00:00If a person starts to hear whispers or voices in his head, for no apparent reason, and there is no one nearby,
00:08it would be wise for her to consult a specialist.
00:11Except, of course, if she is in one of these places where sound illusions and auditory hallucinations are part of the tourist attractions.
00:19The first of these places is located in the small Spanish town of Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle.
00:24In this place, you can walk in a small park and sit on a polished concrete bench, designed in the shape of a semicircle.
00:31Even if no one is sitting next to you, you will hear whispers.
00:35Hi, how are you?
00:37It may seem disturbing, but it is not the work of a ghost.
00:40It is this girl sitting at the other end whispering in the direction of the concrete file on your bench.
00:45Sound waves propagate through the smooth surface of the arch and reach your ears.
00:50You can also whisper something.
00:52And the girl will hear you.
00:54This singular structure is known as the Whispering Bank.
00:58Built in 1916, it quickly became a popular place for gallant dates.
01:04At the time, strict rules framed the exchanges between young people before marriage,
01:09but this bench allowed to talk remotely while creating a particular intimacy.
01:14Come and discover this bench with your loved ones and experience it for yourself.
01:18Our next step is the center of the universe.
01:21It is not a place offering the fastest free Wi-Fi,
01:24but a singular point located in the small town of Tulsa in Oklahoma.
01:29Place yourself in the center of this brick circle and shout something.
01:33You will hear your own amplified voice and its echo will be heard in the distance.
01:38This place is considered an anomaly because, according to legend,
01:42if you use a powerful horn at this place,
01:45people standing outside the circle will not hear it.
01:49If you do not have a horn at hand, you can verify this legend with your voice.
01:54Just shout and question the people nearby about what they have perceived.
01:59They will hear you, of course, but your voice will seem strangely distorted to them.
02:04Some believe that this surprising effect would be due to the reflection of sound waves
02:10on the circular wall of a large flower garden located near the center.
02:14Although we live in the 21st century and science has made immense progress,
02:19researchers still fail to explain this acoustic anomaly.
02:23Maybe you can do it.
02:26We are now in the northern part of the state of New York,
02:29in the charming city of Lake George, nestled between mountains and forests.
02:34This city bears the same name as the lake on which it is located, Lake George.
02:39In addition to its popularity among amateurs of fishing,
02:42this place attracts thousands of visitors who come to try to shout as loud as possible.
02:47Here is a young man who stands in the center of a concrete platform
02:50decorated with an engraved compass and a cartographic representation of the lake.
02:54He shouts a powerful cry, then leaves.
02:57It may seem unusual, but you decide to try the experience too.
03:02The sound of your voice moves away, then returns to you,
03:06as if it had been sent back by a tennis racket.
03:09You hear your voice distort and shout again.
03:13Then you take a step aside and try again.
03:17This time, the cry seems normal.
03:20You return to the center of the concrete compass, at the intersection of the two lines,
03:24and shout again to perceive this strange echo.
03:28However, the people who stand next to you do not notice anything special.
03:33For them, you are just a strange person shouting with a completely ordinary voice.
03:39Do you see this low half-circle wall that surrounds the platform on the edge of the lake?
03:45Maybe the sound waves resonate there, creating this particular effect.
03:50But why doesn't this happen elsewhere with similar walls?
03:55The answer could be in the combination of water and mountains that surround this place.
04:01It is possible that the sound waves change shape when they hit the water and then the mountains.
04:07In reality, no one knows exactly what is happening here.
04:11Just enjoy the experience.
04:14Let's leave the magnificent promenades and parks to enter the Grand Central station in Manhattan.
04:20Here, in the middle of the noisy crowd, you will discover a unique place
04:25near the carved intersection of the alleys of the lower level.
04:29Approach your ear to the smooth tile and you will hear whispers and voices coming from the other end of the dome.
04:36These subtle murmurs are so distinct that you will even perceive them through the thousands of voices passing by.
04:42This acoustic effect is made possible by the perfect symmetry of the smooth arches
04:47built in a unique material patented by the Spanish caroler Rafael Guastavino.
04:52You can also admire his other works in various places in New York.
04:57Bienvenue à Echo Bridge, situé à Newton, dans le Massachusetts.
