Nikolas Flamel's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Newark, California

Salt Ponds of San Francisco Bay

From the sky, a kaleidoscope of color brightens the grey landscape of the San Francisco Bay.
New Orleans, Louisiana

Marie Laveau's Tomb

The final resting place of New Orleans' most famous voodoo priestess.
Heraklion, Greece

Knossos

A minotaur, a labyrinth, and a dubious restoration pull in visitors from around the world.
Zakinthos, Greece

Navagio Beach

Hidden in a secluded Greek cove is a pristine beach marred only by the rusting smuggler's hulk stranded on its shores.
Kalabaka, Greece

Meteora

Monasteries on rock pillars, once accessible only by frayed ropes.
San Lawrenz, Malta

The Azure Window and the Blue Hole

Two geological phenomena in one precarious locale: a towering stone window, and a deep blue void.
Cluj-Napoca, Romania

St. Michael’s Church

This Transylvanian church has changed its denomination four times.
Sibiu, Romania

Sibiu's Houses with Eyes

Something's watching you.
Sighetu Marmației, Romania

Memorial of the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance

A memorial museum to the political prisoners who were held at Sighet Prison, once one of the most feared places in Romania.
Săpânța, Romania

The Merry Cemetery

A small town Romanian cemetery filled with darkly humorous gravestones.
Palermo, Italy

Porta Nuova

This triumphal 16th-century arched gateway leads to the oldest street in Palermo.
Palermo, Italy

Arabic Inscription of Palermo Cathedral

Why a column on the entrance is inscribed with a verse from the Quran is one of Sicily's many mysteries.
Belpasso, Italy

Mount Etna

The world's most active stratovolcano is almost always erupting.
Palermo, Italy

La Zisa

This Arabesque Italian castle was built with a primitive, if ingenious, air-conditioning system.
Palermo, Italy

Capuchin Monastery Catacombs

Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.
Romanii de Jos, Romania

Horezu Monastery

Religious structure known for its sculpted details.
Harghita County, Romania

Lacul Sfanta Ana

Romania's only crater lake with water as pure as if distilled.
Comuna Arefu, Romania

Prometheus Statue at Vidraru Dam

The ancient Greek Titan guards this massive dam holding a lightning bolt to symbolize electricity.
Scorțoasa, Romania

Berca Mud Volcanoes

A muddy alien landscape that is home to rare species of exotic plants.
Brașov, Romania

Biserica Neagră (The Black Church)

A fire once nearly devoured this gorgeous 14th-century Gothic cathedral.
Brașov, Romania

Strada Sforii (Rope Street)

This snug medieval lane is one of the narrowest streets in the world.
Bran, Romania

Bran Castle

The possible imprisonment of Vlad the Impaler here earned the medieval castle its nickname, "Dracula's Castle."
Bușteni, Romania

The Mountain Sphinx

Conspiracy theories and occult legends surround this mysterious natural rock formation.
Sinaia, Romania

Peleș Castle

This elaborately decorated, fairytale-like Romanian royal palace is one of the most striking castles in Europe.