Wacky world - weekly offbeat travel roundup

(AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTON)

A roundup of this week's offbeat travel stories from Relaxnews.

The pint fit for a Pope
The Vatican opened a bar in a 17th century crypt this week in an attempt to lure young Italians away from Rome's wilder nightspots. The "John Paul II" serves beer and snacks but no vodka, and drunkenness is seriously frowned upon by the landlord... a Catholic priest.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i5PeA13Cp7hQFjb8UawqFran9S8A?docId=CNG.e6ee2a6da857f12dd721e77244423759.331

Taylor's Swift
It's been a busy week for music sensation Taylor Swift - as well as confirming that she'll give a free concert for JetBlue passengers in JFK's Terminal 5 next week, she's also confirmed to be making a special appearance on board Allure of the Seas, the new superliner from Royal Caribbean, in the new year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/arts/music/21swift.html
http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2010/10/22/35001/us+pop+superstar+to+sing+on+allure+of+the+seas.html

Jack and Jill go to sea
Staying with the Allure of the Seas, Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes and Al Pacino are to be among the liner's first guests as they're filming on board in November, before it even launches. Royal Caribbean employees have apparently been given the chance to appear in the film too.
http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/captain-greybeard/2010/10/allure-is-location-for-new-mov.html

Winning wheelchairs
An English plumber has created a mobility scooter capable of 113 km/h, adding a 125cc engine, five gears and twin exhausts to enable him to take the record for the world's fastest mobility scooter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2D2fP6yBzU

Haunted houses = scarily popular
In honor of Halloween, the Haunted House Association of American has revealed some frightening stats on the popularity of haunted attractions in the US. A full 1 in 5 Americans plans to visit a haunted attraction this year, says the association, a number that has grown by almost a third in the past five years.
http://www.hhassociation.com/

Solar cycling
Cyclist Florian Bailly has completed his epic 13,000 kilometers from France across Europe and Asia to Tokyo, using pedal and solar power on a specially-adapted bike.
http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/frenchman-rides-solar-bike-to-japan-22400772