link to anything you find!

Update: This update also provided imagery for Hong Kong and Macau.

For all the very latest funny and shocking Street View sightings, you should follow us on Twitter!

Locations: England, Scotland / Categories: Site News, Street Views

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Now more than 11,000 votes have been counted, and the three Best Streets in Britain have been named. Not all the winners are yet visible on Street View, but rumour has it that Google will be putting that right soon, so watch this space…

Most picturesque street: Shambles, York

It might seem odd that the name of the winner in this category normally describes something that’s a total mess – but “shambles” originally referred to a meat market. This narrow medieval street in York is lined with timber-framed buildings, some of them more than 600 years old, which used to house at least two dozen butchers’ shops. Raw meat would be displayed on shelves outside the shops, and the gutter down the middle of the street would run with blood and offal.

Today, there are no butchers on the Shambles itself (although there is still one on the adjacent Little Shambles) and things are somewhat less gory – chocolate shops and tea rooms are the order of the day.

At number 35, you can see the former home of Margaret Clitherow, who was arrested in 1586 for harbouring Catholic priests, and sentenced to death by “pressing” (being crushed beneath a heavy weight). She was made a saint in 1970 and the house is now a shrine.

Most picturesque street runner-up: Royal Crescent, Bath

This grand curve of Georgian houses was designed by John Wood the Younger and completed in 1774. There’s no Street View yet, but Wikipedia has a good panorama of the whole street.

A couple of interesting bits of trivia about the Royal Crescent: firstly, although the facades of the houses are all uniform, you can see from the aerial view that the design of the houses behind varies widely, as each was built to a different specification for the original buyers. Second, it has been suggested that the crescent, together with the Circus (the circular road just to the east) and streets just to the south were laid out to represent Masonic symbols.

Most picturesque street runner-up: Grey Street, Newcastle upon Tyne

Another curving Georgian street, this one was built in the 1830s. Although pipped to the top spot in Google’s awards, it headed a list of Britain’s favourite streets as voted by BBC Radio 4 listeners in 2002. (If you’re wondering about the rather drab name, it commemorates Earl Grey – yes, the same man who gave us funny-tasting tea.)

Best fashion street: Milsom Street, Bath

Another award for the city of Bath, which is not yet covered by Street View. The buildings here were originally grand town houses, but over time it has become a renowned shopping street, with small boutiques as well as Jolly’s department store, which dates back to the 1830s and is now part of the House of Fraser chain. Find more photos of the area at Geograph.

Best foodie street: High Street, Stockbridge

The market town of Stockbridge lies in the valley of the River Test, one of Hampshire’s famous trout streams. Its broad high street won the award for its range of pubs, inns, restaurants and specialist food shops¹. Again there’s no Street View yet, but you can find plenty more photos on Geograph.

You can see the full list of nominees here, with links to Street Views of those that are covered. But do you know better? Have you found a more picturesque, stylish or downright tasty street, in the UK or abroad? If it’s on Street View, let’s have a look at it…

Locations: England / Categories: Buildings, Street Views

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50 years later a bizarre series of suicides began to take place on the bridge, whereby dogs would regularly throw themselves to their deaths from the parapets.

Since the suicides began, it is claimed that at least 50 dogs have killed themselves here; all at virtually the same spot, and all of them long-nosed breeds.

Why they jumped is still a mystery.

Many theories have been put forward; hypnotic water sounds, some sort of interference from a nearby nuclear base, electrical impulses, and even ghosts – but it took a canine psychologist (and a Channel 5 documentary) to provide a vaguely plausible explanation.

Bing maps view of Overtoun bridge and one of the estate’s buildings.

Dr David Sands found that Mink were breeding under the bridge, and posits that their strong scent is simply irresistible to inquisitive dogs. Combine this with a dog’s low viewpoint, and perhaps one can see why a dog would leap over the edge to their death.

However, with around 20,000 mink in Scotland, it seems a little strange that dogs aren’t chucking themselves off more bridges all over the country.

So, why do you think all these dogs decided to end it all from the Overtoun Bridge?

More info: Overtoun Bridge at Wikipedia.

Locations: Scotland / Categories: Bridges, Weirdness

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Let’s take a look at some of the more unique street circuits around the world…

1. Monte Carlo, Monaco – Since 1929, the streets of Monte Carlo have been home to a motor race each year, and today the principality is home to Formula One’s Monaco Grand Prix. A lap around the 3.34 km (2.075 mi) circuit goes directly underneath the Grand Hotel via a tunnel and ricochets around a swimming pool next to the city’s harbour. The track continues to hold events each year in late May.

