esse's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Tarragona, Spain

Tarragona Amphitheater

This Roman arena once played host to bloody gladiatorial battles.
Tarragona, Spain

Roman Circus and Praetorian Tower

Long tunnels run under the ancient chariot racing circuit to the tower.
Barcelona, Spain

Bunkers of Carmel

These secluded and abandoned anti-aircraft defenses have become one the most scenic viewpoints in Barcelona.
Barcelona, Spain

Sant Pau Recinte Modernista

The largest Art Nouveau complex in the world is a Barcelona hospital with a 600-year-long history.
Barcelona, Spain

Columns of the Temple of Augustus

The 2,000-year-old Roman columns are hidden within Barcelona's Gothic Quarter.
Barcelona, Spain

Mirador de Colom (Columbus Monument)

A vista of the city and sea from atop the little-known viewing deck on an unassuming Columbus statue.
Barcelona, Spain

Casa Batlló

One of Antoni Gaudí's most classic buildings is well-known for its "dragon-back" design.
Barcelona, Spain

Casa Amatller

This home designed for chocolate magnate Antoni Amatller is an exquisite treasure-box of Catalan Modernism.
Barcelona, Spain

Sagrada Família

Construction of Barcelona's iconic (but controversial) church is expected to be completed in 2026—a century after the death of its architect.
Barcelona, Spain

Park Güell

Gaudí's famously flamboyant architectural style is on full display in this sprawling park and garden.
Barcelona, Spain

Casa Vicens

Step inside the first house designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, considered to be one of the first Art Nouveau buildings.
Colares, Portugal

Cabo da Roca

One Portuguese poet described this cape, the westernmost point in mainland Europe, as "where the land ends and the sea begins."
Lisbon, Portugal

Jerónimos Monastery

Elaborately carved to showcase the glorious wealth that the age of exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.
Cascais, Portugal

Boca do Inferno

A unique seaside cave where Aleister Crowley faked his own death.
Lisbon, Portugal

Rhinoceros of Belem Tower

A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.
Sintra, Portugal

Pena National Palace

This unreal Portuguese palace looks as though it's made from a pile of different castles.
Lisbon, Portugal

Carmo Convent Ruins

Legacy of the earthquake that nearly wiped Lisbon off the face of the Earth.
Sintra, Portugal

Quinta da Regaleira

This eccentrically decorated palace is replete with grottoes, fountains, tunnels, and caves.
Porto, Portugal

Livraria Lello

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

Glaumbær Farm & Museum

This former farm In northern Iceland is now a museum, where visitors can tour beautifully-preserved turf houses.
Akureyri, Iceland

Akureyri Heart-Shaped Traffic Lights

Instead of solid circles, the stoplights in this northern Icelandic town have glowing red hearts.
Reykjavik, Iceland

Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat

Iceland's tribute to its thankless civil servants.
Thingvellir, Iceland

Þingvellir

The picturesque birthplace of Icelandic democracy is drenched in the blood of its brutal past.
Reykjavik, Iceland

Harpa

This stunning concert hall has become a symbol of Iceland's national recovery.