This overlooked Japanese Buddhist temple is a respite from the bustle of Kolkata.

An eclectic mix of influences rot together in harmony in this India necropolis.

Myanmar's Mount Olympus atop a 2,500-foot volcanic plug.

Once known for its horse-powered knife sharpening, this 200-year-old shop offers an array of blades and hard-to-find culinary tools.

A beloved local artist has been honored with this statue of a man emerging from a toilet.

The mummified relic of St. Catherine sits forever on a golden throne.

Renaissance villa and gardens complete with a tormented colossus.

Some say this medieval church is where the poet Dante married his wife and also met the love of his life.

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

This fairy-tale, neo-Gothic church in the Azores is a world of magical realism.

The world's largest wooden structure.

Hidden behind a wall, Spanish nuns distribute their signature sweets on a revolving tray.

Holding the current title of "biggest chair in the world," it stands with little fanfare in Lucena, Spain.

This surreal-looking tree pruned more than 1,000 years ago is still producing olives for oil.

Micro-nation based around a nine-story high illegally built tower.

The internet as provided by a James Bond villain.

Sweden's first nuclear reactor, R1, can be visited 25 meters underground.

The ceiling of Prohodna Cave in northern Bulgaria affords a peek at the sky via two deity-sized-eye-shaped holes.

This virtually windowless mass of smooth concrete is the only Catholic church in the city.

The deserted pirate-themed restaurant still entices explorers.

A medieval church with largest and oldest collection of Renaissance frescoes in France.

France's highest manned weather station is the only one still inhabited by meteorologists.

At the foot of a waterfall lies a peaceful swimming lagoon and evidence of over 60,000 years of human habitation.

This castle-fortress is a living example of the transition from medieval defenses to modern fortifications.