2. Norisring, Nuremberg, Germany – Built on top of former Nazi party rally grounds in Nuremberg, this track is 2.3 km (1.4 mi) in length and uses the grandstand from Zeppelin Field as it’s centrepiece. The track is host to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series and the Formula 3 Euro Series each year.

3. Cleveland, Ohio, USA – The Grand Prix of Cleveland was held from 1982 to 2007 on the fully functioning Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Ohio. The airport had to be shut down once a year for a week to get converted into a 10-turn racetrack. Traces of the track are hard to see these days on Google Maps, but if you look closely you can see some tires stacked up near turn 8, various asphalt patches along the racing line on the taxiways (used to try and smooth out the bumpy track for the lightweight race cars), and some tire tracks from the pit stalls. Races are rumoured to return in 2010 but nothing has been announced yet.

Keep an eye out for follow-up posts on more street circuits around the world, including some that you can lap with the Street View car! Stay tuned!

Locations: Germany, Monaco, Ohio / Categories: Stadiums and Sport

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After contracting tuberculosis as as a young man, Don Justo promised to build a cathedral dedicated to “Our Lady of the Pillar” if he recovered from his illness.

A man of his word, Don Justo hasn’t let his lack of architectural knowledge impede this mission – there are no architectural plans for the cathedral; the design has simply been inspired by other churches and Don Justo’s own vision. However, this has led to concerns about the building’s structural integrity.

Don Justo has done the majority of work by himself, but has had occasional assistance from family members or volunteers. He uses income from his farm to purchase some construction materials but the bulk are recycled, donated, or leftovers from nearby building projects.

It’s probably going to take another 15-20 years of work to complete the cathedral, but as Don Justo is now in his mid-80s, he may not be around to finish it himself.

Given the uncertain construction quality, and the fact that technically, permission for the construction was never granted in the first place, it’s clear that the town authorities will face a dilemma about whether to leave it standing after Don Justo’s eventual death.

Thanks to Nicolas.

Locations: Spain / Categories: Buildings, Street Views, Structures, Weirdness

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Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten (SXM)

Passengers arriving into Princess Juliana often fly just a few metres over the head of sunbathers below on Maho Beach. The combination of screaming jet aircraft and beautiful tropical scenery in such close proximity make this airport a mecca for the world’s plane spotters. In fact, check out this video showing the arrival of a 747, shot by yours truly on a 2004 trip.

Arrival isn’t the only exciting part of this airport either; departing aircraft must make an immediate right hand turn to avoid flying directly into the 317 m St. Peter Hill. At the same time, the departing planes blow a massive amount of jet blast back onto Maho Beach – so strong is the blast that it can cause you and your belongings to be blown right into the water if you’re not careful.

Gustaf III Airport, Saint Barthélemy (SBH)

This small airstrip is aligned east/west between the beach at St. Jean and a steep hill west of the airfield. Arriving aircraft have to fly very low to the ground and then descend rapidly down the side of an extremely steep hill to make the field. To make matters worse, the top of the hill has a traffic circle and the airfield itself is very short! Take a look at this picture to see how tight the approach really is.

Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Saba (SAB)

Built on the side of a potentially active volcano, Saba is home to the smallest commercial runway in the world. Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport’s single runway is only 396 m (1,300 ft) long, making the field totally inaccessible to anything but small aircraft flown by specially trained pilots, and helicopters.

To make matters worse, the ends of the runway drop 18 m (60 ft) off a vertical cliff into the ocean, while the side of the strip is covered in high hills.

To book a trip to any of these airports, use the three letter airport code next to the name. The weather’s great all year round!

Locations: France, Netherlands, North America / Categories: Aircraft, Volcanoes

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Let’s begin by looking at several of the claimants to the title of Oldest Pub in Britain. The Guinness Book of Records officially recognises Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St Albans.

Originally named the Round House, the current name was taken from the barbaric sport which used to take place in the bar. While the octagonal building dates to the 11th century, it was moved to its current location in 1599. This fact leads to disputes about the legitimacy of its claim to be the oldest pub.

It’s unsure exactly when Ye Olde Man & Scythe in Bolton was built, but it was mentioned in historic documents from 1251.

However, it too has been rebuilt over time, with only the cellar remaining from the original building.

Continuing a somewhat predictable naming theme, Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem in Nottingham claims to have been built in 1189, though no official documentation proves that, and the current building is about 300 years old.

With no clear winner, I’ll claim the Trip as my personal favourite of the three, having had my share of pints in its tiny rooms and caves carved out of Castle Rock.

