Contest #790: salt ponds near Siwa, Egypt

Salt ponds near Siwa in northwest Egypt are colourful but are part of a salt mining operation that produces 250,000 tons of salt for various applications.

Found before the hint:

  • zorro the fox
  • Garfield
  • Paul Voestermans
  • hhgygy
  • Martin de Bock
  • Eloy Cano
  • Graham Hedley
  • Lighthouse
  • Phil Ower
  • CuriousJM
  • Andreas Meister

None after the hint which reflected the fact that the oasis is known to have been settled since at least the 10th millennium BC, the earliest evidence of any connection with Ancient Egypt is the 26th Dynasty, when a necropolis was established. But Siwa was also the site of some fighting during World War I and World War II. The British Army’s Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) was based here, but Rommel’s Afrika Korps also took possession three times. Siwa is also prominently featured in Assassin’s Creed: Origins – quite a wide variety of interesting facts about the oasis.

Contest #789: the Colour by Numbers tower in Stockholm, Sweden

Contest 789 was the tower that hosts the Colour by Numbers permanent light installation at Telefonplan in Stockholm, Sweden. Anyone can change the colours in the tower with their mobile phone, by calling or using the app. The project is a collaboration between the architect Milo Lavén, the artist Erik Krikortz and the interaction designer Loove Broms.

http://www.colourbynumbers.org/en/app.html

Before the hint:

  • Martin de Bock
  • hhgygy
  • Paul Voestermans
  • Garfield
  • Eloy Cano
  • Lighthouse
  • zorro the fox
  • Phil Ower

After the number to call:

  • Graham Hedley
  • Andy McConnell
  • Andreas Meister

Contest #788 – Amguid Crater, 100 KM from Amguel, Algeria

Located in the Sahara, a very long way from anything resembling a town or even a road, this impact crater was created less than 100,000 years ago, making it a relatively new blemish on the face of the earth. An indication of just how remote it is is that the first mention of it in scientific literature was a note about it being seen from a plane in 1948. The first documented visit to the crater was 21 years later in 1969.

The crater is striking in that it is almost perfectly circular.

Those who found it before the hint were:

  • Paul Voestermans
  • Glenmorren
  • Garfield
  • Graham Hedley
  • Steve Jaycocks
  • Martin de Bock
  • hhgygy
  • Eloy Cano
  • Lighthouse
  • Phil Ower
  • Tamas Ny
  • Zorro the Fox

And after the hint:

  • Andreas Meister
  • Gillian B
  • CuriousJM

Contest #787 – Ponto Rotto, Rome, Italy

Roma-Ponte rotto02.jpg

Originally called the Pons Aemilius, this is the last vestige of the oldest Roman stone bridge in Italy. It dates to the 2nd century BCE.

Floods on the River Tiber have taken their toll on the bridge. It was repaired and rebuilt in AD 280, 1230, 1575, 1598 and 1853. The last parts connecting this structure to either side of the river was demolished in 1887 with the crossing replaced by the Ponte Palatino, which is still there today.

Those who found this relic, all before the hint were:

  • Lighthouse
  • Garfield
  • hhgygy
  • Graham Hedley
  • Paul Voestermans
  • Martin de Bock
  • Glenmorren
  • Andreas Meister
  • Eloy Cano
  • Phil Ower
  • CuriousJM
  • Ashwini Agrawal

Contest #785 – Black Sabbath Bridge and Heavy Metal Bench, Birmingham, England

A pioneer of heavy metal music, Black Sabbath was formed in Birmingham England in the late 1960’s.

In 2019, The City of Birmingham recognized the band by renaming a bridge after the band and installing a bench in their honor. The bench contains images of the band members with their signatures.

Those who found this site (all before the hint) were:

  • Eloy Cano
  • Graham Hedley
  • hhgygy
  • Paul Voestermans
  • Martin de Bock
  • Garfield
  • Phil Ower
  • Lighthouse
  • Andreas Meister

Contest #784: Sweet Brown Snail, found outside Deutsches Museum-Verkehrszentrum, Munich, Germany

The small object at the cebtre of the image is a 29 times size of a small brown snail, which is found outside the Deutsches Museum-Verkehrszentrum in Munich, Germany.

