There are hundreds of thousands of bridges in the world, and among them tens of thousands are drawbridges. Finding the smallest one is no easy task, but the residents of Somerset Island in the Bermuda Archipelago are convinced that theirs holds the title.

It first appeared on maps in 1624, which means it is more than 400 years old. When raised, the distance between the edges of its spans is just 80 centimeters. Or just enough space for a mast to pass through, while the boat itself glides underneath.

The design of the bridge is reminiscent of the drawbridges once used at English castles, reflecting the cultural ties between this island nation in the Atlantic and Great Britain. It is for this reason that the bridge earned a place of honor on the five-Bermuda-dollar banknote.

P.S. Proving that bigger isn't always better.

⛵️🏗🥢

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St. Petersburg has long lived under the watchful gaze of its mythical guardians: sirens, dragons, atlantes and other stone creatures whose imagined origins stretch back millennia. Yet few are as steeped in legend as the sphinxes of the Egyptian Bridge.

The Egyptian Bridge (Египетский мост) spans the Fontanka River, carrying Lermontovsky Avenue across its waters. Built in the 19th century by engineers Von Traitteur and Christianowicz, it became one of the city’s most striking symbols of the Egyptian Revival style. The gates featured hieroglyphics and columns, while four cast-iron sphinxes stood at its entrance.

But beauty often carries shadows. The bridge became the center of one of St. Petersburg’s darkest urban legends: the “curse of the sphinxes.” On 20 January 1905, as a cavalry squadron was marching across across the bridge, it suddenly collapsed into the river below. The sphinxes, eerily untouched, remained standing on the riverbank - silent witnesses to the disaster. Whether it was structural failure or something more uncanny, the tale took root.

The current bridge, completed in 1955, incorporates the surviving sphinxes and other original decorative elements. Today they still watch over the Fontanka: golden, inscrutable, and just unsettling enough to keep the legend alive.


Answer this to find out if you’d make it across:

‘The more I eat the larger I grow, but if I should ever drink I will die. What am I ?’

P.S. Fire, obviously.

⏳🚷🔱

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You might think snow can’t surprise a Russian, but that’s only until you hear about Japan’s Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.

In the northern part of what’s known as the Japanese Alps, so much snow falls each winter that no amount of machinery can keep up. The ingenious Japanese found a way to turn this challenge into a major tourist attraction.

After weeks of hard work clearing the mountain passes, a corridor finally appears between towering snow walls that can reach up to 20 meters high. It is called "the Great Canyon of Snow" or Yuki no Otani.

The snow along the edges often remains until late June. The route stretches nearly 90 kilometers between Tateyama and Ōmachi, with an elevation difference of about two and a half kilometers. It first opened to the public on June 1, 1971.

Today, the road is closed for the season and will not reopen until April. The “Roof of Japan,” as this region is often called, continues to amaze visitors from around the world.

P.S. In Japan, even blizzards have impeccable manners.

🗻🌬☃️

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Is there a bridge on Mars?

While the answer might seem like a cosmic mystery, it’s actually more earthly than you think. There is, in fact, a bridge to Mars, located right here on Earth. A small suspension bridge, spanning around 90 meters across the Moskva River, connects the villages of Mars and Markovo. It was designed and built in the late 1960s by a local enthusiast, Yuri Sokolov.

The village of Mars, situated along the way to Ruza, has an intriguing origin story behind its name. The first mention of the commune "Mars" appears in the marriage records from 1926. The name was chosen for a labor commune that was founded during the early Soviet period, inspired by the fascination with space exploration.

In the early 20th century, many were captivated by the works of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who laid the groundwork for modern rocketry and space exploration. This was a time when dreams of reaching the stars were not just distant fantasies but a genuine source of inspiration for everyday people.

Today, the bridge stands as both a functional structure and a tribute to the era's ambitious dreams of reaching the cosmos.

P.S. No spaceships, but keep an eye out for orbiting ducks.

🌉☄️🌠

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In the frozen landscapes of Siberia and the Far North, snow and frost create temporary winter roads called zimniks.

Historically, people traveled along zimniks on sleds pulled by horses or reindeer. Today, trucks, tractors, and other machinery use them to transport construction materials, heavy equipment, and supplies to sites beyond rivers, swamps, and forests that have no permanent roads or bridges.

Building one requires careful planning. Snow is compacted and leveled with graders, ice crossings are prepared on rivers, and speed limits are capped at 70 km/h for safety. Steep slopes are avoided, low areas are filled with earth, and piles of sand or gravel are placed on slippery sections.

Zimniks are more than roads, they are lifelines in some of the world’s most extreme climates, enabling construction and transportation where nothing else can.

P.S. Picture a 100 km long skating rink.

⛸️🚛🧖🏻‍♀️

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