The world's northernmost botanic garden has 25 collections of plants from arctic and alpine regions.

At the very tippity-top of Europe is a cliff from which you can view the midnight sun.

The world's northernmost brewery uses water from a 2,000-year-old glacier to create its beer.

This Arctic storage facility is a secure backup for agricultural biodiversity.

In the northernmost city in the world, it's illegal to be buried because it’s too cold for bodies to decompose.

This abandoned mining village was predicted to resist decay longer than any other modern human settlement.

An encyclopedic collection of mammal penises.

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.

The largest whale museum in Europe allows visitors to walk among life-size giants.

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

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

A geothermal paradise with bubbling mud pools and bright blue hot springs.

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

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

In Northeastern Iceland lies something of an oxymoron: a steaming desert.

A sulfuric martian landscape that looks far better than it smells.

These ominous lava formations were said to be an entrance to the netherworld so of course they inspired a famous metal band.

Instead of solid circles, the stoplights in this northern Icelandic town have glowing red hearts.

This elegant arc of a waterfall marks a religious turning point.

Iceland: home to volcanoes, waterfalls and, apparently, Santa?

The oldest lighthouse on America's west coast no longer needs keepers, yet they maintain the site anyhow.

Two rocks in a perpetual kiss and one of "the most romantic spot in America."

Life in this isolated, hilltop lighthouse was lonely, but it sure was lovely.