The museum is to celebrate cars and other vehicles, which is counter to a snail!

Found before the hint:

  • Garfield
  • Paul Voestermans
  • Glenmorren
  • Eloy Cano
  • Lighthouse
  • hhgygy
  • LawnBoy
  • Martin de Bock
  • Steve Jaycocks
  • Andy McConnell
  • Andreas Meister
  • Phil Ower

After the hint:

  • Ashwini Agrawal
  • Bas van Limpt
  • Louis XVI

Contest #783: Table Rock Cottage, Georgian Bay, ON Canada

The islands in this weeks contest are in Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay. The circular house, also known as Table Rock Cottage, sits on the biggest island of the collection.

Canadian architect William Grierson built Table Rock Cottage in 1971 as a summer retreat for his family, per the listing. The islands were uninhabited when Grierson bought them in 1965.

As of contest week, the cottage is up for sale at the following listing:

https://www.georgianbayislandsforsale.ca/Residential/For-Sale/3050862-0/2Is3700-Table-Rock-Islands–Georgian-Bay-Ontario-X5577990

Found before the hint:

  • Garfield
  • Andy McConnell
  • Martin de Bock
  • Phil Ower
  • hhgygy
  • Paul Voestermans
  • Andreas Meister
  • Lighthouse
  • Louis XVI
  • Graham Hedley
  • Bas van Limpt

After the hint:

  • CuriousJM
  • Eloy Cano
  • Steve Jaycocks

Contest #782: the Smiley Face near Grand Ronde, Oregon, US

In the fall/autumn, the Smiley Face becomes visible along Oregon Highway 22 between Willamina and Grand Ronde, after being hidden most of the year by the colour of the trees. Planted with deliberate care back in 2011, the Hampton Lumber Company designed it so the face was larch trees with the eyes and mouth fir. When the latches change colour in October, the Smiley Face appears.

It’s not often that only four players find a location but it just shows that we have to hide the trees in a forest to make it hard.

Found before the hint:

  • Garfield
  • Eloy Cano

And after:

  • hhgygy
  • Phil Ower

Contest #781: the Republic of Molossia in Dayton, Nevada

The Republic of Molossia, also known as Molossia, is a micronation claiming sovereignty over 1.28 acres of land near Dayton, Nevada. The micronation has not received recognition from any of the member states of the United Nations. It was founded by Kevin Baugh. On April 16, 2016, He continues to pay property taxes on the land to Storey County (the recognized local government), although he calls it “foreign aid”. He has stated “We all want to think we have our own country, but you know the U.S. is a lot bigger”.

Found before the hint:

  • Graham Hedley
  • hhgygy
  • Eloy Cano
  • Paul Voestermans
  • Ashwini Agrawal
  • CuriousJM
  • Lighthouse
  • Martin de Bock
  • Garfield
  • Phil Ower
  • Andreas Meister

After the hint:

  • Bas van Limpt

Contest #780: the Kyrgyz State Circus in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Completed in 1976, the Kyrgyz State Circus in Bishek, Kyrgyzstan was built with the intention of welcoming circus acts from around the world – but ended up seeing mostly those from Russia. It still functions as a circus to this day.

In 2009, a skating bear in the circus killed the circus administrator, dragging him across the rink by the neck. An animal trainer who tried to help out was also severely injured. This damaged the reputation of the institution.

Finding the right circus before the hint:

  • hhgygy
  • Eloy Cano
  • Paul Voestermans
  • Martin de Bock
  • Graham Hedley
  • Garfield
  • CuriousJM
  • Phil Ower
  • Andreas Meister
  • Lighthouse

After the hint:

  • Ashwini Agrawal
  • Andy McConnell
  • Bas van Limpt