Weird Europe: A Guide to Bizarre, Macabre, and Just Plain Weird Sights [Paperback]

Kristan Lawson (Author), Anneli Rufus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 1999

Welcome to Weird Europe...where truth is stranger than fiction.

Thrill-seekers, students of the bizarre, travelers searching for relief from the usual tourist attractions-rejoice! At last, here is a guidebook to Europe's dark side. From strange natural wonders to the handiwork of mad scientists, dreamers, and zealots, Europe harbors hundreds of fascinating-and occasionally gruesome-suprises. In these pages, you'll discover:

-Two-headed animals
-Erotic museums
-Creepy catacombs
-A cathedral made of salt
-A railroad operated by children
-The Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum
-An all-ice hotel
-Ancient pagan rituals
-Mines
-Sewer tours
-A museum of espionage
-UFO landing sites
-Pictures drawn by the dead
-A frog museum
-Pancake races
-Oddball art
-Underground cities
-Giants, freaks, and Siamese twins
-The Temple of Echoes
-And more!

Covering twenty-five countries, with complete directions, opening hours, and admission prices for nearly a thousand wild attractions, Weird Europe is an indispensable guide to a world that you never knew existed. Once you enter Weird Europe, there's no turning back.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Celebrates the offbeat and flaunts the unfamiliar. Fun to read." --Travel & Leisure on Europe Off the Wall by Kristan Lawson and Anneli Rufus

About the Author

Kristan Lawson and Anneli Rufus have been combing Europe's underbelly together since 1983 and have written several guides to weird places. Anneli is an award-winning journalist and poet. Kristan speaks Latin and can play three games of chess simultaneously while blindfolded.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Revised edition (June 12, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312198736
• ISBN-13: 978-0312198732
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,093,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not as helpful as it seems, August 25, 2001

By 

enea ceku (lynn, ma USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weird Europe: A Guide to Bizarre, Macabre, and Just Plain Weird Sights (Paperback)

I bought this book prior to my european trip thinking it would help a lot as far as finding the non touristy, weird , and bizarre places. it is helpful to an extent but it ends up just repeating info that more general guides such as Lonely Planet's Europe on a Shoestring and Let's Go Europe have. if you are planning to go for a lengthy period of time do not buy this book for it will only be extra weight. Lonely Planet's Europe has all the info you need. from hostels to bizarre places to go and see. overrall Weird Europe is not a bad guide, it just seems unnecessary if you already have one of the above guides. places are listed in a good order and the book even provides the directions how to get to most of those, such as metro stops, etc. a lot of guides repeat info. one is enough. i learned that one month into the trip when the weight of that backpack really starts digging into your shoulders.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful guide to offbeat Europe., August 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Weird Europe: A Guide to Bizarre, Macabre, and Just Plain Weird Sights (Paperback)

This gem is indispensible for any trip to Europe. The authors have compiled a remarkable directory of visitor spots not found in guide books, and they are fascinating and diverse.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfection - just what I was looking for..., September 1, 2000

By 

"coldethyl2" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weird Europe: A Guide to Bizarre, Macabre, and Just Plain Weird Sights (Paperback)

The countries are listed alphabetically, then the corresponding listings of offbeat experiences and sights to be checked out in each, arranged by city. Each listing has one or more icons next to it, for example, "cemeteries, ossuaries, and corpses", "strange towns", or "outrageous art". There are 21 categories in all. This much-needed book is fascinating, well-organized, and unique. I am currently planning a trip with this book as the primary guide. After reading it cover to cover I realized that there is no way that I won't have an unforgettable and unusual experience.