brendan37's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Salamanca, Spain

Casa de las Conchas

The facade of this 16th-century building is decorated with carvings of 300 seashells.
Unhais da Serra, Portugal

Nossa Senhora da Boa Estrela (Our Lady of the Good Star)

A small sanctuary carved into the mountainside near the tallest point in continental Portugal.
Loriga, Portugal

Torre da Estrela

This tower once served as a radar station during the Cold War.
Segovia, Spain

Sirenas de Segovia

These "mermaids" that surround a plaza in Segovia are rather sphinx-like.
Madrid, Spain

Caja Madrid Obelisk

A towering monument in Spain has proven to be more labor-intensive than initially planned.
Madrid, Spain

Cuesta de Moyano

A haven for book enthusiasts across the street from Retiro Park.
Madrid, Spain

Torres Blancas

Meant to resemble a massive tree, the building is the best example of Spanish organicist architecture in Madrid.
London, England

Goodwin's Court

An easily overlooked stretch of ornate window fronts and gaslight lamps that could be right from the pages of Dickens.
London, England

Paddington Bear Statue

After nearly 60 years, there's still a bear at Paddington Station looking for help.
London, England

221b Baker Street

The popularity of Sherlock Holmes led to the creation of his fictional address, turning the orderly London street numbers askew.
London, England

Banksy's 'Designated Graffiti Area'

Banksy gives themself artistic license with this piece of London street art.
London, England

Hoxton Street Monster Supplies

A special shop catering to the needs of things that go bump in the night, and also helps kids become writers.
London, England

London's Lilliputian Police Station

London's smallest police station is barely the size of a phone booth.
London, England

Dirty Dick's

This pub boasts a curious history and may have inspired a Dickens character.
London, England

Leadenhall Market

This ornate Victorian marketplace was the setting for Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron in the Harry Potter films.
London, England

The Soho Square Hut

The Tudor-style cottage in the middle of the square is not quite what it seems.
Athens, Greece

Tower of the Winds

An ancient octagonal weather station named for the eight Greek gods of wind.
Athens, Greece

Anafiotika

The Cycladic architecture makes this Athens neighborhood feel like an island paradise hidden in the shadow of the Acropolis.
Athens, Greece

The Athenian Agora

This ancient Greek place of assembly and marketplace is being revealed layer by layer below the modern Athens cityscape.
Kalabaka, Greece

Meteora

Monasteries on rock pillars, once accessible only by frayed ropes.
Greece

The Oracle of Delphi

The hallucinogenic center of the ancient world.
Sofia, Bulgaria

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

A striking symbol of the Bulgarian capital.
Bled, Slovenia

Bled Island and Castle

This one-time health resort was used by aristocrats around the world.
Tataouine, Tunisia

Ksar Ouled Soltane

A 15th-century granary that played the role of futuristic slave quarters in the world of 'Star Wars.'