The Sheep Heid in Edinburgh claims to be Scotland’s oldest pub, dating the site to 1360.

While they probably no longer sell the food for which the pub is named, it is a listed building with a famous skittle alley about 140 years old.

The Skirrid Mountain Inn claims to be Wales’ oldest pub, with an interesting history serving as a courthouse, with condemned prisoners being hung from a beam in the bar.

Moving on to other superlatives, Britain’s highest pub is also somewhat disputed. The Tan Hill Inn at 528m above sea level is generally considered the highest.

Anything at this altitude in the Pennines sees its share of weather; in fact after this past new year’s, revellers spent 3 days trapped in the pub because of snow. I can think of worse places to be stuck, and by all accounts a jolly time was had by all.

The Cat & Fiddle in Derbyshire is contesting the title however, with measurements placing it anywhere from 515m to 540m.

Meanwhile, Street View takes us to the top of the Glenshane Pass (305m) and Northern Ireland’s highest pub, the Ponderosa.

A number of pubs boast somewhat gruesome histories or legends, including Bristol’s Hatchet Inn, where the front door is rumoured to be covered in human skin (underneath the paint).

Meanwhile, the Bucket of Blood in Phillack takes it’s attractive name from an incident many years ago when the landlord, fetching water from the well, pulled up a pail full of human blood.

The victim is purported to be the local tax collector, with his ghost believed to haunt the pub to this day. A hearty red ale is served to take advantage of this story.

To Scotland, and the more heart-warming story of Edinburgh’s Grayfriars Bobby’s Bar, named for a dog which, in the 19th century, spent 14 years watching over the grave of his owner.

A small statue of Bobby is visible outside the pub, which is near the graveyard where Bobby kept his faithful watch.

Also in Edinburgh, the Canny Mans is notable both for the vast collection of random objects which adorn the ceilings and walls, and the strictly-enforced list of ‘rules’ outside the pub, giving it a reputation as somewhat unwelcoming.

Finally, Glasgow’s Horse Shoe claims the longest bar in the world, though that is disputed by a number of other establishments.

With an estimated 50,000+ pubs in Britain, this is just a tiny selection. Where do you raise a glass?

Thanks to Alex and James for the Scottish locations, and kevinoakgrove for the Ponderosa.

Locations: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales / Categories: Buildings, Street Views, Weirdness

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The technique has been popularised on the Internet in recent years by pavement artists such as Julian Beever and Edgar Mueller, but as far as we’re aware, their creations have never lasted long enough to be captured by any of Google’s cameras. However a number of buildings around the world have been adorned with large Trompe-l’œil murals, many of which which can be seen on Street View – if you can get to exactly the right spot…

This massive mural on the Lani Nalu Plaza building in Honolulu features Hawaii’s last monarch, Queen Lili’uokalani, alongside Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern surfing. The figures are shown on a towering wave that threatens to crush three onlooking children.

Mana Nalu mural by John Pugh

From the right angle the effect is so realistic that when some passing firefighters first saw the mural, they actually rushed over to save the children. Don’t believe this isn’t 3D? Look how the illusion is completely shattered by moving only a few metres down the road!

Mana Nalu mural by John Pugh

Sometimes trompe-l’œil can have practical applications too. In Paris, the Saint-Georges Theatre was transformed from a featureless modern carbuncle into a stylish original building, simply with the addition of some convincingly realistic paintwork.

Saint-Georges Theatre by Dominique Antony

Some of the largest murals in the trompe-l’œil style have been made by Richard Haas, such as at 1211 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, where in 1980 he converted a plain 16-story 1929 building into a gargantuan tribute to Chicago School architecture.

Three sides of the building are covered in trompe-l’œil – here we can see the south face, which uses elements from several Louis Sullivan creations and includes a “reflection” of the Chicago Board of Trade Building in the painted windows.

Homage to the Chicago School by Richard Haas

Another artist working in the same medium is Eric Grohe, who converted the plain exterior wall of a shopping wall into a realistic sweeping vista onto a stunningly realised Niagara Falls.

Niagara by Eric Grohe

However in terms of sheer realism, we’ll have to come back to John Pugh, whose publicly visible work we’ve managed to find in several other places.

Siete Punto Uno (7.1) by John Pugh (created to commemorate the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake)

Bay in a Bottle, Santa Cruz, California, by John Pugh

Standin’ on the Corner Park, Winslow, Arizona, by John Pugh

There are hundreds more examples around the world – what other trompe-l’œil murals do you know of?

Locations: Arizona, California, France, Hawaii, Illinois, New York / Categories: Buildings, Monuments, Street Views

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