Places Edited by David Stephenson

A hermit's tiny cell built into the cliffside that saved him in South Pembrokeshire.

A gigantic statue of a Russian soldier watches over the ancient city of Plovdiv, a prominent reminder of the Soviet period in Bulgaria.

The bust of Romania’s most notorious ruler, Vlad Dracula aka "Vlad the Impaler," keeps watch over the ruins of his medieval court.

A bus with a butt and biceps to put Olympic athletes to shame.

This tiny river island switches sovereignty every six months as part of a rare, centuries-old agreement.

Sacked by Vikings, blessed by William the Conqueror, dealt a fatal blow during the French Revolution—these ruins have seen it all.

Some of the best-preserved specimens of the monumental medieval tombstones found throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Inat Kuća, or "House of Spite," is more than just an oddly named restaurant.

A mountain pass in Bulgaria's Balkan Mountains was the site of four historic battles.

A tiny, hidden alleyway dedicated to the father of meteorology.

The ruins of this medieval castle in Northern Ireland have inspired artists from C.S. Lewis to Led Zeppelin.

Space-age monument to an early 20th-century uprising.

A magnificent, glittering building tucked into a tiny Bulgarian mountain town.

"Unity, Creativity, Beauty."

An homage to the medieval rulers of Bulgaria.

Eastern Bloc nostalgia, anybody?

One of the world's oldest olive trees, thought to be over 2,000 years old.

This town named for the ancient God of War is home to fewer than a thousand people, but it's the birthplace of the Greek Revolution.

Ruins of an early Roman Christian church dating back to the 4th to 5th centuries.

The historic tower houses of this nearly abandoned Greek town have been compared to the spikes on an iguana's back.

The skeleton of a whale that beached itself in this Irish town is now on display in their public park.

According to legend a man pooped out the window of this tower to prove that it was straight.

The ghost town where the villagers refuse to leave.

This historic cemetery was inaccessible for several years due to dozens of land mines.