Places andyhartsmith Wants to Go

The oldest bookstore in Iceland.

A local tree surgeon has created a whimsical walk full of carved tree stumps near Scotland's Loch Lomond.

A magical museum of fairy tale treasures near Cyprus' buffer zone.

According to one legend, this bridge was crafted after monkeys formed a body-bridge across the gorge.

An unusually shaped lighthouse with origins rooted in heartbreak.

A historic fortification critical to Anglo-Scottish conflicts now serves as a bed and breakfast.

This sculpture commemorates the first instance of an American president pardoning a turkey.

This sprawling scenic burial ground is the final resting place of Japan's last shogun.

The bartenders at this crime-fighting theme cafe are actual private detectives by day.

Drinkslinger is an unlikely vocation for a Buddhist monk, but at this Tokyo bar the enlightenment is served in a martini glass.

Shrine to Japanese water-goblins, complete with their preserved body parts.

The legendary birthplace of the Japanese maneki-neko is dotted with hundreds of lucky beckoning cats.

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.

This Japanese national treasure was originally built in 593.

Hidden by the roadside in the Iya Valley, this gem brings together folk monsters and the region's unique geography.

A monument to the first person to sail around the world solo, nowhere close to where he was born, set sail, or landed.

These ancient pecked images are among the oldest and best-preserved in Mongolia.

Above an abandoned Underground station, this charming bookstore is home to strange antiquities and literary works.

A massive trilithon nicknamed "Stonehenge of the Pacific."

In this case, 'zero' marks the spot where the iconic Old Spanish Trail ends.

A tribute to Ponce de Leon's supposed quest for eternal youth.

Performers, intricate sets, and a real speakeasy tell the story of the 18th Amendment.

You may recognize this beautiful grove within Kaitoke Regional Park as location of the house of Elrond.