BLARNEY CASTLE IN IRELAND If you have an argument to win, go kiss the Blarney Stone. Blarney Castle is the home to the splendid rock set “Blarney Stone” found in the castle’s battlements. Kissing the Blarney Stone should guarantee the kisser good fortune and eloquence in whatever issues related to persuasion. Some said that it’s lined to the Stone of Scone used for centuries in the coronations of English and Scottish monarchs.
FUSHIMI INARI TAISHA IN JAPAN This one is especially for the business-oriented people searching for some business luck. The 8th century Kyoto shrine was initially dedicated to the god of rice and sake, but has been known as the go-to location for entrepreneurs. For a remarkable success in business, it’s said that you have to make your way to the subshrines at the top of the summit. THE WEEPING COLUMN IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY For health boost searchers, Istanbul is your destination. Located inside Hagia Sophia – used to be a Greek Orthodox basilica, an imperial mosque and now is a museum – people seek good health by visiting the weeping column. Also known as Column of St. George, it’s said that the column weeps holy water capable of granting miracles and curing afflictions, by inserting your thumbs in a hole in the column.
THE GRAVE OF VICTOR NOIR IN PARIS, FRANCE Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris is the final resting place of many famous people such as Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison and Edith Piaf. But for visitors, and especially women, Victor Noir’s grave – a French journalist – is the main attraction. It’s said that kissing the statue of Noir that is marking his grave and placing a flower in his upturned hat boosts fertility, and in other versions ensures finding a husband in a year.
42 IDENTITY • September 2021
