Places RakelOm Wants to Go

These Egyptian statues have survived for 3,400 years and were an acoustic wonder of the ancient world.

Clap your hands at the base of the pyramid, and the song of a sacred Mayan bird will echo through the air.

This modern monument to pagan belief looks like it was transported straight from ancient times.

An Icelandic island full of diving birds and legend.

A lonely beacon, precariously perched atop a remote sliver of rock.

Giant animal sculptures are created with the rice straw leftover from the fall harvest each year.

A collection of the specialized tools used to construct Japan’s beautiful architecture.

A meandering boardwalk across the bogland leads to a "stairway to heaven" with sublime views.

The 1,000-year-old abbey is the birthplace of modern musical notation.

A quirky assortment of musical marvels from around the world.

The ancient necropolis houses the immense rock-cut tombs of four Persian kings.

The plague quarantine island home to the alleged "Vampire of Venice."

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.

Gorgeous purple flowers drape from the world's largest blossoming plant.

The palace window through which Protestant nobles flung two Catholic regents, thus sparking the Thirty Years' War.

This peaceful Sikh gurudwara serves around 50,000 free meals every day within its gilded walls.

It's good luck to be mocked by this monkey.

Increasingly decayed figures stand as a powerful reminder of the human costs of Czech Communism.

An eerie, existential museum dedicated to the author of "The Metamorphosis."

This automated sculpture of two men peeing will spell out text messages with their micturition.

Immortal combat in a Moscow museum.

The gorgeous entrances into the city's underbelly look more like grand halls than subway stops.

This enchanting 600-year-old tree is so magical it inspired the beloved tale of Pinocchio.

The once forbidden "secret cabinet" of erotic art from excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum.