Sick Transit: The World’s Germiest Tourist Attractions

[ By Steve in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

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Caught the travel bug? Visit the world’s 10 filthiest, germiest tourist attractions and you could catch much, much more than you bargained for!

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The famous red wine bath at the Kowakien Yunessun hot springs spa resort and water amusement park in Hakone, Japan gives the term “drinking problem” a whole new meaning. On the bright side, alcohol has antiseptic properties.

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Sure it’s easy to resist drinking bathwater tainted by dozens of strangers but when the water’s been turned into wine, you’d better just hold your nose and pray for your health.

Blarney Stone, Ireland

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No visit to Ireland would be complete without kissing the Blarney Stone; just ask the roughly 400,000 people who visit Blarney Castle in Cork each year to do just that. Take into account several centuries of tradition and you’ve got a pretty good chance of picking up much more than the gift of gab.

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Kudos to Flickr users colinfinkle2, Mark Folse, and Becky Lane (romplane) for striking a blow for – or maybe against – germophobes worldwide.

Market Theater Gum Wall, Seattle

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So it seems the gross & grotty Gum Wall under Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle is to be steam cleaned and scrubbed free of used chewing gum – the first time in 20 years this dirtiest of dirty jobs is to be done. Where’s Mike Rowe when you need him?

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The cleaning wasn’t prompted by public health issues, however, as according to the Pike Place Market Preservation & Development Authority the sugars in the gum are beginning to erode the bricks! Once the walls are clean, visitors are encouraged to pick up where they left off.