tobbinator's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Paris, France

Labrouste Reading Room

This off-limits room in the National Library of France is home to a system of pneumatic tubes, once used to bring books to readers.
Paris, France

Shakespeare and Company

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.
Paris, France

Bibliothèque nationale de France (National Library of France)

This massive library holds what was once the largest book collection in the world.
Porto, Portugal

Carmo and Carmelitas Churches

A hidden three-foot-wide house separates these two regal churches.
Lisbon, Portugal

Museu do Fado

An unassuming music museum recounts the rags to riches story of a dramatic Portuguese genre.
Porto, Portugal

Sao Bento Station

Elaborate tile work in this railway station tells the story of Portugal.
Lisbon, Portugal

Livraria Simão

One of the smallest bookstores on the planet.
Porto, Portugal

McDonald's Imperial

This restored Portuguese cafe may well be the most beautiful place in the world to grab a Big Mac.
Porto, Portugal

Livraria Lello

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

Jerónimos Monastery

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

Santa Justa Lift

This Industrial Age architectural and engineering gem helps visitors and residents alike traverse Lisbon, “The City of Seven Hills.”
Lisbon, Portugal

Livraria Bertrand

The world's oldest bookshop still in operation.
Lisbon, Portugal

Carmo Convent Ruins

Legacy of the earthquake that nearly wiped Lisbon off the face of the Earth.
Oxford, England

The Norrington Room

Once one of the largest rooms full of books in the world, this bookstore basement is still a treat for bibliophiles.
Oxford, England

The Eagle and Child

J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and other "Inklings" met at the Oxford pub to discuss the now legendary fantasy stories they were writing.
Oxford, England

Alice's Shop

The shop where the girl who inspired the beloved character once bought sweets is now a book-themed commercial curiosity.
Oxford, England

Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology

Used as an example in one of the first dictionary entries for "museum" in 1706.
London, England

The Fourth Plinth

Originally meant to hold a statue of King William IV, this support sat empty for years. Today, it hosts a rotating cast of public artwork.
London, England

Charing Cross Mural

The medieval woodcut-style artwork chronicles life in medieval London.
London, England

London's Rose-Ringed Parakeets

Legend says these colorful, invasive residents are the descendants of birds released by Jimi Hendrix.
London, England

The Burney Relief

This bewitching Babylonian goddess haunts a hallway of the British Museum.
London, England

Cleopatra's Needle Shrapnel Scars

This ancient Egyptian obelisk still bears the wounds of World War I.
London, England

Victoria & Albert Museum Dining Rooms

Revel in the Victorian splendor of the world's oldest eating establishment inside a museum.
London, England

Battersea Power Station

Pop culture has helped to keep this iconic British building from being destroyed.