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

Iceland's "Smoky Valley" is a beautiful river that is shrouded in a constant cover of steam clouds.

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

This stunning concert hall has become a symbol of Iceland's national recovery.

This monument to one of the largest science fiction games of all time bears the names of hundreds of thousands of players.

Iceland's tribute to its thankless civil servants.

Icelandic folklore says this giant boulder was ripped from the mountains and placed at its current location, where it became home to elves.

Three columns of volcanic rock shoot out of the ocean.

Cairns built to bring travelers good luck stretch across the land like miniature stone mountains.

The unique waterfall in Iceland's south features a backdrop of geometric black lava columns.

Twisted girders are all that remain of an Icelandic bridge that was wiped out by a combination of volcanic heat and glacial floods.

This fairytale-like structure is the last turf church ever constructed in Iceland.

Iceland's largest lagoon is home to stunning multi-colored icebergs.

A restaurant devoted to "trouser grip" wrestling, an ancient form of Viking wrestling that is Iceland's national sport.

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

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

An unusually designed bridge from the 1920s was built to withstand the tides and winds of Maine.

Its unique collection details the history of the state's svelte railroads.

The highest point in Maine is a grand gift to the state citizens that also happens to be one end of the Appalachian Trail.

Once a private collection, now the only museum of arms and armor in the Western Hemisphere - CLOSED.

It's not a typo, now say it five times fast!

This evocatively named natural crevasse was created by a torrent of water that smashed right through a granite deposit.

As state highpoints go, this spot is one of the lowest, but for years it was also the hardest to climb.

This stone gatehouse was once the entrance to a historic mountain resort, and it had a cameo in a cheesy cult horror movie.