An off-the-beaten-path monastery in the northern hills of Ulaanbaatar.

Established hundreds of years ago, Gandan remains the premier Buddhist monastery in Ulaanbaatar.

The monastery survived the Communist revolution in Mongolia as a religious museum.

An exceptional assortment of fossils recovered from private collections.

Dinosaur eggs were first discovered at these fiery red cliffs.

A huge communist-era propaganda monument and mural that offers stunning views of the Mongolian capital.

Enormous statue of the Emperor of the Mongols.

Lonely minaret stump of a destroyed city.

This retro, UFO-like structure is a remnant of the Soviet-era circus.

Time capsule of a museum, in which the Soviet Union remains alive and kicking.

This former KGB building is now a museum memorializing the people who suffered during the Soviet regime.

Over time, this castle grew to encompass the entire island.

Legend has it that Napoleon Bonaparte fell in love with this Gothic church.

The medieval center of the Islamic world was also once the seat of Saladin's sultanate.

Standing atop 2nd-century Roman ruins, this church is one of the oldest and most iconic in Old Cairo.

The smaller of the three towers of San Marino is a former prison inaccessible from the ground level.

This church also serves as a lighthouse complete with a beacon.

A cathedral resurrected from the ashes of one of Europe's greatest urban fires.

This insurance company building reminds customers that witches, bears, and gnomes are out there, best be insured.

An encyclopedic collection of mammal penises.

This museum explores how a 1973 volcanic eruption forever changed this small Icelandic island.

The only structure in a remote mountain pass, these colorful cubes are visible from miles away.

A black sand beach where glacial fragments wash ashore and look like sparkling diamonds.

A relatively obscure antihero from the Marvel Comics universe adorns a wall inside Iceland's main airport.