andrewdarwitan's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Taipei City, Taiwan

Tuned Mass Damper of Taipei 101

Enormous pendulum helps keep Taiwan's tallest building from swaying.
Selçuk, Turkey

The Public Toilets of Ephesus

The ancient latrines of the Greeks, in all their public glory.
Aksaray, Turkey

Cappadocia

In this historic region, homes and churches are carved into ancient volcanic rock formations.
Istanbul, Turkey

Serpent Column

Ancient serpentine sacrifice holder that has stood the test of time.
Nara, Japan

Tōdai-ji Daibutsuden (The Great Buddha Hall)

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.
Kyoto, Japan

Sagano Bamboo Forest

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.
Kyoto, Japan

Tenryu-Ji Shrine's Bamboo Trail

A beautiful bamboo trail tucked in this famous Japanese Shrine.
Kyoto, Japan

Sanjūsangen-dō

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.
Hakone, Japan

Owakudani Black Eggs

Legend holds eating just one of these black eggs can add seven years to one's life.
Yamanakako, Japan

Lake Yamanaka

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.
Kalabaka, Greece

Meteora

Monasteries on rock pillars, once accessible only by frayed ropes.
Greece

The Oracle of Delphi

The hallucinogenic center of the ancient world.
Singapore

CHIJMES

A historical convent known for taking in bad luck babies left on its doorstep is now an upscale shopping center.
Phela, Thailand

Phra Nang Cave

A phallic shrine to a princess goddess in Krabi, Thailand.
Lucerne, Switzerland

Lion of Lucerne

This memorial commemorating fallen Swiss Guards of the French Revolution has been called the saddest stone in the world.
Rome, Italy

Campo de Fiori

This ritzy Italian market is built around a statue of an unforgiven heretic who was burned for his belief in an endless universe.
Riomaggiore, Italy

Via dell’Amore

A lover's walk between hilltop towns, decorated with graffiti love notes.
Verona, Italy

Juliet's Balcony

Pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers.
Vienna, Austria

The Lost Garden of Schloss Schonbrunn

The topiary maze at the Habsburg hunting lodge.
Vienna, Austria

Wiener Pestsäule (Vienna Plague Column)

Baroque celebration of the end of the Great Plague of Vienna.
Bratislava, Slovakia

Most SNP

This Slovak bridge is known both for its connection to a national uprising and its UFO-shaped eatery.
Budapest, Hungary

Shoes on the Danube Promenade

A trail of iron footwear stands as a monument to the thousands executed along this riverbank during WWII.
Budapest, Hungary

The Citadella

From Austrians to Nazis to Soviets, this historic Budapest fortress has a history as complex as the city itself.
Prague, Czechia

Lennon Wall

Despite attempts by local police to discourage it, Beatles-inspired graffiti has been a means for artists to air grievances for decades.