Fujikawaguchiko, Japan

THE SOCK EXPLORES THE WORLD | Fujikawaguchiko, Japan

A view of the legendary mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan (3,776 m). Did you know that...

1/ Fuji is still an active volcano? Actually, not one but three. It last erupted in 1707.

2/ the Japanese photographer Koyo Okada (1895–1972) documented the mountain on over 150 000 photographs? He took pictures of it for over 40 years.

3/ for religious reason, women were not allowed to go to the mountain until the year 1868?

Thank you for the photograph to Sockfellow Jan Libanský. 

A bit of sock traveling to start off the summer

Eilean Donan, Highlands, Scotland.

Did you know that...

1/ this iconic 13th century castle starred in several movies, including the Bond movie The World Is Not Enough?

2/ the fort was occupied by the Spanish during the Jacobite rebellion in the 18th century? The Spaniards did not hold on to it for long, though, as the British navy later blew the castle to smithereens. 

3/ Eilean Donan was not reconstructed until the 20th century? Only then did the MacRae clan rebuild its historic residence. Today, the family uses the castle for ceremonies.

Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand

Thank you to Sockfellow Jiří Vinš for the photograph

We learned several interesting tidbits from th enatural sciences.

1) The glacier is called Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere in Māori, the language of the indigenous tribes. In translation, that means Tears of Hine Hukatere. 

2) According to a Māori legend, the glacier was formed from the tears of princess Hine Hukatere, whose loved one died while they ascended a nearby mountain together.

3) The glacier used to reach down into the valley. However, over the last 10 years, it has lost over 10% of its length due to thawing.

Chicago, USA

Did you know this about Chicago?
1) In 1901, the famous producer, director and animator Walt Disney was born here.
2) In 1901, the world's first windowed envelope was developed and patented in Chicago. 
3) Playboy magazine was founded here in 1953. 
 

Jönköping, Sweden

Did you know that...

1/ Lake Vättern, which lies next to the town, is most likely the largest reservoir of drinking water in the world?It is also the sixth largest lake in Europe.

2/ a mere stone's throw away from Jönköping lies the town of Huskvarna, home of the world-renowned producer of gardening equipment and machinery since 1689?

3/ Jönköping is known for its production of matches? In the 19th century, the local factory owned by the Lundström brothers acquired a pretty much worldwide monopoly. Jönköping is home to one of the world's few museums of matches.

Central Park, New York City, USA

Thank you to Sockfellow Matteo Gianella-Borradori for the photograph.

Did you know that…

1) Central Park is annually visited by over 42 million people?

2) is construction between 1857 and 1873 cost over $11 million USD? The original budget had been 1.5 million.

3) the park was hopelessly crime-ridden in the 1970s, due to the city's bankruptcy? In the 1980s, the citizens of NYC brought it back themselves. They have been financing its operation ever since.

Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Thank you to Sockfellow Pavel Schütze for the photograph.

Travelers might enjoy knowing that:

1. Shanghai, a city with 25 million inhabitants, is the largest city in China and most likely also in the world.

2. Shanghai also has the busiest port on the face of the Earth.

3. Shanghai is China's business hub. The local stock exchange was the third most traded market in the world in 2009. 

Paris, France

Thank you to our Sockfellow Jiří Janda for the photograph. 

Did you know that the Eiffel Tower:

1. had originally been supposed to stand for only 20 years?

2. is currently, with its 7 million visitors annually, the most visited paid landmark in the world?

3. during Hitler's visit to Paris during World War II, the French cut the ropes in all elevators, so that Hitler would have to take the stairs if he decided to visit?

Brussels, Belgium

Thank you to Sockfellow Josef Müller for the photograph.

Here are few tidbits for our curious travellers:

1. The Atomium, in the background, was built for the world fair in 1958.

2. The Atomium is an iron molecule magnified 165 billion times.

3. The Atomium is 102 meters tall (about the size of a football field). There is a museum inside the spheres and escalators hide inside the cylinders that connect the spheres.

Huacachina Oasis, Peru

Thank you to Sockfellow Tomáš Ptáček for the photograph. 

Geographers of the world, listen up:

1. The Huacachina oasis is surrounded by sand dunes that are 200 meters tall and have recently become a sandboarding sensation.

2. The lake in the middle of the oasis has to be replenished with water because the wells that have been dig up in the vicinity cause a significant decrease in the lake's water level.