Weird Pubs: Outside Great Britain

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. Eagor's Bar and Grill, Hermosa Beach, California USA This pub is uniquely themed by a former Disney set designer to a specific theme. What theme is it? Space - Sensurround effects and intricate visualisations supply the sensation of a tour around the galaxy in a spaceship Galleon Sailing - the whole building rocks and yaws as if at sea aboard a creaky old galleon Family Horror - including levitating furniture and flying cutlery The Wild West - on the hour every hour a saloon gunfight is played out by cowboys

2. Cabbages and Condoms, Chiang Rai, Thailand Miles from anywhere this remarkably named bar and restaurant is owned by Khun Mechai Viravaidya. Cabbages are the part of the staple diet in this area but just why did Mr Viravaidya call his pub "Cabbages and Condoms"? He suffers from AIDS and so promoted safe sex at every opportunity The pub is set amid a huge rubber plantation from which Durex purchase the majority of the gum used to produce their product The property doubles as a licensed brothel He was a former Thai Minister of Health who arranged the free issue of condoms to brothels

3. Red Sea Star, Eilat, Israel This allegedly unique bar and restaurant is unique in which way? It sits on the surface of the Red Sea half a mile from shore and the entire floor is made of glass set just below the surface It is wholly submerged 20 feet beneath the Red Sea Set high on the coast it has a revolving roof inset with telescope lenses which project real images of constellations upon the diners tables It is in fact a former World War II Russian destroyer recovered from the sea bed and converted to a hotel, bar and restaurant complex

4. The Caveman Bar-BQ and Steak House, Richland, Missouri, USA As the name suggests this "pub" is in a cave. The deck area within overlooks a river 100 feet below and the venue even contains it's own natural waterfalls. But how does one access this remarkable venue? By elevator downwards By boat By rope ladder By elevator upwards

5. Le Cercueil, Brussels, Belgium This pub simply oozes an aura - but is this aura one of sunshine, gloom, opulence or frugality? Sunshine - everything is yellow and brightly lit Gloom - everything is geared to depict death Opulence - it is furnished exclusively with former palace furniture Frugality - It is spartan in decor, no furniture, no carpet, no paint - nothing!

6. Absolute Ice Bar, Stockholm, Sweden The name gives a clear clue but what is unique about this Swedish pub? The entire premises and fittings are constructed of ice It is the only bar in the world with an indoor ice climbing wall It is built in the shape of a traditional igloo The entire floor is in fact an ice skating rink and ice skates are issued for a small rental charge at the entrance

7. Augustinerbrau, Salzburg, Austria Perhaps the best and largest example of a bierkellar so typical of German speaking nations. The Augustinerbrau is now unique in Austria. Why is this so? The only access to the "pub" is by cable car Located in a monastery, it is the only religious establishment in Austria that is still brewing beer It is the only land in Austria still technically deemed to be German territory following the "anschlus" or annexation of 1938 This monastery was used as the location for the nunnery in the film "The Sound of Music"

8. Museum HR Giger Bar, Gruyeres, Switzerland This cavernous bar opened in 2003 and is constructed in a complex skeletal style giving the impression of being inside some person or creature's body. A noted Swiss movie set designer created this remarkable visual effect which was inspired by a very famous movie that he had been heavily involved with. What was the movie that had so inspired this creation? "The Corpses' Bride" "Alien" "The Fantastic Journey" "The Night Of The Living Dead"

9. 1975, Beirut, Lebanon This pub is a sombre place to visit in what is now the centre of vibrant nightlife in Beirut. It is styled to provide an everlasting memory of which events in Lebanese history? It is a fascinating reminder of the rule of the Ottoman Empire It is designed to recapture the troubles of the Lebanese civil war It is in tribute to Roman client-King Herod (yes that king of biblical fame) who was noted for his "massacre of the innocents" The bar is in the site of an archeological dig that uncovered what is believed to be a Roman bar from around 140 b.c. (oldest site for a pub in the world perhaps?)

10. The Ponderosa Bar, Dungiven Co. Down, Ireland Apart from being Ireland's' highest pub at 1,000 feet above sea level this former farmhouse is unique in one other respect. In what other way is it unique? It is self sufficient in fuel, electricity and water It is surrounded on three sides by a missile base after local authorities refused to allow a compulsory purchase order against it in favour of the base. The base was therefore constructed around it It is also a header station for a cable car run It is the launch site for an annual transatlantic hot air balloon race