Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
The M6 motorway was fully opened in the Republic of Ireland. This road, combined with the M4 motorway, serves as a key connection between the cities of Dublin and Galway. (Motorways constitute the highest category of roads in Ireland; the designation for these routes begins with the letter M and may include up to three... Continue Reading →
A new pedestrian-and-bicycle bridge crossing the river Rhône and representing intercultural harmony was completed in Lyon, France. The Passerelle de la Paix (Peace Bridge) had been commissioned by the Urban Community of Lyon (also known as Grand Lyon) – a government subdivision within east-central France that was reorganized as the Metropolis of Lyon in 2015... Continue Reading →
In Ireland, a form of integrated ticketing for a cross-section of transit networks made its debut in the Dublin region. The Leap Card is a prepaid card that can be used for public transportation services such as Dublin Bus, the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) system, Iranród Éireann (Irish Rail), and Luas tram/light rail network.... Continue Reading →
In Finland, a naming ceremony was held at Arctech Helsinki Shipyard for a pioneering icebreaker. The naming contest for the new vessel had been launched by the Finnish Transport Agency during the summer of 2014. The winning entry for this contest was Polaris, the name for the major navigational star commonly known as the North... Continue Reading →
Photo by Magnus Gertkemper: The Adler replica from 1935 on its first trip after the reconstruction in 2008. The Bavarian Ludwig Railway (Ludwigsbahn), the first steam-powered railway line in what is now Germany, began operations between the cities of Nuremberg and Fürth. (At the time, this region of present-day Germany was part of the Kingdom... Continue Reading →
More than a half-century after establishing a record for walking around the world, Dumitru Dan died in the city of Buzău in his native Romania at the age of 88. His path to international fame began in 1908 while he was a student in Paris. The Touring club de France initiated a contest for circumnavigating... Continue Reading →
The ferry M/S Finnhansa, which had been constructed by the Finnish shipbuilding company Wärtsilä Marine, was launched in Helsinki. The vessel was christened by Sylvi Kekkonen, the wife of longtime Finnish president Urho Kekkonen. Finnhansa was built for Finnlines, a major operator of vessels transporting both passengers and vehicles in the Baltic Sea and the... Continue Reading →
After more than a half-century of service for vessels sailing through that region of the North Atlantic Ocean, the Lighthouse of Ponta dos Capelinhos on the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores ceased operations altogether. This lighthouse, specifically located on the peninsula of Ponta dos Capelinhos and Costa Nau at the western tip of the Azorean... Continue Reading →
A new railway line made its official debut in south Norway. The Krøderen Line, spanning 16 miles (26 kilometers) from the Krøderen lake to the town of Vikersund, was built as a narrow-gauge branch line of the Radsfjorden Line. The formal opening of the Krøderen Line took place without any fanfare; the actual celebration for... Continue Reading →
A French crew of 14 sailors on board the vessel Banque Populaire V began an ambitious round-the-world voyage. The voyage was undertaken to win the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by a yacht. Starting in 1993, the Jules Verne Trophy – named for the acclaimed French writer whose works included... Continue Reading →
