The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.

The burning of this 12th-century church kicked off a campaign of Norwegian Black Metal terror.

One man's exploration of the human form, including the bizarre and delightful "Man Attacked by Babies."

Marked by the hand of the explorer Henry Morton Stanley.

A dreamy mausoleum honors Persia's most famous poet.

This ancient burial site is believed to be one of the first earthquake-protected structures in the world.

A spectacular rainbow of stained glass makes the "Pink Mosque" one of the most beautiful in Iran.

The palace of the King of Kings, burned by Alexander the Great.

Petting this mysterious iron monkey supposedly brings good luck.

The tiny Belgian town's ancient version of Mardi Gras involves eerie wax masks, sticks for warding off evil, and ostrich plume hats.

A little sculpture with a large wardrobe.

A magical and peaceful ruined Cistercian abbey in what is now southern Belgium.

This old wooden funicular railway leads to a cemetery in the forest.

A tiny chapel clings to a precipice above Germany’s gemstone capital.

Every hour the doors open to reenact the legend of the heroic mayor who saved his town by drinking a gallon of wine.

Cold war icon and onetime "hole" in the iron curtain.

Daily jousts and dancing barrel makers in Munich's mechanical clock.

The fairy tale castle of the "fairy-tale king."

With some 500,000 books across five buildings, this bookstore is a reader's paradise.

Public outcry led to this bridge's unique character which celebrates a giant frog battle and also sewing.

The sweetest graveyard in the world is filled with headstones for dearly de-pinted ice cream flavors.