A stone marker and sculpture in the city of Riga stake a claim for the very first community Christmas tree.

Flamboyant architecture from the turn of 20th century.

The oldest housing complex in Riga is a mini timeline of architectural trends.

A black cat protests the City Guild in Riga's Old Town.

This striking memorial is one of Estonia’s most controversial Soviet leftovers.

A secluded art gallery hidden within the cellars beneath Tallinn’s medieval monastery.

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.

Crawl through the hole in the middle of this stone to break off a bad relationship or initiate a good one.

The cemetery houses the remains of Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, one of Japan's most famous novelists.

Nine Gardens in one—with tea service.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.

Burial mound for the ears and noses of thousands of mutilated Korean soldiers.

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

When this massive wooden temple ran out of rope, they made one out of devotees' hair.

This trio of Australian rock spires may have inspired aboriginal legend or just modern tourism.

A collaboration of art and ornithology mourns the calls of Sydney's lost birds.

Though considered an eyesore by some, this boxy Brutalist high-rise plays a significant role in Sydney's past.

This historic observatory contains the world's oldest refracting lens telescope.

This grim museum collects artifacts and evidence of some of the most sensational antipodean crimes.

The bones of this aquatic dinosaur turned to opal over the centuries and the beast's remains were almost sold as jewelry.

Come for the flowers, stay for the bats!