WillaMiddaugh's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Spijkenisse, Netherlands

Book Mountain

Peek through a transparent pyramid and drink in the mountain made of books.
New Haven, Connecticut

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Yale University's home for rare works, including the mysterious Voynich Manuscript.
Budapest, Hungary

Szabo Ervin Library

A 19th century artistocrat's mansion, turned into a library, hidden in a modern library.
Dublin, Ireland

Marsh's Library

The oldest public library in Ireland.
Helsinki, Finland

The National Library of Finland

Architecturally stunning library serves as the hub of Finnish scholarly life and culture.
Porto, Portugal

Livraria Lello

One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world hides a neo-Gothic interior behind an art nouveau facade.
Calcata Vecchia, Italy

Calcata

Medieval town turned hippie commune, once home to the secret foreskin of Jesus Christ.
Paris, France

Le Louxor Palais du Cinema

Egyptian Revival movie palace abandoned for decades and restored in 2013.
Guernsey

German Military Underground Hospital

Underground hospital complex constructed by slave laborers during the German occupation of the Channel Islands.
Pontarfynach, Wales

Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion

Three bridges straddle a stream, one stacked upon the other.
Chichen Itza, Mexico

El Caracol

No telescopes, no power, no gift shop: The Observatory of Chichen Itza, one of the world's oldest observatories, takes astronomy back to basics.
Llangennith, Wales

Worm's Head Tidal Island

A rocky sea serpent hides caves, blowholes, and a spectacular natural bridge.
Medvezhyegorsky District, Russia

Kizhi Island

Stunning examples of Russia's 18th-century wooden architecture.
GrindavĂ­k, Iceland

Blue Lagoon

Medicinal spa created with the discharge from a geothermal energy plant.
Whittingham, England

Whittingham Hospital

This hospital once pioneered the use of electroencephalograms, but fell into maltreatment, abuse, and eventual abandonment.
Islas Marietas, Mexico

Hidden Beach

A lovers' beach, tucked below the surface of the island, provides a safe haven for romance.
Puerto RĂ­o Tranquilo, Chile

Marble Caves of Chile Chico

Mother Nature outdoes herself with this stunningly beautiful set of caves carved into marble.
Kalabaka, Greece

Meteora

Monasteries on rock pillars, once accessible only by frayed ropes.
Sarandë District, Albania

Syri i Kalter: The Blue Eye

A naturally beautiful, seemingly bottomless deep blue spring.
Greece

Sami

A spectacular cave and a beguiling lake.
Clackamas County, Oregon

Bagby Hot Springs

Hollowed out cedar log tubs set in an ancient towering forest.
Corbett, Oregon

Multnomah Falls

A roaring, awe-inspiring double cascade of icy water flows through woodland Oregon like something out of a Tolkien novel.
Stevenson, Washington

Beacon Rock

An extraordinary mixture of natural beauty and man-made phenomena.
Alghero, Italy

Neptune's Grotto

Stalactites and stalagmites in a beautifully lit cave.