polly76's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Brisbane, Australia

'The World Turns'

The sculpture shows a water rat turning the world upside-down, landing an elephant on its head.
Brisbane, Australia

Streets Beach

Brisbane's manmade urban beach has enough water to fill five Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Sydney, Australia

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

Come for the flowers, stay for the bats!
Manchester, England

Afflecks

Over 70 independent businesses have set up shop in this former Victorian department store.
Manchester, England

A Monument to Vimto

A giant wooden soda bottle pays homage to a distinctly British drink on the very spot where it was invented.
Manchester, England

Alan Turing Memorial

Have a seat with the father of modern computing at this Manchester monument.
Venice, Italy

Church of San Giacomo di Rialto

According to tradition this is the oldest church in Venice, but its actual age is a mystery.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Lost Third Column

Two stone columns flank the grand Venice square, but there were supposed to be three.
Venice, Italy

Piraeus Lion

Thousand-year-old Viking runes adorn an ancient Greek lion at the entrance to the Venetian Arsenal.
Venice, Italy

Libreria Acqua Alta

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.
Venice, Italy

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio)

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.
Paris, France

Mascarons of Pont Neuf

If you look closely at the oldest bridge in Paris, you might notice hundreds of ugly faces leering from its sides.
Paris, France

Centre Pompidou

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

Pont de la Concorde

This bridge was constructed from the rubble of the infamous Bastille.
Da Nang, Vietnam

Fire-Breathing Dragon Bridge

This bridge is embedded with a giant steel dragon that breathes fire from its mouth.
Salford, England

Salford Lads' Club

This historic club for wayward boys has shaped some of the biggest names in music almost as much as they have shaped it.
Paris, France

The Bouquinistes of Paris

The tradition of open-air secondhand and antiquarian bookselling in Paris dates back to the Renaissance.
Morecambe, England

Eric Morecambe Statue

Dedicated to the legendary comedian Eric Morecambe depicting his iconic "Bring Me Sunshine" stance.
Bruges, Belgium

Halve Maan Brewery Beer Pipeline

A beer pipeline runs beneath Bruges.
Maldegem, Belgium

The Canada War Museum of Adegem, Belgium

A museum celebrating the Canadian forces that liberated Belgium from the Nazis replete with battlefield miniatures and multiple Gardens.
Paris, France

Cimetière du Calvaire

The oldest and smallest cemetery in Paris is only open to the public twice a year.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Burj Al Arab

A preposterously luxurious hotel with gold-plated iPads, Rolls Royce chauffeurs, and a staff that trains by watching "Downton Abbey."
New York, New York

Old City Hall Station

A beautiful and abandoned New York subway station from 1904, complete with chandelier.