This small uninhabited island offers Galapagos-like biodiversity.

This 12-inch-tall wooden sculpture of a winged Virgin Mary has inspired much devotion and countless replicas.

It took 160 years to complete the most ornate church in Ecuador.

A short volcanic hill in Quito doubles as a stellar observation point of an iconic statue.

Legend says if this neo-Gothic basilica is ever officially completed, the world will come to an end.

Quito's historic, main square dates back to the 16th century.

This historic street in Quito is known for its seven stone crosses—and one presidential assassination.

Ecuador’s historic seat of government has been quietly looted in recent decades, and no one knows how or by whom.

Home of the "true" equator.

An elaborate shrine dedicated to the four corners of the world unfortunately misses its mark.

A city continually buried under the ash of a volcano that has been erupting for more than 15 years.

An imposing statue of the first prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda stands in the middle of a traffic intersection.

Known as the "Dodo Manège," this carousel features a herd of animals that have disappeared—or may be gone soon.

This life-size replica of the Statue of Liberty's flame is also a tribute to Princess Diana by default.

A mechanized clock where a man fights off a dragon, crab, and rooster.

The vast, legendary catacombs hold secrets much stranger than stacked bones.

An "inside out" building in the historical center of Paris, featuring Europe’s largest modern art museum.

A favorite Paris bar for U.S. expats, including Gershwin, Hemingway, and James Bond.

This demon atop the Notre-Dame de Paris looks utterly bored.

A 16th-century fountain marks the site of a lost medieval cemetery once filled with mass graves.

A museum which takes visitors to the côté obscure of Paris.

A Parisian cemetery where the elite and artistic are interred beneath an eccentric collection of tombs.

19th century pendulum and a clock restored by a rogue group of guerilla artists.

The very center of Paris is surrounded by a bevy of strange good luck rituals.