alan3djoseph's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Kyoto, Japan

Sagano Scenic Railway

A train ride to the middle of nowhere gives its passengers some of the most iconic views of Japan's seasons.
Kyoto, Japan

Okochi Sanso Gardens

This garden located inside a bamboo forest once belonged to a famous Japanese actor.
Barcelona, Spain

La Carbonería

One of the most photographed buildings in a city known for its Modernista architecture is an abandoned squat.
Barcelona, Spain

Sagrada Família

Construction of Barcelona's iconic (but controversial) church is expected to be completed in 2026—a century after the death of its architect.
Barcelona, Spain

Columns of the Temple of Augustus

The 2,000-year-old Roman columns are hidden within Barcelona's Gothic Quarter.
Barcelona, Spain

Mirador de Colom (Columbus Monument)

A vista of the city and sea from atop the little-known viewing deck on an unassuming Columbus statue.
London, England

Natural History Museum of London

Eighty million natural history specimens call this gargantuan museum home.
Potsdam, Germany

Großer Refraktor (Great Refractor)

One of the largest refracting telescopes in the world, and the first built specifically for studying astrophysics.
The Hague, Netherlands

World Peace Flame Pathway

Lumps of significant stone from around the world surround a flaming monument for peace.
Paris, France

The Stravinsky Fountain

A series of abstract, silly sculptures represent the works of a great modern classical composer.
Paris, France

Lasco Project at Palais de Tokyo

A modern-day Lascaux cave underneath Paris.
Paris, France

Centre Pompidou

An "inside out" building in the historical center of Paris, featuring Europe’s largest modern art museum.
Paris, France

La REcyclerie

This Parisian café sticks almost exclusively to an ethos of reuse.
Rotterdam, Netherlands

Rotterdam Historic Harbor

Old ships and machinery fill a historic harbor in the city that's home to Europe's largest port.
Delme, France

Gue(ho)st House

This building’s ghostly exterior reflects its former lives as a prison, school, and funeral home.
Donaueschingen, Germany

Donauquelle

The great Danube river starts here.
Oppenau, Germany

Kloster Allerheiligen

This ancient ruined monastery has been destroyed by fire so many times that it seems like God hates it.
Kastrup, Denmark

Kastrup Sea Bath

This ultra-modern wooden boardwalk turns the ocean into a swimming pool.
Mildam, Netherlands

Ecokathedraal

Nestled in the woods lies this land art project: a hybrid between park, maze and natural monument.
Lelystad, Netherlands

Exposure

This giant wire frame man sculpture is crouched in contemplation.
Dwingeloo, Netherlands

Dwingeloo Radio Observatory

This giant radio telescope would be a rusting ruin if it hadn't become such a beloved relic.
Giethoorn, Netherlands

Giethoorn

This small town in the Netherlands has no roads but instead, miles of canals and over 100 bridges.
Marknesse, Netherlands

Waterloopbos

This former hydraulic laboratory is now a woodland dotted with old engineering models.
Horn-Bad Meinberg, Germany

Externsteine

Between Neo-Pagans and Neo-Nazis, these strange rock formations have a curious cult following and a very strange history.