As we've spent a long time living in the Gulf we've seen a lot of kooky round- abouts. Al Ain in the UAE probably wins the prize for kitschiest with its giant coffee pots but Mallorca follows pretty close behind with some of the most surprising roundabouts around. One I like features a traditional stone wall and wooden fence of the kind you typically find leading to fincas in the countryside here, but the most bizarre one must be this roundabout boasting a big deckchair at Can Picafort, a busy resort town on the northeast coast where tourists moved around on family-sized pedal-vehicles on the main road and they have eateries named Pizzeria Hamburg and Taverna Bavaria. Apt? Had any experience with kitschy roundabouts? Where is the most bizarre one you've seen? Or simply the most memorable?
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Snapshots from Mallorca: deckchairs and roundabouts
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6 comments:
I remember a holiday in Costa Blanca when a large roundabout "popped up" during the day when we were out. Amazingly fast construction, never seen anything like it and completely confused us when we drove back.
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gotta be the 3 giant fish in the Czech town of Trebon - the carp fishing hub of southern Bohemia...
Lara,
Love it! But I also love that you said that the Middle East prepared you for it... don't you come from the country that has such wonderful icons as the Big Banana and the Big Pineapple and the Big Prawn, and I'll stop saying 'Big' soon! There is something remarkable and absurd and so interesting about these kinds of roadside (or roundabout) distractions.
Now onto the roundabout question... the best one I ever saw was in Baggio in The Philippines -it had a cornucopia that was somehow a little overfilled even for a, well, cornucopia. The idea of Baggio having a cornucopia was pretty spot on, but it was a monstrosity and remarkable looking.
Also... I know The Big Prawn isn't an actual big item at a roundabout, except that whenever I go through the roundabout in Ballina I do find myself drawn to the pink/dirty prawn. An offset roundabout 'Big' perhaps?
I find this information very helpful for all those wanting to visit this place. Thanks:)
There is an incredible roundabout in England called the Magic Roundabout (I think in Swindon?) which is actually five roundabouts surrounding a central roundabout. Traffic turns in both directions - it is traffic gone mad. Looks like a joke about a roundabout designed by a committee. Not really kitsch but almost as ridiculous.
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