Islanders once used this dramatic, otherworldly landscape to hide their cattle from Viking raiders.

This unusual rock looks like a giant, otherworldly mushroom sprouting atop a cave.

Touching this 18th-century Scottish philosopher’s toe allegedly conjures good fortune.

A six-ton wedding present for the King of the Scots.

Once home to a Scottish baronet, this 18th-century historic house doubles as a legendary art space.

This otherwise ordinary close on the Royal Mile constituted the end of the world for Edinburgh’s poorest residents.

The "dragon babies" of southeastern Europe.

A miniature train-ride through Slovenia's largest cave system.

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

A whimsical bridge adorned with decorative dragons.

A trough of 700 strange bronze faces runs through a narrow alley in Ljubljana's old town.

A small Scottish town's larger-than-life tribute to the celebrated accordion player.

Some cheeky plantings brighten an old slipway on Scotland's Firth of Forth.

Bronze plates placed around this Scottish fishing village form a true-scale model of the solar system.

In 1396, two Scottish clans that had been violently feuding for centuries finally faced off in a bloody battle in this park.

This tiny island is home to the world's largest colony of Northern gannets.

This short white tower is all that's left of Scotland's first permanently manned lighthouse.

The most iconic structure in Scotland has been home to bishops, colonels, and Sean Connery characters.

A sweet symbol marks the place where torturous executions were once carried out.

Built to hold the worst of the worst of the Nazi war prisoners.

A hidden tunnel leads to a medieval queen's shrine buried beneath a parking lot.

A site of pagan worship which still attracts people looking for fairies.

A statue in the heart of Edinburgh honors a bear that served in the Polish military during World War II.

There are plenty of wonderful panoramic vistas in Edinburgh, but not many are hidden smack in the middle of the Old Town.