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

A winding, blood-red tunnel of hardened lava navigable by foot.

This valley of hot springs and boiling mud pots is home to the record-holding "Geysir," which originated the English word.

An encyclopedic collection of mammal penises.

One of the tallest buildings in Iceland, and perhaps, the most visually impressive.

Medicinal spa created from the mineral-rich runoff of a geothermal power plant

If a glacial river suddenly diving into a sheer chasm via a dramatic, multi-stage waterfall isn't peak Iceland, it's certainly close.

A symbol of the Workers' Party of North Korea.

North Korea's massive "hotel of doom."

A vast museum devoted to North Korea's victories against its imperialist enemies.

A giant bronze monument to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il is one of the most sacred sites in North Korea.

A former palace transformed into a mausoleum for North Korea's supreme leaders.

A highly symbolic tower in honor of Supreme Leader Kim Il-sung's personal philosophy.

One of the largest public squares in the world, named after the former DPRK supreme leader.

Ming Dynasty necropolis raided during the Cultural Revolution.

A huge communist-era propaganda monument and mural that offers stunning views of the Mongolian capital.

The Avenue of Mausolea is a series of grand palatial tombs.

Lonely minaret stump of a destroyed city.

Looking for a unifying history, Uzbekistan finds its answer in a 14th Century Turco-Mongol conqueror... despite the fact he wasn't Uzbek.

Where the father of Persian poetry is laid to rest.

Light still pours into the ruins of this ancient Islamic observatory.

Rusting ships sit in a desert where a sea used to be.

World's oldest and largest space launch facility, once a secret missile testing site.

Where Stoddart and Connolly suffered in the infamous Bug Pit.