Following the Equator

Around and around

All of a sudden, roundabouts are seemingly appearing everywhere. We wrote last Friday about roundabouts in France after a Time article about the expanding popularity of roundabouts in the United States.

Now, we just came across this zaniness. Inspired by this blog post, Gadling this morning wrote about "the world's most headturning roundabout"—the famous Magic Roundabout in Swindon, England. It consists of five small roundabouts inside one large roundabout, and it looks absolutely crazy.

OK, that's enough roundabout talk to leave us all dizzy.

Maple Leaf Monopoly

Montreal is the new Boardwalk.

Monopoly finally revealed the winning cities in its new World Edition this week, and the Canadian city earned the global game's most prestigious position, as we predicted in February.

In fact, Canada monopolizes the new Monopoly board. In addition to Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto also earned spots. The other dominant country is China, which placed Beijing and Shanghai, plus Hong Kong, on the board. Only one U.S. city (New York) made the game.

More than 5.6 million votes were cast to select the 22 cities in the new edition, which goes on sale next week in 50 countries.

Friday Fun Fact: First postage stamp

The first adhesive postage stamp in the world was issued by the United Kingdom on May 1, 1840.

The Penny Black—featuring an image of a young Queen Victoria—cost one penny and was valid beginning May 6 that year.

Because it didn't need to identify itself on the stamp, the United Kingdom is the only country that does not include its name on it stamps.

Wimbledon warmup

Wimbledon—the world's most prestigious, tradition-laden tennis tournament—serves up a fortnight of net action starting Monday.

Wimbledon is as well-known for its all-white dress code as its grass surface. Budget Travel earlier this year wrote "A Witty Guide to Wimbledon Etiquette" and also posted a primer on attending the grand dame of the Grand Slams. But you better plan ahead. Tickets for this year's tournament are sold out—unless you're willing to "queue" overnight for 1,500 show-court tickets that go on sale every morning.

And, if you do go, don't forget the strawberries and cream.

For more Wimbledon information, check out the official site and this devoted fans' site.

Photo: yvettemn via Flickr

Friday Fun Fact: London's nickname

Paris is The City of Light. Rome is The Eternal City. But what is London's nickname?

The Big Smoke. The Old Smoke. Or simply The Smoke.

It's not nearly as romantic as Paris' nickname nor as timeless as Rome's, but London's little-known nickname comes from the city's famed fog and the Great Smog of 1952, otherwise known as The Big Smoke.

Photo: Larsz via Flickr

Real Whopper: A £95 hamburger

Fast-food restaurants are never the best place to enjoy the local fare while traveling. The news yesterday proves they're also not the most economical.

Burger King's Gloucester Road branch in West London is now serving the world's most expensive hamburger, according to Guinness World Records.

"The Burger," as it's simply called, costs £95 ($186 US). The proceeds will go to the Help A London Child charity.

According to the London Telegraph, "the bling burger" features the world's most succulent Japanese beef complemented with white truffles, onion tempura prepared in Cristal champagne and Italy's finest Pata Negra prosciutto.

Check out more details in the Telegraph's video above, which also includes passers-by near the Gloucester Road Underground station tasting the costly creation.

U.K. begins offering foreign currency ATMs

Looking for euros in London? Here's a new, easier way to get them.

Britain's Post Office is testing 13 ATMs that dispense euros and U.S. dollars. The trial is aimed at cutting down long lines at the Post Office, and if the test is successful, foreign currency ATMs could be introduced across the United Kingdom.

This is particularly useful for student travelers who are visiting London (where the pound is the currency of choice) before traveling to other parts of Europe (where the euro rules).

The Times Online also reports, "Some airports already have euro/dollar exchange machines and Marks & Spencer introduced foreign currency ATMs at 21 stores in January, while HSBC is bringing them in at railway stations and shopping malls."

While exchange rates might be higher at airport machines, the Post Office ATM rates are the same as at the counters—without the wait.

Photo: William Spaetzel via Flickr

Suppositions at Stonehenge

Stonehenge's mystery is alive and well.

Less than two months after a two-week excavation led archaeologists to suppose that the site was once a place of healing, new research suggests that Stonehenge may have been a long-term cemetery.

Some archaeologists believe that cremation burials (perhaps for a ruling dynastic family) may have occurred at the site for 500 years—from about 3,000 B.C. to 2,500 B.C.—a century before the large stones were put in place.

It's fascinating to watch the theories fly. Answers—or maybe even more questions—could come Sunday night when "Stonehenge Decoded" premieres on the National Geographic Channel. Stay tuned!

Photo: IanL via Flickr

Friday Fun Fact: European density

Photo: Brapke via Flickr

With a population of 82 million, Germany has more people than any other European Union nation. Not a shabby total by any means—that's roughly the equivalent of a quarter of the U.S. population. And yet, area-wise, Germany is only a little bit bigger than New Mexico and a little smaller than Montana.

No Big Sky here: Germany has 596 people per square mile, compared with 80 in the United States and just eight in Canada. And that only earns Germany the 56th spot on the list of most densely populated countries, and sixth among European countries (Gibraltar, Malta, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom are, so to speak, denser).

The place on earth with least space between you and your neighbor? Macau (Special Administrative Region of China) with more than 40,000 people per square mile.

Memories to last a lifetime

An educational tour leaves all kinds of lasting impressions. That was especially true for a  group of students from St. Joseph High School in Ironton, Ohio, who recently traveled with EF Educational Tours.

The Ironton Tribune last month wrote about the group's nine-day trip to Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland, asking them everything from their favorite place to visit, to their favorite food and their favorite transportation, to the differences in cultures.