Villas that once served as playgrounds for the rich now fall away in decay.

A giant gorilla made of used car tires used to sit sentinel over a Helsinki college campus.

On a small island, a replica of a Finnish village from the Iron Age.

This restaurant combines two Finnish traditions in one place: warm-weather relaxation and outdoor carpet-cleaning.

No matter how many times this community-run sauna gets destroyed, it always rises from the ashes.

This irregularly shaped sea fortress has defended not one but three different sovereign states.

This endearingly discomfited urinating statue commemorates the sneaky pees had by us all.

A lovingly curated curio shop in which the taxidermy wear newspaper party hats, and peanut shells are spread across every surface.

An alien church provides much needed silence in the midst of a Finland shopping center.

A microbiologist-chef is slinging noodles with hyperlocal Nordic ingredients.

Across the Pacific in a raft, a museum dedicated to Thor Heyerdahl's now legendary expedition.

One man's exploration of the human form, including the bizarre and delightful "Man Attacked by Babies."

Home to three historic ships from the age of Vikings.

Ruins of two abandoned stations destroyed by the power they sought to harness.

A favorite with sightseers, this Norwegian funicular provides easy access to a stunning view of Bergen and its environs.

Stay overnight in the world's most sleekly designed rabbit hole, free of charge.

The burning of this 12th-century church kicked off a campaign of Norwegian Black Metal terror.

This legendary dessert was served to Nobel laureates for decades.

Maybe the only restaurant in the world where your seat will be signed by a Nobel laureate.

A prehistoric geological oddity tucked behind Stockholm's natural history museum.

A traveling Bronze Age sacrificial stone that was used to honor elves, fairies, and other woodland spirits.

Twice a year, this floating library delivers thousands of books to the remote islands of Stockholm’s archipelago.

Several cannonballs of mysterious origins decorate two buildings in Stortoget's main square.

Hidden in plain sight, Sweden's official ordnance datum is now abandoned.