The land of underground treasures up to 12,000 years old

05.11.24

In travel news this week: nude weddings in Italy, why North Americans are so unhappy with air travel and the incredible subterranean wonders hidden beneath Turkey.

By Maureen O'Hare

🇹🇷 Did you know?

Underground water storage in Şerefiye, Turkey. (sickysick/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

A mysterious iron pillar has stood exposed to the elements in New Delhi for more than 1,600 years – without a trace of rust. It wasn't until the 21st century that scientists worked out why.

Time runs a little differently in India, too – or at least the measurement of it. It has its own unusual half-hour time zone, nine hours and 30 minutes ahead of New York and three hours and 30 minutes behind Tokyo. It all goes back to the 19th century and the dawning era of steamships and trains.

Finally, Turkey is famous as a land of historical wonders. But perhaps you didn't realize how many of them are hidden underground, with some as ancient as 12,000 years. Here's a guide to its subterranean marvels from cisterns to mosques.

🥊 Mishaps, mayhem and misbehavior

Travel season is heating up and so, too, are the opportunities for things to go wrong.

In the same week that a report found North American airline passengers aren't so happy with the state of air travel, flight attendants were praised for breaking up a fistfight on board a plane going from Taipei to San Francisco. In Istanbul, a Boeing cargo plane landed with no front wheels (watch here). And in Brazil, serious floods caused major chaos, leaving an airport runway submerged.

Deluges of tourists were the problem elsewhere.

Chinese climbers were stuck on a cliff for more than an hour after a "misjudgment" of visitor numbers. In Hawaii, thrill-seekers have continued to visit a landmark even as it's being dismantled because of overtourism. And a Japanese store has apologized for attracting too many customers. The crowds outside it seeking the perfect Instagram shot of Mount Fuji got so bad the town put up a barrier to block the view.

❤️ Love and marriage

Two co-workers connected in Berlin for a wild weekend. It ended up leading to not one, not two, but three weddings.

And a couple who eloped to Mexico last year had only one set of wedding rings to worry about – but disaster still struck when the jewelry got lost during the ceremony. Here's how two strangers saved the day.

In the Caribbean, an American woman fell for a chef she met on a beach, then left the States for a new life on the French Riviera. "I've made some pretty big life decisions just on vacation," she tells CNN.

And finally an Italian town is planning beach weddings with a difference: Couples will be able to say their vows in the nude. It's certainly one way to save on a wedding dress.

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🥖 World's longest baguette

Joanne Brent of Guinness World Records inspects the baguette. (Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters)

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It's not the only record likely to be broken in the French capital this year, as the city prepares to host the Summer Olympics. If you want to voyage like an Olympian, three-time gold medalist Shaun White shared his travel essentials with our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN.

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👀 In case you missed it

This architectural wonder was once a neglected building off the Connecticut turnpike.

Now it's one of America's greenest hotels.

These Brazilian airplanes loved by passengers are conquering short-haul flying.

And now they're eyeing Boeing's crown.

A tiny corner of Spain sits in the middle of North Africa.

In Greek and Roman legend, it marked the end of the known world.

They were fined for making moonshine.

So they declared themselves a republic.

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