The picturesque birthplace of Icelandic democracy is drenched in the blood of its brutal past.

This beautiful, historic church looks like something out of a simpler past.

This natural Icelandic fissure allows divers to swim right between two volatile tectonic plates.

This opera house along the banks of the Connecticut River has two Tony Awards to its credit but it’s never staged a single opera.

A statue in the center of Dublin dedicated to one of their favorite sons of rock & roll.

The modern birthplace of Irish freedom.

The mummified heart of a saint lives on in this church—after a brief hiatus when it was stolen.

The gorgeous library at Trinity College is home to remarkable treasures of Irish identity.

This kitsch eatery is chock-a-block with bric-a-brac.

The Connecticut village named for its subterranean thunder.

This small-town pizzeria won the Hollywood lottery.

Quirky castle designed by the American actor best known for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage.

A son-and-daughter meat market, hawked by mom and dad.

This smaller cousin of the Forbidden City has gone from ancestral sacrifice to tourist's whispers.

The most famous location in China was home to whole dynasties worth of imperial rulers.

The once highest point in China blends symbolic design with a kick of adrenaline.

An out-of-place slice of France, smack in the middle of Shanghai.

This small New York museum examines Chinese history from its origins right up to its arrival in the city.

Protecting the dead from opportunistic body snatchers.

The most loyal of little dogs, or a Victorian era publicity stunt?

This 17th-century street hidden beneath Edinburgh was once a breeding ground for the black death.

360° views of the city plus five floors of optical illusions and hands-on science.

The heads of two giant mythological water horses honor Scotland's horselord past.

The highest peak in the United Kingdom has a history of physics, specters, and a pilgrimage of strange objects.