laurendpope's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Reykjavik, Iceland

Harpa

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

Hallgrimskirkja

One of the tallest buildings in Iceland, and perhaps, the most visually impressive.
Iceland

Kerið Crater Lake

This eye-popping Icelandic crater lake is surrounded by red volcanic rock.
Iceland

Námaskarð

A sulfuric martian landscape that looks far better than it smells.
Thingvellir, Iceland

Þingvellir

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

Grjótagjá

This volcanic cave lake is essentially hard proof that Iceland is the most magical place on Earth.
Iceland

Dimmuborgir

These ominous lava formations were said to be an entrance to the netherworld so of course they inspired a famous metal band.
Iceland

Godafoss

This elegant arc of a waterfall marks a religious turning point.
Iceland

Haukadalur Geothermal Field

This valley of hot springs and boiling mud pots is home to the record-holding "Geysir," which originated the English word.
Iceland

Gullfoss (Golden Falls)

If a glacial river suddenly diving into a sheer chasm via a dramatic, multi-stage waterfall isn't peak Iceland, it's certainly close.
Ironbridge, England

The Iron Bridge

This bridge is the first to be made entirely from iron, but designed like it was still made of wood.
Bourton-on-the-Water, England

Bourton-on-the-Water Model Village

A miniature village mimics the surrounding buildings so well it includes itself.
Broadway, England

Broadway Tower and Nuclear Bunker

A petite castle folly in the English countryside.
Chipping Norton, England

Rollright Stones

This trio of neolithic stone monuments are fabled to be a king and his knights that were petrified by a witch.
East Sussex, England

Seven Sisters Cliffs

These stark white cliffs were spat up by the sea and are slowly being retaken by it.
Lewes, England

Lewes Bonfire

Both church and state get put to the torch in this annual festival in the "Bonfire Capital of the World."
Brighton, England

The Chattri

This memorial to the thousands of Indian dead during WWI was callously used for target practice during WWII.
Brighton, England

The Daddy Long Legs Seashore Railway

The remnants of a strange stilted building on rails can still be seen at low tide.
Brighton, England

West Pier

The rotting skeleton of a shoreside fun fair that was destroyed by fire and storms still haunts the Brighton ocean view.
Brighton, England

Brighton Beach Flint Grotto

One fisherman has used his love of pebbles and shore to create a crazy garden of rocky art.
Brighton, England

The Booth Museum of Natural History

The natural history museum displaying the British bird collections and dioramas of Edward Booth, free of charge.
Brighton, England

The Royal Pavilion

Regency-era excess on the English Coast.