Places Kris McCracken Wants to Go

In a long-dry lake bed, these groups of massive stone pillars bear a striking resemblance to clumps of everyone's favorite fungi.

Mysterious standing stone formations looks like a petrified forest.

A mountain pass in Bulgaria's Balkan Mountains was the site of four historic battles.

Eastern Bloc nostalgia, anybody?

This ancient theater, restored in the 20th century, lives on as a venue for dramatic and musical performances.

UNESCO-protected ancient burial ground.

This once-grandiose behemoth of a monument from the socialist era now sits quiet and closed up.

The second-largest Jewish temple in Bulgaria was deserted after World War II, seized by the communist government and then abandoned again.

A striking symbol of the Bulgarian capital.

An ancient Thracian city where fire rituals were practiced on the largest cult altar in Southeast Europe.

A flamboyant five-story building in Bulgaria resembles a crawling snail.

A spectacular Bulgarian cave resembling a devil's head with a waterfall rushing down its throat.

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

A Bulgarian monument to Russia's role in World War II is constantly being painted in pop culture protest.

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

This historic black and white monastery is one of Bulgaria's architectural jewels.

The ceiling of Prohodna Cave in northern Bulgaria affords a peek at the sky via two deity-sized-eye-shaped holes.

This massive concrete sculpture is said to be the heaviest communist monument on Earth.

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

An architectural marvel that spans the Arda River, and has stories of a haunted past.

An abandoned saucer-shaped monument in the Bulgarian mountains.

This 11th-century structure is one of the oldest churches in Romania.

This museum offers a journey back to the Belle Epoque era of Romania.

A memorial museum to the political prisoners who were held at Sighet Prison, once one of the most feared places in Romania.