Places josevansteijn Wants to Go

Holy Grotto of Montserrat Monastery holds one of Europe's mysterious black Madonnas.

The Gaudí-inspired building that was the start of Terrassenc modernism.

A well-preserved medieval village nested on a rocky outcrop and surrounded by a network of cliffs, natural bridges and canyons.

The huge golden reliquary of a testicle-smashing saint.

Live-in sculpture begun by one family in 1979.

The world's largest boar is a huge steel titan found at a French rest stop.

This natural French spring has been turned into a magical grotto by Roman and medieval constructions.

One of the greatest maze designer’s greatest mazes.

This whimsical castle of grottoes was the labor of love of a French postman, and one of the greatest achievements of outsider architecture.

An abandoned mine now resembles a post-apocalyptic landscape of derelict buildings and blood-red pools of water.

Before this rocky hill was home to a chapel, it was used as a lookout by Romans and Moors.

This crumbling Portuguese ruin overlooks the populace it once ruled.

"Portugal's Stonehenge" is made up of nut-like stones aligned with the heavens.

A 16th century chapel decorated with bones, skulls, and entire bodies hanging from the wall.

The extravagance of Portugal’s "Pink Palace" resulted in a noble title being awarded to its owner.

A moving memorial to the fallen and missing from WWI trenches.

Stocking up on the world's best beer requires a pilgrimage to a monastery drive-through.

A massive, gleaming sea turtle with a rider atop its shell looks out over the horizon.

This painted Lego bridge is the product of over a century of locomotive history.

This "floating railway" is one of the world's oldest monorail systems.

Explore this medieval cathedral by trying to spot all the malevolent monsters hiding in its beautifully colored windows.

There has been an astronomical clock on this spot since the 14th century.

A pink sandstone column once used in ancient times to measure one's belly after a night of debauchery.

This 14th century wine cellar is home to the oldest barrel-stored wine in the world.