In stories this week, we have a hedgehog-themed café, a woman buying the church where five generations of her family wed, a soapbox race in Switzerland, a baker creating colorful, geometric pies and synchronized skydivers performing amazing moves.
All these interesting, odd anecdotes from around the world are here, in our news review.
Cute hedgehog-themed café
A hedgehog stands by a pillow. [Photo/VCG]
In Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district, the latest sensation is ChikuChiku Cafe, a space that's reportedly Japan's first to be dedicated to hedgehogs.
ChikuChiku's collection of trained hedgehogs — small, spiny mammals that resemble porcupines, although their spikes are quite soft — live in dollhouses placed atop long counters.
A hedgehog sits in a claw-foot tub. [Photo/VCG]
Each dollhouse depicts a different scene: One is of a bathroom with a claw-foot tub, another is of a classroom with a chalkboard, while a third is of a garden.
Woman buys church where her family wed
Amanda McFarlane, now 55, gets married at the same church where generation after generation of her family have tied the knot, a place she has purchased and converted into her home. [Photo/VCG]
A former charity exec has married in the church where five generations of her family tied the knot — after buying the building and making it her home.
Amanda McFarlane, 55, wed husband Sandy, 63, in the same building where her mother, aunt, grandmother and great-great-grandmother all walked down the aisle, and where her stepson also married his bride.
Amanda McFarlane's aunt and uncle, Margaret Blyth and James Pryde, at their wedding in 1963 in the very church Amanda bought and made into her home. [Photo/VCG]
"Church House" was once a church where several of her ancestors got hitched, but she converted it into a dwelling in the 1990s.
Soapbox race in Switzerland
Young competitors prepare to race down a 450-meter track in a soapbox race in the alpine resort of Les Diablerets, Switzerland on Oct 20, 2018. [Photo/IC]
Forty competitors took part in a soapbox race in the alpine resort of Les Diablerets, Switzerland on Oct 20, 2018.
Split into three age categories, participants compete with each other in decorated motorless soapbox cars, also called gravity racers as the vehicles are propelled by the force of gravity.
Competitors race down a 450-meter track in a soapbox in the alpine resort of Les Diablerets, Switzerland on Oct 20, 2018. [Photo/IC]
The race was organized for the first time after a 15-year break.
Baker creates mesmerizing, colorful pies
A strawberry rhubarb pie with hexagon tiles and edible flowers made by Lauren Ko. [Photo/IC]
When she decided to make her first pie two years ago, instead of sticking with current trends Lauren Ko decided to create pies with geometric patterns, straight lines and contrasting colors.
The precise cuts and color combinations of fruit on her tarts, as well as the intricate patterns woven into her pie crusts, often lead people to believe that Ko has professional training in art, design and cooking or even a background in math.
Black sesame tangram tart with mango, kiwi and dragonfruit made by Lauren Ko. [Photo/IC]
She says she has always loved art but has no professional training. She finds inspiration everywhere, from bathroom tile and textiles to lawn chairs and bamboo purses, and saves images to give her ideas for future pies.
Synchronized skydivers perform amazing moves
Greg Crozier and Karine Jony perform matching moves while plummeting through the air. [Photo/IC]
Lyon-based Scottish skydiving instructor and photographer Ewan Cowie captured the moment when members of the French National Freefly Skydiving team practiced before the World Parachuting Championships in September — where they won first place.
"Combining skydiving and photography is my way of sharing the amazing things I see with others," Cowie said.
Greg Crozier and Karine Jony perform matching moves while plummeting through the air. [Photo/IC]
"It was a privilege to be able to follow them on their journey to realizing their dream of becoming world champions," he added.
