1)– Go ahead and name the world’s smallest country. Liechtenstein? Monaco? Oh, yeah, it’s Vatican City, right? Wrong. It’s the Principality of Sealand.
During the Second World War the British government built several Fortress islands in the North Sea to defend its coasts from German invaders. These forts were built illegally in international waters. One of these Fortresses, consisting of concrete and steel construction, was the famous royal fort Roughs Tower situated slightly north of the estuary region of the Thames River. This fortress was situated at a distance of approximately 7 nautical miles from the coast, which is more than double the then applicable 3 mile range of territorial waters; to put it briefly, this island was situated in the international waters of the North Sea.
In 1966 Roy Bates a former infantry major in the first battalion Royal Fusiliers whose regimental headquarters strangely enough was the “Tower of London” decided to take over the fortress. It was Christmas Eve 1966. 2nd of September 1967 along with his son Michael (14), daughter Penelope (16) and several friends and followers Roy declared The Principality of Sealand raising a newly designed flag and making his beautiful wife “Princess Joan”. It was her birthday and Roy gave her the best and most romantic present he could think of the title of Princess. The Brits immediately started blowing up similar nearby structures and held up signs “You’re next”. However, the independence of Sealand was upheld in a 1968 British court decision where the judge held that Roughs Tower stood in international waters and did not fall under the legal jurisdiction of the United Kingdom.
From their website —- “Sealand was founded on the principle that any group of people dissatisfied with the oppressive laws and restrictions of existing nation states may declare independence in any place not claimed to be under the jurisdiction of another sovereign entity.”
The GOOD NEWS for TBPers is that you can be granted citizenship! Escape USA Taxes!! You can buy a Sealander ID for $50, purchase the title of Lord or Lady for $60, become a Count or Countess for $400 ….. or, even purchase real estate for just $40 ………….. here, http://www.sealandgov.org/title-pack
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2)–HANGING MONASTERY (Xuankong, China)
There are five” Most-Sacred” mountains in China and Mt. Heng is one of them. It is the only existing temple with the combination of three Chinese traditional religions: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Built in 491AD it still clings to the side of the cliff using engineering techniques that are still of significant interest to modern architects. The structure is kept in place with oak crossbeams fitted into holes chiseled into the cliffs. The main supportive structure is hidden inside the bedrock.
Why build a monastery like this? 1) Location. Building a monastery on the sides of a sheer cliff shields it from floods and the mountain peak protects it from rain, snow, and diminishes damage from the sun. 2) The builders followed a principle in Taoism: no noises, including those from roosters crowing and dogs barking …. this temple is a place of solemn silence.
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3)– “OF THE ROCK” —- (Al Hajarah, Yemen)
This incredible walled town has been built on the top a massive rocky outcrop within the Haraz Mountains of western central Yemen in a region known as the San‘a’ Governorate. Its history is so ancient that not even the inhabitants can be sure when the first settlers arrived but it is officially said to date back to at least the 12th century. The houses themselves are fortified and feature substantial storage facilities such as granaries and cisterns in case of siege.
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4)– THE HOUSE OF STONE, Portugal
This is not a photo-shopped picture. It is a real house in the rural settings of the Fafe mountains in northern Portugal. A Casa do Penedo, or “the House of Stone,” was built in 1974 between four large boulders found on the site. Although the house may seem rustic, it is not lacking in amenities, which include a fireplace and a swimming pool–carved out of one of the large rocks. But, as word has spread, the sleepy little house has had visitors venturing to see it in droves ….. and the owner has had to install bullet-proof windows and a steel door to prevent the robbery attempts and vandalism.
Cool stone-homes are found around the world. Here’s another very nice one in France.
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5)- MATMÂTA – Tunisia
How about just digging a hole in the sand? About 200 miles south of the capital city, Tunis, is the remarkable settlement of Matmâta. Here the inhabitants have dug deep pits into the ground and then tunneled into the side walls to create their homes. There are various legends to explain why the Berbers of this region started to build their homes in this fashion. One is that it was to hide from the invading Egyptians and another is that they already existed to some extent and were the original caves of desert monsters that had long since departed.
Not only is this site ancient and probably dates back to the Roman period and Punic Wars, its existence remained largely unknown until the mid 1960’s. It truly came to the attention of the world when it was selected as the location for Luke Sky Walker’s home on the planet Tatooine in the 1977 Star Wars film – A New Hope.
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Bonus Picture: FLOATING HOUSE, Ukraine …aka How In The Fuck Does This NOT Fall Down??
It’s actually a potato sorting station. Trucks drive under the metal cones at the bottom and load up with taters. Apparently, gravity functions differently in Ukraine.
