I’m here to tell you about some places.
Not just a couple of places, but a whole big bucket-filled-to-the-rim places.
The Atlas Obscura recently published a Map of Wonders. Well, that’s the title I came up with, as I don’t think their name is all that great.
They have called it “The definitive map of the world’s extraordinary sights.”
It is a virtual library of places, all of them supposedly amazing.
All you have to do is open the link, and there it is, for all the world to see… the world. All 24,401 Places. On one single map.
Now, I don’t know anyone who works at Atlas Obscura. So I have no idea who was in charge of selecting these 24,401 sights. But I will tell you this much. I clicked on Ohio because I sort of know Ohio. And here is a smidge of what I found.
Hamilton, Ohio
Fernald Preserve
A former nuclear facility during the Cold War turned nature preserve.
Okay. It is noble. I’ll give it that. But a nature preserve as being an “extraordinary sight?” (They said extraordinary. Not me.)
When I think of extraordinary, I think of the Pyramids of Giza. Or the Easter Island Heads. Or places like Stonehenge?
Okay, okay. I then thought, “Well. I tried Ohio. Let’s give someplace mystical a try, like Iceland.”
So I clicked on Iceland, and here is what I found.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Piece of Berlin Wall In Iceland
A bit of the Berlin Wall was gifted to the Icelandic capital to commemorate the 25th anniversary of German reunification.
What? A little crumb of the Berlin Wall has been relocated to Reykjavik, and they are saying this is extraordinary?
Okay. Maybe I’m just a bad clicker.
Surely, the third time would be the charm.
So I randomly selected the heart of eclectic Hong Kong and clicked on one of the tags. This time, it brought me to Man Mo Temple Complex.
Hong Kong
Man Mo Temple Complex
A serene space tucked amid the skyscrapers of Hong Kong’s bustling financial district.
It is just a little building. That’s all. That is its wonder. It is a place where people carry out religious practices of some sort. But they are all hyped up about the building being diminutive in the face of all the giant skyscrapers.
Okay. I’m beginning to wonder about this list. I’m sure there are notable places on this clickable map. It is just that my clicking prowess must be out to lunch.
So go if you dare. Explore. Or do not. The link is posted below.
Tomorrow, I may try again, as I’d love to discover some places of wonder.
As the old saying goes. “If, at first, you don’t succeed? Try, try, again.”
Here is the Big Map — Just click and go!
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“Nothing is pleasanter to me than exploring in a library.”
― Walter Savage Landor, Pericles and Aspasia
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“Life is an experiment in which you may fail or succeed. Explore more, expect least.”
― Santosh Kalwar
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“Where is my brain taking me today?”
― Steven Magee
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Well, I am beginning to wonder about the wonders.
