DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Milijana Milicevic stands in front of the hobbit house named “Lipa”, in the Bosnian Hobbiton village, Rakova Noga, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 9th May, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Amel Emric
• Four sisters are building the first Hobbit-style village in south-east Europe in the green hills of central Bosnia, hoping to attract fans of The Lord of the Rings books and movies as well as sharing their childhood memories. “We have often held family gatherings on this hill and discussed what would be the best way to make use of this view for tourism purposes,” said Milijana, the eldest of the Milicevic sisters, pointing to the stunning view of a valley and a lake nestled among the hills. The Kresevo Hobbiton, as the Hobbits’ village is called, is located in the village of Rakova Noga (The Crab’s Leg) near the old royal and mining town of Kresevo, some 40 minutes drive from the capital of Sarajevo. Last year Marija, a 28-year-old geology engineer, proposed to her sisters Milijana, Vedrana and Valentina that they build house in the style of the Hobbit homes in JRR Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings tales. The “hole houses” are built into the ground. The sisters decided that their houses must include characteristics of the area where they live and that each sister would decorate one dwelling as she likes. They have already built two houses and three others are under construction. The first house, with a round green door and window, was named Lipa after the village where Milijana had spent most of her childhood with their grandparents. Lipa is also the name for the linden tree. The second house is named Ober after a cave in Kresevo. Its ceiling is decorated with stalactites to provide the feeling of being in the cave. The other three houses, which should be completed soon, will also be named after local attractions. For example Bedem, with towers on its corners, is named after the fortress where Bosnia’s last Queen, Katarina, had stayed while in Kresevo. Tourists from across the region and other European countries have already started visiting, Marija said. – DARIA SITO-SUCIC, Kresevo, Bosnia/Reuters.
Participants in The Walking LED in Chile. PICTURE: Video screenshot/Reuters TV
• Dozens of dogs donning luminous collars embarked on a walk down the streets of Santiago, Chile, on Saturday evening in an effort to advocate and raise awareness for responsible dog ownership. “In addition to the talk that they offered at the beginning to educate people…it is very entertaining,” said Barbara Rosas, a dog owner who attended “The Walking LED” event. Accompanied by their owners, puppies and elderly dogs alike wore LED collars as they trotted down the streets. Saturday’s event was organised by local authorities and marked the second edition of “The Walking LED”. – Reuters TV
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Four-year-old Saeed Rashed AlMheiri happens to be the world’s youngest published author. His eight-year-old sister AlDhabi AlMheiri was given the Guinness World Record for the world’s youngest female author to publish a bilingual book. PICTURE: Video screenshot/Reuters
• “My name is Saeed. I love reading, writing, and I love playing with robotics. I love doing maths and also I am the youngest author in the world!” Four-year-old Saeed Rashed AlMheiri, who lives in the United Arab Emirates, has set a Guinness World Record as the youngest person to publish a book. “[The book] is about when the elephant said ‘let’s have a picnic’ and the polar bear agreed. And they became friends.” The Guinness entry records Saeed as being four years and 218 days old when he set the record in March. His eight-year-old sister AlDhabi also received a Guinness World Record for being the world’s youngest female author to publish a bilingual book (eight years and 239 days old, according to Guinness). “A lot of children in my school come to me and ask me, ‘can you make a book for me? Can we have some things from you?’ So they all come to me and ask me these things and I’m delighted. I’m happy that they feel that there’s someone that can help them. They feel like I can see them, that they’re happy.” – Reuters TV with DAVID ADAMS
