Places Mesi Wants to Go

This upscale streetwear store is hidden behind a fake Snapple machine in the back of a deli.

Remnants of the city's Soviet history hover over this modern fast-food outlet.

The fantastic charm of England's oldest botanical garden has made it a place of writerly inspiration for centuries.

The weathered grave of a medieval anchoress who walled herself up in a cell attached to a church.

A 26-foot shark sculpture—a statement about bombs—set off a municipal battle royale.

Ancient Egyptian wigs, South American feather headdresses, a bounty of anthropological artifacts in Oxford.

Oxford University's stateliest library seems designed to make students truly feel the weight of knowledge.

One of Europe's oldest libraries.

This Copper beech tree nestled on a nature reserve is host to a bevy of autographs from Irish literary icons.

A teddy bear sits on a chair watching the sunset from the mountaintop—just as the late Dan Clancy had done since childhood.

A restaurant with an extensive Irish whiskey bar also has several first editions of famous works by Irish authors.

The chaotic studio of one of the 20th century's most important artists has been preserved down to the dust.

This 14th century tower house was once the home of Irish poet W.B. Yeats.

The house where the writer spent his formative years.

The remains of this deep, dark mine have left behind a haunting rocky warren of tunnels.

The Grand Lodge of Ireland is one of the oldest in the world, full of fantastical, elaborately themed rooms.

Though they've since been renamed, these two streets hint at Dublin's darker days.

Just a few miles off the western coast of Ireland lies an isle steeped in Irish literary history.

A spectacular hidden beach in Ireland has the dark, disturbing nickname of "Murder Hole Beach."

After being destroyed by IRA sympathizers, the ruins of this stately Irish manor have sat vacant for decades.

The 19th-century pharmacy (now a used bookstore) was featured in James Joyce’s "Ulysses," and has changed very little to this day.

The world's toughest modern Christian pilgrimage leads directly to the gates of Hell.

Once the longest bridge in Ireland, this rusting span sits abandoned and overrun by nature.

The mummified heart of a saint lives on in this church—after a brief hiatus when it was stolen.