Tom Barlow over at Wallet Pop and I started talking about salt mines a few days ago. He mentioned a post he wrote about the health benefits of salt mines and places one can go to see them. An impressive one that neither of us have been to, but agreed that we should is the Wieliczka Salt Mine near Krakow in Poland. It's a World Heritage site, and part of it has been carved into a salt cathedral. Our talk reminded me of my own salt mine tour in Germany.

Touring the salt mine in Berchtesgaden was a totally funky, touristy thing to do, but one I have remembered over the years as a high point. Perhaps, it doesn't take much for me to be amused.

We donned mining outfits (over their clothes), put cloth mining hats on our head and gathered with the other English speakers at various points along the way to listen to recorded messages about the history of the mine and how it works. The guides spoke in German. Part of the tour involved sitting, one of us in front of the other, astride two wooden chutes which we slid down to get to a lower section. One of the reasons for the mining outfits was to protect our clothing from the salt. Plus, it was a chance to play dress up and add some ambiance to the experience.

Knut, the once-cute celebrity polar bear turned vicious killer, is at the center of a controversy over his brutal slaughter of ten carp at the Berlin Zoo. The massive polar bear, who has lived at the zoo since birth, apparently fished the carp out of the moat surrounding him and ripped them to shreds in front of several disgusted zoo patrons.

One of Germany's top newspapers, Bild, ran the headline "Knut Embroiled in Carp Scandal," and featured an article which quoted animal rights groups who criticized zoo officials for placing live animals within Knut's reach.

It seems that Knut, the psychopathic killer that he is, eventually chowed down on the fish, but according to the BBC, "There is speculation that hand-reared Knut killed the carp just for fun." One German newspaper reported that Knut "senselessly murdered the carp" before leaving their remains.

I think Tyler Cowen says it best: "Umm... HE'S A POLAR BEAR!"

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What strange things have been found on planes?

Click the image to read the bizarre story...

What do you get when you combine fine German engineering with the restaurant business? That's right, you get a fully automated restaurant, or a food-serving roller coaster, as some like to call it.

Yes, folks, that's Baggers restaurant in Nuremberg for you. You don't need waiters to order food because customers use touch-screen TVs to browse the menu and choose their meal.

There are long metal tracks criss-crossing the dining area and run from the kitchen, high up in the roof, down to the tables, twisting and turning as they go, BBC reports. And down the tracks - in little pots with wheels fixed to the bottom - speeds food. "Supersonic sausages, high-pace pancakes and wine bottles whizzing down to the customers' tables with the help of good old gravity."

As far as I can tell, you still have to chew your meal, but give Germany a few more years and they might come up with a robot to do that for you, too.

One of the most somber places I've been in my travels is Dachau. The first time I visited this place of atrocities against humanity was in the middle of winter. Although the day was sunny, the temperature was bitter cold. While reading Jaunted, I found out that March 22 marked the 75th anniversary of when Dachau opened.

This concentration camp was the first in Germany and is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Jews and others during the Holocaust. It doesn't look like it did back in 1938. The barracks are gone, although, there are cement slabs to show where they were. Many other buildings are intact, including the gas chambers and crematorium.

I went back a few summers later when I was traveling with another friend of mine who wanted to go there. I don't think I sat through the movie a second time. Like the first time, the day was sunny. Even though the temperature was several degrees higher, I remember the cold of the first time, and how strange it was to go looking for a place to eat in Munich after wards.

It's always exciting to build fast and flashy transportation, so when plans were made last fall to build a Transrapid maglev train in Munich, the celebratory champagne flowed. But according to German sources, those plans have now been scrapped, and the high-speed train which was to connect the Munich train station and airport, will no longer materialize.

The Transrapid train was to be a magnetic levitation rail link; a high-speed monorail that moves uses magnetic levitation. The only other city to have such transportation is Shanghai. But fancy transportation comes with a price tag, and the originally projected 1.85 billion euros quickly rose to 3 billion. At that price, the German government, the state of Bavaria and companies involved decided to ditch the project.

Maglev technology is exciting -- Shanghai's is the fastest train in the world -- but unfortunately we will have to wait just a little longer before we see a European version.

I wonder what it actually means when brothels close because "business is falling." Does it mean that German men are getting way too civilized and sophisticated to frequent brothels? Doubtful.

