cjmagaw's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Istanbul, Turkey

Viking Runes at Hagia Sophia

A small etching on the white marble parapet was written in runic script by a Viking mercenary.
Adalar, Turkey

Büyükada

Over the centuries, this island paradise has done it all, from providing monks with ecclesiastical respite to sheltering an exiled Leon Trotsky.
Istanbul, Turkey

Hagia Sophia Wishing Column

Legend says if you stick your thumb in the hole and it gets wet your wish will be granted.
Istanbul, Turkey

Basilica Cisterns of Istanbul

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.
Istanbul, Turkey

Serpent Column

Ancient serpentine sacrifice holder that has stood the test of time.
Istanbul, Turkey

Tombs of the Sultans

Five sultans and their families rest in eternal splendor, teeming with overlooked beauty and drama.
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

The Arch of Cabo San Lucas

A graceful natural rock formation stands astride the point where the Gulf of California meets the Pacific Ocean.
Guadalajara, Mexico

Panteón de Belen (Santa Paula Cemetery)

This historic cemetery built for victims of the epidemics that swept Guadalajara is shrouded in macabre tales.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

La Rotonda del Mar

A Lovecraftian altar of nightmarish bronze chairs sits ominously on a boardwalk in Puerto Vallarta.
Sydney, Australia

'Forgotten Songs' Sound Sculpture

A collaboration of art and ornithology mourns the calls of Sydney's lost birds.
Sydney, Australia

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

Come for the flowers, stay for the bats!
Hanoi, Vietnam

Hỏa Lò Prison

The notorious "Hanoi Hilton" where Vietnamese colonial subjects and later American POWs, including John McCain, were imprisoned.
Hanoi, Vietnam

Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre

Home of the unusual art of water puppetry, one of Vietnam's oldest curiosities.
Waimea, Hawaii

Parker Ranch

This Hawaiian cattle ranch acts as a museum devoted to the island cowboys that predate the wild west.
Kapa'a, Hawaii

Kalalau Trail

This narrow coastline trail through the dense Kauai wilderness is among the most beautiful and dangerous in the world.
Honolulu, Hawaii

Iolani Palace

The only royal palace on U.S. soil has been a territorial capitol, a military headquarters, and a prison for a queen.
Koloa, Hawaii

Spouting Horn

This blowhole is supposedly caused by a trapped monster.
Lahaina, Hawaii

Lahaina Banyan Tree

Take shelter from Hawai'i's tropical heat under the massive canopy of largest Banyan tree on the island.
Honolulu, Hawaii

Shangri La

Doris Duke's lasting collection of Islamic Art, hidden in a Hawaiian paradise.
Hilo, Hawaii

Kaumana Lava Tubes

Hide from the tourist hordes in these relatively unknown, and unguarded lava caves.
Pepeekeo, Hawaii

'Akaka Falls

These picturesque Hawaiian falls are home to a rare species of fish that uses a special sucker to climb up cliffs.
Hana, Hawaii

Hana Lava Tube

A tunnel of hardened lava along Maui’s famous Road to Hana.
Palm Desert, California

Smiler's Point

This simple highway curve has become a comedic pilgrimage site.
San Diego, California

Balboa Park Moreton Bay Fig Tree

One of the largest trees of its kind in California.