Places James Gage Wants to Go

150 or so scrounged-up lamps, chandeliers, and lanterns light up this alley in central Athens.

The ruined doorway is a portal to the building's turbulent and torturous past.

The railway carts travelers to central Athens's highest peak, which offers stunning vistas of the city.

A sharp sculpture made of thousands of pieces of jagged glass.

The oldest cemetery of modern-day Athens blends the modern and ancient worlds.

Large collection from the 3rd millennium BCE.

This ancient Greek place of assembly and marketplace is being revealed layer by layer below the modern Athens cityscape.

This small 16th-century church in Athens is almost entirely surrounded by a modern building.

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

A boat ride through utter darkness, lit only by headlamps, reveals an emerald green pool locals believe is sacred.

This sculpture gallery is home to magnificent beasts made of scrap metal and found objects.

These overlooked ruins give an intimate look at the Inca Empire's urban planning prowess.

A modern temple with an ancient philosophy.

Modern design and unusual architecture make this mountaintop temple no ordinary Buddhist retreat.

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

This otherworldly French waterfall looks like its waters have turned to stone.

This ancient theater was once the home of fierce gladiatorial battles.

This former coal mine has been turned into a sprawling modern art complex.

Asia's largest limestone cave is home to a world of plastic goblins and gold mining history.

The 400-year-old remains of the samurai invasion of Korea.

A thriving surf community exists in relative remoteness along the former boundary between North and South Korea.

Huge herds of Asian elephants can be seen walking, bathing, and just chilling at this Sri Lankan park.

A tall smoke stack and boarded-up buildings are all that's left of the pioneering plant.

Italy's third-largest Roman arena gives a peek into the underground operations beneath the ancient spectacles.