After a heated argument with his wife in late November, a 48-year-old man from Como, Italy, stepped outside to walk it off and kept on walking until he was stopped a week later by police officers patrolling after curfew in Gimarra, more than 260 miles away, Oddity Central reported. The man said he had walked the entire way, without using any other modes of transportation and relied on the kindness of strangers for food and drink. "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired," he said. His wife, who had reported him missing, picked him up the next day, but had to pay a fine of almost $500 for his violation of the curfew.
A town cursed
After more than 1,000 years, the Austrian town of F**king is getting a new name, the Local reported. English-speaking tourists have had a field day snapping selfies with city signs, even stealing them, and the town's 100 residents have had enough. According to the minutes of a municipal council meeting published on Nov. 16, the town will change its name to Fugging as of Jan. 1. "I can confirm that the village is being renamed," said Andrea Holzner, mayor of the surrounding municipality. "I really don't want to say anything more."
House was just right
Police in Kansas City, Kan., responded to a call on Nov. 27 from a man who said he returned home to find a stranger in his house. The unnamed suspect was wearing the victim's clothing, had made a sandwich and cooked ramen noodles, and when police arrived, was asleep in the victim's bed, Fox4 reported. The man was arrested and booked into the Wyandotte County Jail, where the beds surely were too hard.
Not-so-bright idea
Daniel M. Rizza, 20, of McKeesport, Pa., was driving a gray Audi SUV when he ran out of gas on Nov. 27. He called state police to ask for help, but when he was told a trooper would be responding, he said he'd changed his mind and hung up, according to court documents. WTAJ reported the trooper responding to the call learned en route that a gray Audi had been reported stolen nearby earlier in the day, and after a check of the SUV's make, model, identification number and registration, he arrested Rizza, who was charged with a felony count of receiving stolen property.
Leaping to freedom
An unnamed North Korean man in his late 20s told officials his training as a gymnast enabled him to jump almost 10 feet high over a fence on Nov. 3 to escape into South Korea, National Public Radio reported. After crossing the fence, the man evaded capture for about 14 hours before being detained by South Korean soldiers, whom he told he wanted to defect. Skeptical officials made him jump the same height again twice to help prove his story. Amazingly, he successfully avoided land mines and sensors around the border.
A surprise holiday guest
An animal rescue worker in Adelaide, Australia, thought she was being pranked when Amanda McCormick called on Dec. 2 to report she had discovered a koala in her Christmas tree. The little marsupial wandered into the house and found a cozy new home among the ornaments, 9News reported. The female koala was safely removed. "Koalas are very curious creatures, and if the opportunity presents itself, they will investigate," the rescue team said.
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