This ultra-modern California span is actually a titanic solar clock in disguise built by famed architect Santiago Calatrava.

A beloved tribute to the Fab Four and the freedoms they inspired.

An exceptional assortment of fossils recovered from private collections.

A huge communist-era propaganda monument and mural that offers stunning views of the Mongolian capital.

Enormous statue of the Emperor of the Mongols.

The lowest point in North America is home to an undrinkable pool surrounded by fields of geometric salt flats.

This crumbling Death Valley mining complex was known for its use of giant, 20-mule team wagons.

Millions of years of oxidation make a drive down this winding Death Valley road surprisingly colorful.

Marta Becket's hand-painted theater in the desert.

Life's work of sculptor Elisabet Ney remains preserved in her last studio.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

This controversial depiction of the "Founder of California" looks as though it was sculpted from mashed potatoes.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

A New England-style lighthouse along California's beautiful Highway 1 gets a re-do.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

The eclectic observatory castle of a 19th-century astronomer and explorer.

Historic medieval fortified city in southwest France.

This Bordeaux parking garage has 712 indoor spaces, and one outdoor.

An ancient and majestic fortress that played an integral role in Portugal's road to independence.

This eccentrically decorated palace is replete with grottoes, fountains, tunnels, and caves.