05:01Cet ouvrage architectural, construit en 1877 dans le cadre d'un vaste aqueduc,
05:07est aujourd'hui une attraction touristique prisée en raison de son effet acoustique exceptionnel.
05:13En dessous du pont, plusieurs plateformes sont accessibles au moyen d'escalier.
05:18Descendez-y et exprimez-vous à haute voix.
05:21Elle sera portée par un écho retentissant, capable de générer près de 15 réverbérations.
05:27Criez « é » avec force et vous entendrez ce « é » répéter 15 fois, se propageant loin dans la forêt.
05:35Si vous produisez un son encore plus puissant, comme l'explosion d'un pétard, l'écho pourrait se répéter jusqu'à 25 fois.
05:42Selon une théorie, cet écho prolongé serait dû à la réverbération du son entre l'arche et la surface de l'eau.
05:48Toutefois, une autre hypothèse suggère que la forme particulière de l'arche intensifierait ce phénomène acoustique.
05:55Nous nous trouvons à présent dans le charmant village anglais de Turgoland.
05:59Parmi ces curiosités figure un tunnel insolite avec une anomalie acoustique à l'intérieur.
06:05Ce tunnel appartenait à une ligne de chemin de fer reliant Sheffield à Manchester.
06:10Mais celle-ci a été fermée dans les années 80.
06:14Aujourd'hui, le tunnel sert de voie pour les cyclistes et les piétons.
06:18En y entrant, un simple claquement de main produit un son qui perdure environ 20 secondes.
06:23Positionnez-vous de part et d'autre du tunnel avec un ami et tentez de communiquer.
06:28Les mots se superposeront les uns aux autres, donnant l'impression de parler à plusieurs interlocuteurs.
06:34Le revêtement lisse en béton de ce tunnel, en forme de fer à cheval,
06:39combiné à sa trajectoire arquée de 1200 m, crée cet effet de réverbération.
06:45Et même si les phénomènes acoustiques ne vous intéressent pas particulièrement,
06:49ce tunnel vaut le détour pour sa beauté et son architecture unique.
06:53Le doux bruit des vagues sur le rivage a un effet méditatif.
06:57L'artiste californien Peter Richards a donc eu l'idée d'amplifier ces sons naturels
07:02en créant un instrument de musique unique appelé The Wave Organ.
07:07Il l'a installé sur la côte de San Francisco, à proximité du Crissy Field Recreation Center.
07:12Cette oeuvre d'art se compose de plus de 20 longues tuyaux, en béton et en PVC, un matériau plastique.
07:19Tous ces tuyaux plongent sous l'eau, amplifiant le bruit des vagues qui les frappent.
07:24Ces sons gargouillants et retentissants évoquent cette sensation de calme et de plaisir que l'on ressent
07:29en contemplant un feu crépitant.
07:31Une expérience dont on peut profiter longuement.
07:34Nous avons exploré plusieurs anomalies acoustiques et phénomènes sonores,
07:38mais tous résultent de la collaboration entre la nature et l'ingéniosité humaine.
07:43Pour conclure notre voyage, découvrons un lieu unique
07:46où seule la nature produit ces saisissants effets sonores.
07:49Nous voici dans la forêt de bambou de Sagano, au Japon.
07:53Cet endroit authentique, préservé de l'intervention humaine,
07:57offre un véritable spectacle acoustique créé par le vent et les tiges de bambou.
08:02Les fourrés denses de la forêt grincent, craquent et se heurtent entre eux,
08:06accompagnées par le bruissement du feuillage et le souffle du vent.
08:10Cette symphonie naturelle a un effet véritablement envoûtant.
08:14Des milliers de touristes affluent ici, équipés de magnétophones et de microprofessionnels
08:19pour capter cette musique naturelle.
08:22Cependant, cela pose un véritable problème.
08:25Trop de visiteurs castent les branches, déclenchent notre leur appareil photo,
08:29papotent entre eux et perturbent ainsi l'écoute des sons de la nature.
08:34Pour vivre pleinement cette expérience, il est conseillé de venir tôt le matin
08:39ou de trouver un endroit à l'écart.
08:41Allongez-vous, fermez les yeux et laissez-vous transporter.
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