Yet, Hamburg's oldest brothel, Luxor, a family-run operation in the heart of Germany's premier red light district, is closing its doors, IHT reports.. Business, apparently isn't what it used to be. They used to have 10 girls, now they only have 4. No word on whether they are all family members.

They are probably getting pushed out by bigger and cheaper competition, some multi-national brothel operation. What a shame. Do you have no sense of tradition and old-school values, people?

Where is Eliot when they need him?

If you're curious as to what countries have the most conducive environments for tourism, you might want to check out the second annual World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2008. Basically it's a report full of a lot of economic figures used to measure how good tourism industries are in countries around the world. This year's report put a special emphasis on economic development and environmental sustainability. Here are the top ten:

1. Switzerland
2. Austria
3. Germany
4. Australia
5. Spain
6. United Kingdom
7. United States
8. Sweden
9. Canada
10. France

I've been to 7 out of the top 10, meaning that the tourism boards are probably doing their job -- or I'm just visiting popular destinations. Surprisingly, popular backpacker destinations like Cambodia, Vietnam, and Nepal are at the bottom of the list. For the complete PDF of rankings go here.

A couple days ago, Catherine snagged one of Larixk's photos for a Photo of the Day selection. Now, I've picked this one, but it's just by chance. The message on this building captures the mood I'm in. Time, for me, comes in fits and starts. Rarely is there a smooth transition from the beginning of the day until the end. Right now, I'm wondering how long I have to finish this sentence before I have to pick my son up from the school bus. The answer? Two seconds.

How long from the time I left to pick him up and come back? 15 minutes. On a larger thematic scale, this shot has a mysterious quality. This is in Berlin, but where? What are those white tents? How long will they stay up?

If you have a shot that evokes questions about the meaning of life send it along at Gadling's Flickr photo pool. We love to ponder.

A German travel agency has come up with a titillating new offer for the nudist on the move-- naked flights. The agency will accept bookings on Friday for a July 5 trial flight from the eastern German town of Erfurt to a Baltic resort called Usedom.

At around US$800, tickets are pricey, which is somewhat surprising considering what the airline will save on nuts.

Reuters has the full story:

"'It's expensive, I know,' managing director Enrico Hess told Reuters by phone. 'It's because the plane's very small. There's no real reason why a flight in which one flies naked should be more expensive than any other.'"

"The 55 passengers will have to remain clothed until they board, and dress before disembarking, said Hess. The crew will remain clothed throughout the flight for safety reasons."

Before you rush to book a flight, keep in mind the general rule about nudists: they're rarely the people you actually want to see naked. [Now here comes the nudist hate mail...]

Still interested? Book here.

Vibrant music, zesty dancing, bright colors and more fun and absurdity than a lot of people can handle. Carnival anyone? For the pre-Lent partying season our minds tend to automatically think of New Orleans and Rio, but the event is in fact celebrated around the world. A few places to spice up a dreary winter before Lent kicks in:

Dominica: A small and happy island almost hidden in the Lesser Antilles, Dominica is not to be forgotten during Carnival season. Here, the local Creole expression, More Fete Less Twaka (more party less talk), rings true. Soca competitions, a Carnival beer garden, some street jams and a Miss Dominica Pageant. What more could you want from an early winter Caribbean vacation?

Munich: The Munich Carnival, or "Fasching," is often referred to as Germany's "Fifth Season," when the local population truly lets loose. People crowd the streets, pretzel vendors run abound and beer runs freely. Think Oktoberfest but with confetti, masquerade balls and elaborate parades.

Venice: This year's theme, Sensation: 6 sensations for 6 neighborhoods, says it all. Venice has been enjoying its celebrations for centuries, and through the years it has evolved into a well-known time for wild festivities. The main feature: masks. If you don't have your own, not to worry, there are plenty of mask makers throughout the city ready to take your order.

Rijeka: Croatia's biggest carnival was once one of the most important in Europe. Around 150 carnival groups from a dozen different countries attract over 120,000 visitors. One of the days is designated as children's carnival, attracting 6,000 little ones. And don't forget to check out the Zvoncari groups: men dressed up in animal skins, complete with horned masks, frantically dancing to the eerie sound of clanging bells.

Goa: India might not be the first place you would expect to find Carnival, but introduced by the Portuguese who ruled Goa for over 500 years, the celebration is still enjoyed today. Although primarily a Christian event, the Goa Carnival has absorbed many Hindu traditions, making it an extravagant event a true sight for the eyes.