Kosmos

Culture, travel, fashion and culinary delights: the Kosmos pages of Lufthansa Magazin bring you interesting and useful tidbits from around the world

CULTURE CLASH

They are today’s folk songs, and Michael Dennis from England has collected over 20 000 on fanchants.com.  We asked him three things in connection with EURO 2016:

Who wins, musically speaking? 
Hard to say.  Unlike club fans, who get together every week, the fans of national teams don’t have a large standard repertoire.  Many songs are only created during the EURO
from one match to the next. 

How do different songs compare? 
German chants sound like marches, are more choreographed and never stop.  English
fans sing variations on the national anthem at every game.  Portuguese and Italian
fans sing more foot-tapping melodies that get people into a party mood. 

What about the newcomers?  What do iceland fans sound like? 
It’ll be interesting to hear them in action this summer.  I imagine they will sound much like the English and Scandinavian fans. 

Aim for the sky

Who says you need mountains to go climbing?  There are plenty of alternatives in the shape of spectacular climbing walls on churches, dams and the cooling towers of nuclear power plants. 

Awesome walls

Built 150 years ago, St. Alban’s Church in Liverpool, England, inspires aspiration to other spheres.  Today, visitors no longer come here to pray, but to climb its venerable walls, including an overhanging 17.5-meter lead wall. 

Powerful thrill

The cooling tower of the former nuclear reactor in Kalkar, Germany, stands 58 meters high and has been repurposed as a climbing wall.  If you prefer a different kind of thrill, there’s a roller coaster next door. 

Head in the clouds

Surrounded by authentic Alpine peaks, the steep wall of the Lago di Luzzone reservoir in Switzerland offers a unique challenge: It is the world’s highest artificial climbing wall with 650 holds over a vertical distance of 163 meters. 

Stylish safari

The Okavango Delta covers more than 20 000 square kilometers and is home to a staggering variety of species, including elephants, lions, hippos and leopards.  Stylish, sustainable Sandibe Lodge with its twelve luxurious wooden chalets is in the middle of the great outdoors. 

Snap Touch

Win one of five digital instant cameras by cult brand Polaroid.  The digital camera allows you to snap, print, and share all of your favorite photos instantly with app-driven creative & new Bluetooth connectivity. 

If you would like to take part in the draw, please send an email with “Polaroid” in the subject line to lhmagazin@territory.de.  The deadline for entries is August 31.  We will notify you by email if you win. 

High flyer

The Roosevelt Island Tramway, an aerial tramway that connects the largely car-free district of Roosevelt Island with Manhattan, was supposed to be a temporary line until the subway under the East River was completed.  Work on the subway was delayed and New Yorkers loved the tram so much that they refused to give it up – much to the delight of many tourists.