Places jeffkirk Wants to Go

During prohibition, corrupt city officials ran drinking dens under the streets of Downtown Los Angeles.

Sofia's legislative center is continuously reinventing itself.

Founded in the 4th-century, the town of Pernik plays host to the Surva Carnival⁠—a magnificent display of masked Kukeri dancers.

One of the largest mines in Bulgaria is now home to a vast museum more than 100 feet underground.

The social hall of this former factory is a Communist-era time capsule.

A mysterious tunnel hidden in the shadows of a colorful, historic sanctuary.

"Unity, Creativity, Beauty."

A striking symbol of the Bulgarian capital.

A collection of art from Bulgaria's time as a communist state.

This tiny Bulgarian town offers a stunning location in the mountains and a storied history.

Bizarrely shaped rock formations in northwest Bulgaria come with equally bizarre legends.

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

This graffitied 19th-century building was a prototype of European industrial architecture.

Preserved portions of Athens's ancient defenses are on display in a subterranean parking garage.

This once architecturally advanced housing complex is now a haven for squatters that still bears the scars of war.

Once the largest rope factory in Greece, this abandoned plant now stands like a ghost of industry past.

This architecturally eclectic early-20th century mosque was built as a place of worship for the Islamic followers of a Jewish messiah.

A little-known park with unusual, half-ruined structures and a mystical energy.

This abandoned Greek island was the last active leper colony in Europe.

What once sat in the world’s spotlight is today a largely disused ghost complex.

An abandoned Byzantine fortress and notorious prison.

This field of half-buried stone crosses was the burial place of a sect of heretical gnostics.

This secret coastal village is studded with pastel-colored houses all piled on top of one another.

Where commuters walk through remnants of an ancient Greek necropolis.