valj's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Arles, France

Arles's Cryptoporticous

A unique underground structure dating back to the 1st century BC.
Gémenos, France

Parc de Saint-Pons

A public park off the beaten path with a beautiful waterfall and 13th century Cistercian abbey.
Marseille, France

Château d'If

This historic island prison holds one of the dungeons from the Count of Monte Cristo even though it is a work of fiction.
Assesse, Belgium

Grotto of St Anthony of Padua

This collection of lurid religious statues tell the tales of a saint who stood down the devil.
Ostend, Belgium

James Ensor House

The former home of a trailblazing surrealist is still filled with haunting dolls and grim paintings.
Brussels, Belgium

Maison de la Bellone

This modern arts center is built around a gem of late-Baroque architecture.
Ghent, Belgium

Dr. Guislain Museum

A Museum of Psychiatry in a still-operating mental institution.
Bruges, Belgium

Basilica of the Holy Blood

Christ's blood allegedly preserved in a Belgian town.
Liège, Belgium

Fort de la Chartreuse

This abandoned Belgian fortress is purposefully being left to nature.
Brussels, Belgium

Musée de la Médecine

Medical history with an amazing, if frighting, collection of wax diseases on display.
Madrid, Spain

Reverte Coma Forensic Museum

The morbid items in this small and hidden museum are not for the weak stomached.
Yaiza, Spain

Green Lagoon

This beautifully verdant lagoon is tucked below a massive volcano in a crater atop a black pebble beach.
San Pedro, Spain

San Pedro de Cervatos Erotic Carvings

A small church ornamented with medieval erotic sculptures.
San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

Valley of the Fallen

This underground church is topped with a 500-foot cross that is seen by many as a beacon of fascist hubris.
Madrid, Spain

Javier Puerta Museum of Anatomy

One of the world's oldest universities houses an incredible collection of anatomical models, mummified body parts, and human bones.
Yeres, Spain

Las Médulas

Devastated landscape used for hundreds of years by the Romans as their primary mining site.
Málaga, Spain

Crypt of Santa Maria de la Victoria

Bold black and white motifs of life and death add a dramatic flair to this 17th-century crypt.
Las Majadas, Spain

Los Callejones de Las Majadas

"Alleys of Stone" form natural mazes in Spanish natural park.
Sant Just Desvern, Spain

La Fábrica (The Factory)

An architect transformed this abandoned cement factory into his castle-like workshop.
Haría, Spain

Los Jameos del Agua

Partially collapsed lava tube and cave system complete with concert hall, underground pond, and unique albino crabs.
Torrevieja, Spain

The Pink Lake of Torrevieja

Bacteria and algae give the salty water its bubblegum hue.
L'Alt Empordà, Spain

Les Escaules

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

Pont del Diable

A gravity-defying "devil's bridge" that has a surprising architectural feature for its stability.
Sant Quirze Safaja, Spain

Church of Sant Miquel del Fai

An enchanting monastery in the Spanish countryside appears lifted from a fantasy tale.