Booksnob's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Saint Paul, Minnesota

Vision of Peace (Indian God of Peace)

World's largest carved onyx figure stands as a tribute to enduring peace.
Giverny, France

Claude Monet House and Gardens

At Monet's beloved home you can still see the Japanese bridge, waterlilies, and weeping willows that were the subjects of some of his most iconic paintings.
Mont Saint-Michel, France

Mont Saint-Michel

This 1,300 year old monastery built atop a single rock was once only accessible depending on the whims of the tide.
Heraklion, Greece

Phaistos Disc

This famous archeological mystery may be an ancient example of movable type.
Oía, Greece

Atlantis Books

A quirky bookstore hidden beneath a sea of whitewashed Greek villas.
Santorini, Greece

Prehistoric Town of Akrotiri

A Bronze age settlement on the Greek island of Santorini might have been the inspiration for Plato's Atlantis.
Heraklion, Greece

Knossos

A minotaur, a labyrinth, and a dubious restoration pull in visitors from around the world.
Athens, Greece

Hadrian's Reservoir

This ancient hydrological marvel is now the base of a modern outdoor cinema.
Argolis, Greece

Mycenae

This legendary city has been a tourist attraction for centuries.
Greece

The Oracle of Delphi

The hallucinogenic center of the ancient world.
Costa Rica

Río Celeste

This neon blue river gets its color from a unique mix of bacteria and volcano minerals.
Hiroshima, Japan

Human Shadow Etched in Stone

An eerie reminder to the horrors of World War II.
Nara, Japan

Buddha's Nostril

Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.
Osaka, Japan

Fudo Myo-o Statue

A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.
Kyoto, Japan

Rokuon-ji Temple

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.
Kamakura, Japan

The Great Buddha of Kamakura

A bronze statue dating back as far as 1252, still has remnants of gold on its right cheek from ancient gilding.
Hakone, Japan

Owakudani Black Eggs

Legend holds eating just one of these black eggs can add seven years to one's life.
Hiroshima, Japan

Hiroshima's Hypocenter

A plaque marks the site directly below the mid-air detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima.
Hiroshima, Japan

Hiroshima Peace Memorial

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.
Hatsukaichi, Japan

Itsukushima Shrine

Japanese national treasure originally built in 593 CE.
Tokyo, Japan

Giant GUNDAM Robot

A 20-meter (65-foot) robot towers over Tokyo Bay.
Kyoto, Japan

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

The 10,000 Torii shrine.
Kyoto, Japan

Sagano Bamboo Forest

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.
Rome, Italy

Santa Maria della Concezione Crypts

The crypts of Capuchin friars decorated with the bones of over 4,000 friars, including an entire "crypt of pelvises."