This former Imperial summer home was the venue for a royal slap that once echoed 'round the world.

This half-forgotten fortress was constructed by the Ottoman conqueror of Constantinople.

The ornate miniature mansions were built for Istanbul's feathered residents.

This column celebrates Rome's victory over the Goths, and may be the oldest Roman monument in Istanbul.

Quite possibly the oldest love poem known to humankind.

This crucial gathering spot along the "hippie trail" still displays old notes between traveling beatniks and backpackers.

Legend says if you stick your thumb in the hole and it gets wet your wish will be granted.

A small etching on the white marble parapet was written in runic script by a Viking mercenary.

No one is sure if the world's fourth-largest diamond had been found in a rubbish heap or was pawned by Napoleon's mom.

This striking sculpture of Icarus honors Greece's fallen flyers.

Modernist design and funerary customs meet Spartan traditions in this one-of-a-kind graveyard.

The ruins of an abandoned medieval city where the last Byzantine emperor was crowned.

The hallucinogenic center of the ancient world.

Take a dip in the world's largest mineral hot springs pool.

This 22-floor tower's Skydeck offers panoramic views of Amsterdam.

A poignant museum dedicated to the history of the Dutch resistance against Nazi occupation

The facade of this bank has changed little over the centuries, including its unique welcome sign.

Unsurprisingly, Holland is home to one of the most magnificent flower gardens in the world.

Established in 1638 to battle the Black Death, Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam is a treasure trove of rare flora.

A set of seven houses, each built in a style that represents a European country.

This plaque marks the former home of one of the first women physicians in the Netherlands.

Some 80,000 Delft Blue tiles line the inside of this Amsterdam walkway.

Where royalty waits in the height of luxury.

Installed in an act of one-upsmanship, the annual sundial in this church is also a symbolic victory for the Gregorian calendar.